Have you heard of ViSalus or the Body by Vi Challenge? If you’re like me, odds are several people have asked you about the science behind ViSalus or asked you if you wanted to try their products. Fortunately for me, a friend gave me some samples so I could check it out for myself, so let me now review ViSalus and pay particular attention to its Body By Vi Shape weight loss shake because which seems to be one of their flagship products. I've written a separate review on Vi Slim Metabo Awake so check that out if your looking for information specific to that product.
What is ViSalus?
ViSalus, the company is actually part of a larger company called Blyth located in Greenwich CT. Blyth Inc is actually a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange. Its stock symbol is BTH. Blyth Inc. is involved in marketing a variety of products. See the Blyth website for more information on their products.
In America, Blyth is located at One East Weaver Street Greenwich, CT. Their phone number is : 203-661-1926
I mention this because it appears that ViSalus itself will be spun off as a publicly traded company in the near future. As of August 16 2012 ViSalus has started the paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission for an Initial Public Offering (IPO).
Visalus Supplements
There are several ViSalus supplements that range from weight loss to “neuro support”. These supplements are usually sold in “kits”. Purchasing any kit also grants people access to the Body By Vi online support website.
These are the kits sold by Visalus.
1. Body by Vi Balance Kit. This is kind of a starter kit and has a 30 day supply of Vi Shape weight loss shake powder. This is designed for people who use 1 shake a day. Here is the Balance kit on Amazon.
2. Body by Vi Shape Kit. This kit has 60 servings of the Vi Shape shake powder and is designed to last 1 month (2 shakes per day). Here is the Shape Kit on Amazon.
3. Body by Vi Core Kit. This kit was a little ambiguous when I looked at it on the Visalus website. They say the Core kit has “a patented anti-aging and energy formula, balanced nutrition, and hydration and energy without the jitters”. Is that 4 different products or 5? It was hard to figure out how many products are in the Body by Vi Core Kit. Here is the Core Kit on Amazon.
They also say “Combine that with our comprehensive Vi-Pak, for sound nutritional support from head to toe, and patent-pending Neuro Smart Energy drink mix, to support healthy brain function and keep you sharp”. Here is the Vi Pak on Amazon.
The Vi Pak? Is that extra or does it come with the Core Kit? When they say “combine” it makes me think you have to buy the Vi Pak separately. Make sure you understand this part if you purchase the Core Kit.
The Vi Pak is a mulit vitamin and mineral, anti aging and omega fatty acid supplement developed by Dr. Michael Seidman who is on the ViSalus science board. Check out the Vi Pak link for everything in the Vi Pak. Be careful with the Vi Pak if you are pregnant, lactating or taking blood thinner drugs.
Tip. Nobody knows why we age or grow old. There are many theories about aging but no single theory completely explains the aging process. Because of this fact, don’t take too seriously anyone who has an “anti-aging” formula –even if it’s “patented”.
4. Body by Vi Transformation Kit. This is billed as “the ultimate in shaping and nutritional ingredients to help you see and feel maximum results.” It looks like it’s basically a 30 day supply of everything in the Visalus product line. Here is the Transformation Kit on Amazon.
How much do the Visalus kits cost?
I found the prices on the Visalus website in a pdf file.
- Balance Kit: $49
- Shape Kit: $99
- Core kit: $199
- Transformation Kit: $249
Yearly cost of Visalus Kits
Let’s add up what 1 year costs if you used any of the Vlsalus kits.
- Balance Kit. $49 x 12 = $588 per year
- Shape Kit $99 X 6 = $594 per year (each shape kit lasts 2 months)
- Core Kit. $199 x 12 = $2388 per year
- Transformation Kit $249 x 12 = $2998 per year
I checked out ViSalus on the Better Business Bureau and they give the company an “A” Rating as of 8/18/11. The BBB did report 6 complaints for ViSalus but the categories were vague, dealing with issues about “Advertising/Sales Issues” and “Problems with Product/Service”. All complaints appear to have been resolved and I'm not worried about their reputation with customers at this time.
Body by Vi business
Body by Vi seems to be marketed mostly through distributors. It looks like there is a multi level marketing (MLM) aspect to the business which makes some people think ViSalus is a scam. That said, I don’t think MLM is always a bad thing and it does allow some people to make a lot of money with a home based business. In this economy, I do like that.
If you are thinking about being a ViSalus distributor ask “what does the average ViSalus distributor make?”. The answer to that question might help you get an idea of how much you might make.
Also ask ViSalus if you have to buy the product up front before selling it? I don’t think this is the case with ViSalus, but ask anyway before you join up.
Many weight loss supplements are sold via distributors. For example this is mostly how Shakeology is sold.
Speaking of Shakeology, here is a post where I compared ViSalus shakes to Shakeology. There you can get a cost breakdown also.
In some respects the ViSalus shake reminds me of Formula 1 meal shakes by Herbalife. See that review for more information.
The Body by Vi Challenge
Like many people I first heard about ViSalus because of its Body by Vi challenge. This is basically how the challenge works. If you use ViSalus supplements and lose more weight than the others in 90 days, you win.
Prizes for winning the Body by Vi Challenge range from a Hollywood vacation to a cruise to Baja Mexico. Runners up can get other prizes.
The Body by Vi Challenge reminds me of the Body for Life “challenge” which was big in the late 1990s and is still popular today.
I credit Body For Life as being the impetus behind P90X and most other fitness and weight loss challenges that are popular today.
The book, Body For Life was written by Bill Phillips, who used to run EAS supplements. People who changed their life the most in 90 days by using EAS supplements (and working out) got prizes. This is pretty similar to the Body by Vi challenge.
The idea of a fitness or weight loss challenge is very smart marketing. You buy the supplements, work hard and if you win, the company makes a big fuss over you and shows you off to others.
For the company, it’s a win-win.
The company makes money up front when you buy their supplements and the company makes more money later on by showing off the winner of the challenge to “the next generation” of people in the challenge.
You win because you got healthy and got a cool prize.
There isn’t anything wrong with this and getting healthy is great. I only want to point this out to you. It’s also nice that the Body by Vi website lets people interact with others in the Challenge. Online support is good because it’s been shown to help people achieve their weight loss goals.
The Vi Shape
At the core of the ViSalus product line is the weight loss shake called Vi Shape. This shake is included in every Body by Vi Kit. Let’s take a look at it and see what we can discover.
Body By Vi- Shape Ingredients
| DV | |
| Calories 90 | |
| Calories from fat 10 | 10 |
| Total fat | 2% |
| Saturated fat | 0 |
| Trans fat | 0 |
| Cholesterol 15 mg | 5% |
| Total carbs 7 g | 2% |
| Dietary fiber 5g | 22% |
| Sugars <1 g | |
| Protein 12 g | 24% |
There are also many vitamins and minerals in the Vi Shape as well. Mostly, the shake gives you 30% of each vitamin and mineral. The exception is iron where you only get 5% of your daily value. That’s not a bad thing since most healthy people get enough iron from their diet –and too much iron is not always good.
Overall, the shake is pretty conservative in how much vitamins and minerals it gives you. Again, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Tip. Extra vitamins and minerals don’t make you bigger, leaner or stronger. That’s probably why the Vi Shape doesn't give you lots of them.
How much nutrition is in the Body By Vi Shake?
On 11/3/11, I noticed an interesting video on the website BodyByVisalus.com. The video says that to get the same nutritional value in just 1 Body By Vi shake you would have to eat:
- 12 eggs – for vitamin D
- 1.5 cups broccoli – for vitamin E
- 5 peaches – for vitamin A
- 2 chicken breasts – for vitamin B12 (they say “at least 2 chicken breasts”)
- 1.5 cups of frozen yogurt – for calcium
- 1.5 cups of bran flakes – for magnesium
- 18 oz tomato juice – for vitamin B6
- 5 oz cheddar cheese for zinc
- 3 cups Lima beans – for niacin
- 15 slices of whole wheat bread – for pantiothantic acid
- 20 spears of asparagus – for riboflavin
- 2 cups of mushrooms – for copper
- 30 apples – for chromium
- 10 stalks of celery – for manganese
- 3 pineapples – for digestive enzymes
- 30 prunes – for fiber
All that in just 1 shake! Pretty impressive but this is just “fun with numbers”. Don't be fooled by this. For example, take the 30 prunes which they say is where Body Bi Vi gets it fiber from. But, 1 shake only has 5 grams of fiber. I bet if you ate 30 prunes, you would be getting much more than 5 grams of fiber!
As for digestive enzymes, you don't need these unless you have a digestive issue, which most healthy people don't have.
Adding protein to a weight 
loss shake is smart because it helps reduce our body protein (including muscle protein) from breaking down during dieting – something that can occur. But, each Vi shake only has 12 grams of protein. If you ate the 12 eggs and 2 chicken breasts in the above list, you would be getting MUCH MORE than 12 grams of protein!
The protein in the Vi Shake is a combination of soy and whey protein.
Compared to other weight loss shakes I've seen – like the P90X Recovery Drink – there is nothing in Vi Shape shake that would be considered “controversial”. That’s good. On the downside, I don't see anything special in the Body by Vi Shake either. Basically the Body By Vi Shake just a low calorie weight loss shake.
If you mix it with water, it’s only 90 calories. If you mix it with 8 oz of milk, it’s about 190 calories.
Can ViSalus help you gain muscle?
I'm sure in some people it might be able to help but remember ViSalus shakes have only 90 calories and 12 grams of protein. Gaining muscle is a matter or not just strength training, but extra calories and extra protein.
If you want to know how the ViSalus shake tastes, read my ViSalus shake taste test.
Because it’s fairly low in calories, that’s how the shake helps you lose weight – by reducing the calories you eat per day. If you follow the Body by Vi program you are replacing 1 or 2 meals a day with a ViSalus Shake. You also eat one or two “real” meals a day.
This is the same reasoning behind MANY other weight loss solutions. For example it was the same logic behind Right Size Smoothie. It’s also the basis behind Slim Fast too.
But here’s my question. Is the ViSalus Body Vi Shake better than other weight loss shakes? Will you lose weight faster or safer with Body By Vi than, say, Slim Fast for example? There is no good proof one way or the other.
What do you think?
Thank you Joe for your very objective review. I had been looking for “real” reviews of Visalus products and could only find websites related to Visalus or Visalus distributors. THEY ARE EVERYWHERE!!! This company is now invading Canada and I can’t believe so many people want a quick fix to their weight problem!!! 90 days + BMW + dreams is good marketing, but I think it is not honest business considering the effects of yoyo dieting (we all know that most people will go back to their old habits after the 750$ and 90 days if they did not make any REAL lifestyle changes). It just drives me crazy to see young adults drinking shakes while sitting in front of the TV, thinking it’s THE solution.
Emilie, glad you found me and that I was able to help! I did not know ViSalus was in Canada thanks for the heads up. I agree, drinking shakes is not the solution because eventually you want to eat something solid.
Tri sorb protein? All the research I have done about this and I only see it with Visalus products. Sounds made up to me, sorry. Also, I have tried the shakes they taste good but decided that I could come up with my own recipe. Soy protein, sugar free carnation instant breakfast powder, fruit and almond milk. Thanks for the review Joe
Cryastal, yes you are right Tri sorb protein is an invented word. Good eye!
Each kit is a 30 day supply! You have mentioned a few times that the shape kit is 2 month supply. Balance kit- one shake a day
Shape- two shakes a day
I’ve got to stop reading bc I’m going to be here all night correcting everything you’re saying incorrectly or haven’t researched!
Jamie, 30 day supply or 2 months supply If I am wrong about that, its a small thing. I will defer to your greater understanding of these things since you are a distributor. But my logic and research is sound and I stand by my ViSalus review and invite you to prove me wrong by providing me with published peer reviewed research.
Wow Tri sorb protein, guys! You did absolutely no research on the patented Tri sorb proteins!! 12g of our patented protein blend is equevelant to 60g of whey! Aminogens makes that happen!
Jamie, the ViSalus shake has only 12 grams of protein. Can you show me a study that proves that your 12 grams equates to 60 grams of whey protein? As for “Aminogens”, this is a made up, invented word that has no formal scientific acceptance, outside of the supplement industry. I know this is true because when I Google “Aminogen” everything I see has the word associated with dietary supplements like Herbalife.
If the Aminogens you refer to are the same as “Aminogen” mentioned to in the bodybuilding supplement “Syntheroid”, which I just reviewed, then your Aminogens are just enzyme supplements and healthy people – overweight or not – have no need for them. If aminogens really make the difference, I invite you to show me a study proving that aminogens ramp up the effectiveness of the 12 grams of protein in the ViSalus weight loss shake.
I truly am surprised. Your distributors should be educated as am I. The gas is caused by the fibersol, it will cease in a few days. Autoship, yes it’s a 90 day health challenge and you absolutely should have been informed.
Joe- you must promote some other diet program because if you did research on the vi shake, you’d find it’s loaded with patented ingredients, 23 vitamins and minerals etc… We serve a million shakes a day! To those who did not lose weight, you probably didn’t get the right kit for you. Pro libra- naturalproductsinsider.com check it out.
Jamie, I appreciate your comments but I assure you I am not promoting any diet program. You can read though my past reviews and you will not see any instance where I have advocated a weight loss program or supplement. I review the research and let people make up their own minds.
When you say the Vi Shape weight loss shake is “loaded with vitamins” you know that this doesn’t mean its “better” . No vitamin or mineral has been shown to help people lose weight. The ViSalus weight loss shake will help people lose weight because it helps them reduce calories – not because there is any special about the shake. The principles are basically the same – drink 2 shakes a day and eat a “sensible meal” for dinner.
I take it you are a ViSalus distributor and probalby high up in the ViSalus organization. Can you show me 1 study on ANY of the ViSalus products?
I stand by my conclusions that the Vi Shape weight loss shake is just a low calorie shake and will not product any more weight loss than any other weight loss program that provides the same number of calories and exercise.
I went through a whole bag and the gas and intestinal discomfort did not go away.
I have been using BBV shakes for about 3 weeks now. I drink usually 2 a day. One for breakfast and one for dinner. I mix it with soy milk or almond milk. I think the people who are getting gas is because they are using milk. They may have a slight lactose intolerance that is becoming an issue now that they are consuming more milk than they normally did.
I would suggest switching to light soy or almond. It tastes better in the shakes anyway. I have lost 5 pounds so far. I don’t work out and I’m not in horrible shape. Just trying to lose some extra baby weight (I had the baby over a year ago) =) I think it is helping to boost my metabolism since I rarely ate breakfast before.
I also drink coffee throughout the day. I keep my meal as sensible as possible and try not to snack too much. I don’t eat a lot of junk anyway. I have lots of energy and enjoy creating new shakes. I agree with Joe’s comment- it’s really just a shake replacement like slim fast. But it does fill me up more than slim fast did.
Thanks for commenting Janice – and I agree about Slimfast. I could easily drink 4 of those before I feel “full”
I experienced the extreme gas and I did not use regular milk, I always used almond milk or light soy. I also gained weight on the shakes. I talked to my doctor and she told me that she tried the shake and she experienced the same things, she advised me to stop drinking it.
I just love the product, started 48 days ago,lost 7 pounds and considering I’m 55 and in god shape this is great,body by vi is very filling and you never get bored with the unlimited recopies,most people are having success but there are always a few that can’t lose weight on anything and I’ve seen this as well. The taste is excellent and its very affordable, with the 3 for free, cost should never be an issue.
Hi Joe & Everyone,
I, too, also just started on the 90 Day Challenge with Vi-Shakes and have not yet weighed myself in (3 more days until its been a full week).
I have experienced the gas issue others mention, but think its just an adjustment period. I think anything with high fiber like this may take some people some adjustment, especially if like me did not have a high fiber diet prior to starting this program.
I have a few co-workers that have been on this program for a month and they have had fantastic results thus far…losing as much as 5lbs a week on “good weeks”, but an average of 2lbs per week.
I find the shakes very filling and I love the fact that I can choose from a variety of “recipes” to change up the flavors of my shakes by either adding frozen fruit or even just a spoonful of peanut butter. I was a person that didn’t eat breakfast or lunch on most days, so I find this helps keep me on track for eating 3 times per day. I hope to have success and appreciate your posting on this product.
Thanks Jessica, keep me posted on how it works for you 🙂
Hello,
I am so very excited that I found your site, Joe. I don’t seem to be able to find any other straight-forward reviews about the Vi product. I have a very good friend that is now a distributor of the item. I am also going to my first challenge party this week, Thursday, November 10th, actually. I am attracted to this item because I have such a busy lifestyle that I dont have a lot of time to prepare meals. I also have type 2 diabetes which I have to control. Have you, or anyone else on here, heard of anyone else on the products that have Diabetes ? Also, thanks for the information on Splenda. I get soooo tired of water,, I drink about a gallon a day because I know it is good for me. So, I always put 3 splendas in my unsweetened tea. I look forward to your next post.
James thanks for your words I am glad you found me also 🙂
I have reviewed a few supplements for diabetes -glucosulin, diab-x -for example and if you use the search box for “diabetes” all of my other comments will come up. On my personal website, I have also written about diabetes a few times also. Here is a link to one of the reviews that links to the others http://www.joe-cannon.com/natural-cure-for-diabetes/
Let me know how the ViSalus challenge party goes and your thoughts about body by Vi if you try it 🙂
HI there,
My friend and I are going on vacation in January, and woudl really need to lose about 30-40 lbs. I thought to kick-start our diet – we could try this shake. First, we are in week 3 and we both only lost 1.5 lbs. I am drinking this stuff with skim milk and a banana 3 times a day and only eating fruit and drinking coffee with skim milk in between. NOt even eating dinner. I also get a LOT of gas. I work all day and it is really embarassing! Sometimes if I am super hungry I will add a little bit of oatmeal in it – but not all the time. HOw is it possible that I am taking in not too many calories and Still NOT LOSING WEIGHT? We are both frustrated and wonder why this is happening??
Kim, I can feel your frustration! Please dont feel embarrassed. As I mentioned ViSalus is just a low calorie shake. Other than that there is no special ingredient in ViSalus that helps people lose weight any faster or better than anything else. That said, based on what you said I wonder if you both are eating enough? When you don’t eat enough, your body reduces its metabolic rate which reduces how fast you lose weight. its like how your car slows down when you take your foot off the gas pedal.
Why don’t you try just eating 3-4 small meals a day, all of the meals should equal no more than 1800 calories. Thats probably a little less calories than you usually eat but not so much that you would notice a difference. Also drink a glass of water before eating. Forget the ViSalus shakes and just do that and see if that works.
I am glad to see this review. It doesn’t appear that there is any discernable advantage to this product over other meal replacement shakes that cost less.
Hello Joe,
My wife and I both started drinking the Vi-Shapes on October 1. We only drink one shape a day. After the first 10 days, my wife weighed the same as when she started and I gained a pound. Why, I have no idea. The last 5 days, my wife has lost a total of 2 pounds and I have lost 2 tenths of a pound. Not very encouraging. To make matters worse, my wife and I started getting a lot of gas. Not a problem for my wife now, but still a problem for me. Have any ideas what would cause the gas? I never had this problem before I drank the Vi-Shakes. I told our distributer I would give it 30 days to see how we do. I just found out our credit card has been billed again for another $99, plus shipping. I did not give her permission for this charge. Now I have to dispute the charge and spend time writing an explanation on what happened. This alone is enough for me to not use the products anymore.
Tommie That stinks about lack of significant weight loss. Look at the other foods you are eating and try to add up the calories. ViSalus doesn’t have any ting special in it for weight loss, other than its a low calorie shake. I am not sure what is causing your gas issues. Did it ever happen if you took over weight loss shakes? I’m wondering if there may be something in ViSalus that might be different than other shakes that caused the gas?
As for the charge on your credit card, call ViSalus and tell talk to them about this. Im guessing that you are on an autoship program. I don’t think your distributor charged your credit card, but rather ViSalus did. That might mean they are about to send you another 30 day supply. if you dont want it anymore and call them they may be able to halt the product before its shipped and refund the money on your credit card.
Please Keep me posted what happens on this. Im really curious to know the outcome of your gas issues and the charge on your credit card.
Hi–With regards to the sucralose. Our shake is 99.999% natural by weight. A shake serving is 26g, or 26,000 mg.
We use .03mg of sucralose, so if you divide .03 by 26,000 you can see it is a miniscule amount.
People that are allergic to artificial sweeteners tend to be allergic to aspartame, which has phenylalanine compounds. We don’t use aspartame for this, and other reasons.
We use sucralose for taste, and also to keep our products diabetic friendly. It is unfortunate that there is so much confusion and misinformation about sweeteners. Sweeteners have received bad press, primarily because of aspartame, which degrades when heated (it is safe when cold) and tastes bad.
Sucralose has been found safe both in hot and cold applications, and has had over 110 peer reviewed studies completed. This is why Sucralose has been approved by over 80 countries globally. I like to say that many people feel the FDA approved drugs too easily (i.e. Vioxx, Phen Phen), so that if you trust other countries more (several globally are more stringent), then looking abroad is a good benchmark as well. We use a very small 0.03 grams per serving, which is about 1/3 of the amount in a diet cola.
Joe, I left a comment up above and told you I would keep you abreast of the results with Visalus.
Well, it’s not quite a month since we started. In five days it will be.
So far my husband has lot 18 lbs. and I am down 6.
Now I will say we have a specific regimen. I have come up with healthy easy to prepare meals that are step up fro our ‘usual’ healthy diet. (we were never Junk Food Junkies anyway).
We have started Bikram Yoga as well, although the results were starting to show prior anyway.
So far so good.
Is it magic? No… but it is easy to follow, the shakes and supplements definitely are satisfying and are quite good… which is more than I can say for some of the diet shakes on the market.
I will pop back in 3 weeks to one month… and let you know the scoop!
Jayne thanks for the update. Ive always wanted to try Bikram Yoga 🙂
Joe,
Thanks for you response. How would you make a less expensive and just as healthy shake at home without using Shakeology? Whey protein, water and fruit??? Would I be getting all the same nutrients and vitamins? Thanks!
Kim yes that’s basically it. The people who sell shakeology like to talk about all its ingredients but all those ingredients dont necessarily make it better. Try blending together an orange, some blueberries, strawberries, raspberries (or other berries), and grapes. Even with out the protein powder, that mixture will taste good! At least here, you have the actual complete food. With shakeology you are not getting the actual food but just extracts. There is research on food. There is no research on Shakeology.
Hi Joe, I enjoyed reading your review. I found you because as of tomorrow (Sept 6th) I am on the Body by Vi Challenge.
I am actually going on the ‘shape’ Kit as I only want to firm up, however my husband, my sole reason for doing this is on the Transformation Kit.
Now, I am an Internet Marketer and have been for some time. I have many peers who are involved in Visalus. Like you, I do believe the company has a good solid rep.
Regarding the weight loss end of things, there are definitely folks who have seen great results.
I decided to talk my hubby into this because of the two points I make above.
My husband used to be in awesome shape, however as time has gone on, he is at the point where he needs to lose at least 40-50 lbs.
Because we don’t hear much about the Body by Vi here in Canada, I thought it was worth a test. (obviously with the intention set it will work)
I liked the fact that if you refer 3 to take the challenge, you get your next month free.
Again, being a marketer, I thought I would see how this went. If things go well on both fronts, the weight loss/toning as well as the interest generated, I might just become a distributor myself.
Tell you what, I will keep you posted these next 90 days!!
Thanks for your thorough report.
Best
Jayne
Thanks Jayne, I’ll look forward to reading your results 🙂 I have some other Visalus products and will review those in the near future also.
Joe~
I have been using Shakeology for a few months now and feel as though it is a yummy, natural and great way to be a healthier me. However, I have been given the opportunity to take the Body By Vi challenge and feel that the financial potential is much greater with Body By Vi. I worry though that the shakes are not as healthy. They don’t have the pro-biotics, antioxidants & other natural ingredients such as the super foods which is what attracted me to Shakeology to begin with. I have read all your reviews but still feel conflicted. I want to feel as confident about Body By Vi as I do about Shakeology. Thoughts? Advice?
Kim, I really dont see any good proof that either shake is better than what you can make yourself for less money. Both are just low calorie shakes. There is nothing in body by Vi – or Shakeology – that says to me that they enhance weight loss or fitness more so than if you just worked out and cut out calories yourself. That’s why I compared body by Vi to slim fast at the end of my review; that’s all slimfast is too – a low calorie shake.
Shakeology has more ingredients than Body by Vi but I dont see any proof that we need those ingredients or that they help us.
When you say the “financial potential” is more with body by vi, do you mean the money you would make selling Body by Vi shakes – or the money you would spend buying it?
As for the body by vi challenge, its just a way to get you to buy the product. They make far more money selling the product to all the people in the challenge than they spend on the prizes for the winner. I’d like to see somebody doing the body by vi challenge and compare them to somebody else who eats well and works out.
Kim, ultimately I think you have to do what you feel best for you because unfortunately neither Body By Vi or Shakeology will take the time to test their products in a lab and get that study published to prove to people that they really are best or healthiest.
Thank you for the review Joe, have been anticipating your thoughts.
Anytime Shanna 🙂
Joe – You said, “there is nothing in Vi Shape shake that would be considered “controversial”. Did you look closely at the ingredients?
2 BIG things that stand out to me were artificial flavors and sucralose.
Just thought those 2 controversial ingredients would be worth noting…
Hi Mark, Ive never seen any published peer reviewed studies that Splenda was harmful to humans. I would apprecaite it very much if you can show me some. I admit that Splenda is not one of my main areas of study. There was a study that noted that splenda might be bad for rats in high amounts but this study appears to have been refuted http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19567260. At least one other study in humans also noted that spenda did not alter appetite or levels of insulin or GLP-1 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21245879
There is also research that Splenda does not cause cancer either http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20691239
I think a lot of this controversy has to do with amounts used. If high amounts of anything are used, I do think some side effects would be noted. But, given what we know now, I see no good proof that one or two packs of Splenda a day (or even 10 Splendas a day) would be harmful to people. Again, I am very open to your evidence that says otherwise and depending on what you say, I may change my opinion
As for artificial flavors, I’ll conceded that they may have have an effect in some people but I’ve never heard that the artificial flavors in the ViSalus shake have harmed anyone. It is true that ViSalus has never been clinically tested however, just has its also true that Shakelogy has never been clinically tested as well. As a Beachbody coach yourself, I’m sure you are aware of this.
I have a friend that works for Tate and Lyle in Tennessee. They make splenda. He said they have to wear hazardous materials suits to even work with the stuff. He said he would never let his kids eat the stuff, ever.
Rebecca, thanks. I honestly had heard of Take and Lyle. For those who also didnt know about them, they make ingredients that goes into foods and beverages.