The Herbalife 21-Day Weight Loss Challenge is a program designed to help individuals lose weight through a combination of meal replacement shakes, dietary supplements, and exercise. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the Herbalife program, including its components, benefits, potential downsides, and considerations for different individuals.
What is the Herbalife 21 Day Challenge?
The Herbalife 21 day challenge combines healthy daily nutrition with a simple exercise plan to follow. Eating healthy and exercising are the key parts of the program. The Herbalife 21 Day Challenge offers easy-to-prepare Nutritional Shakes by Herbalife, Meal Plans, Snack lists & Home Workout Videos.
Joining the Challenge
The Herbalife 21 day challenge is done via Telegram so you can Join from anywhere in the WORLD.
Herbalife: An Overview
Herbalife is a multilevel marketing (MLM) company that develops and sells nutritional supplements, weight management programs, and personal care products across more than 90 countries. Founded in 1980, Herbalife operates through a direct-selling model, relying on independent distributors to market and sell its products.
The company's nutrition philosophy emphasizes balanced and personalized nutrition, achieved through a combination of healthy foods and targeted supplements. Its weight management program, a cornerstone of Herbalife's offerings, combines meal replacement shakes consumed twice daily, weight loss supplements, physical activity, and behavior modification.
Read also: Is the Herbalife Diet Right for You?
Products and Services
While Herbalife is best known for its meal replacement and protein shakes, the company has continued to expand its product offerings. Some of the most popular products are:
- Formula 1 Select meal replacement shakes (known as the “core” products)
- Formula 2 and 3 supplements (multivitamin and antioxidant capsules)
- Protein powders and bars
- Herbal weight loss teas
- Protein bars
- Aloe products
- Fiber, prebiotic, and probiotic supplements
- Sports nutrition supplements
- Vitamin, mineral, and herbal supplements
- Skin care products
By far, Herbalife’s most popular product is the Formula 1 Select meal replacement shake. It comes in a variety of flavors, such as French Vanilla, Dutch Chocolate, Cookies n’ Cream, Wild Berry, Café Latte, Banana Caramel, Pralines and Cream, and Natural Vanilla.
The Herbalife Weight Loss Program: A Detailed Look
The Herbalife weight loss program centers around replacing two meals daily with Herbalife Formula 1 Select meal replacement shakes and incorporating dietary supplements. While there are no specific dietary restrictions, participants are generally advised to drink plenty of water and consume small, frequent meals and snacks that include fruits and vegetables.
Program Options and Costs
Herbalife offers three weight loss programs:
- Quickstart Program: Includes Formula 1 Select meal-replacement shake, Formula 2 multivitamins, Formula 3 Cell Activator antioxidant capsules, and a powdered Herbal Tea Concentrate.
- Advanced Program: Includes everything from the Quickstart Program plus Cell-U-Loss for reducing fluid retention and Total Control for boosting metabolism and energy levels.
- Ultimate Program: Includes everything from the Advanced Program plus Snack Defense for blood sugar management and Aminogen for digestion.
The programs cost roughly \$125-\$241 per month.
Read also: A Detailed Look at Herbalife
Here are the costs of some of the company’s top-selling products:
- Formula 1 Select meal replacement shake: \$43.30 for 30 servings
- Formula 2 capsules: \$26.40 for a 30-day supply
- Formula 3 capsules: \$28.95 for a 30-day supply
- Protein Drink mix: \$53.10 for 30 servings
- Herbalife24 Enhanced Protein Powder: \$81.60 for 20 servings
- Herbal Aloe Concentrate: \$121.95 for 1/2 gallon (1.89 liters)
- Active Fiber Complex: \$30.30 for 30 servings
- Protein Bar Deluxe: \$27.70 for 14 bars
Here are the average monthly costs if you opt for one of Herbalife’s weight loss programs:
- Quickstart Program: \$125.05 per month
- Advanced Program: \$189.40 per month
- Ultimate Program: \$240.95 per month
Keep in mind that you may need to purchase another Formula 1 container each month (an additional \$43.30) if you have more than one serving per day.
How it Works
The Herbalife diet is designed to help people lose weight by reducing calorie intake with meal replacement shakes and boosting metabolism with supplements.
There haven’t been any studies on the full Herbalife weight loss program, but the meal replacement shakes may help with short-term weight loss.
Read also: Benefits of Herbalife
Components of the Herbalife Program
The Herbalife weight loss program relies on two key components: meal replacement shakes and dietary supplements.
Herbalife Meal Replacement Shakes
The Herbalife Formula 1 Select shakes are intended to replace a meal or snack. Herbalife recommends mixing the shakes with nonfat milk or soy beverage, which will further increase the protein and nutrient content.
One serving (2 scoops, or 25 grams) of Formula 1 Select shake mix contains (3, 4):
- Calories: 90
- Protein: 10 grams
- Fat: 1 gram
- Carbs: 13 grams
- Fiber: 5 grams
- Sugar: 6 grams
When mixed with 8 ounces (240 mL) of nonfat milk, the mix provides 170 calories and 17 grams of protein per serving.
Herbalife Supplements
The supplements recommended in the Herbalife weight loss programs include:
- Formula 2 Multivitamin Complex: A standard multivitamin with several minerals for general nutrition.
- Formula 3 Cell Activator: A supplement with alpha-lipoic acid, aloe vera, pomegranate, rhodiola, pine bark, and resveratrol that claims to support nutrient absorption, metabolism, and mitochondrial health.
- Herbal Tea Concentrate: A powdered drink mix with tea extracts and caffeine that’s meant to provide extra energy and antioxidant support.
- Total Control: A supplement containing caffeine, ginger, three kinds of tea (green, black, and oolong), and pomegranate rind that claims to boost energy.
- Cell-U-Loss: A supplement containing electrolytes, corn silk extract, parsley, dandelion, and asparagus root that’s meant to reduce water retention.
- Snack Defense: A supplement containing chromium and Gymnema sylvestre extract that claims to support carbohydrate metabolism.
- Aminogen: A supplement containing protease enzymes, which are said to improve protein digestion.
While these supplements contain ingredients that may help with energy, metabolism, or weight loss, there have been no studies to evaluate the effectiveness of these Herbalife products specifically.
Potential Benefits of the Herbalife Program
The Herbalife program offers several potential benefits:
- Short-Term Weight Loss: Studies suggest that meal replacement shakes can contribute to weight loss, especially in the short term, and may be more effective than traditional low-calorie diets.
- Convenience: Meal replacement shakes can significantly reduce meal preparation time, and the products are easy to prepare.
- Options for Allergies and Sensitivities: Herbalife offers alternative meal replacement shakes made with pea, rice, and sesame proteins for those with allergies or sensitivities to soy or cow’s milk.
- Community and Support: Herbalife coaches create community and support for members, which involves challenges and celebrations for achieving personal goals.
Potential Downsides and Risks
The Herbalife program also has several potential downsides and risks:
- Highly Processed Shakes: Herbalife meal replacement shakes are made with highly processed ingredients, including protein isolates, added sugars, gums, artificial flavors, and emulsifiers.
- Low Calorie Content: The shakes may not contain enough calories to constitute a true meal, potentially leading to hunger and difficulty sticking to the diet.
- Cost: The program can be expensive, considering the cost of shakes and supplements.
- Potential Liver Damage: Some Herbalife supplements have been linked to liver damage in rare cases.
- Not Suitable for Everyone: The program is not appropriate for people with allergies, sensitivities, or intolerances to the ingredients in the shakes or supplements, or for those who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
MLM Structure
Herbalife is one of the biggest weight loss brands in the world and has been around for more than 40 years (1).
While many people enjoy Herbalife products, the brand has come under tremendous scrutiny for being an MLM company.
MLM models are not illegal, but they are predatory and often make false and extravagant claims about participants’ profit-making capability.
In addition, Herbalife’s doesn’t have a completely clean track record. It has been fined by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC fined Herbalife \$200 million in 2016 for deceiving consumers into believing they could make large amounts of money from selling Herbalife products. The company was also required to restructure its business design to provide fairer compensation (2).
Because of Herbalife’s poor reputation with the FTC and research that shows MLM companies are financial liabilities for 75% of the people who participate in them, Herbalife failed Healthline’s rigorous vetting process.
Is Herbalife a Pyramid Scheme?
The embattled company was the subject of a 2016 documentary, Betting On Zero, which challenged Herbalife’s controversial business practices and investigated allegations of it being a pyramid scheme.
Sample Menu
Members consult with an Herbalife distributor to determine their ideal meal plan based on gender, height, weight, protein needs and nutrition goals. Each meal plan has three options:
- Weight maintenance
- Weight loss
- Weight gain
For the weight loss plans, four different calorie levels are offered: 1,200, 1,400, 1,500 and 1,950 calories per day. Each plan consists of consuming two Herbalife meal replacement shakes for breakfast and lunch, along with two snacks and a dinner you make on your own (400- to 600-calorie meal), with suggestions and recipes provided.
Sustainability
Any successful weight loss plan should focus on gradual, sustainable changes over time rather than rapid fat loss.
The 21-Day Fix program focuses on controlling food portions using specific containers. While this can be an effective way to prevent overeating, relying on these containers and counting calories may be inconvenient for some people. Moreover, this is not a realistic long-term solution, and constantly monitoring portions and food intake could lead to disordered eating patterns in some individuals.
Alternatives to Herbalife
Consider other weight loss programs that emphasize whole, unprocessed foods, regular exercise, and sustainable lifestyle changes. Consulting a registered dietitian or healthcare professional can help you develop a personalized weight loss plan that meets your individual needs and preferences.