One more thing about Herbalife – I find the whole thing a bit too preachy and some of the people who use the product almost come across as cult members in the way that they speak about it and obsess over it. I’ve seen people on the Facebook distributor groups come to blows over debating whether other products may be better than Herbalife. It’s not a community I’d feel comfortable being part of.
Ultrasonic Cavitation
When you first mention this to people they recoil as if you have just told them you are having intrusive liposuction, even after you’ve explained it’s completely external and very safe.
I’m not sure that this can be categorised under the ‘diet’ section but it’s another thing I’ve failed at and you do have to go on a strict eating regime when you are undergoing this treatment.
What it consists of is an ultrasound machine (similar to the ones used for baby ultrasound scans) but instead of producing visual images, it works by emitting low-frequency heat waves into your fat layer (under where the ultrasound machine is massaging you) and melts the fat. A lot of the melted fat will be processed through your liver and exit through your colon as if you’ve just had a really calorific meal, some fat will move to other parts of your body and there’s a chance some of it may stick around and solidify again. To get the maximum out of this treatment, you are advised to eat healthily (low-carbs, high protein), exercise regularly (to get the fat moving) and drink lots of cold water, especially during the same day of your treatment as that also gets the fat moving and helps flush it out.
You should go around every 3 days and no more frequently, and the treatment lasts for half an hour for a single session and an hour for a double (based on the company I used).
You speak with your ‘consultant’ (usually a beautician with some training in this field) and decide what areas you want to work on and they will apply the gel and massage that area with the ultrasound gel for around 16 minutes on each side. It doesn’t hurt and main,y feels warm but can feel a bit prickly at times. I had it done on my stomach many times which was fine but also once on my upper arms which was pretty uncomfortable and I wouldn’t think of having it there again.
So why did I fail this one? I didn’t stick to the healthy eating and exercise regime, simple as that. I did for about a week and lost 7 inches altogether but that was leading up to my engagement ceremony so I had extra motivation. In total I lost 11 inches but ended up putting it all back on again!
This is more for people who have lost the weight and are struggling to shift fat from certain areas and is more about changing that shape of your body as opposed to weight-loss but I thought there would be no harm in trying it.
What I do wonder is that because of the strict eating and exercise regime, would I have lost the same amount of weight just following the diet without actually having the treatment? I’m not actually sure the difference would be that great.
The big downside here is the cost. Let me make one thing clear to you, companies know how desperate people are for a ‘quick and easy fix’ and charge disgusting amounts of prices for these. You may find that once they have your money, their customer service becomes non -existent as I found when raising an issue with the ‘Technical Director’ of the company in regards to their session cancellation policy. There is no doubt that this company acts like a cowboy outfit despite being part of a chain, so I hope that the other companies offering this service are not as hell bent on taking advantage of people.
Another hilarious thing? You don’t even have to have a licence to own or to operate the ultrasound machine. I paid over £800 for 48 treatments (sale price!!) and when the beautician/consultant informed me she had purchased a machine for her own home business, I decided to check out the prices and found that these machines are available to any Tom, Dick and Harry at just over £700!! If only I’d have known before I gifted those idiots with my money.
My advice? If you’re as desperate as I was to spend that kind of money, go for a trial or consultation, see if you like it and how it works and buy your own machine.
WeightWatchers
The last but not least of this glorious list. Amazingly this is the most recent of my attempts but after all the diets and approaches I have looked into, WW does not tell me anything I do not already know so in that sense I felt it was a bit of a waste of money and actually then decided to embark on my own approach (I’m very aware that I sound like I am swimming in cash, unfortunately that is not the case, I’m just too careless when I have my heart set on something and become blind to practicality.)
dietfiendz 