Are meal replacement programs, like Isagenix, safe to use?
One of the reasons I left a gym is because of their strong pressure to sell a certain product (not Isagenix). My personal feeling is that while most meal replacements won’t harm you, they don’t teach you anything about good eating habits. Most weight loss from restricted-calorie plans and cleanses where people just eat bars (and shakes and powders) is gained back once the client stops eating the bars (and shakes and powders).
My personal preference, within my scope of practice as I am NOT a nutritionist, is to talk about developing healthy habits, one at a time, that can be maintained. Small, consistent changes lead to long term sustainable results.
The behavior that underlies the eating habits MUST be addressed.
Hi Julie,
I am in complete agreement with Nancy.
That does not help you much because there will be pressure on you, particularly when the other trainers will start promoting it. From what I see from your profile, you live in a smaller community and have been with the gym already for a good number of years. You may not feel that it is an option to leave.
It is a dilemma, and I empathize with you. Only you can decide what is right for you.
Karin Singleton
www.meltnc.com
Hi Julie,
If you don’t feel comfortable selling or promoting any supplements, then simply don’t do it. Unless it’s stated in your contract that this would be a deal breaker between you and the gym if you don’t comply with selling supplements, then you are free to decline this practice. At the end it comes down to what you believe is the right thing to do for your clients (and you). I hope this helps.
Best,
Harris
Julie,
are they asking you to sell it to your clients? Is this part of your income to sell this product? or is it ok to know about the product in question and not push it onto your clients?
Many questions to ask to make a clear decision.
As a PN certified nutrition coach, I can only agree with all the answers already given to you. Meal replacements/supplements are not the way to go for a healthy lifestyle.
Heike Yates
www.heylifetraining.com
I would want to ask some questions:
Do you believe that supplementation is a good and helpful part of a healthy lifestyle?
Are you someone who is trained to give a professional recommendation for a nutritional supplement? Do you feel professionally comfortable selling them?
Is this supplement: safe and effective?
Is this product dramatically more expensive than other products available that are of comperable quality?
Many who work in fitness will give you the same answers as all those who have responded to you: nutritional recommendations are outside of the scope of practice of anyone who is not specifically trained in nutrition. On top of that most people trained in either fitness or nutrition would generally be on the side of whole foods, and not in favor of promoting extensive supplementation.
But this question is not just a question of whether you feel that you are the appropriate on to speak to clients on general questions of the importance of a healthy diet. This is about selling a product to make a profit.
Isagenix is a multilevel marketing company. If you go to the web site they prominently display the photos of people who have made millions of dollars selling the stuff. When someone agrees to sell the stuff, the people from whom they buy, on up to the top of the company all make a profit. What does that suggest about the fairness of the cost of that product to the person who is buying it at the end of the chain?
I agree you should look over your contract and see what is required of you, and what are the consequences of your opting out of selling it if you do not feel comfortable doing so.
It sounds like you are in a place where you may need to make some hard decisions. Hopefully your gym will allow you not to participate if you do not feel comfortable doing so. If they are promoting this as a money making project it may mean that you will find yourself having a drop in income, or a smaller rise in income, so if you decide not to sell, you may need to look into other ways to enhance your income.