Herbalife To Lose Weight Reviews

Medically reviewed by Jerlyn Jones, MS MPA RDN LD CLT, Nutrition — By Katey Davidson, MScFN, RD, CPT — Updated on September 16, 2022

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Herbalife Diet Review: Does It Work For Weight Loss?

Herbalife is a multilevel marketing (MLM) company that sells nutritional supplements and personal care products in more than 90 countries around the world.

One of its products is the Herbalife weight loss program, which uses meal replacement shakes and dietary supplements to help people slim down.

While quick-fix diets like the Herbalife program can help people lose weight in the short term, they can be expensive and are often not sustainable.

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Rating Score BreakdownOverall score: 1.79Weight loss: 2Healthy eating: 2.25Sustainability: 2.5Whole body health: 1Nutrition quality: 1.5Evidence-based: 1.5 BOTTOM LINE: The Herbalife diet is pricey and involves highly processed shakes and many supplements, some of which have been linked to negative health effects. Short-term use likely causes weight loss, but long-term effectiveness is yet to be studied.

According to the company’s website, Herbalife’s mission is to “improve nutritional habits around the world with great-tasting, science-backed nutrition products that help people get the right balance of healthy nutrition” (1).

Today, the company has expanded to more than 90 countries and has more than 11, 000 employees. As of 2021, it reports $5.8 billion in sales and claims that 5.4 million Herbalife protein shakes are consumed daily (1).

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Though 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:

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.

Herbalife is one of the biggest weight loss brands in the world and has been around for more than 40 years (1).

Can I Have Some Reviews Regarding Herbalife Products Used For Weight Loss?

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 ’s rigorous vetting process.

In addition, many Herbalife ambassadors are not trained in nutrition and do not hold the proper credentials — such as a registered dietitian credential — to provide nutrition and weight loss advice or supplement recommendations.

Herbalife Reviews: Unbiased Protein Powders & Shakes Nutrition Analysis

The next step is to pick the Herbalife weight loss program that’s right for you. There are three versions to choose from (3):

There are no dietary restrictions on the Herbalife diet, but people following the diet are generally advised to drink plenty of water and eat small, frequent meals and snacks that include fruits and vegetables.

There are no official recommendations for how long to stay on the Herbalife diet, but most people continue until they reach their weight loss goal.

How To Use Herbalife For Maximum Weight Loss? (answered)

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.

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.

Herbalife Diet Review For Weight Loss

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.

When mixed with 8 ounces (240 mL) of nonfat milk, the mix provides 170 calories and 17 grams of protein per serving.

Overall, research suggests that meal replacement shakes can help people to lose weight in the short term, but additional diet and lifestyle strategies are necessary for long-term weight loss and maintenance.

The Honest Herbalife Review • Russ Howe Pti

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.

In addition to aiding weight loss, the program is popular because of how easy and convenient it is to follow. Here are a few reasons the brand appeals to some people:

The main ingredient in most of the Herbalife meal replacement shakes is soy protein isolate, a type of protein powder that comes from soybeans.

The Ugly Truth About Herbalife

However, most of the benefits are linked to soy products high in isoflavones, a type of health-promoting polyphenols. Highly processed soy products such as soy protein isolate may lose as much as 90% of their isoflavone content (

Therefore, it’s unknown how much benefit these shakes will actually provide. It’s likely that you’d need to include additional soy foods in your diet.

One of the biggest drawbacks is that the Formula 1 shakes are very high in sugar — 40% of the calories in each serving (before adding milk) come from added sugars, primarily fructose. In fact, fructose powder is the second main ingredient (12).

What Is Herbalife Nutrition And How Do The Shakes, Diet Plans And Products Work?

The World Health Organization recommends getting no more than 5–10% of your daily calories from added sugars, which equates to roughly 25–50 grams (6–12 teaspoons) per day for the average adult (

Two servings of the Herbalife shake provide more than 20 grams of added sugar, leaving very little room for other sources throughout the day (12).

It’s generally advisable to get your nutrients from less processed foods, such as high quality proteins, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats.

Herbalife For Weight Loss: Should You Try It?

When mixed with nonfat milk, each shake has just 170 calories, which will likely leave you feeling very hungry throughout the day and could make sticking to the diet difficult.

Blending the shake with fruit can help increase the calorie and fiber content but won’t add any protein or fat to keep you satisfied.

Consuming Herbalife’s recommended 2 shakes per day equates to roughly $86 per month for the shakes alone, not including the cost of supplements or additional groceries, such as fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins.

Are Herbalife Products Good For Weight Reduction? Can I Afford To Loose 7/8 Kg Per Month? Is It Advisable? What Are Better Methods For Weight Reduction?

Depending on what you usually eat, replacing two meals per day with shakes might save you money on groceries. However, these savings may not be significant enough to justify the additional expense of smoothies and supplements.

Herbalife weight loss programs recommend several supplements that contain a myriad of ingredients. It’s important to watch for symptoms of negative reactions to supplements, as they can happen.

Nonetheless, claims about Herbalife causing liver damage should be taken with a grain of salt. Many people consume Herbalife products without adverse effects, and other products, such as over-the-counter medications and herbal supplements, can also cause liver problems.

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The authors noted many limitations in liver toxicity cases — such as concurrent use of other herbal supplements or medications — and emphasized that there’s insufficient evidence of a cause-and-effect relationship (

Considering that herbal products account for up to 20% of liver injury instances in the United States, it’s unclear whether the risks associated with Herbalife products are any greater than those of other supplements (

Ultimately, it’s unknown whether Herbalife products pose any greater risk than other herbal supplements. Therefore, it’s best to consult a healthcare professional before taking Herbalife products.

Weight Loss Story:

People who are pregnant or breastfeeding should also avoid the program, because many of the products’ ingredients may not be safe during these stages of life. Plus, the shakes are nutritionally inadequate to support the demands of pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Finally, if you’re taking medications or have a medical condition, it’s important to check with a healthcare professional to ensure that Herbalife products are safe for you to take.

Trying to “do it right” when it comes to nutrition may feel tempting, but it can backfire. If you are preoccupied with food or your weight, feel guilt surrounding your food choices, or routinely engage in restrictive diets, consider reaching out for support. These behaviors may indicate a disordered relationship with food or an eating disorder.

Why Am I Not Losing Weight On Herbalife? (do This First!)

They can be caused by any combination of biological, social, cultural, and environmental factors — not just by exposure to diet culture.

You can also chat, call, or text anonymously with trained volunteers at the National Eating Disorders Association helpline for free or explore the organization’s free and low cost resources.

Though most of your meals will be shakes while on the Herbalife diet, you can have one regular meal and two small snacks of your choice each day.

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Herbalife doesn’t give detailed diet advice about what to eat aside from the shakes and supplements, so you can technically have whatever you want.

However, to promote weight loss, the Herbalife website recommends a diet rich in lean protein, fruits and vegetables, nonfat dairy, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and healthy fats.

No foods are strictly forbidden on the Herbalife diet, but you should aim for lower

An Unbiased Review Of Herbalife: Does It Work For Weightloss?