This post has been a long time coming, but please realize I’m not talking badly about Shaklee and Cinch, and I definitely recommend giving them a try if you’re trying to lose weight. And no, they didn’t make me write that. :)
About 2 months ago, I applied for an opportunity to be a Cinch blogger. Shaklee was giving 50 bloggers the chance to blog about them for 6 months, in exchange for products ($300/month value) and support. I wanted to be chosen, so badly! I poured my heart out on the application.
I wasn’t chosen.
I was disappointed that I wasn’t chosen, but at that point I decided to go ahead and try to lose the weight on my own. I lost 6 pounds, and then found out three people didn’t respond to their invitation to join the Cinch program, so Determined Momma, Tailor Made Momma, Life as Leels, and Woman of Many Roles were all accepted, and they’re part of the #RandomBloggers group with me, so they asked if I could fill in the spot for someone who hadn’t accepted their invite.
I got to join the Cinch group!
My Cinch journey started with my First Official Weigh-In. I started drinking the shakes, and at first the taste was weird to me but I quickly adjusted. I ended up actually liking the shakes. The bars were another story but I did eat them. :) I liked the Cinch bars and shakes because they were really sweet (I have a major sweet tooth), they curbed my cravings. It wasn’t hard to keep away from other sweets! The problem I had at first was Cinch wasn’t giving me enough calories. I was feeling weak. When I reached out for support about this issue, I felt like I didn’t really get much of it.
I posted my Before Photos, which I never would’ve had the bravery to do if not for the women in the Cinch group. One thing that was hard for me – there were 50+ of us in the group and only ONE person to turn to for support. She was having to do it all. So I felt guilty asking questions, when there were 50 other women that were needing Sommer’s help.
The first few weeks I was excited. Even when I didn’t lose weight the first week, I kept trekking on. Three weeks in, I still hadn’t lost any weight. At that point, I knew something was up. I had already lost a few pounds on my own before starting the program, but since starting the program my weight loss came to a screeching halt (pounds AND inches). I saw some other women in the group posting about their low calories counts, and how they were really famished in between meals. It felt good knowing I wasn’t alone, but it was sad watching others go through this and not know what to do. I tried my hardest to encourage everyone without stepping on toes.
I took 3 or 4 days off from Cinch, and lost 2 pounds.
Very confused at this point, I went back on the Cinch program, and worked even harder to lose weight. At this point, I had gained the 2 pounds back, and then some. I was back up to almost 247 pounds. I knew something had to give, so last week I took the ENTIRE week off of Cinch, and I kicked the scale to the curb so I could just weigh in at the end of the Cinch-free week.
I lost 6 pounds!
I have never EVER EVER lost 6 pounds in a week. Not on any crazy-fast crash diet, not on any regular diet, not by working out at the gym for hours. I’ve NEVER lost 6 pounds in a week. My weight goes up and down sometimes, so I can’t say the 6 pounds will STAY off, but I hope they will. When I saw 240.6 on the scale, I about fell over. In 5 weeks on Cinch I hadn’t lost a single pound, but when I did the SAME thing without Cinch, I lost weight.
Cinch has taught me that *I* can do this on my own.
The bottom line is, I don’t think my body likes Cinch products. I know everyone has a different body make-up, and Cinch *IS* working for lots of women – not only in the group but across the nation! So this is not to say that Cinch doesn’t work – it just doesn’t work for me.
I am giving up a chance at $10,000. I am giving up a chance to be a Cinch ambassador for a year. I am giving up a chance to have a shopping spree. I am giving it all up because my integrity, my honesty, my trust with you guys is worth more than that. While I appreciate everyone’s support, I felt like I was avoiding posting about Cinch because it felt like I was lying when I said I was hoping to have success for the program because it clearly wasn’t happening.
When I was at BBSummit, Connie Burke said something that stuck with me, and ultimately made my decision for me. She said that the ONLY way you should be a brand ambassador is if you can stand behind the company 100% and recommend them HONESTLY. I can’t do that anymore, so I had to terminate my contract. I am very thankful for everything Sommer and the other women in the group have done for me, and I wish them all the best of luck with their weight loss journeys. I appreciate everyone’s support, and I hope you guys made it this far in the post!! I love you guys!
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by SlapDashMom
Cristina - Good for you Sadie. I’m proud of you and I look forward to seeing what your body will do for you and the success that you can have!
Cristina recently posted..Five Amazing Ab Workouts – No Equipment Needed!
Heidi G. - Very well said Sadie!! I am proud of you hard work and dedication and will watch your transformation as it begins to unfold. Integrity is worth a lot and you are doing what is right for you.
Ashley S - Sadie, I have to respect that you bowed out. That doesn’t sound like a really healthy way to lose weight if your body is reacting like that. So glad to know you learned that you can do it on your own! Can’t wait to read more posts on your progress!
Ash
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Tina - For many,trying to lose weight with such low calorie counts are counter productive.
It affects,there health & leads to many issues..such as,with the metabolism.
Leila - Congratulations! Congratulations for standing up for what you believe in, for allowing your readers to trust you and to losing 6 pounds on your own! :) #LikeABoss
Leila recently posted..me4kidz Nail Buddy: Girls Starter Nail Kit
Jennae - Sadie, at the end of the day, you have to do what you must for yourself and your health. Every program isn’t for everyone. You’ve found a method that works for you, and that’s what you should stick with. The journey is as important as the goal, and I applaud you for finding a way to stay on your path to better health in spite of your disappointing results with Cinch. I’ve got your back, lady!
Jennae recently posted..Finding Ways to Keep Up My #Cinchspiration (+ Weigh In)
Heather Beyant - I am proud of you for standing up in what you believe in!
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Mary Beth Elderton - Thank you for this!
Mandee - Aww, It’s not going to be the same without ya! With that being said, I can totally see where you are coming from. I wish you the best of luck in your weight loss journeys. You can do this! :)
Mandee recently posted..Beauty is Around Us…
Ashley @ Freckleberry Finds - I’m proud of you for realizing what your body needs and for acting accordingly. You’ve got the dedication — once you find your groove, you’ll be off to the races!
Ashley @ Freckleberry Finds recently posted..Nutrisystem Week 2: Power Walking and the TSA #NSNation
Tracy - Congratulations! Not for “quitting” but for knowing when enough was enough. Obviously not every program works for every body and I am glad you were able to realize that NOW then 6 months from now.
happy exercising!
Heather ~ Acting Balanced Mom - Glad you are finding what works and what doesn’t for you… I can never try programs like that because of my chocolate allergy… and everyone else loves the choc. flavors so it leads me back to eating healthy and doing on my own too…
Heather ~ Acting Balanced Mom recently posted..Review and Giveaway: Thomas & Friends®: Schoolhouse Delivery
Sarah Parisi - Good for you! I’m sorry it didn’t work for you and that you had to miss out on an opportunity, but I think your honesty is so great!! Good luck!
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Janine (Alternative Housewife) - Congrats on losing it on your own! Everyone’s body is different, and I respect anyone who actually thinks about what they put in their body, even if it isn’t what I like or what works for ME.
That said, I wanted to review Cinch and didn’t make the cut. :( Maybe you could post a sample meal & exercise plan (an honest, typical day, not an ideal one) that you use without Cinch?
Janine (Alternative Housewife) recently posted..Tell Facebook to stop removing breastfeeding images…
SlapDashMom - I will definitely do that soon!
Nedra - First, congrats on losing 6 pounds and all on your own! That’s excellent. Second, well done! I applaud and respect you for being upfront and honest. That type of money and incentive is quite hard to turn away from, but I am also a person who cannot sell something that I am not 100% behind. I’m glad to know there are other honest folks out there. Best of luck on the rest of your weight loss journey. I follow your blog and FB so I’ll keep up with you. :)
Nicoyle - Congrats on losing the weight and congrats on going on what you feel is right for you to do.
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Mary Jo - GOOD FOR YOU!
I was in the SAME boat with NutriSystem. The food made me ill. Like, I would have to RUN to the bathroom after… yea. NOT really pretty. I didn’t lose one pound. Went off of it and WHAM! I lost 2 lbs. every week. A total of 10. But now I sit. I need my motivation back, I guess.
But, anyway… Good for you, Sadie! :)
Mary Jo recently posted..NEW Breyer’s Ice Cream Printable Coupon!
Lisa Hollis - Sadie, I’m so very proud of you! Maybe you should check into Thrive? My ex-husband and his family have had incredible results with this. As he has told me a million times over, it’s not a diet but a lifestyle. I’m not sure since I refuse to diet but he’s lost 100lbs and has maintained that loss for at least 8 months. Whatever you choose to do I’m sure you’ll be a great success because of your tenacity!
Sarah Welte - Good for you! I appreciate knowing that I am reading posts from people who are honest and have integrity. And diet programs do not work for everyone. I wish you the best of luck on your continued weight loss journey…it is encouraging to see that people can do it on their own. Now I just need to get off my butt!
Sarah Welte recently posted..The Blog Valet: Affordable Advertising for Bloggers
Tara - Proud of you, Sadie :) Not every program is going to work for every person. I appreciate your honesty and know you can do it :)
Tara recently posted..The Blog Valet
Ingrid - Congrats on losing the weight and on making the decision to put your health first. People have different bodies and not everyone reacts the same way. I tried a high protein diet under medical supervision a couple of years back and they made me stop after two weeks, because I was losing weight, but also losing muscles and gaining fat. Now I am back on the diet track with sensible clean living and working out, and it works, even though it is way slower than those “quick fix” diets. I have a long way to go, but after 5 weeks, I lost 15lbs, so I must be on the right track. You keep doing what you do and you’ll achieve your goal weight. Don’t give up.
Marcia - I wished I would’ve known your questions – I would’ve loved to have helped. I’m sorry you have to stop Cinch. It sounds like maybe you weren’t eating enough. You should not have had low energy w Cinch. For your readers, Cinch is NOT a low calorie unhealthy diet – quite the opposite! ! It is a very healthy scientifically created weight & inch loss plan.
SlapDashMom - Marcia, Cinch gave me 1500 calories and I weigh 250lbs and am 6’2″… so I had to tweak it a bit and finally got it up to 1800 which is more like it but didn’t have any help doing so. Another woman in the group is eating 1300 calories and running off 500 of them when she does her run/jog, essentially giving her body 900 calories to survive on. For me, Cinch was very low calorie (1500 is too low for my body). I’m happy that it works for some people but it did not help me, unfortunately.
Marcia - Sadie, that sounds too low to me, too. When I started I was 163# & 5’3″ and I got over 1500 calories. How did you determine your level? The other woman’s doesn’t sound right either. I am glad to help anyone who may be struggling or have questions. I’m sorry you didn’t get all you had hoped for from Cinch.
SlapDashMom - It is very low, which was part of the problem. I put in that I was “very active”, which I wasn’t really, and it finally gave me 1800 calories, so that worked a little better but no matter what my calorie level was at I didn’t lose a single pound with Cinch and I couldn’t keep recommending it when it was not working for me. I know it works for other people, which is great, but for me personally – on my blog especially – people respect what I have to say and I don’t want to risk changing that. Thanks for offering to help.
Marcia - Hi Sadie, what were you using to figure your calories? I just did a mock one (I had to guess your age) on this site: http://www.cinchplan.com/health-connection/analysis/index, which is not as accurate as your exact profile would be on cinchwellness.com, but it gave me 1930 calories for light activity and 2257 for moderate activity for you. Usually cinchwellness gives you even MORE calories than this site! I know you are done, I just think you could’ve had success with Cinch if you would’ve had help figuring it all out, which is why I am there for my clients, although, some don’t want my help! I wish you the best as you move forward.
SlapDashMom - I was using the Cinch wellness portal, and it never gave me 1930 calories – it’s crazy that you’re finding different #s, and it’s also crazy that I reached out for support so many times and didn’t get it. :( Either way, even when I switched my calories up, I didn’t lose a single pound. Obviously Cinch wasn’t working for me, which is the bottom line. I couldn’t keep recommending it to my readers after I realized that. I appreciate you trying to help – maybe you should be in that group. :) lol
Marcia - Crazy is right! I lost my weight almost 6 years ago with Cinch, so I was not eligible to be in the group, but, I am trying to follow as many Cinch bloggers as possible so that I can offer assistance. I’m sorry that I didn’t know you needed it. Take care, Sadie.
SlapDashMom - It’s not your fault, Marcia, I couldn’t exactly post about the problems I was having while I was under contract with Cinch. It wasn’t allowed. I posted in the group, but it fell on deaf ears. Rather, I shouldn’t say deaf ears I should say full ears.. Sommer did what she could but she couldn’t personally support 50 women if each of them were struggling, WHILE she is working on her own weight loss journey. I think they just need some more help in there. :)
Marcia - I hear you. They can hire me! Did you get a chance to suggest they have more help?
SlapDashMom - I suggested it in my parting email to Sommer as well as the “big wigs” that I CC’d on the email. :)
Marcia - OK, good. Thx for chatting!
Becky - Sadie, so proud of you! This had to mean a lot to you, but standing up for what your body was telling you was right is indeed the right thing. I’ve been on a weight loss journey myself, and refuse to let myself give in to shakes, nutrients, and other quick fixes, knowing I’ll be better if I just do it. Slow and steady wins the race, they say. Thank you for posting honestly and for sharing with us why it just didn’t work.