I was watching the news today and my local fox channel did an under cover at LA Weight Loss. It was pretty interesting they went in and signed up to check out the costs and what not. The second part is coming up tomorrow. If you live in the Atlanta area you should be able to catch it on channel 5. Or just go to their website if you google myfoxatlanta it'll come up under I-team stories.
Anyways so tomorrow is the second part. They find out what's really in the bars and their supplements. I thought it was really interesting and I'm sure most of you gals will find it informative. Have any of you seen the first part already? Let me know what you think.
There was a big ABC 20/20 expose on LAWL a few months ago that basically amounted to a hachet job.. It was incredibly one-sided.. While the program is very worthwhile, it's a business none-the-less, and so you should expect that some of their sales tactics can be "hard-press"...
As one who used to work with a very agressive TV investigative reporter, I caution any viewers to take the stories with a grain of salt.. News stations do very little to present both sides of a story... It's part of the reason why I got out of the business...
That said, our AG's office has joined with disenfranchised clients here in New Mexico (including Liz and me) and will be present at the upcoming bankruptcy hearing, to argue that their tactics for selling the lites amont to fraud and that the court should not forgive them debts owed on the lites we've paid for.. So keep your fingers crossed..
Hmm I agree that sometimes investigative stories like that can be one sided. However I saw this story and I think the reporter does a good job representing both sides. She interviewed someone that ended up spending thousands of dollars.
I have a feeling tomorrow's piece will be good too. They are looking into what actually goes into the LA lites and their supplements. You can't really go wrong with concrete medical information. Have you seen the piece by any chance?
I have not seen this expose but I would be interested to know if the reporter bothered to interview anyone who had been successful doing LAWL. We have quite a few success stories here and for every person who went in and spent a ton of money thinking that would magically melt their pounds away, there are probably just as many that went in, spent the money (and it does not have to be expensive if you do the all food plan) and followed the program to find that they could lose weight.
I see your point. Although you might want to actually check out the story before making that sort of comment. The focus of the story isnt whether or not people can lose weight on the program. I don't think anyone is disputing that. I'm sure plenty of people lose weight. In fact I know several people that work at LA Weight Loss Centers who have lost an incredible amount of weight.
However the focus here in this particular story is their sales tactics. Like I said you may want to check out the story before jumping to conclusions.
I have to ask the question - Are you the reporter? You really seem to be pushing this program. Ask yourself, what is the the cost healthwise and moneywise of diabetes or heart disease or the myriad of other diseases that impact the human body because a person is overweight? I wish I knew the total amount I have spent over the years trying to lose weight. Come to think of it, I don't want to know the total. It would be depressing. This is the first program that has worked for me other than the time I was under medical supervision of a world reknown obesity expert and I was prescribed drugs which caused permanent damage to my heart. And I got a small settlement as part of a class action suit. Ok, I will get off my soapbox now. I think you get my message.....
No I assure you I am not the reporter. In fact I've tried out LA Weight Loss and like I said I'm sure people do lose weight on the program. Again, I don't think that, that was the point of this story. I'm not "pushing" the program. I saw the story come on and thought of this site because I thought it was informative and thought the readers on the forum might have some interest in it since most of us have used LA Weight Loss and know the program.
Once again, I think if it's worked for you, then great. I'm not trying to discourage anyone from using it or not using it. Just thought after watching the story people could decide for themselves if its worth the investment.
I haven't seen the story but have read up on a lot on the different problems that have been reported about LAWL. I found this site, some news reports, articles, customer blogs, warning sites etc. Ultimately I still decided that this was the best plan for me bc I needed a plan that let you make your own choices and could be continued for a lifetime. I needed to learn which foods and what portions were right for me. SO I went into the center fully prepared to hear all of the sales tactics, pray on emotions, tear jerking stories etc and was pleasantly surprised that they were not pushy. They acknowledged that is was a lot of money but were very encouraging and seemed confident that I would succeed.
I think LAWL gets flack bc they ask for money up front. But as I understand it, that is part of their motivation. You have spent the money, you have the products, now all you have to do is stick to the commitment you have made to yourself and to your finances. I know it has helped me to not even think of quitting, "I've put too much money into it to quit!"
All in all, I think people get huffy bc weight is very emotional to most people. But like Lynn stated, being overweight is extremely expensive in the long run.
LAWL is ultimately a product and their counselors are ultimately in sales. We understand this about insurance agents, car salesmen, the people at the Gym, even the Avon lady. If you thought it was going to be free, if you thought there was nothing to sell, you are being naive.
The best one can do is their research before they invest in any product, including this one.
Hey I just found the first story on the website. Thanks for sharing this. I think it probably is concerning to someone who has no idea how much the program costs. But who would seriously spend over $4,000? I'm hoping that lady is an exception. I want to feel bad for her, but no one had a gun to her head! I really do think people get emotional about weight and I'm sure commission seeking counselors do take advantage of that.
I bet the atlanta based centers aren't too happy about that report! Thanks for sharing!
I live in Atlanta and just watched the Fox News....ho hum....they say absolutely NOTHING in this investigation that we have not all talked about or heard on this site 100 times. The gal they feature is a 50 year old lady that wanted to lose 80 lbs. Over an 18 month period she spent about $4300. She bought every product they offered....every supplement, snack, drink mix, etc. I think she was hoping to buy a miracle...you have to work this program for it to work.
And as far as the follow up show for tomorrow..what's in the lites?....well, the ingredients are clearly listed on the outside of the box....it's just another protein bar that uses soy and hydrogenated oil. The end of the investigation made me bust out laughing...one guy says...and how much are those lites...and the lady says...I'm not exactly sure...about $26 a week and the guy says...wow...that's a lot of money. He probably spent that for lunch today!
Dietgirl00 -- sorry, but I'm sort of suspect of your reasons to post here (the fact that you've never posted on this site before and came here to basically point out something negative about LAWL doesn't sit well with those of us who believe in the program). If you want to dig through this thread and read a bunch of posts about the last investigation, you would learn a thing or two and find out what a passionate bunch we are.
Hey not a problem. I figured some people would have an interest in taking a look at the story. You're right no one did have a gun to her head but weight is a very emotional topic. And I'm sure some counselors can get a little pushy.
And when the pressures on and you have people saying this will make you lose weight I think people can end up spending that much money. I don't see it being entirely rare.
I don't know if you caught the end of the piece but there a second part about what's in their products which should make for an interesting piece I think.
I have to say I did a lot of research on this plan before going on it. When I was approached to do a personal endorsement, I wanted to make sure it was healthy. I won't tell people who see me as a trustworthy person in the media to spend their money on something that will hurt them or doesn't work. I turned down other offers because I just didn't believe in them.
Weight loss is a big money making business no matter what. Everyone who's written a book, done a lecture or come up with a program is making money. Trimspa, Slim Fast, Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, Richard Simmons, etc. are all about making money and all of them play on the emotions of being over weight. Don't you remember the Richard Simmons informercials that had people (and Richard) crying for the entire hour? My best friend used to sell for Jenny Craig. She's never had a weight problem in her life and I used to get upset with her for preying on such an emotional issue for her commission. But she put it to me this way: People are going to spend that money on something. They're there to spend money period. If it doesn't go to Jenny, it will go to something else that probably won't be healthy. At least this way, they're investing on improving their lives.
LA Weight Loss wants to make money and we want to lose weight. They have the program that is going to hold us accountable and lose weight. We're paying them to do this for us. This program DOES work and it is not a gimmick. Believe me, I really thought I was up on nutrition. I've studied it like a madwoman but it just wasn't clicking in my head that I wasn't doing it right until I started this program. This is a HEALTHY way to lose weight and you will lose it if you follow the program. As someone else said here, instead of putting their money in the pockets of the drive thrus, they're investing it here. It's just a matter of "shifting funds."
As a person in the media, I do know how biased those reports can be. It's something that really bothers me on a daily basis. I try to be like NPR in my reporting, getting all angles and letting the viewer/listener decide for themselves.
I watched the piece and I was thankful that my center is not pushy with the products. I know this is a great program that I can follow for the rest of my life. I know they could make their supplements and products a lot more healthy and it seems they are reformulating some of their products to be better for us. I eat super healthy foods and I also eat the la lites. At first I was bothered by how full of corn syrup they are. But as I follow the plan and have success, I find that they really help me because they satisfy my sweet tooth and then I never even think about cheating with ice cream, candy, etc.
As for the $4,000 plus that lady spent, I feel bad for her. I knew exactly what I was getting into and I think the money is worth it. It is cheaper than weight watchers, you just pay it all up front.
I think the Atlanta center might have to change their tactics a bit after this report. That is a good thing. My center was very upfront about everything and no pressure at all to do the lites or anything else. I am grateful and they have really helped me stay on track.
Dietgirl00 - I'd like to believe your motives were purely in our best interest, and it that is true, thank you for mentioning the show to us. I would have thought your good intentions would end there.
However I agree with Joni that it is quite a coincidence that you came here to "inform us" with the first post you've ever made on this site. I would think that if you truly had our best interest in mind, you would not feel the need to defend the show or continue to push it either. You come across as trying to stir something up.
As usual, the media will find a way to do a biased report on something whether it's factual or not and whether they include both (or all) sides or not. I've seen it over and over with exposes on churches, religions, entertainers, diets, politicians, and I can't count the many corporations and products. Let's face it. There are plent of people out there the have tried LAWL and failed. Same for every other "diet program" out there. Sales tactics?!? I've experienced sales tactics at EVERY diet program I've tried, as well as every time I've purchased life insurance, car insurance, vacations, time shares, vehicles, cosmetics, fragrances, etc. This time, it's LAWL. Next time it'll be Oxyclean or acne medicine or Chemlawn, Exxon, Revlon, Teflon, and on and on and on.
It this really news?!? No.
Are they going to tell those of us who believe in this program and have proven it works anything that will make us change our opinion of the program? No.
Are they going to stir up those that have tried this program and found it was not for them? Are they going to stir up those that have tried this program and given up on it because they were unable to stick with it? Are they going to stir up those that have never been in an LAWL Center, never seen the program, never tried the program? The answer is probably Yes to all three...
Seems like a lot of "stirring" going on around here!
Blessings,
LA Weight Loss investigation
