Does it Work?Unsure if the latest product or service lives up to it's claims? From popular products to the latest scams, discuss it here before you buy!
I was really struggling on the supplements. They were making me really sick. All they could do was push more on me. They kept telling me that my body needed time to adjust to them. I kept getting sicker and my metabolism took a nose dive. I had no energy and felt dizzy and nautious everyday. Not to mention the heart palpatations. I went there in the first place to lose weight and get healthy!! My dad died of a massive heart attack and I didn't want to end up like him. Yea right, I was probably headed there at the rate I was going. There was no concern, just accusations of cheating. To me that is just out and out irrisponsibility on their part because I believed what they said they were - Professionals. Something terrible could have happened to me. That's a frightening thought. To represent something you're not is just wrong and they should be investigated, period. End of story.
I too belong to LAWL and I am VERY happy. I gave a LOT of money to WW.(who by the way are untrained people just like us) and lost nothing. I have lost 17 # in 11 wks. which for me is great. You ladies who are against LAWL keep saying the same things over and over. I try to be an aware consumer and ask questions. All I know is my cholesteral has dropped from214 to 178, my blood pressure is down to 120/65 aand my pulse is down from 90 to 70. Everytime I have asked, I have recieved a truthful answer. I know none are nurses, even the science teachers at the schools I have taught at wore lab coats and even the kids knew they weren't nurses. The nurses around here were complete uniforms and none that I know wear white coats . They weaR smocks, white pants ,white shoes and some even still wear nursing caps. I know which counselers have been on LAWL because I asked. There was no big deal made, they simply answered my questions.
This should be a lesson to everyone "ask questions" Do you go to the MD and just accept whatever they say? I had breast cancer at 45 and learned that I am my own best advocate. I hope you all learn to ask more questions. You all use the internet-there are tons of info out there. I thought long and hard about spending this money. I didn't just jump into it. I suggest some of you should do the same.
Once again it is about perception, as the nurses in my area haven't worn a nursing cap since they graduated from nursing school, and they wear all sorts of different colored, white, or patterned scrub outfits-their ID tag is how you differentiate whether they are an RN, LPN, or a nurses aid-or even a doctor getting ready to perform a surgery or deliver a baby...(My mother is a nurse)
The scientists mentioned just now wore white lab coats, but I believe it was obvious to the children that they were not nurses because they were in a lab environment-not wearing a nurses badge in a center requesting bloodwork from them. There is a bit of a difference there-it is not just about the uniform alone, but about what they are doing while they are wearing it to add to the perception.
I think that the ones who feel burned feel bad enough without others making them feel worse because "they should have known better" or "I would have known better, why didn't you?" They know that now, and we are just trying to help them feel better about themselves, let others know the downside to LAWL, and avoid others getting burned by letting them know what my go on in the center before the go in.
AS far as the heart palpitations, I am sure if I went in and asked them if their ephedra containing products could cause them, they would tell me "No, you'll be fine!" When I have a bad reaction to any products containing ephedra-(I can only take certain types of cold medicines due to the small amount of ephedra in some of them-really sensitive to it.)
If it is working for you and you have what you think is one of the better centers-then fine, I am glad it is working for you. The ladies who feel scammed were-and I realize that some centers are probably worse than others-and I believe them when they tell their story. I think they should have the right to say their peace on LAWL in the buyer beware section, just as those who like LAWL can sing its praises in the LAWL board that is active here. There is a place for everyone-but there is no reason to make the already hurt feel worse.
Aphil
We shouldn't be told to give our opinions only on our own thread. That's ridiculous! All we're doing is offering a dissenting opinion. WW advocates did so on the WW scam thread, so why can't we? No one's trying to make anyone feel worse. It's not fair to your users if they only receive one half of the bias concerning LAWL. They need to hear how other people have gotten something good out of the centers and plan and how they did it, (i.e. asking questions, refusing certain practices, researching their silly supplements, taking matters into our own hands... after all, we're paying THEM to help US lose weight. They shouldn't push us around).
But to say "those who like LAWL can sing its praises in the LAWL board that is active here" is to silence our opinions on whether LAWL qualifies as a scam on this board, and that defeats the purpose of a free forum like this one.
I was not stating that you or anyone should NOT post on this thread with your opinion-if it sounded that way, then I apologize.
What I was saying, is that while giving your opinion of LAWL here, that maybe we should all try harder not to make the ladies who feel scammed feel worse about what happened to them while we are doing so. They have alread stated that they feel used, feel duped, feel stupid, etc.
I believe the comments throughout the thread concerning lack of willpower, or that they would have obviously known that the lady was not a nurse, or you should have just told them no like I did,etc. is just reopening the wound here.
The problem that occurs with forums is that when posts are read, the reader cannot hear the person's tone of voice, and maybe things are taken the wrong way. That is what moderators are for-to diffuse (or at least try to) diffuse the situation.
The forums here are great, and everyone is allowed to have their own opinion about their center, group, or plan-but it is the job of the moderators and administration here to make sure that that is carried out without comments that could be considered hurtful to others, such as the ones I have mentioned.
I fully advocate if you have paid the money, to stay there and make them work for it and hate every minute of it-but I do not encourage new members to sign up due to the methods and misinformation that are being used by LAWL. I have stated before that my disataste for LAWL has nothing to do with the hard selling-becasue everyone CAN say no-it is the misinformation that goes along with LAWL practices. Some women go in there thinking they are getting an experts experience, and end up getting duped.
I have never intended for anyone to feel that they should not post at a certain topic-all I am saying is that when you are in the buyer beware section, there is going to be a lot of people posting negative things about the plan or product involved-it is fine to give an opinion and share your good experience, but it need not turn into a battleground. Everyone knew that there were going to be negative comments about LAWL here when they clicked on the topic. If everyone is prepared to listen to them with an open mind and honestly share their feelings with others and a way to maybe help or remedy their situation-it is a wonderful thing. But with LAWL being in this section-everyone needs to be prepared to read all of the negative comments about LAWL, and if that angers or offends in any way-then there is a more positive thread on LAWL available here on the general diet plans board. All I was saying is that if hearing negative comments and experiences related to LAWL offends you, then there is a more positive thread devoted to the centers on this site for your enjoyment.
We moderators here are not upset with any loyal customers of LAWL-we are upset at the devious practices of most of the LAWL centers, and the laws and such that let them keep taking advantage of overweight people.
Aphil
I agree, both sides should be represented on here. I've read other threads where I've disagreed with a negative post. That's what makes this site interesting and informative to me. Everyone is intitled to their opinions. I should have researched everything before I "jumped" into it. I take the blame there but I will not take the blame for their lies and misrepresentations. I am not a stupid person, just human and I will not keep trying to defend myself. And no I don't believe everything I am told but when someone is supposed to know what they are doing, I tend to give them the benefit of the doubt. I'm not going to argue with anybody,I respect everones input . I know what happened to me and it's obvious that I am not alone. This is somewhat of a comfort to me, not snide remarks about what I should have done. I feel bad enough already. I learned from what happened , I know it's happened to others so now I go on and do what I set out to do - lose the rest of my weight and get healthy, which I am doing. I wish everyone luck in their weight loss endevours and whatever works for you, be it WW or LAWL or whatever - that's wonderful. We are all working for the same goals I think. That much I hope we can agree on. I hope I didn't step on anyone's toes in the process of trying to get my point and feelings across.
If they tell you up front that you are paying for a year, and then try to charge you again after a set number of weeks, then they are probably in violation of the contract as well. At the very least, they are acting in a deceptive manner.
Telling one not to eat bananas at all or salmon more than once a week is silly, at best.
It sounds as if LAWL cannot help but to succeed, at least in the beginning, due to the incredibly reduced calorie intake.
There are women who lose weight successfully on a diet of cabbage soup. That does not recommend it to the population at large, however.
I am also a member of LAWL.
I'm not going to try and defend the program. If you think it's a scam, nothing I say, or anyone else, is going to convince you otherwise. All I know is that it has worked for me when other programs failed.
Are there "bad" centers that give out misinformation? Yes, just like there are bad WW leaders, Jenny Craig counselors, TOPS leaders, etc. Whenever you are dealing with people you're going to get some misinformation. But there are also wonderful centers that don't mislead their clients, who answer questions openly and honestly, and don't push the LAWL products onto their clients at all.
As far as the supplements, currently none of the LAWL supplements contain ephedra. I don't know what they had before I joined in June of this year but they don't contain that ingredient now.
It sounds like some people had bad experiences at some centers but not everyone has the same negative experience. Most of my counselors have been informed women, most on the program as well. I've never felt pushed to buy a single thing. Perhaps I've just been lucky.
I don't feel the program itself is a scam. I think that there are some centers that are not as informed as others. Some counselors are overly sales driven. Is there room for improvement? Yes. Does that mean that the program as a whole is a scam? No, not in my opinion.
Basically, no program is going to work for everyone. Some people are going to love it and others are going to hate it for one reason or another. I think that people should consider any weight loss program with caution because you will always find some bad apples mixed in with the good.
My cousin belonged to LAWeight Loss. she did loose a lot of weight, but she said they really didn't teach her how to maintain the loss. She took the suppliments which are called hebs but really are aphetemines: ephedrine and caffeine. She could feel how they affected her so Patty I can understand how you said you felt sick.
Personally when I think about the cost you all have described I want to scream...
It seems to me a much better way to spend my money is to join a gym. The Y in my area is 2 years old, has a great workout center, pool, indoor track and aerobics for $ 42 a month.
Let's face it, the true secret is to eat less and move more.
Well said Ilovemyluckycat!
For the cost of LAWL, you could easily get a nice gym membership, or buy a home Weider gym set or treadmill, or a ton of healthy cookbooks, exercise videos...and not have to deal with any of their hassles.
We also have a very nice newer YMCA in our neighborhood that has childcare during certain hours of the day, and also has things to teach children healthy habits, such as swimming lessons.
Our city, as well as the one my mother lives in, both have walkways that range for 2-4.5 miles that are specifically for walkers, runners, rollerbladers, etc.-so exercisers or those just doing it for leisure can avoid the traffic of regular roads-you can see if your community has something like this to use-and it is totally free!
Fitness does not have to be expensive. Even if you cannot afford a gym membership or fancy equipment-you can walk on a walkway, outdoors, or in a mall. You can find exercise videos cheaply on Ebay, rummage sales, or thrift stores. Losing weight and getting your body fit and strong does not require that you spend hundreds of dollars at a center each year.
Aphil
I was on LAWL a couple of years ago and I did lose weight, BUT....I was starving all the time. LOL
What scares me the most is the supplements they put you on and never tell you that you are taking Ma Hung, which is the highly questionable Epedrine. That stuff can kill you!!! They never once warned me about it or told me not to have any caffeine with it. I felt racy and speedy all the time. I once woke up feeling numb, weak, nauseous, and hot flashy. Thought I was having a heart attack so I took the Tri-Max to my Docs to see what it was. He made me promise to throw it away before it killed me and never take it again. I have family history of high blood pressure and heart disease. The "counselors" there could have put me in an early grave. My hands were shaky and I was jumpy from the stuff, and starving on the low calorie, low carb plan ALL THE TIME. No warnings, advice, or truths from these "counselors"
Who cares about the money, they never said a word to me about what was in their" safe all natural supplements." It IS the same as Metabolife. It's the same Epedrine crap, just cleverly named Ma-hung. It speeds up your metabolism and heart rate and can kill you and they never told me I was risking my life to lose weight.
Since LAWL never really had me modify my diet to a plan that made sence for the rest of my life, you know, like being able to eat banannas, I gained half of the weight back after I stopped taking the crap that sped up my metabolism. Who can learn to live on only 1/2 of a bagel or 1/2 of a cup of pasta as a :limited carb? Or all the foods I loved on the "no-no" list.
If you take the Tri-Max, you will gain weight when you stop. Please proceed with caution on this plan if taking the "supplements". Do research and ask your Doctor. The stuff is dangerous and darlings, you are all worth more.
Maybe they have "modified" the Tri-Max, but it wasn't a plan that changed my behavior. For anyone on the plan, check the lables and have your Docs ok this plan for you. Please be careful.
Well, I wasn't going to post on here, because it seemed like people were getting really catty a while back. Seems like everyone has sort of calmed down now, so I thought I'd add my two cents worth.
I've been dieting as long as I can remember, and I've tried just about everything out there with no or very limited success. I have worked out regularly for years, and my body has always been strong, if overweight. I do cardio, lift weights and do yoga. Exercise alone is not enough for me to lose weight, but, because of all the other great benefits, I've continued to work out even at my heaviest.
I've been on LAWL for about 5 months, and i've lost 35 pounds. The weight doesn't come off quickly or easily, but it does come off. I'm averaging about 2 pounds a week, which is great for me. The LAWL food plan is very similar to some other diets I've been on, but the accountability of going in three times a week really makes me stick with it. It is an expensive program, but I feel like it's working for me, and actually teaching me, how no other program has before. I've had to take time off while on LAWL, due to the holidays and my mother's health problems. Even when I'm on an off week, I do not gain weight, because I am much more conscious of my portion sizes and what I'm eating. My average calorie intake is between 1400 and 1600 calories a day, and I very rarely feel hungry. I have also continued to exercise, doing about 45 minutes of cardio 5 times a week, yoga 3 times a week, and weight training 2 a week.
Now, I'm not an unintelligent person. I know that the "counselors" are working on commission and they want you to buy things. But, I've never been pressured to buy things after my first refusal. I do use the bars, mainly because they are convenient and I like the way they taste. I don't use the supplements, although I have tried them.
I've heard a lot of horror stories from other people on this website about having absolutely terrible experiences at their centers. I have not had that problem. The people at my center are very supportive and nice.
I wish everyone success on their weight loss journey, no matter what path they take.
Last edited by GringaGordita; 01-06-2003 at 12:29 PM.
