I just signed up for LAWL yesterday and I begin my Take-Off juice 2-day jump start tomorrow....but I have one question:

How neccessary is it to purchase the LA Lite bars and vitamin supplements? Do these really speed up the weight loss? Are they worth the hefty price? I meet with the couselor on Thursday and would like more information before she tries to sell me these items.

Any other advice would be greatly appreciated to this newbie....Thanks!!!

My info:
Age: 24
Ht: 5' 7"
Wt: 234
Goal Wt: 169

We recently ran a survey on the site and asked opinions of various diets. The ones that followed LAWL usually said they did not buy the LA Lites and did just as well, or they bought Luna bars (at half the price) if they wanted them. Luna Bars can be found just about anywhere, but you may want to do a little price checking before stocking up. www.vitaglo.com has a good price - about 15 bucks for 15 bars, and if you spend $50, the shipping is free, too. If you have a Sams Club or Costco, you might find a really good deal on them, or similar bars.

If you feel like you need a vitamin supplement, our suggestion is to buy a regular multi-vitamin from WalMart or your local drugstore. Most of the supplements sold by LAWL are hyped up products without much merit, but very high prices. It's really important to watch how you spend your money on LAWL because it can be one of, if not THE, most expensive diets out there, but it is no more effective than any other diet plan.

The counseling sessions are very sales oriented. You can tell them to mark your folder "do not sell" so they will not try to pressure you. If you want something, you should be the one to bring it up. Before buying anything from them, see if you can get a list of ingredients or nutritional data and see if you can buy it cheaper elsewhere, or do your research to see if it is even a valid purchase. For example, they sell the carb blockers, but carb blockers are more of a myth. http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/show...08&postcount=3

My opinion - Stick with the diet plan, forget the extra doo-dads, and make the best use of your counselor as you can, for accountability, and you should do fine.

I'm sure some of the more seasoned LAWL chicks will share their experiences and different views, so you can get a broader overall picture of what to expect.

Good luck!

Suzanne is right, the first visits are very sales oriented. I did purchase enough lites to get through weight loss and stablization and I bought them in bulk, which wound up being about $1.40 per bar. Not bad, but it was a lot of money up front. To stretch them I've been using luna bars every once in a while. Every once in a while you can get a box of luna bars for 9.99 on amazon and free shipping when you spend 25, so there are definitely deals to be found. However, if you don't choose a plan with lites they will put you on a higher calorie plan to balance out the calories and protein you would have gotten out of the lites (roughly 350 calories and 16 grams of protein), so if you do the higher calorie plan and add lites you'll actually be eating more than you should. I know several of the people on this board have bought the least amount they could buy to make sure they got the plan info then told the center they were buying the lites of eBay, but used Luna bars. I know it seems kind of sneaky, but it's your money ;-)

About the supplements, I don't use any of them (except the calcium) and only when i can get them on sale for $7 a bottle. I know it's cheaper other places, but this is chewable and kind of tastes like baby aspirin...haven't found anything else like it. just about everything they sell there you can get at Sam's for half the price if not 1/3 the price. I made it pretty clear up front that I'm an all natural kind of girl, if I can't eat real food without having to rely on their products then I guess I'm just supposed to be fat. I told them I don't want smoothie mixes in place of fruit, shakes that replace proteins or any pill or supplement that's going to make me jittery. They don't bother to try to sell me anything anymore.

Okay, I'm off my soapbox now. Bottom line is don't feel pressured to buy anything, tell them you need a day to think about it and come talk to us on the board. More than likely, we can point you a less expensive option or let you know it's just a waste of money because someone else has tried it and it's doesn't work.

Take care,
Jen

PS. I also started at 234 pounds and have lost 60 already...another 15 to go :-)

You can also get Luna bars really cheap on Ebay!!! And you can get them at Wal-Mart for less than $1 a bar. They are equal in calories and protein as the Lites are. Don't waste your money on them if you don't have to.

I would also avoid any of their pills...and anything that you can get something comparable to in a regular store for half the cost. Their Take Off Juice for instance-go to Kroger and get the Knudsen's Morning Blend juice for $3.00. It has very similar ingredients.

Thank you all...very good advice! I will keep you updated....

Hi there,

i looked at the la lites like this. if i bought them in bulk one time i was done i didn't have to worry about buying anythingafter that or falling off the plan. if you buy them upfront each box is like 9.98 anyway.. so yes you are making a commitment to the bars but isn't that why you went in the first place.. to make a commitment to yourself to lose weight. I put mine on my credit card and now i am done i know i will stick with the plan because i have prepaid... no backing out now. (and they are soooo yummy they really help me stay on plan because they are tasty and sweet)

i am the type of person that needs that "accountability" factor.. well i am accountable now... until i lose ALL my weight... just another way to look at.

cyber hugs... ~ Shari

oh and i just signed up too.. June 2nd 2005

I agree, I don't even like the LA lites they are too chewy for me. I use genisoy bars they taste great are also under $1 at wal-mart and are a little bigger(more satisfying to me). The rest of the stuff is all hype, don't buy it. I looked at it this way, I want something that I can stick to for the rest of my life. Eating real food not mixes and powdered this and that with pills mixed in. Just take calcium and a multi-vitamin bought elsewhere for a lot cheaper, stick to the plan and you will have great success. I did in 2002 but now have to start all over.(my bio is in the roll call thread).

Donna

I have been on the program for 3 weeks now and have lost 11.5 lbs. I do use the LA Lite bars, and they help me stay on program, as I feel like I am getting a candy bar. I don't think they are any better than the other bars mention, but I just happen to like the LA Lites. I bought a few of the boxes from the center, but I buy most of the bars off of ebay. I usually end up paying about 1.00 per bar and that is including shipping. You have to make sure to check what they charge for shipping or you may end up paying more than you would at the center.
Good Luck!

Let me start by saying that when I was on the LA program I lost the weight I wanted to lose and I DID use their bars, but...

Before you go buy a ton of their bars try the Kashi Go Lean Crunchy bars. They are just as good but they don't have all the un-natrual ingredients! The nutritional information is very similar too: The Kashi Go Lean Crunchy bar Chocolate Caramel has the following:

Cal: 150
Fat Cal: 25
Total Fat: 3g
Sat. Fat: 2g
Sodium 220mg
Total Carb: 28g
Fiber: 6g
Soluble Fiver: 1g
Insoluble Fiver: 5g
Sugars 14g
Protein 8g

I don't remember the price/box but I do remember thinking they were less expensive.

They will try to give you a hard push to buy their bars when you go in but I would strongly recommend trying some other things first! If you use other bars they will give you some grief about it but just remember, they are their to sell and promote THEIR product! THEY ARE SALES PEOPLE! BUT, if you follow the program you WILL lose weight! It is how I got off all my college weight!

As for the vitamins, I tried them but I didn't like them! I do not think that they helped me lose weight. There were a bunch of extra things in them that you don't need in vitamins. However, I will be the first one to tell you that I am 100% pro organic and all natural anything!

I hope this helps! Just remember to stay positive and that there will be days when you are hungry but, you can't lose weight if you don't get a little hungry in the process and drinking a lot of water helps curbe the apitite.

One more thing...if you get sick of drinking water, Crystal Lite on-th-go packets are the same as the LA Splash packs...and you get more for your money!

I have had lots of success on the program. Yes I did buy their bars back when I was on the program and ate two a day. Now I am back on the program without a center and I am doing extremely well. I owe it to the many people I have met here in the forum who they help me want to stay on point. I have learned a lot about the protein bars and the substitutions out there.

Currently, I am using and have had great results with the following bars that I still take twice a day. I just love them!

• Atkins Morning Bars
• Atkins Advantage Caramel Line
• Luna Bars
• I am also currently looking for Genisoy's line called "Pro Crunch"

You can go to any one of the product's website listed above and visit some of the other one's that were mentioned as well for Nutrition Information.

Also I have lost 80 pounds in the past and I NEVER took their supplements. When I wanted to stop purchasing their products I told them that all of a sudden I became allergic to peanuts and milk (ha, ha). So that right there will rule out all their bars and their shakes. ~ GOOD LUCK ~

Since I stopped eating the bars (due to gallbladder problems) I've lost more weight per week than while I was on the bars... just to let you know....

Are you replacing the bars with something else of similar nutritional value? If not, you need to. If you cut out two Lites per day, you are cutting out almost 400 calories a day, and if they are not replaced with something, then the plan will be too low calorie for you, and not nutritionally balanced.

You have to either replace the bars with another similar bar, such as Luna, or go to your center and explain to them that you are not doing Lites-and need to move to a plan with more food exchanges to make up for it.

This is especially important if you have gallbladder issues-too fast of a weight loss can aggravate this condition.

Since you've already been given great advice, I just wanted to say welcome and good luck on reaching your goal. You can do this!

Does anyone know how to tell the expiration date of lites. I joined a center just before they went out of business and have a LOT of lites. Thanks. I searched old posts but was unable to find this information