I have made an appointment for a free consult at LA weightloss for tomorrow. I did a little research and found that people say it is very expensive. That there is a committment of about $500 up front. Is this true? Of course they won't discuss price on the phone.

Although, I always heard that they'll work with you, my experience was that they will do ANYTHING to get you to sign the contract. They will offer you financing and payment plans and then try to shove the bars down your throat.

I know alot of people LOVE L.A., but my experience after signing the contract and spending $1900.00 for my husband and I to join went from bad to worse. The counselors were less then attentive and rarely followed through with the things outlined in the plan. Although they did continue to push products and the money out of pocket didn't end. My husband even went as far as to tell the counselor that when we met to please not bother me about products and they didn't stop. Eventually we quit and filed a complaint with the company and we received a refund for everything except bars, which we ended up selling on ebay.

If you choose to go with them, stick to your guns about not buying the products. And Good Luck!

Crissy

I paid $200.00 down and then made monthly payments of $59.00 for 5 months. That wasn't so bad! And for sure worth it!

I was told there were monthly payments by the lady on the phone then when I signed up they wouldn't let me. Weird.

Mine was about $450 for a year. I don't qualify for the LA Lites so I don't buy them, Just tell them you want to do the plan without them - or better yet tell them you have active IBS and they'll leave you alone.

I buy my own vitamins and calcium pills. So I really just paid the $450 for a year which works out the same as a health club. So far i've really liked it in there.

Good luck with it!

Don't waste your money. Many of the centers are closing. Our are here in Memphis and I would hate for you to make the investment and not get your $500 worth....Just do it online with us!

They will not tell you the real price even at the consult. The bars and other supplements are where they get you. That said, if you get a good center you can lose weight and feel better. The accountability is nice and getting one on one advise helpful. Sometimes I felt that I knew more then the counselors did about nutrition.

ok it is expensive. I needed to lose 32lbs and it cost me about $1500 and that is with referral discounts. It included my weightloss weeks, stablization weeks & 1yr of maintenance and the bars for the entire time. It is very expensive but if i didnt pay that money i wouldnt have been as committed as i was. I lost out on alot of it because my center closed and i never got the products that was owed to me. I'm mad about that but i'm happy that i was able to lose the weight and the things i learned helps me to lose the weight on my own now and not give up. I got pregnant mindway thru my weightloss and my center closed before i had the baby so now i'm on my own with the help of the wonderful people on this site. I wish it didnt take me losing so much $ to lose weight but it worked.

Now that being said the advice i can give you is that you dont need the bars to lose the weight, they will tell you that you do but that is where they make most of the $. I'm doing the program now without the bars and i'm still losing like i would if i did the bars. The only thing the bars helped with the 1st time around was the chocolate craving but i dont think that was worth the $. Thats the only thing i would change if i could. I also didnt research as much about the company and now that you have you can make a clearer decision. The program works but dont let them talk you into buy things you cant afford or dont want.

I used the bars at first, but then I quit and continued to lose weight. It's a great program and I had at least 1 counselor that I really loved. But the accountability was great for me and I learned alot. I've been maintaining since the end of last summer. Once I figured out everything, including stabil. and maintenance weeks, it came in at probably only 2-3 dollars a week. Easily what I spent every morning at Mickey D's!

Ok. So I just want to say that I have not bought anything. I use Luna bars instead of lites and I paid a total of $495.00 Which is about $41.00 a month. Seriously in the whole scheme of things it is definately worth it! You will lose and I dont' ever regret spending the money. You don't have to buy the extra's. Sometimes they mention it to me. I say maybe later and then never do. It can be expensive but it doesn't have to be.

I just signed up with them on Monday. I paid $500 for a 6 month deal. They are trying to get me to buy their Lites..but I really can't afford it so I think I'm gonna have to pass on those! So far, so good and I love it. This is the perfect program for me!!! But ask me again in 6 months... LOL! To me... paying $500 and getting help lose this weight is DEFINITELY worth it!!

For me, it definitely was cheaper than all the junk and fast food I was consuming-I figured it was a wash!

I paid $549 for 2 years of weight loss, the stabilization weeks, and maintentance (I think maybe another year). Totally worth it for me if you think about how much that is per week compared w/ other plans. They charge everyone the same regardless of how much you have to lose.

I have IBS so am pushed no products. I literally have had no out-of-of pocket costs since I joined in January. I’ve bought some snacks and the cookbook, but that was because I asked about them.

I consider myself lucky as far as the expenses go. I hear lots of people upset about having to buy the Lites and everything. I personally, wouldn’t have joined if I had to purchase the bars every week. I was looking for a program that focused on whole foods that I can purchase and prepare myself.

I know people that swear by the Lites, but I’ve never eaten one and am still successful in my weight loss.

That said. I love the program, have completely changed my way of eating and feel like this is the “real deal” for me. The one-on-one counseling 3 times a week is a HUGE reason I have been able to stick to this. Plus, they really don’t let you get away w/ anything. If I don’t show up, they call me. I need that accountability.

I also think the up-front out of pocket costs keep me going. There is no way I am going to quit and be out that money.

I do think the up front investment kept me from just deciding it was not a good time to diet now, which is what I always did when I dieted, was good for maybe as long as 2 months and then something would come up and I'd quit and gain back the weight that I had lost. The up front cost kept me going, since I was going to take advantage of what I paid for, and I'm so glad I did, as it made me stick with it long enough to have it become habit. I did the lites for a year and a half! I recently decided to try going without (day 3 of that, and I"m not sure I like it better or not). The Lites got me into the habit of eating more often, as that was a key to the success. Eat all the time! LOL. Truly made the difference for me between success and failure.

Sure it is not free. I believe WW is 10-12$ a week, which often adds up to more than you will spend at LA. Plus you get one on one counseling. Sure some counselors are better than others, and it seems that some centers are better than others. I went to a center where there had been people who I knew who successfully lost weight and kept it off. I think that is the main thing that sold me, as I have known a lot of people on a program, but I had not seen many who lost and STAYED THIN for a long period afterwards. Now that I've kept my weight off for almost a year, I can't tell you how glad I am that I spent the money to guilt myself into doing what I needed to do.

With so many of the centers (not just Pure Weight Loss, but now the LAWL centers as well) closing without notice, and taking on new clients (and their money) until the minute the doors close, the expense is not the only issue, but whether you will be able to receive the services you pay for.

If you wish to follow the LAWL food plan, I'm sure that you can find the information you need here to do so. If you need the commitment of an in-person support group and/or weigh-in, I'd recommend TOPS. It's a non-profit weight loss organization with local chapters in most areas, and the cost is minimal. $26 for the annual national dues (includes a monthly magazine) and monthly chapter dues of a few dollars (our local chapter charges $3 per month). The organization does have an exchange based diet you can follow, or you can follow any plan you wish to.

The important thing is to figure out a way to really dedicate yourself to making the changes for life, and having someone to check up on you helps.