HERBALIFE!!

Any thoughts - advice? 

I work with a womyn who is using it and selling it and she's lost around 25lbs and works out everyday.  Her facebook page scares me because she's over the top obsessed with the stuff.  The only other person I knew who swore by the stuff died of cancer at 40 something.  She was using it to help keep herself alive, it obviously didn't work.  I avoid chemical company concoctions so I would never try it.

What specific products are you asking about?  Personally, I have a friend who is "into" their vitamins and supplements and she spends a fortune on their products but doesn't seem to feel any better than she did before she started them but keeps wanting to "give it some time".

If you are asking about their protein shake, skip it. It only has 9g of protein and RNYers need something higher in protein (and lower in carbs)

Lora

Be careful at their smoothie shops. They use diet products like puddings and such to make those awesome shakes.  I was told they have 20 g of protein by the owner but I don't know.  They do have a mint chocolate flavor I don't think anyone else has.  I was told I have to sign up I can not just buy products under someone else's name. I hate that.

For what it's worth, I had my pre-op talk with nurses, nutrionsts, etc and the bariatric nurse mentioned this sort of thing specifically, not by name but similar products and said don't do it.  She said there may be things in those concoctions that are not recognized by western medicine and as such can have side effects to meds you take.  Also that it was just a bad idea with our mal-apsorption.  I personally have no experience or feelings on the matter but I literally just got home and it was fresh in my mind.

They are probably no better or worse then any of the lab created so-called "food".  It is soy based apparently, and you can use it to bulk up according to their product pitch, so it probably isn't the best idea for people trying to lose weight.