Advocare 24-Day Challenge Review {From a Non-Distributor}

So I did my first ever Advocare 24-Day Challenge January 11, 2016 to February 3, 2016.

This was my first experience with Advocare. I grew interested after seeing a few friends posts about it on social media. (Hence – they did their job right to “hook me” since Advocare is a multi-level marketing (MLM) company and the main avenue for selling the products is the distributor’s online/social presence. (You’ve probably noticed a few of your friends selling products online too – i.e. Advocare, Arbonne, Beachbody, even Mary Kay Cosmetics.) I’m not new to the health and fitness industry and I work in marketing myself, so I grew curious how the business worked as well as if the products actually worked. {See how I prepped for the Challenge here.}

So I finally signed up after going back and forth over if I really wanted to drop the cash on this. Advocare is not cheap and I did feel a stab of buyers remorse when the package came in the mail and I realized I had just dropped $190 on it! BUT I wanted to give Advocare an honest shot, so I made sure to start the Challenge with a good attitude and being open to the program.

I was assigned a “coach” and we had a 30 minute phone call the Saturday before the Challenge started to discuss my goals. At first I really didn’t know what my goals were. Like I said before I’m not new to health and fitness. I’m a marathoner and triathlete and I’ve been a competitive athlete all my life. Yes I had some extra winter weight to shake off, but I wasn’t looking to drop 50lbs either. (I love my muscles!) I settled with dropping 10lbs as my magic “goal” number. So I had an initial conversation with my coach and she was thoughtful and nice, but I felt like I really didn’t get a chance to chime in at all during our phone conversation, which was supposed to be about my goals and what I was looking for. She talked almost the entire phone call and even managed to plug in a few sale pitches as to what other products I could buy from her. (And I openly said I was not dropping any more money on Advocare until after I tested the products I currently had!) Being in marketing and communications and having a journalism background, I found it kind of untrustworthy that my coach would so quickly drop sale pitches on me. No rapport had been developed yet and we only talked for 30 minutes, yet here I was fighting off more sale pitches. It was just a little over the top, but like I said I wanted to give Advocare a fair shot so I kept a positive attitude despite a weird initial start.

The Eating

For me the eating part of the Challenge wasn’t difficult at all. In fact, I told one of my friends that it was basically the easiest Challenge I had ever done! When I’m in peak training I tend to eat very similar. It really is all about clean eating and getting whole foods in your body, which is a theory I can totally get behind and back up. (Kudos to Advocare on that!)

The Supplements

The supplements were decent. I will say that Advocare Spark is everything and then some that everyone raves about. It is awesome! I have cut out my coffee addiction and even ordered more! It’s the perfect treat after an early morning workout and I look forward to it when I climb out of bed in the morning. Of all the Advocare supplements, Spark is legit.

With the Advocare Challenge you get a Metabolic Nutrition System (MNS) (the three types are: 3, C or E). I chose 3 since I wanted a good combination of everything. Basically it’s just a variety of vitamins, minerals, probiotics and fat burners. If you bought everything separately it would be less expensive, but I am someone who does pay for convenience, so I liked how they bundled everything up and it was in an easy to take and remember packet. I was surprised to see how fast my skin cleared up too while taking the products and cleaning up my diet. You can’t fake results like that. I also felt like I was “de-bloating” and overall I felt very good. (However I will say that you could probably get the same results with a general clean up of your diet and adding in supplements, which doesn’t necessarily have to be Advocare, BUT I am not dissing anything because I did feel good, which was the whole point.)

So I sailed through the majority of my Challenge feeling good. My coach checked in with me fairly regularly, although I never got the feeling that she really knew that much about me and I’m not sure if I actually trusted her since she tried selling me products so quickly off the bat. Also she brought up buying more products AGAIN via text messages, which of course annoyed me all over again. (PSA – This is a lesson I would hope any MLM distributor learns at some point! You must build the relationship first! You must develop rapport and sell yourself and your lifestyle first before you start plugging in the products to your clients. If you drop the sales pitch too soon it will back fire and your customer will go running for the door because they can tell you are just trying to push the products! I’m not saying that Advocare products even need to be pushed – in general my opinion of them is actually very high, but this is an important selling lesson that I would hope any distributor from any MLM company understands.)

A Weird Issue

So with about five days left in my Challenge, I started feeling terrible abdominal side pain in the early morning and late at night. I knew this familiar pain though. About two summers ago I went to the ER for this exact same pain and was told by my physician that I had “kidney gravel”, AKA very small kidney stones. I began to do research on the exact supplements I was taking with Advocare and pinpointed that the calcium pill in the MNS pack I was taking was most likely contributing to my “kidney gravel”. My coach checked in with me and I explained what I had been feeling. I explained my research and symptoms in a long, knowledgeable text message and expected to have a decent conversation about it since it was an “issue” I was having. Her response back to me came about 2 hours later and simply said “Yes stop taking that pill then.” That was it!? Not other words of advice or similar experiences or any sort of knowledge or contribution to what I had just explained?! I was a little disappointed and again felt like my coach didn’t really care that much, nor had the time or want to converse with me.

So I carried on and since I am so stubborn I finished out the 24 days with taking my calcium pills and fighting through a few days of weird stomach pain…and sure enough as soon as the Challenge ended my pain stopped! (Has anyone else had this issue?) In my research I found a few forums that talked about it, but nothing really concrete. I totally get that every person is different and all of our bodies respond differently to supplements, but I was a little disappointed by this side effect, especially because I was feeling so good up until about day 19.

Overall Thoughts

Despite the one negative side effect I had with the MNS supplements and not quite gelling with my coach (who, BY THE WAY, I still think is a badass athlete and a fitness inspiration and maybe just not the right fit for “coaching” me), I still did have a good experience with Advocare.

There were a few things that were so-so, but in general I liked the supplements and I can get behind the “clean eating” theory of the Challenge. In total I lost 8 lbs on the Advocare 24-Day Challenge, which is fine by me!

I actually ended up ordering more Spark and I also ordered another MNS packet – without extra calcium pills 🙂 I am exited to see how that works. I felt really good while taking the supplements and I want to continue that.

In general I think Advocare has the potential to really work for some people and for it to be a stepping stone or “guide” for others. For me, it got me back on track after the holiday season and inspired me (which I actually think should have been my goal from the start). I’m not sure if I’ll do an actual 24-Day Challenge again, but if I continue liking the products I can see myself ordering them from time to time.

My advice for anyone who is contemplating doing the Challenge is try it. Go in with a good attitude and try to be open to the experience and your “coach” or team. I think some people are better at coaching then others so don’t be afraid to speak up when things are going wrong or you’re uncomfortable.

The only thing is – don’t forget that Advocare is a MLM company and the general goal of it is to get you to purchase more products. BUT at the same time don’t get so wrapped up in that, that you can’t honestly try and test the products with an unbiased opinion. It’s a slippery slope, but if you are curious just like I was then I would recommend giving it a try to see if it’s right for you. If it’s not for you then you were right all along and can go ahead and silently “block” all your MLM friends on social media 🙂

CHEERS!

Advocare “Clean Phase” Review

Miscellaneous

So today is day 11 on my 24-Day-Advocare Challenge. (Read about my prep for the challenge here.)

This morning I was down 5lbs, BUT (and this is totally TMI) I attribute a lot of the weightloss to using the bathroom right before I weighed myself. Am I the only one who thinks like this? I don’t know, but I wasn’t too mad I guess.

THE FOOD

The first half of the challenge has been (for the most part) relatively easy. Sure there were times I still wanted to eat ice cream or popcorn at night, but I stuck it out without giving into cravings. Honestly I really do believe in the overall principle of the challenge. It teaches wholesome, balanced eating and I’ve never “gone hungry”. In fact, sometimes the alarm has gone off on my cell phone and I realize it’s time for another snack and I’m like “ugh!”, so that’s definitely a pro of this challenge.

The challenge stresses the important of planning and meal prepping, which is a concept that is not new to me. I’ve been doing it for basically two years so it was easy for me to jump on board. You seriously have to plan out every single meal and snack and also consciously be aware of your water intake. My husband has been super supportive of the challenge and has really helped me with meal prepping and also with cooking healthy, challenge approved dinners. In fact, he’s cooked dinner every night this week and all I’ve done is put up a list on the fridge of what we are having which nights! (He really is Mr. Perfect!)

Zucchini noodles & homemade pesto sauce

A few things on my meal plan: Spaghetti squash. Zucchini noodles. Shrimp stir fry. Chicken wraps. Avocado toast. Rice cakes with peanut butter. Veggies and hummus. Cajun shrimp salad. Salmon. Stuffed peppers…this list goes on and on. You just have to be really conscious of what and when you are eating. If you are someone who tends to just “wing it” I’m not sure that this challenge would be for you.

Spaghetti squash – delicious!

THE PRODUCTS

So far I’ve really like the Advocare products. Spark really is as amazing as everyone raves it is. I keep thinking that Advocare really knew what they were doing when they created it and incorporated it into the challenge. Since you cut out coffee and add in Spark, it still gives you something to drink in the mornings and with a little bit of caffeine so you’re not dying. I really do look forward to it every morning.

The other Advocare products have been good as well. I’ve lost 5lbs so far, but the difference in how I feel is also just as great. I don’t feel bloated and I wake up feeling better. Honestly I think if I cleaned up my diet by myself I’d probably have similar results, but it actually has been pretty fun to incorporate the supplements into my routine. It mixes it up and it’s new to me so that definitely helps.

There are a few other Advocare products that my “coach” has suggested to me. Honestly I know they are trying to sell the products to make money, so I’m not totally sure if I will buy them (pretty pricey), but I will think about it because so far so good. I’m excited to try the products in the second part of the challenge (the “max” phase) to see if I like them!

Supplements all separated and organized for each day of the week, which was super helpful

TRAINING / WORKING OUT

I’ve been killing it at the gym. This morning I did P90X plyometrics and honestly I can feel the soreness in my thighs as I sit here writing this. I’ve also incorporated: stair-mill workouts, HIIT, rowing, sprints, regular distance running, cardio kickboxing and weights/circuit training. I’ve been working out in the mornings at my work fitness center and because I feel so good and energetic when I wake up – I’ve been having amazing workouts and look forward to it. I hope this motivation and “fun” never goes away!

Morning circuit training

OVERALL REVIEW (FOR THE “CLEAN” PHASE)

SO my overall review of the Challenge is very good:

I like what you get to eat (it doesn’t suck and I’m not hungry).
Training has been fun because I generally feel better.
Supplements/products are fun to incorporate and seem to be having a good effect on me.
“Coaching” has been constructive and helpful.
Access to a private Facebook group has been super motivating and also very helpful.

I was asked to think about my goals for the Challenge and at first I couldn’t think of any besides “lose weight”. I’ve taken the time to think more detailed about it and here’s what I’ve got:

More to come after Day 24!

Prepping To Go “All In” With Advocare

Miscellaneous

I mentioned a few days ago that I had officially signed up for my first ever Advocare 24-Day Challenge. The theme for this challenge is “All In”. It starts Monday, January 11 and runs until Wednesday, Feb 4.

First off – let me just tell you how out of character this is for me. I’ve never been a fan of self-disturbing companies. I think MOST of it is a scam. Let me also back that up by saying that for some distributors, it’s not a scam. I know that some people do make six figures off selling these products, however those people are few and far between. So here’s a quick fist bump to those that make it work. But for the other percent that just harass me on social media to buy your products and take up my newsfeed…no thanks.

Anyways, when I told my husband that I had signed up for the Advocare 24-Day Challenge he said to me “Who are you?” Right?! That’s how out of character this is to me. I’ve been an athlete all my life. I’ve gained and lost 25 pounds more times than I’d like to admit. (I’ve also lost those pounds the hard way – through simple diet and exercise.) I’ve ran marathons. I’ve played sports. Hell I’m going to be training for a half Ironman Triathlon in a few weeks! I get how fitness works and I’m pretty knowledgeable with being healthy and fit. I know there is no “quick fix miracle” when it comes to getting fit and losing weight. So when my husband asked me why I was signing up for this I didn’t really have a good answer.

I guess the truth is that I’m curious. I’m curious to see if it works. For the past few years I’ve judged these products silently from the sideline and now at this point in my fitness journey, I’m curious to see what all the buzz is about. I’m also scared (because I work in marketing) that this is all a giant marketing campaign to make me buy the products.

I told my friend:

“I’m not looking for a quick fix. I know I will have to work hard, but if these products actually really do work then I will be a believer. And if they don’t then I will have been right and now I know.”

My supplements came in the mail a few days ago and I had a serious moment of guilt. Did I really spend all that money on these products? But I reminded myself of my mission – to honestly find out if the products work or not. I also got access to a closed Facebook group, which I will admit I was a little hesitant to join, but once I started reading it I was glad I did. It’s a good outlet for comments and questions about the Challenge and I know it will be helpful later on down the road. I was also surprised to find that my “coach” contacted me and asked to set up a phone call to talk about my Challenge. That was something I wasn’t expecting.

I’ve followed my coach on Instagram for about two years now and honestly I’m not really sure what suddenly clicked and made me want to try the products. Out of all the distributors I know and am connected with, she is one that I trust. She’s legit. She’s competed in NPC shows and crossfit competitions. She’s an actual athlete, unlike some of the people I see trying to push these products and I’m just like “Huh?”.

Who knows what will happen! When my Challenge starts on Monday I am going to be an unbiased, positive person. I really do want this to work because otherwise I wasted a good amount of money! I am going to work hard too. In all honestly I would love to get behind good products. I’ll never become a distributor, but I wouldn’t mind supporting something I believe in either.

I’m super curious to see how the next 24 days will go, but all I can do is give it my all and try. I’m abandoning all my doubts and negative feelings and diving “All In”.

She Writes & Runs

Stories from marathons, travel & everything in between.

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