We first learned of Vitalife from your show, Windy City Live, a show we like and trust. Vitalife's…read moreclaim to fame was learn how to lose weight and keep it off, without having to work out like crazy and learning how to eat in a healthy way for our own individual needs. We went to the office (in the Schaumburg office which wasn't on Yelp) and they start out by looking over our general weight and health. They explain that Vitalife is a diet plan that you stick to for 40 days then a maintenance time after, and you can either stop there or repeat the cycle until you are to your goal weight. Sounded similar to other diet plans and they really sold the individualization of it all.
All mind you, while you are in a room that you are being recorded visually and audio without them clearly telling you. It is stated out the main entrance that there is surveillance on the property, but not in this manner. At times the salesman even said he'd give us a few moments to discuss between ourselves to decide, and then would return even more convincing and encouraging. That's because he was watching and listening to our assumed private conversation without our knowledge.
We signed up thinking this was a customized diet plan for $1,200. Expensive, but they sold it well. Then they have you do a scan of putting your hand on a metal sensor, which is a scam. It tells you a ton of random things that you would need multiple blood tests from medical and mental health professionals to know. For example, a red flag for us was that it told me I had a reading/input from my gallbladder, which I have been told by gastrointestinal specialists my whole life is non-functioning. They also give you "affirmations" that are supposed to pertain to our "needs" such as "I won't be upset about mistakes made with money" or "I will remember to live in God's image." These affirmations were completely disjointed from anything they know about us, and myself being a certified mental health therapist, they are inappropriate and irresponsible. They then come out with a bag full of 7 different substances that you are supposed to take in excess daily, while starving yourself. Eating 8-10 oz of protein, 1 piece of fruit, and vegetables a day for 40 days. They do state to make sure not to eat less than 500 calories a day, but give little guidance as to how many calories different produce is or how to find this. The amounts of food they were saying to eat would put most people into starvation mode and could cause major health issues. Not to mention the substance are chalked full of random things, with little to no explanation on what is in them, and by non-medical professionals. We were warned not to drink one of them too fast because it would make us sick and to drink it over the course of 3-5 hours. What the hell is in that, that would make us sick!?! and I am being advised to ingest this everyday for over a month!?! Between the recommendation to starve yourself and take an abundance of "substances" throughout the day, my mother and I who had misguidedly signed up for this program would have ended up sick. We left their office overwhelmed and confused, having all of our answers either dodged or answered in circular responses providing no real information.
We got home and read the plan fully, not been given the chance to in the office, and we're appalled at the negligence of this program. I personally wasn't even given any printout from my "scan" because of "printer issues", so was not able to even read it until I got home. It also says not to work out while on the program, probably because it would cause someone in starvation mode to pass out and need medical attention. Any weight loss plan that says explicitly not to work out is clearly unhealthy. Everyone knows a healthy, well rounded diet and exercise is what is needed for a healthy lifestyle. Last but not least, the back of the book starts talking about how we need to live pure and in God's image, quoting the Old Testament and comparing the purity of Adam and Eve. None of this was mentioned in the office or their sales pitch.
We called as soon as the office was open to cancel and they told us they were going to keep $600 of what we had signed on for, for the price of the "scan" which produced a bunch of non-sense. Also, that we were required to return the heavy bag full of substances they had given us.
We are now angry and feeling used and misguided. They sold their program as something very different from what it was and are now stealing hundreds of dollars from people, like us, that they trick. Don't buy into this program for your health and financial well-being. This program has aspects of scam and cult-like feeling. It starts as something sounding legitimate and then as soon as you sign their contract, it ends up being something very different.
