Visalus VI-Shape Nutritional Shake Mix Sweet Cream Flavor 28 0z Review
| Product Code | B005ZA0VUO |
| Product Rating |  |
| Price | $47.00 |
| Where To Buy | See More Details |
| Customer Review | See More Reviews |
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #149 in Health and Beauty
- Size: 1 Bag/30 Meals
- Brand: ViSalus Vi-Shape
- Model: N1210
- Ingredients: Soy Protein Isolate, Digestive Resistant Maltodextrin (from FibersolTM), Whey Protein Hydrolysate, Whey Protein Concentrate, DiCalcium Phosphate, Sunflower Oil, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Medium Chain Triglycerides, Maltodextrin, Gum Arabic, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Caseinate, DiMagnesium Phosphate, Magnesium Oxide, Soy Lecithin, Mono and Diglycerides, Patented Protease (from AminogenTM), DiPotassium Phosphate, Sucralose, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin E Acetate, Chromium Amino Acid Chelate, Molybdenum Amino Acid Chelate, Selenium Amino Acid Chelate, Biotin, Vitamin A Palimate, Niacinamide, Potassium Iodide, Zinc Oxide, Copper Gluconate, Calcium Pantothenate, Cyanocobalamin, Manganese Sulfate, Cholecalciferol, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Phytomenadione and Folic Acid. Lactose Free and Gluten Free.
- Dimensions: 8.00" h x
4.00" w x
8.00" l,
1.75 pounds
Features
- 1. A unique, concentrated and absorbable blend of proteins processed to remove fat, lactose, carbohydrates and isoflavones to provide pure, concentrated protein. When mixed with milk or soy milk, we provide 20-22 grams of protein, the right mix to burn fat and build lean muscle.
- 2. Low sodium. Lower than other brands!
- 3. Contains a serving of whole milk, for bone healthy calcium.
- 4. Contains a full serving of fruit or vegetable fiber, without gas.
- 5. Contains digestive aids and enzymes, including prebiotic activity for maximum nutrition absorption.
- 1. A unique, concentrated and absorbable blend of proteins processed to remove fat, lactose, carbohydrates and isoflavones to provide pure, concentrated protein. When mixed with milk or soy milk, we provide 20-22 grams of protein, the right mix to burn fat and build lean muscle.
- 2. Low sodium. Lower than other brands!
- 3. Contains a serving of whole milk, for bone healthy calcium.
- 4. Contains a full serving of fruit or vegetable fiber, without gas.
- 5. Contains digestive aids and enzymes, including prebiotic activity for maximum nutrition absorption.
Product Description
What's in Vi-Shape®? 1. A unique blend of proteins that work quickly and provide long-lasting nutrition to help you burn fat and build lean muscle. 2. Heart healthy non-GMO soy protein. (No Isoflavones) 3. Fibersol~ a new patented fiber blend that helps keep you feeling full, providing benefits of fiber without gas that can be caused by other types of fiber. 4. AminogenTM to help your body maximize protein and nutrient absorption. 5. 23 Vitamins and minerals, along with other ingredients that help you burn fat.
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
137 of 160 people found the following review helpful.
Trainer and R.D. Approved, great replacement for breakfast
By Rosie Medina
I've been on a mission to lose weight, ALOT of weight, and one of the things my trainer told me is to never skip breakfast. I've never been one to eat breakfast even if I had the time too, just never hungry in the morning.I started taking these shakes as a way to boost my metabolism as soon as my day starts and since mixing a shake isn't that time consuming I decided this was something I could stick to. First off, the shake mixes very easily. I personally don't even use a blender. A shaker works just fine and dissolves all the small particles. These taste alot better than you would think too. I brought the nutrient facts in to my trainer and got a big thumbs up.My friend who is a R.D. also agreed with the contents as being a great meal replacement, especially for the morning. It's been 4 weeks and I'm 6 pounds lighter. Now this may not seem very good to some people but you have to realize I've been stuck at the same weight for almost six months previous to this, literally did not even lose an ounce. I also was taking Raspberry Ketones Bulk Powder 50 Grams as a weight loss supplement during this time too, so they are worth mentioning. Other than pushing myself a little harder in the gym, these are the only two things that changed in my life over the past month so I'm giving full credit to these shakes and the ketone supplement. Just hope this keeps up, I got a lot more to go : )
629 of 761 people found the following review helpful.
Not good for long term health
By Wesley C. Hennings
Are you burdened with the thought that the Visalus Shakes reviews you may be reading are less than honest, fair, or accurate? Probably not, but in this note, I will share my opinion of Visalus and provide a review of the Visalus Vi-Shape Shakes.Just to be clear, I have no bias. I am not a Visalus distributor and I have no financial interest in the company or the sale of its products.Visalus Vi-Shape Shakes get overall excellent ratings from users of the product. The reports are favorable regarding taste and from a weight control or weight loss perspective.While the shake itself is only available in a basic Sweet Cream flavor, there are many varieties of Mix-Ins that can be used to enhance the flavor. In addition, fruit can be added to blend the shake into a smoothy-like shake. The shake mix can be added to water or milk.Visalus compares the cost of the Vi-Shape Shake to several other companies also offering weight loss-type shakes with a spread sheet. Slim-fast to Herbalife shake mixes are compared. My concern with this comparison chart is that the price is indicated at approximately a cost of $1.50 per shake. In reality, unless you intend to drink the same essentially tasteless Vi-Shape basic shake twice per day for months on end, you will likely want to purchase some of the different Vi-Shape Shape Mixes to offer a little flavor variety.In most Visalus Shakes reviews, you will not find product pricing mentioned or clearly explained. If you decide that you'd like to add one of the many flavor mixes available, expect to add an additional $1.50 to $2.00 to the cost of each shake. This means you will be spending $3 to $3.50 per shake, the information is intended to help clarify what your real cost is as compared to what is suggested by Visalus and the company representatives.The first place on ViSalus' website that got my attention was the section of white papers. The section says, "Our white papers are designed to share the science behind our breakthrough products, methods, and sales innovations in order to help you become a more informed consumer." I looked through the white papers and all but one were by one guy: Michael Seidman.This is probably the time to point out that Michael Seidman has a past history of selling the public on products that aren't shown to work. Here's a quote from ScienceBlogs.com about a foot detox system, Aqua-Chi:"When you ask me, 'Does it sound crazy?' My answer is 'Yes,' " says Seidman. "But my response is also that it doesn't necessarily mean it's wrong just because we don't understand it."I did a little more digging and found the rest of his quote here: "Seidman adds that there could be a psychosomatic element, that 'if you believe that you're going to feel better and reduce your stress, then you probably will.'" In other words, "if I lie to you and tell you this is going to help it probably will due to placebo effect."I looked at a random white paper sample: "Age-related Hearing Loss and its Association with Reactive Oxygen Species and Mitochondrial DNA damage*" and I couldn't find anything in it where a ViSalus product was tested in any way. At best I can tell there's no connection between this white paper and any ViSalus product. I clicked on a couple more and glanced through them and didn't see any connection either. If there are any white papers on the list that are related to any ViSalus products, I hope someone will use the comments to point out the connection to me. More importantly, I hope someone writes ViSalus and tells them to clearly explain the significance of these papers to the products.ViSalus makes it look even more convincing with a chart comparing a ViSalus Shake to nutrients found in everyday foods. Not surprising, it would cost nearly $103 in various foods to match the $1.50 cost of Vi-Shape and milk.(This reminds me of those Total commercials where you have to eat 20 bowls of another cereal to match the nutrition in one bowl of Total.)However, much like those Total commercials when you dig a little deeper into Vi-Shape it isn't all that impressive. In fact, it looks like a poor purchasing decision. Take a look at the ingredients. It's essentially a blend of protein, "fake" fiber, and a pretty good multivitamin.I want to get the most value for my dollar. So I was wondering if I could create something pretty close to the same for a cheaper cost. The price per serving of the ViSalus Vi-Shape mix is $1.50. (or potentially 3 to 3.50 if you add flavor mixes). Let's look at what we can do for each of the main areas (protein, fiber, and multivitamin):Protein - Costco has a 6lb Bag of Muscle Milk for $37. It is 78 servings of 27g of protein. That's a total of 2106 grams of protein in the bag. Vi-Shape has 12g of protein so this bag would provide you a little more than 175 servings of protein. If you are a Costco member, this amounts to $0.21 for the protein portion of the ViSalus. If you don't have a Costco membership, the Amazon price is less than 28.5 cents for the same amount of protein in the Vi-Shape shake.Fiber - Doing a little more shopping on Amazon, I found Metamucil Clear and Natural Powder, which is a product that I have used in the past. It's tasteless and can be added to just about anything. This 11.7 ounce bottle has 57 servings of 5 grams of Fiber (REAL Fiber)- the same amount in a ViSalus shake. The $11.84 price on Amazon boils down to 21 cents a serving- oddly the same amount as the protein from Costco.Multivitamin - You can find multivitamins anywhere and they differ greatly in what they offer. You'll almost never find two that are exactly alike, so it is impossible to compare in the same way we compare 5 grams of fiber or 12 grams of protein. However, the body can only process so much of a vitamin at any given time and the rest goes out through the urine. I found a Centrum Multivitamin on Amazon for 7 cents a pill that has 30 vitamins and minerals compared to the 23 in a ViSalus shake mix. For all practical purposes, we'll have to consider this equal.It's very easy to mix the protein and fiber to make a shake mix. Get a gallon bag, pour the Metamucil Clear into it... then put 25 scoops of the Muscle Milk into it. You now have 57 servings of 12g protein and 5g fiber. Take a multivitamin with the shake... done. So in short, If you are a member of Costco, the homemade version will cost you $0.47 a serving ($0.21 + $0.21 + 0.05). If you are not a member of Costco and just want to buy off of Amazon it will cost you $0.57 ($0.29 + $0.21 + $0.07).I'd rather pay about 50 cents a serving than $1 to $3 wouldn't you? It may only seem like a dollar or two a day, but it adds up to $365 a year or more. That's very little work for a large payoff.After really going through the ingredient list on this Visalus shake product in a little more depth, pulling up the basic definitions of the ingredients, I've found that this shake is really a poor substitute for long term health. More on that later, lets look at the ingredients:Body Visalus contains soy protein, which in my experience can be a total nightmare. Not only is soy high in phyto-estrogens (Bitch tits for guys), but it's hard for the body to process, soy has a history of causing hormonal imbalance, weight gain, skin disorders, kidney stones (which I actually got twice in one year when consuming soy) etc. It's not a winning protein option, there are so many better choices out there.It's sickening to me that this company can sell a product packed with preservatives and expect people to create long term, sustainable results for themselves. These people may lose weight initially (Again, so much science behind why these people are getting amazing short term results, but are really jacking up their insides and health in the long term), but inside their bodies are FIGHTING to process all of the foreign ingredients they are consuming from these shakes. Weight loss is not some crazy circus act, where we have to run around with a bunch of specialty patented shakes all day, consuming preservatives and other crap. Weight loss comes naturally when we consume natural, plant based foods. It requires commitment, not that this visalus challenge doesn't, but it's not long term, it's "do this for 90 days and then go back to what you're doing". It takes our brain 28 days to lay down new pathways. What I mean by this, is we can un-learn and re-learn things in 28 days, our brain creates habits for us, and then we run on those habits.So think about this, if we spend 90 days consuming processed shakes to lose weight, we'll have to continue consuming processed shakes to maintain our results. It's set the people up for inevitable failure. OR we can spend 90 days, choosing Healthy combinations of FRESH foods (veggies, Fruits, Nuts, Lean meat, etc). We can drink fresh vegetable and fruit juices, big hearty raw meals of greens, delicious fresh ingredients, nuts, seeds, dehydrated breads! We can literally teach our brain to enjoy the healthiest, best, most sustainable organic food in EXISTENCE and lose weight, but more importantly, lose the negative mindset and limiting beliefs that kept us reaching for the crap food and running from pleasure (healthy food, happy weight.)90 Days is more then enough time to change your taste buds, your lifestyle and create new, successful habits, that you can sustain. I understand there is a huge market for these types of programs, and they are very helpful when the food choices that are presented are in alignment. If you were to do a 90 day program that included eating natural, organic foods, I would say, "Hell yes!" but here's the thing, this company cut corners big time, all I had to do was google a few ingredients to see that they use cheap fillers that soda, candy and fake processed sugar companies use.Other Ingredients: Protein Blend of (Soy Protein Isolate, Whey Protein Hydrolysate, and Whey Protein Concentrate), Digestive Resistant Maltodextrin (Fibersol(tm) This is the "Fake" fiber I mentioned earlier), High Oleic Sunflower Oil, Natural and Artificial Flavor, MCT Oil, Maltodextrin, Gum Acacia, Xanthan, Sodium Caseinate, Lecithin, Aminogen(tm), Mono & Diglycerides, DiPotassium Phosphate, SucraloseHere's a fun list of some of the ingredients (and some preservatives) that I found nicely placed on the site as if it's no big Deal. How many people are trusting this stuff without taking a second look? Not everything on this list is bad, you'll have to read them all to conclude which ones' you want in your body and which one's you don't. If you're thinking about consuming this product, I highly recommend you take the time do do so. All I had to do was google an ingredient and pull up a few definitions to see that wikipedia had it right. This is what I got from wikipedia:Resources:1. Whey2. Soy: There are other alternatives for people with lactose intolerance that are wayyyy healthier than soy such as almond milk and coconut milk the visalus shakes also have soy protein isolate(SPI) which is a protein-rich powder extracted by an industrial process from the waste product of soy oil manufacturing. It is the industry's way of making a profit on a waste product. The industry spent over 30 years and billions of dollars developing SPI. Although SPI is added to many foods, it was never granted GRAS status, meaning "Generally Recognized as Safe". The FDA only granted GRAS status to SPI for use as a binder in cardboard boxes. During the processing of making this soy, many additional toxins are formed, including nitrates (which are carcinogens) and a toxin called lysinoalanine. It was concerns about lysinoalanine in SPI that led the FDA to deny GRAS status for SPI as a food additive., note it's also high in photo estrogens which causes a hormonal imbalance to occur in both sexes, hosting an array of other nasty side effects. I always recommend people avoid soy at all costs, some people love it, it's your experiment either way3. Medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) are medium-chain (6 to 12 carbons) fatty acid esters of glycerol. MCTs passively diffuse from the GI tract to the portal system (longer fatty acids are absorbed into the lymphatic system) without requirement for modification like long-chain fatty acids or very-long-chain fatty acids. In addition, MCTs do not require bile salts for digestion. Patients that have malnutrition or malabsorption syndromes are treated with MCTs because they do not require energy for absorption, utilization, or storage. Coconut oil is composed of approximately 66% medium-chain triglycerides. Other rich sources of MCTs include palm kernel oils and camphor tree drupes. The fatty acids found in MCTs are called medium-chain fatty acids.4. Maltodextrin: Maltodextrin is a polysaccharide that is used as a food additive. It is produced from starch by partial hydrolysis and is usually found as a creamy-white hygroscopic spraydriedpowder. Maltodextrin is easily digestible, being absorbed as rapidly as glucose, and might be either moderately sweet or almost flavorless. It is commonly used for the production of sodas and candy. It can also be found as an ingredient in a variety of other processed foods.5. Gum Acacia or Gum arabic: a complex mixture of polysaccharides and glycoproteins, is used primarily in the food industry as a stabilizer. It is edible and has E number E414. Gum arabic is a key ingredient in traditional lithography and is used in printing, paint production, glue, cosmetics and various industrial applications, including viscosity control in inks and in textile industries, although less expensive materials compete with it for many of these roles. While acacia gum is now produced throughout the African Sahel, it is also still harvested and used in the Middle East. For example, Arab populations use the natural gum to make a chilled, sweetened, and flavored gelato-like dessert.6. Xanthan gum is a polysaccharide, derived from the bacterial coat of Xanthomonas campestris, used as a food additive and rheology modifier,[2] commonly used as a food thickening agent (in salad dressings, for example) and a stabilizer (in cosmetic products, for example, to prevent ingredients from separating). It is produced by the fermentation of glucose, sucrose, or lactose by the Xanthomonas campestris bacterium. After a fermentation period, the polysaccharide is precipitated from a growth medium with isopropyl alcohol, dried, and ground into a fine powder. Later, it is added to a liquid medium to form the gum.7. Casein: from Latin caseus, ("cheese") is the name for a family of related phosphoprotein proteins. These proteins are commonly found in mammalian milk, making up 80% of the proteins in cow milk and between 60% and 65% of the proteins in human milk. Casein has a wide variety of uses, but is a slow digesting protien best used as a supplement before bed when the body will have no protien or nutrient intake for up to 8 hours.8. Lecithin can easily be extracted chemically (using hexane) or mechanically from readily available sources such as soy beans. It has low solubility in water. In aqueous solution its phospholipids can form either liposomes, bilayer sheets, micelles, or lamellar structures, depending on hydration and temperature. This results in a type of surfactant that is usually classified as amphipathic. Lecithin is sold as a food supplement and for medical uses. In cooking, it is sometimes used as an emulsifier and to prevent sticking, for example in non-stick cooking spray.Mono- and diacylglycerols are common food additives used to blend together certain ingredients, such as oil and water, which would not otherwise blend well.The commercial source may be either animal (cow- or hog-derived) or vegetable, derived primarily from partially hydrogenated soy bean and canola oil. They may also be synthetically produced. They are often found in bakery products, beverages, ice cream, chewing gum, shortening, whipped toppings, margarine, and confections.9. Aminogen: Patented enzyme, hard to find anything but fluffy reviews with no real information on the ingredient aside from planted reviews. I'd like to see what it consists of. Here's something to keep in mind, when a scientist who's being paid by a company, or an employee of a company gives a review, it's bias. If you want real reviews, you need to find opinions from people and experts who have ZERO vested interest int he product or company they are reviewing. For example, this is my personal opinion after the research I did on my own, as a human being who cares for other human beings in this world, that's it. I don't get paid either way. Find more people that are willing to give non-bias reviews and you'll find something that resonates with you. If you want to be sold, go ask the people getting paid what they think of the product.9. Dipotassium phosphate (K2HPO4) - also phosphoric acid, dipotassium salt; dipotassium hydrogen orthophosphate; potassium phosphate, dibasic - is a highly water-soluble salt which is often used as a fertilizer, food additive and buffering agent. It is a common source of phosphorus and potassium.The pH of a dipotassium phosphate solution is almost neutral. It is formed by the stoichiometric neutralization of phosphoric acid with potassium hydroxide.10 . Sucralose is an artificial sweetener. (Are you kidding me??) The majority of ingested sucralose is not broken down by the body and therefore it is non-caloric. In the European Union, it is also known under the E number (additive code) E955. Sucralose is approximately 600 times as sweet as sucrose (table sugar), twice as sweet as saccharin, and 3.3 times as sweet as aspartame. It is stable under heat and over a broad range of pH conditions. Therefore, it can be used in baking or in products that require a longer shelf life. The commercial success of sucralose-based products stems from its favorable comparison to other low-calorie sweeteners in terms of taste, stability, and safety. Common brand names of sucralose-based sweeteners are Splenda, Sukrana, SucraPlus, Candys, Cukren and NevellSome simple facts.... This stuff is NOT gonna put muscle on your body. It takes work and weight training to do that. At BEST you will reduce your body fat % and reveal any muscle you happen to have already. Everything this shake claims can be achieved with less money and in a healthier way. Do your research. Any comments that are logical, not based on "Feelings", "Emotional reactions", or "Mirror response" are welcome. I can respond with more info that ties in Science if anyone has doubts or would like additional info or resources.Thanks for reading!-Wes
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.Weight loss product that i really enjoy!
By Betty
Great product its been working out for me, I like it better than some of the other products that i have tried in the past,
SO FAR SO GOOD!