I’ve had to trim my social media feeds yet again. Why do I unfollow or hide pages and people and ads? Oftentimes, they trigger something in me or have me giving social media more of my time and attention than it deserves. Recently, I’ve found some posts that make me feel sad for women who are buying into diets that are going to eventually fail them. They are celebrating weight loss and being celebrated by all of their friends for the weight loss. I’m seeing these “sponsored posts” (paid advertising) of the next promising weight loss plan. But the thing is, I know the end of the story. I know what is going to happen in a few weeks, months, it might even be a year from now. It’s taking everything in me not to be upset with the coach who is selling women on this. I just want to reach out and give the women who are being misguided a free counseling session when this all comes crashing down on them.

How do I know it’s going to fail and that these women are going to be left worse off in the end than they were before they started? I’ve seen it. I’ve counseled women who have spent years and money investing in everything from Weight Watchers to Optavia to Beachbody to a number of other trends like keto and 75 hard challenges. And yes, I will name them. That’s the first red flag. If the person who is celebrating weight loss or a coach who is trying to get you to sign up with them will not be up front with you about what they’ve done to lose weight or how they’ll help you, then keep scrolling!

Before I give you a few other red flags, let me share a little history for those who might be newer here. I started in this online space as a Beachbody coach. I’m thankful for it because it was what got me here. I don’t think I would’ve just “struck out on my own,” so to speak, and started the business I have now. But it didn’t take long for me to start feeling conflicted about the selling techniques they taught as well as the products involved. Here I was wanting to help women break free from diets, gimmicks, and quick fixes and yet I was trying to get them to buy a shake and use it as a meal replacement along with “eating clean” and using any other new supplement the company put out.

And then there was the faith part. I started noticing that many of the coaches seemed to think that putting a Bible verse at the end of their diet plan made it #faithandfitness. It wasn’t setting well with me. Faith was just another marketing tool to get the attention of Christian women and to make women think, “Surely, I can trust this person.”

A few years after I separated from Beachbody, my own coach came forward and shared the truth of what was going on behind the scenes for her. She hadn’t been truthful about her results using the products nor what she was doing to actually get her results. I’ve also seen these coaches over the years have their own off and on relationship with the program. If it’s a “lifestyle,” like they’re selling it, then why are they starting over again and showing before and after and before and after pictures over and over again? Because, none of these plans and programs work over the long term. No matter how you slice it or what name you put on it or how many Bible verses they put on their social media feed, these diets don’t last. They will fail. It’s just a matter of time. And in their wake, they leave women feeling guilt and shame and even embarrassment for failing yet again.

Why am I so worked up about this now when I left Beachbody nearly eight years ago? These diets have been showing up in my feed recently. Is the reason that I’m seeing some of these other MLM diets (Optavia, Plexus, Isagenix, Melalueca, Herbalife, It Works) popping into my feed because Beachbody just switched to affiliate marketing and everyone else is trying to get the attention of those who are being left without a business? I don’t know. It does sound like other companies will follow the way of Beachbody to affiliate marketing.

They might be showing up because the end of the year is fast approaching and that’s prime time to play on new year’s resolutions. Whatever it is, I want to share a few red flags so that you can make your own informed decision before you sign up for a diet, a challenge, or become affiliated with something online.

To me, the top red flag is what I mentioned earlier: When a coach or a person who has had success on a plan will not answer your, “how did you do that?” question in the comments. If it really works, if you’re proud of how you’re coaching or losing weight, then you should want to tell everyone about it. Period. I have no problem telling you that support and accountability are key and that’s why I have my monthly coaching community. I will tell you that the way I healed my relationship with food and learned how to eat the same 365 days a year is with a #moderation365 approach. The book I read that set it all into motion was Made to Crave.

More red flags:

• Quick fixes or promises of extreme weight loss: No one can guarantee how much or how fast you can lose weight. And the faster you lose, the faster it’ll come back on.
• Eliminating Entire Food Groups: Diets that cut out entire groups like carbs, fats, or even fruits and vegetables without medical necessity can lead to nutrient deficiencies. (You can eat a banana! And sugar is not a drug.)
• Very low calorie intake: Diets recommending extremely low-calorie intake (1,200 calories per day isn’t enough for anyone!) can lead to malnutrition, fatigue, and muscle loss.
• Over-reliance on supplements or products: If the challenge you’re signing up for requires you to buy branded shakes, pills, or products, it might be more about making money than your health.
• Coaches trying to get you to be a coach: Remember, I’ve been on both sides of this. I know the tactics. Get you to buy into the plan and then convince you that you should be a coach and get more people onboard. Because every person you add, gets them something too.
• Rigid Meal Plans with No Flexibility: Plans that offer no flexibility or personalization can be difficult to maintain long-term and are often unsustainable. Ask: Can I see myself eating this way, buying this product, etc. when I’m 80?
• Too Good to Be True: If a diet seems too simple, promising miraculous results without much effort, it’s likely to be ineffective or unsustainable.
• Disclaimers: If the before and after photos have a disclaimer about the results or if the product or advertising materials have disclaimers on them, it likely won’t last. (See note above: The disclaimer is trying to tell you it’s really too good to be true.)
• Coaches who have been involved in multiple MLMs. I don’t know how many coaches who were Beachbody coaches when I started that I’ve seen switch to Isagenix or Plexus or Faster Way to Fat Loss or something else. We put our trust in these people. They claim this is the one, then a year or two later they’ve gone to another organization. Not cool! So I’m supposed to drink the shake and the pink drink and take the branded probiotic (all from different companies!)?!
• Finding yourself saying, “I need to do ____ plan again.” You can fill in the blank. But if you find yourself saying that a certain diet worked and you need to do it again, it really didn’t work. A plan that works isn’t something that you start and stop or has you losing weight and then regaining it. Let me remind you once again, you’re not the problem. You’re not a failure. These plans, programs, and coaches are failing you.

My intention is not to shame or judge anyone who wants to lose weight or improve their health and even help others do the same. Weight loss is not the problem. I just want you to do it in a way that is healthy for your spirit, mind, and body. That’s why I regularly incorporate a mental health focus in my Faith and Fitness Support and Accountability Community. It’s why I became a Certified #Moderation365 Nutrition Consultant to help women heal their relationship with food and their body while also learning how to eat in a way that is healthy and sustainable. And it’s why I choose to truly coach with a faith-first focus.

If you have fallen into the trap of one of these diets or if you’re suffering from the after-effects of having tried and failed at one (or several approaches), know that you are not alone. It’s not your fault that it didn’t work. If you want to chat, I will make time for you. I want you to be free from all of this bondage so that you can confidently live the life God has for you. That life doesn’t start after you lose weight. Your purpose here on earth is not to lose weight. Your purpose is to be loved by the Father and then to share that love with others. Simply be a good steward of all that He has entrusted to you. That’s your time, your talents, your treasures as well as your body and the people in your life.

I hope you feel my heart in this message. My heart is breaking for women who are feeling helpless, hopeless, desperate. My heart wants nothing more than for women to find their confidence in God, in who and how He made them, and to honor the unique and good body He has entrusted to her.

I’m cheering for you!

Note: I mentioned some ways we can work together if you’re looking for a supportive community to help you live fit and free. Certainly reach out to me and we can chat. But also, if you’re saying, “But Marsha, I’m desperate. I have PCOS, Prediabetes, my doctor told me to lose weight, (or fill in the blank with any other health concern),” then let me suggest that you work with a qualified Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) to help you get to the root cause of your concerns. I know someone qualified to give you actionable steps to reach your goals and make them last, and that’s my friend Jennifer. Please reach out to her.

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