Last week I posted that I was trying out Shaklee’s Cinch Weight Loss Program for two weeks in hope of “jump starting” my weight loss. You can read the original post here, http://bit.ly/wqXGQe (I shortened the link). In that post I gave you a bit more background into how the Cinch Weight Loss Program works.
I am happy to report that I lost 8+ pounds. I say 8 “plus” because my scale also does ounces and the ounce numbers kept flickering back and forth. So I’ll just round it to 8 to make it easier.
Eight pounds in two weeks? Works for me! I probably could have lost more but I have to admit that I didn’t exercise much except to try and take the dog on longer walks then usual. We have a Gazelle exercise machine but it’s buried behind the Christmas decorations. I need to find a way to dig a tunnel to get it. 🙂
I didn’t notice any difference as far as my measurements are concerned. I also happen to be obese. I think it will take a lot before it’s noticeable. When a some what “normal” weight person loses a few pounds you can see it right away. With obese people it takes a while before you can visually see a difference.
The Cinch two week starter kit that I received contained the following products. Next to each I will post my thoughts.
– Cinch Vanilla Shake – Honestly, I’m not a big fan of Vanilla shakes. I wish I had a choice. I would have picked Chocolate.
The Cinch Vanilla shake reminded me of the Vanilla Instant Breakfast drink mix. Have you ever tried that before? I have. That is what it reminded me of, which is not a bad thing. I’m just trying to give you an idea of what it tasted like.
You can mix things into the shake (fruits) to make it more like a smoothy. I never gave that a try. I just made it and drank it as is. I think if I played around with it more I could have made it more enjoyable. I blame myself for that.
The Vanilla Shake mix I had came in a canister. You had to scoop out the mix to prepare it. I prefer things that already measured for you. It makes it easier and more convenient.
– Cinch Chocolate Shake Packets – The kit also included the Chocolate Shake in pre-measured powered packets. I enjoyed the convenience of having the packages rather then have to scooop things out of the container.
The Chocolate Shake was not bad at all. I have to refer back to the Instant Breakfast mentioned earlier. It sort of reminded me of that, which is a good thing. Growing up I had Instant Breakfast almost daily with some toast for breakfast. Drinking the Cinch Chocolate Shakes sort of brought back memories.
I put the shake in a blender and added some ice to it. Believe it or not I think it made the shake taste even better. It reminded me of an ice cream shake in a way (not as thick).
I enjoyed the Chocolate Shake. I looked forward to having it each day.
– Energy Tea Mix – I LOVE this stuff! I enjoyed drinking this. I tried it both cold and hot and I enjoyed it both ways. It tastes just like real tea, even though it’s in powder form. I don’t think it necessarily gave me energy. If anything it make me feel more calm and relaxed, like tea usually does.
I drank the Energy Tea Mix “as is” (just mixed with water) as well as with a squirt of lemon juice to mix it up a bit.
– Cinch Weight Loss “Extras” – The Cinch kit also came with a handy pedometer (I DON’T walk enough at all! I really need to work on that), tape measure (I really needed one – not that I really want to know what my measurements are – ha ha), a shaker cup (this came in handy when mixing the drinks) and a program guide to help you make the best of the Cinch plan.
– (2) Weekly Journals – These were very handy to help keep you on track. It’s always a good idea to write down everything you eat and drink. This will help you to ensure you drink enough water, drink your shakes, enjoy your snacks and so forth. Every diet program emphasizes the importance of journaling your weight loss experience. Having the journals come with the kit encouraged me to do so. If there wasn’t any journals included I probably wouldn’t have written anything down. Having the journals make you more accountable too.
– Assorted Snack Bars – The kit came with an assortment of snack bars; Lemon-Cranberry, Chocolate Decadence and Peanut Butter Crunch.
Each bar was only 120 calories and contained 3 grams of fiber and 10 grams of protein.
The Chocolate Decadence bars were REALLY good. They tasted more like a dessert then a weight loss snack. The Peanut Butter Crunch were yummy too. The Lemon-Cranberry snack bars tasted artificial to me. They were still enjoyable, but not as much as the other two flavors.
– 3 in 1 Boost Supplements – These supplements help to provide you with the vitamins and minerals you need to be healthy. They also contain EGCG which is suppose to help promote calories burning. The supplements also help to keep your blood levels steady so you don’t feel hungry all the time.
You have to take these three times a day, one with each meal. I have to admit that I neglected to take them a few times. Taking supplements like this takes time to get used to.
Overall I enjoyed the program. I can see the pros and cons to it. But any weight loss program is going to have it’s good and bad points. I think the only read “con” is the over all cost. It’s not cheap, but if you want something that works and will help you to get a jump start in your weight loss efforts, then the Shakelee Cinch program is the one to try.
If you would like to learn more about the Cinch diet plan specifically please visit www.ShakleeCinch.com.
You can also follow the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #cinchspiration.
If you are interested in other Shaklee products please visit www.Shaklee.com.
Kimberly
*I received free product samples in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are entirely my own and are not influenced in any way.
D Murphy (Room For 5) says
Wow, 8+ pounds in two weeks, that’s good going! I don’t think they do Cinch here in the UK:/
Nicole says
I was wondering who gave you the products to try?