AdvoCare 24-Day Challenge Review

Like many women, I was slim and fit most of my life.

However, I slowly fell further and further out of shape, despite my best efforts.

One morning I looked in the mirror and could not recognize my own body.

Somehow I had become flabby, weak, overweight, and unattractive.

Part of this unwanted new look could be blamed on pregnancy, but part was the unfortunate result of my own poor lifestyle choices.

Many people say that acknowledging the problem is the first step to fixing it.

In my case, this did not appear to be true.

I had a nutrition degree and all the motivation in the world, yet nothing seemed to take the weight off.

My busy life as a married mother of two simply made eating a healthy diet too difficult – and made stress eating too easy.

Many women are in the same boat I was once in — desperate to lose weight, but unsure what to try.

Many weight loss programs claim to be the answer.

Could Advocare’s 24-Day Challenge really be the solution that I, and so many others, am seeking?

 

What is the AdvoCare 24-Day Challenge Diet

 

Advocare is a fairly large and well-known company that sells a variety of supplements.

Some of these are meant to support weight loss, while others encourage good health in a variety of different ways.

In general, this company has a good reputation with respect to supplements.

It is known to offer high-quality products that are exactly what they claim.

Not all of their supplements are evidence-based, but this is typical of companies that advertise “natural” or “cleansing” products.

The 24-Day Challenge is unique among Advocare products because it offers very fast and dramatic results.

This product promises that you will lose weight rapidly, and get your new healthy lifestyle off to a great start.

To accomplish this, the brand offers two sets of products to be taken in two phases: the cleanse phase, and the max phase.

These phases each have a different role in supporting safe, long-term weight loss.

 

How Does It Work?

 

The first ten days of this challenge are a cleanse phase, in which people take supplements that encourage their bodies to get rid of toxins.

In addition, these first-phase supplements offer high levels of nutrients that are often low when people undertake low-calorie diets.

While cleanses and detoxes are both very popular this year, there are a few scientific issues with this kind of supplement.

Our bodies are constantly detoxified by our kidneys and livers.

There is no evidence that any particular blend of vitamins or nutrients can hasten or increase this.

In fact, many products that claim to be a cleanse or detox contain herbs that are actually known to decrease the actions of the organs whose function is to flush out toxic metabolites.

Advocare’s ingredients appear to be safe and natural.

However, this supplement is unlikely to cleanse or detoxify one’s body.

The second phase is the max phase, which is when most of the weight loss occurs.

This phase includes supplements that claim to fuel weight loss by increasing energy and increasing the rate of one’s metabolism.

According to the supplement’s manufacturers, these all-natural products should accomplish this in a safe and natural manner that does not compromise long-term weight loss.

People in this phase take a variety of different supplements at different parts of the day, which can be a difficult program to follow.

These are designed to keep energy high throughout the day, provide support for fast weight loss and optimal health, and reduce the cravings and fatigue that can accompany low-calorie weight loss diets.

There is actually a last phase of the second phase (is that confusing enough?) in which meals are replaced by meal replacement shakes that appear to be similar to SlimFast and other similar shakes on the market.

These shakes contain a balanced mixture of fiber, carbs, and protein in just 220 calories per can.

Could these two phases add up to major weight loss?

Is Advocare a winning combination where so many other weight loss products have failed?

In the next few sections, we take a closer look at these two phases and the evidence behind each of their ingredients.

 

Phase One — Cleanse Phase

 

As mentioned before, the first ten days are a cleanse intended to get your body off to the right start by cleaning out toxins and other unwanted chemicals.

The evidence behind this kind of claim is extremely dubious.

The company claims that this is accomplished by taking three products.

These include:

• AdvoCare Herbal Cleanse
• AdvoCare Spark
• AdvoCare OmegaPlex

Each of these plays a distinctive role in preparing one’s body to lose weight.

OmegaPlex, for example, is an omega fatty acid supplement.

Omega fatty acids, particularly omega 3s, have been found to provide a variety of positive health effects.

They improve joint health and lower the risk of cardiovascular disease.

They don’t have any proven weight loss benefits but certainly cannot hurt.

However, omega 3s are common, found in every grocery and supplement store in the nation.

In addition, they are usually much less expensive than in the 24-Day Challenge.

Advocare Spark is another supplement taken in the first ten days of the challenge.

It is a drink mix, easily mixed with a glass of water.

This drink mix is an integral part of many different “packages” that Advocare offers because it offers almost complete nutrition.

This drink contains 21 of the essential vitamins, as well as a full range of minerals and micronutrients.

It also offers amino acids, which are often lacking in extremely restrictive diets.

The goal of this product is to ensure that you will not have any deficiencies even while you are cutting back on calories.

The same mix can be achieved by taking a multivitamin as well as an amino acid supplement, but the Spark powder definitely makes it easier to get what you need.

Advocare’s Herbal Cleanse is another important part of the first phase, although it is actually made up of three products.

The three parts of this cleanse are Probiotic Restore, a fiber supplement, and Herbal Cleanse tablets.

Much like the omega 3 supplement, the benefits of the probiotics are clear, albeit not really connected to weight loss.

Probiotics help to maintain a healthy GI tract by encouraging beneficial bacteria to grow.

This has been found to have a variety of benefits.

However, it is unclear how this Advocare Cleanse supplement helps to support weight loss.

In addition, like many of the other components, probiotics can easily be found more cheaply from another company.

For instance, people can get them from simply eating a cup of Greek yogurt.

The fiber supplement, similarly, is a healthy choice because fiber reduces constipation and encourages a healthy GI tract.

Fiber is known to add bulk and softness to bowel movements, which can help many people, including dieters.

However, the Advocare Cleanse is not the only place to get a solid fiber supplement.

In addition, it is unclear how either fiber or probiotics help to “cleanse” or “detox” a person.

More likely, these two together will get your bowel movements back on track.

The Herbal Cleanse tablets contain a blend of natural herbs that have been used for decades to help support dieting.

The ingredients include senna extract, cranberry juice powder, burdock extract, astragalus extract, milk thistle extract, Schisandra extract, beet root powder, and odorless garlic bulb powder.

The following are the believed benefits of each of these ingredients:

• Senna extract is often used by dieters because it stimulates urination (helping people to lose water weight) and bowel movements. People will naturally weigh less when they are carrying less of this weight around.

• Cranberry juice powder is good for kidney function and can help to prevent infections such as urinary tract infections.

• Burdock extract has been used for centuries as a “blood cleanser,” although its effects on blood are unknown. There are no known supplements that clean blood, so this is likely a false claim. Burdock extract is, however, an excellent source of copper, iron, and other trace metals that are necessary for human health.

• Astragalus extract is a popular remedy in Traditional Chinese Medicine because it is believed to stimulate the immune system. It is often taken by people who are at risk of becoming ill or those who have been exposed to an infectious illness. This may help people who are on a diet to keep their immune systems strong and avoid getting sick.

• Milk thistle extract is believed to stimulate liver function, increasing bile and enzyme production. This purportedly helps Advocare’s product to fulfill its promises of cleansing. However, none of the believed effects have been proven in a lab.

• Schisandra extract has been long believed to increase memory, concentration, and otherwise improve cognition. It may help to combat the fuzzy thinking that many people complain about during diets and cleanses.

• Beetroot powder is a “super food” that is believed to increase energy and cardiovascular health, allowing dieters to get more exercise and avoid feelings of fatigue.

• Odorless garlic bulb powder increases metabolism and stimulates the immune system without causes the distinctive garlic smell in saliva and sweat that this supplement can otherwise cause. Garlic also is believed to increase energy levels, as a result of its metabolic effects.

Altogether, these compounds make up the cleanse portion that is most of the first ten days of this program.

Will these supplements help you to lose weight and clear toxins from your bloodstream?

While the jury is still out on cleansing, taking these supplements in lieu of eating as much food as you normally do will almost certainly lead to weight loss.

There are definitely ways to take all of these different supplements more cheaply than the cost of this cleanse.

However, it is easy to see why many people are choosing this package deal instead.

For some people, the easy-to-follow instructions make it easier to follow.

In addition, paying a great deal of money for a cleanse may be a motivating factor for some people.

You may be more likely to follow a program when you have sacrificed just to afford it.

 

Phase Two — Max Phase

 

Once you have finished the first ten days of the Advocare diet challenge, it is time for the Max Phase.

You have been cleansed, detoxed, filled to the brim with vitamins, and been on the toilet almost constantly for days.

What could come next?

You will still take the vitamin drink Advocare Spark in this phase, as well as the probiotics and omega 3s.

In addition, you will take the patented Metabolic Nutrition System, as well as a specially-designed Multinutrient Dietary Supplement.

This system comprises the weight loss portion of the Advocare diet, the phase in which the weight is supposed to come off at an unprecedented rate.

The Metabolic Nutrition System comes in three distinct forms.

People on this program can choose from:

• Advocare MNS Max C, which aims mainly to help control hunger and appetite.

• MNS Max E, which is designed to help people feel more energetic throughout the day.

• Advocare MNS Max 3, which is a single source of appetite control, energy, and wellness.

Each of these systems involves a variety of supplements to be taken throughout the day.

Many people balk at this number of supplements.

However, others feel that the regimented nature helps them to stay focused on weight loss and to keep their eyes on the prize.

Only you can decide how much is too much!

The Multinutrient Dietary Supplement is the last piece in this complicated puzzle.

People will take one strip (actually more than 10 different pills and capsules!) per day for the last two weeks that they are in this system.

This supplement contains, well, almost everything that isn’t in the other parts of this program.

It is designed to increase energy, help to control appetite and to promote wellness from the inside out.

It is all-natural, made of vitamins, minerals, and natural herbs that promote weight loss.

The question isn’t so much what this Advocare diet supplement has, as what it doesn’t have.

This set of supplements incorporates almost every popular supplement on the market, including cleanses, probiotics, and omega 3s.

In many ways, it feels like overkill.

However, it is easy to see how this may help many people to lose weight… they’ll be too full of supplements to eat!

 

The AdvoCare 24-Day Challenge Diet Meal Plan

 

What is the Advocare Challenge’s meal plan?

This is one of the most important pieces of the puzzle.

Supplements and herbs have not been shown to help people to lose weight.

However, controlling diet, even through meal replacements, has been found to encourage weight loss.

As such, the meal replacement shakes may be the most evidence-based part of this diet plan.

The concept is simple: people have trouble eating in moderation.

Most people do not weigh food portions, leading them to end up eating way too much.

In addition, little additives can add up.

Lastly, many people struggle to put together nutritionally-complete meals with the required low amount of calories.

As a result, shakes and other meal replacements can often help.

The Advocare meal plan shakes contain a full range of the nutrition you need to be healthy, including vitamins, minerals, proteins, and dietary fiber.

Whey protein is the main source of protein.

The fiber and protein keep dieters from getting hungry and dealing with a rumbling stomach.

The shakes are 210-220 calories each, which is significantly less than the average meal.

If people actually can feel full on these shakes, then they will likely lose weight.

On the other hand, I tend to remain hungry after drinking these.

While there are many benefits to diet shakes such as complete nutrition, many people will not feel full, and thus will still struggle with self-control.

The fact that these shakes are meant to be mixed with water, and not with milk, raises questions about how filling they are.

Because this 24 Day Challenge is based on supplements and shakes rather than whole foods, there really is no Advocare meal plan.

However, no one can live on shakes alone.

The instructions recommend that people keep a “well-balanced and maintainable” diet with plenty of vegetables, healthy fats, lean protein, complex carbohydrates, and more.

This is excellent advice in general.

The company also recommends avocado, nut butter, and other healthy fats.

These are filling and thus will make dieting easier.

In moderation, these foods should help you achieve your weight-loss goal.

In addition, this company recommends that people using the diet drink plenty of water.

This may seem like a no-brainer, but it is very good advice.

In fact, drinking a lot of water is a better detox or cleanse than any of the herbs purported to have this effect.

The additional water is also important because many of the ingredients in this challenge are dehydrating.

For example, senna causes urination and bowel movements, which can cause a loss of water.

 

What Does the AdvoCare 24-Day Challenge Diet Cost?

 

There are several ways to order this product if you are eager to buy.

First, it can be bought through any Advocare distributor.

In addition, it can be bought through the Advocare website.

Both of these options allow you to buy either separate components of the Challenge or the entire package.

Altogether, the full price of the package is $193.70.

While this may seem like a lot of money for a diet product, it is important to remember that this is a system with quite a lot of supplements – 24 days’ worth, in fact.

Altogether, it comes out to less than $10 a day.

However, this still may be out of the price range of many people who are looking for an easy way to lose weight.

In addition, there are several supplements that can be purchased to supplement the Challenge.

For example, there is Catalyst, an amino acid supplement that increases your protein intake and reportedly makes it easier to lose weight.

There is also a supplement called ThermoPlus, which contains vitamins and minerals that are believed to help boost one’s metabolism.

Although Advocare distributors are not allowed to sell on Amazon and other major websites, there are many of this company’s products easily available.

However, they are not cheaper than buying from a distributor or the Advocare website.

The last issue to consider is that Advocare operates through an MLM model, also known as multi-level marketing.

This business model features earning money partially by recruiting other people to sell the product.

This may make some people wary of calling an Advocare distributor or buying through the website.

 

How is the AdvoCare 24-Day Challenge Diet Unique

 

When broken down into its components, the Advocare Challenge does not seem very unique.

After all, there are ample sources of fish oils, probiotics, and the many supplements involved in this program.

However, the unique aspect of this program is that it combines almost every supplement known to help people lose weight (as well as some that do not support weight loss, but rather help maintain good health).

It is set up so that people know what packet or which set of pills to take and when.

This is perhaps the unique part of this weight loss plan: that people are given a schedule that makes the process easy.

In addition, taking a variety of supplements multiple times a day can help people to remain motivated.

They are structuring their day around their weight loss plans.

However, there is no secret ingredient that makes this totally unique.

All of the ingredients can be bought elsewhere.

 

24-Day Challenge Diet Reviews

 

The opinions of people who use this product are mixed.

On a typical review page, about 40% will be positive, 30% negative, and the rest mixed.

People who leave positive reviews appear to mention a few benefits over and over.

These include:

• Quick weight loss
• A feeling of high energy and well being
• Good control of hunger and appetite
• Clear instructions that make it easy to follow the plan
• Fast shipping

For instance, the following positive review is typical of positive Advocare reviews:

“I lost 4 pounds in the first two weeks and am now starting week 3. I’ve never felt as healthy or had as much energy. I definitely recommend this plan.”

“I was not sure whether this was a good option for me due to the cost. However, I am so glad I took the leap. I am on day 50 of this plan and now have lost over 30 pounds. The difference in my appearance is amazing.”

On the other hand, there are many negative Advocare reviews as well.

People complain that the program is extremely complex with a large number of different supplements and vitamins to be managed.

In addition, many people complain that they did not lose weight or did not lose it as quickly as they expected to.

This can be seen in Advocare reviews such as the following one:

“I took this product and followed the diet recommendations for the full 24 days. At the end, even with an increase in exercise, I have lost only five pounds. I could have lost that much on my own, for free!”

If you have questions about whether this will work for you, it is important to read the different reviews and see what other people had to say.

In addition, you may be able to talk to friends or family who have taken the challenge.

It is important to find out all that you can before spending almost $200 on any weight loss program.

Last, many people who complain about this challenge mention their displeasure with the side effects.

This issue deserves a section of its own.

 

Precautions

 

Every substance, including vitamins and natural supplements, will have potential side effects.

This Advocare challenge is not an exception.

Although side effects appear to be rare, there are indeed many people who have experienced them from this product.

First, there are many artificial flavors and fillers in the many supplements that together comprise this product.

One person who is allergic to shellfish, for example, reacted to an ingredient in one of the vitamins.

Second, there are many vitamins in this program, so there is a chance that you could get too high a dose of these.

This is usually not life-threatening, as most vitamins are excreted in urine and also take a long time to build up to toxic levels.

However, you should avoid taking multivitamins and other supplements while you are on this program.

Ironically, many people who experience side effects from this diet program report constipation and bloating.

Because many of the ingredients (such as senna) are known to have the opposite effect, this is surprising.

In fact, the most common reported side effect is diarrhea.

This is understandable, as stimulating bowel movements is one of the major goals of the Cleanse phase.

In rare cases, people have reported high blood pressure, gastric (stomach) pain, and even organ failure.

It is unknown whether these people had preexisting health problems that this supplement made worse.

To prevent serious side effects, people should talk to their physician before beginning this or any other weight loss program.

 

Does this Program Really Work?

 

This program makes a lot of big promises.

According to its creators and the people who sell it, you can expect to lose weight without feeling hungry or seeing a dip in energy.

In addition, the company claims that the supplements will detoxify and cleanse your body of any lingering toxins.

There is very little evidence to support any of these claims.

However, it is easy to see how people might lose weight on this program if they combine it with diet and exercise.

In that case, the diet and exercise would most likely be doing the heavy lifting.

Although there is no evidence that this program will help you lose weight, there is definitely evidence that it could harm you.

For example, many people report a side effect of diarrhea.

In fact, many of the supplements that are claimed to have cleansing effects are known to cause this.

This is not so much as a side effect as an expected result.

However, some side effects (such as organ failure) may be more dangerous.

While these are rare, it is important to weigh the costs and benefits.

The product offers very little concrete and proven benefit but does pose a potential risk.

Ultimately, diet and exercise are the proven ways to lose weight.

This is true whether you are using this supplement or not.

If you need supplements, you can easily find many similarities to those in this program.

Buying them separately would allow you to skip or take less of some of the questionable “natural” ingredients as well, decreasing your chances of side effects.

Unfortunately, there is no magic bullet when it comes to weight loss.

If you need a strictly regimented program to help keep you “on the wagon” when you diet, Advocare’s 24-Day Challenge may help you.

Most people, however, will do as well or even better with their weight loss goals by skipping this long and complicated diet program.