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LA Weight Loss - Health Problems

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Roslyn of Surrey, Bc OTHER (05/08/08)
In June 2007, i signed up with LA Weight Loss, to loose 100lbs i paid $1400 in signing up only. i also paid over $700+ in products (bars & take off juice) over 6 month period. I told them, i have IBS & Diebetic type

They did not explain the difficulties with IBS/Diebetics doing their program. I feel they were just interesting in taking my money and who cares about the client. i did the take off juice & that hurt my bowels. I can not do the bars due to the Soy in it, nor the Shakes (high sugar). I was not informed before starting the program about these facts. i bought a case of bars before i knew i was not able to eat them.

i worked on the program for approx. 6 months, and then i started to loose focus. i asked if they can help me to keep motivated. a month went by and i never received any contact from the centre, which they said they would. 8 months later i got a phone call from LA Weight Loss (Mona) stating that i had 25 weeks of maintenace left.

i went in and they said i have to pay $14 per week to get back on the program (and its not even my original program). i was a little upset that i had to pay more on top of what i have already dished out. so i signed up for 5 wks of weight loss, and i will not be purchasing more weeks. its been 3 out of the 5 weeks and i have not lost anything because i can not do the products. I have 10 boxes of bars that cost me $19.99 per box & they will trade them for products (which i can not use). i asked for a refund but they said they can not give any, you can trade then in for products.

Now they want me to buy their Supplement pills. i am not interested in the pills. i feel really ripped off. i dont know what to do about this. Atleast, i can complain about them.

consequences - no weight loss, out large amount of money, depression & angry they will not contact me.

Christina of Springfield OR (02/08/08)
I first visited LA Weight Loss in February, 2007. I have tried and had little to no success with other weight loss programs and was hoping that the one-on-one counseling would help keep me on track and provide me with the motivation I needed. WRONG. First of all, I know what my main obstacle with weight loss is. At one point, many pounds ago, I had someone take an inappropriate interest in me sexually. This sent me into therapy, cost me a job, and the pounds started packing. Obviously, I am not shy about this. I realize that this is the obstacle in my weight loss success, and I told the weight counselors about this incident and how I was working through it in therapy. Instead, the LA Weight Loss employees remained staunchly convinced that my husband was the cause of my slow (15 pounds in 15 weeks) progress, as supposedly he wanted to keep his wife fat so that she wouldn't be attractive to other men. I burst into tears right there in the office and fled, never to return.

While I don't expect that everyone's experience would be as severe as mine, the fact remains that I lost very little weight, and constantly roller-coastered the entire time I was on the plan. I also paid over a thousand dollars up front and was constantly pressured to purchase their product. I also never had my measurements taken or my blood pressure when I was supposed to. If you are like me and have a real emotional problem that is trying to set you up for failure, do what I did and consult with a therapist about what you should do.

Cintrell of Victoria TX (11/06/07)
I joined LA Weight Loss on April 24, 2007 after my doctor told me it was imperative that I lose weight to prevent further complications. At that point, I only signed up for the program. Approximately a week later, they hit me with the need to purchase LA Lites, which I was told would tone me as I lose weight. So I purchased them in bulk to save money in the long run. I stuck to the program's guidelines for the first couple of months, then my health began falling more. I went to get more blood work done and my results were worse than what it was when I started. I now have high cholesterol for which I have to take Vytorin for years to come. I had to take baby aspirins to prevent my arteries from clogging, and my stomach couldn't handle the product anymore. I was vomiting everyday.

Once I completely stopped using LA Weight Loss products, my LDL decreased and my HDL increased. I no longer have to take baby aspirins and I feel much better. I have $771.00 worth of LA Lites left, and Laura B. (Regional Manager) says she can only give me a store credit. If my problem is the products, a store credit is not helping me at all. My contract states products purchased on sale are non-refundable; but I didn't purchase them on sale, I purchased them in bulk. If bulk equals the sale price, that should also be stated in the contract.

Kathy of Irving TX (11/28/05)
I called LA Weight Loss on Beltline Rd. in Irving, Texas on Friday, November 25, 2005. I informed them that I could not have nuts, fish or shellfish in my diet, due to diverticulitius, and would not be interested in buying any products ro foods from them. I was informed that would not be a problem, as they planned the foods/diet around each individual and the menus would be foods that I could purchase at any grocery. I set up an appointment for Monday evening at 6:30. Upon my arrival, I was informed that I was early (it was 6:15).

After watching a film that showed testimonials and the LA Weightloss products, and filing out a questionnaire, I was taken to a small office. The representative informed me that since I did not eat nuts or fish, LA Weight Loss could not have me in their program. I asked why and was informed that the sugar in the LA diet was from their bars, which also contained nut products. This floored me as I had covered my no-nut/fish diet with the representative 3 days earlier. Basically, I was informed that since I could not/would not be buying their bars/product, they did not want me. I feel discriminated against.

My damages are psychological. I feel as though I am a lesser person because I can't have nut products. I feel discriminatied against and lied to. I wasted a lot of time and have nothing to show for it except a very bad mood.

I talked to a Target pharmacist in Asheville who said that the ingredients in FB500 are similar to Metamucil. The pharmacist did not believe the product to be as effective as the LA weight Center claims. LA Weight Loss should not sell over the counter all natural (herbal) dietary supplements that can be harmful to consumers who take an anti-depressant unless there is empirical evidence or scientific tests to prove its safety.

The FB500 bottle label had no customer service number to reach the distributors for questions. The LA Weight Loss Center could not provide a number to reach the distributors. I've only been given verbal guarantees of the products effectiveness. I'd like to see a written statement or statistics on the products effectiveness.

After taking FB500 for 3 consecutive days, I started to feel sick. I was more tired than usual, my hands were shaky, and I felt a shortness of breath. I had not been sick prior to taking FB500. My doctor advised I no longer take the herbal dietary supplement with my anti-depressant due to risk factors. Since FB500 is fairly new, I have not been able to find much information on the product.

Pilar of Stony Point, NY, writes:

I am an 81-year-old woman who needed to lose weight. My daughter and I went to the Ramsey, NJ center to get information. They told me they would contact my doctor to see if the plan was suitable. When I went back the next week they said they got a signed approval from my doctor.

After being on the program for week I got very sick. I went back after finding out from my doctor that he was never contacted and I should not be on this plan and to get my money back ($398.00).

My daughter has been in contact with the center in Ramsey and PA since March. Everyone she speaks either is no longer working there or they tell her the papers have been put thru. They give her another phone number to call and all it is, is an answering machine. I am on a fixed income and suffer from extreme high blood pressure I do not need this aggravation.

Krista of Cedar Rapids IA (9/17/03):
I have had a hard time with not feeling well and gaining weight. I went to them for help, they said they'd work with me since I said I hadn't been feeling good. I thought that eating healthy would help me with feeling better and lowering my weight. I also had a 5 year high school reunion that I wanted to look good for. They asked if I had a doctor, I said no because my family doctor didn't know what was wrong with me and wasn't helping me with my health issues. I was going to find a specialist about my problems, but in the mean time wanted a diet to help. What harm could it be right? Wrong!!!

I got very sick on the 3rd day of the program, I missed work and went to the doctor as soon as I had energy. They found some problems and sent me to a specialist. I went back to LA weight loss center and explained my story. They then told me that if my doctor wrote them a letter explaining why I couldn't be on the program I could get my money back. The immediate care doctor I first went to was very kind so I thought that she'd tike the time to write them a letter for me, and she did. I took it in and after a week called the LA weight center and asked about my refund. They said that the letter wasn't good enough -- I needed a letter from the doctor taking care of me.

So when I got the chance to talk to that doctor, which was a mission in itself, I took the 2nd letter to LA weight loss. I called and asked if the owner Tom Lanier received the letter and she said, "We discussed your account and since you were on a 4 week trial period and since you didn't sign a contract, we cannot refund your $169.00." I then asked why someone didn't tell me that 4 months ago! She said they didn't look at my account. Well, why not?

I had to go through hell to get the doctors to write me a letter, they have better things to do. So I have finally figured out what my problem is and basically any food that I thought was "healthy" could make me very sick. I need to be on a diet that helps my condition. I am still learning about what that entails.

Ruby of Ripley MS (5/8/03):
I went into the L.A. Weight Loss Center in Tupelo, MS, on March 29, 2003, with an ad for $7 per week based on a 52-week program, payable in advance, with set up and supplements extra. I was told that I should not use the coupon because they were giving me a 20% discount instead. I went in to get information on the program to determine if it would be safe for me since I am a diabetic. They assured me that it would be.

I then was asked to pay $702.00 up front for the 52-week plan. I told them that I did not want to invest that much money until I was able to tell if the plan was going to work for me. They told me that I could get my money back if the plan did not work for me, but assured me that it would. They then asked me to just pay half or $351.00 at that time and then pay the other half on April 28. I paid the $351.00 and then was told on April 1 that I needed to purchase several food supplements and pay over $1000 for them. I refused to purchase that many at that time and only purchased $78.29 worth on April 1, 2003.

My blood sugar/glucose continued to go up each time that I used a supplement; I contacted Anita and informed her of the problem. She called me back and asked me to come in because she was working up a new program for me and told me to stop using the supplements. She emailed Dr. Parker, my doctor, and told him that I wanted to participate in the L.A. Weight Loss program, but did not tell him how much sugar was in the supplements that I would be taking. Dr. Parker assumed that it would be alright since he knew nothing about the sugar content of the supplements and approved it for the time being. However, when I went into get my new program, she had the letter of approval from Dr. Parker and said that I could be on the program.

I then went to see Dr. Parker at my appointment and told him about the program and showed him the supplements and the information indicating the sugar content of the same. He told me to not take them anymore and that he was going to write them another letter and tell them that I could not participate in the program anymore and that he was referring me to an endocrinologist to attempt to get my diabetes and weight under control.

I then attempted to get my money back as they had agreed earlier to do if the plan did not work for me. They told me to bring the unopened supplements back to the office and then I would get a refund from them in a few days for the supplements and the $351.00 that I had paid in advance. They refused to give me an address or telephone number for the home office.

Miguelina of Bronx NY (4/23/03):
On March 4, 2003 I visited the LA Weight Loss Center at Fordham Road to participate in the program. When I arrived, there was an orientation for me and another person. A female representative spoke to us about how the program works. This lasted about 25 minutes. During this time, I completed several forms for health reasons. I indicated on one of the forms that I suffer from High Blood Pressure and that I was on medication. After completing the forms, the young lady took my blood pressure and stated that I could not participate in the program because my blood pressure was too high. She even said that she didn't know how I was walking with such blood pressure. She refered me to my doctor to find out whether I was able to participate in the program with my blood pressure and medication. She said to contact her after I saw my doctor. After she was done with me, she asked for a deposit. I gave her $150 cash.

I went home and called my doctor to make an appointment, he was unable to see me until the following week. On the 5th day following, I saw my doctor and he gave strict instructions not to participate in the program since I am on maintenance medication for my blood pressure and he found that I have a heart condition. This same day the young lady called me and asked if I had seen the doctor and I told her that I was unable to join the program. She said she would call the doctor herself, since she had the number that I had given to her when I filed the application.

A week later I took a trip to the Center to find out if I would be able to collect my deposit, since I was not able to participate through no fault of my own. I spoke to another young lady who said that they could not refund me since the fee is $129 and it is not refundable. I explained that the orientation lady knew that my condition on that day would not allow me to take part in the program. I asked why would she ask for a deposit if she knew that I couldn't participate due to my condition at the time of the orientation. I have not called their offices since.