Don't shoot the messenger if you are a Visalus fan! I am just stating facts. This is all based on research and input from people who are far more knowledgeable than I. What I do know for 100% certain: Shakeology WORKS. And I'm about to share with you why it is an awesome choice. And remember, you can try Shakeology for an ENTIRE MONTH and get a 100% refund if you don't love it. You will love it anyway, but you have nothing to lose this way. Our bottom of the bag guarantee is a one-of-a-kind and a killer offer.
I also highly recommend checking out the "Food for Thought" at the bottom of this post. It has great information to consider on top of the comparison.
Shakeology VS Body by Vi
Cost
Body by Vi- $49.00-$249.99 per month, depending on which “level” of program you buy.
Shakeology- $89.95-119.95 per month
Servings
Body by Vi-They recommend taking 2 shakes per day plus their brand of snacks (not included in price)
Shakeology-One shake per day. We want you to eat real food.
This is not a “diet” but a lifestyle change.... “Real” food is important.
Cost per serving
Body by Vi-$1.50 each. $3.00 for two shakes daily. Up to $8.30 per day if you buy their higher end package. Remember-snacks cost extra.
Shakeology-$3.50-4.10 per day
Supplements
Body by Vi-20 supplements worth
Shakeology-38 supplements worth
Guarantee?
Body by Vi-30 day money back
Shakeology-30 day money back
Diabetic friendly?
Body by Vi-Yes but no evidence of low glycemic index mentioned
Shakeology - Yes. In addition to being lower in sugar, we are low in the glycemic index.
Artificial sweeteners? Refined sugars?
Body by Vi-Yes-sucralose. Google sucralose and the arsenic connection for more information about how bad this stuff is for you.
Shakeology - Not a one!
Multiple flavors?
Body by Vi- No, only their sweet cream flavor
Shakeology- Yes,Chocolate (my favorite!), Tropical and Greenberry
What can you add to it?
Body by Vi-Their brand of mix flavors plus milk, fruit
Shakeology-Whatever you want! Peanut butter, fruit, milk, almond milk. Soy milk, water, coffee, peppermint flavor, vanilla flavor, sugar free jello pudding flavors-the possibilities are endless!
What about digestive health?
Body by Vi- Prebiotics included. 100% dietary fiber included. (Just be aware that if you eat something later that is high in fiber, you may end up gassy with diarrhea as too much fiber can cause this, in addition to cramping.)
Shakeology- Prebiotics/probiotics included. 12% of dietary fiber included. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables to get your 100% daily fiber intake or if you have difficulty, you can add fiber to the shake.
Nitty gritty nutrition
Body by Vi- Fat in grams 1g
Sugar-
Carbs- 7 grams*
Calories-90 calories*
Sodium-75mg
Protein-12g
Shakeology- Fat in grams
Sugar-11 grams*
Carbs-19 grams*
Calories-140 calories*
Sodium-95mg
Protein-15g
Calories
Body by Vi-90 calories plus what you add
Shakeology-140 calories plus what you add
Caffeine free?
Body by Vi-Not sure sure as it depends on which level program you use/buy. The simple shale mix alone does bit include caffeine but if you are consuming/using everything in their $249.99/month package required to be an active BBV rep, you drink neuro formula which does have caffeine in addition to using other pills with caffeine that goes by the natural ingredient names.
Shakeology- Chocolate=18mg (found in the cocoa)/ Greenberry=None/ Tropical Strawberry= Gluten Free
Proteins
Body by Vi-“High quality” “Tri-sorb” protein
(This is a term that they invented. Whey protein is whey protein point blank. When you start changing molecules, you can no longer call it a protein. This is a marketing gimmick.)
Shakeology-High quality whey protein
Ingredients
Body by Vi-“not as many, sometimes less is more”
**The above quotes are from link #2 below.
Contains Milk and Soy
Lactose and Gluten free
23 vitamins/minerals
Vitamin A Vitamin C Calcium Iron Vitamin D Vitamin E Vitamin K thiamin Riboflavin Niacin Vitamin B6 Folate Vitamin B12 Biotin pantothenic acid Phosphorus Iodine Magnesium Zinc
Selenium Copper Manganese Chromium Molybdenum, FibersolTM, AminogenTM, 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.
Shakeology-70+ high quality ingredients
23 vitamins/minerals
Various fruit extracts (acerola, camu-camu, pomegranate, bilberry, blueberry, acai, Goji, Cordyceps, Rose Hips, Maitake, Reishi, Citrus bioflavonoids, Gingko), Whey protein, Chromium, Hydrilla, Apple pectin, Flax seed meal, Chia seed meal, Blue green algae, Spinach powder,oatgrass, wheatgrass, Barley grass, Grape seed extract, cinnamon, natural vanilla flavor, chocolate powder, cocoa powder, xanthum gum, ,guar gum, pea fiber. Also contains an enzyme blend to assist digestion (amylase, papain, cellulose, lactase, lipase, protease, and bromelain)
(Greenberry)
Vitamin A (as beta-carotene) 5000 IU 100%
Vitamin C (as ascorbic acid) 180 mg 300%
Vitamin D (as cholecalciferol) 200 IU 50%
Vitamin E (as d-alpha tocopheryl succinate) 15 IU 50%
Vitamin K1 (as phytonadione) 40 mcg 50%
Vitamin B1 (as thiamin HCL) 1.5 mg 100%
Vitamin B2 (as ribofl avin) 1.3 mg 77%
Vitamin B3 (as niacin) 5 mg 25%
Vitamin B6 (as pyridoxine HCL) 2 mg 100%
Folic acid 200 mcg 50%
Vitamin B12 (as cyanocobalamin) 6 mcg 100%
Biotin 90 mcg 30%
Pantothenic acid (as d-calcium pantothenate) 5 mg 50%
Calcium (as dicalcium phosphate) 500 mg 50%
Iron (as ferrous fumarate) 4.5 mg 25%
Phosphorous (as dicalcium phosphate) 250 mg 25%
Iodine (as kelp) 52 mcg 35%
Magnesium (as oxide) 80 mg 20%
Zinc (as zinc oxide) 6 mg 40%
Copper (as copper oxide) 0.8 mg 40%
Manganese (as manganese amino acid chelate) 2 mg 100%
Chromium (as chromium amino acid chelate) 60 mcg 50%
Molybdenum (as sodium molybdate) 30 mcg 40%
Whey protein (isolate) 15 g †
PROPRIETARY SUPER-FRUIT BLEND: 2075 mg †
Acerola powder (fruit), Camu-Camu powder (fruit), Pomegranate
powder (fruit), Bilberry powder (fruit), Blueberry powder (fruit),
Lycium (Goji) powder (berry), Açai powder (berry), Cordyceps,
Maitake powder, Reishi powder, Citrus biofl avonoids, Rose Hips
powder (fruit), Schisandra powder (berry), Suma powder (root),
Gingko powder (leaf).
Amount Per Serving % Daily Value**
PROPRIETARY FRUIT POWDER BLEND: 1500 mg †
Banana powder, Carrot powder, Orange powder,
Pineapple powder, Raspberry powder, Strawberry powder.
Maca powder (root) 1000 mg †
Sacha inchi (Plukenetia volubilis) meal 1000 mg †
Yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius) powder 1000 mg †
Flax (seed) meal 700 mg †
Chia (seed) meal 500 mg †
Chlorella 350 mg †
Spirulina 350 mg †
Hydrilla 300 mg †
Apple fi ber powder 250 mg †
Astragalus powder (root) 200 mg †
Blue green algae 200 mg †
Spinach powder 200 mg †
MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) 150 mg †
Pea fi ber 150 mg †
Quinoa (sprouted) 150 mg †
PROPRIETARY NONDAIRY 150 mg †
PROBIOTIC BLEND:
Bifodobacterium longum, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus
acidophilus DDS-1, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Lactobacillus casei,
Streptococcus thermophilus.
PROPRIETARY ENZYME BLEND: 130 mg †
Amylase, Papain, Cellulase, Lactase, Lipase, Protease, Bromelain.
Ashwagandha powder (root) 100 mg †
Barley grass 100 mg †
Kamut grass 100 mg †
Oat grass 100 mg †
Wheat grass 100 mg †
Stevia 75 mg †
Amaranth (sprouted) (Amaranthus hypochondriacus) 50 mg †
Grape seed extract (seed, 95% proanthocyanins) 50 mg †
Green tea decaffeinated extract 50 mg †
(leaf, 50% polyphenols)
Holy basil powder (leaf) 50 mg †
** Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
† Daily Value not established
OTHER INGREDIENTS: Fructose, xantham gum, natural strawberry and raspberry fl avors, guar gum, natural vanilla fl avor, and cinnamon powder.
Shakeology is gluten free and caffeine free.
Links to check out:
The first link brings about some great points, whereas the second link is full of opinions of that person who also happens to sell Body by Vi.
**Food for Thought:
FACT: The RDA for calories is 2000kcal/day. We all know that in order to lose weight you need to burn more than you take in. THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU GO EXTREMELY LOW IN YOUR CALORIC INTAKE! When you go below 1200-1300 calories per day, you put your body into starvation mode, thus shifting your metabolism to SLOW DOWN and burn calories more slowly. If you were to take in just two “Body by Vi” shakes (without additives) daily plus a regular meal (let’s assume that meal is around 350 calories), plus two 100 calorie snacks, you’ll only be taking in 550 calories. Why is it so low in calories? They simply aren’t offering you the fuel you need to get through the day. By skimping on glucose (essential for your brain to function) and other carbohydrates (4 calories per carb), they can offer you lower calories. Offering a 90 calorie shake sounds good on paper, but in practice this simply does not make sense. By reducing your carbohydrate intake, you will essentially cause your body to begin burning proteins instead of carbohydrates like it is supposed to. Why is this bad? The main source of protein that your body will have will not be an adequate amount of protein found in a BBV shake. Instead your body will begin to degrade the proteins in your muscle. Because your body is not supposed to use its own proteins for fuel, large waste protein byproducts are made which must then be flushed out of your body. These waste protein byproducts are known as “ketones” and require a great amount of water to be flushed out. Because of this fact, you will start to urinate a lot, excreting a great amount of water weight. If you do not properly hydrate, then you will easily become dehydrated. After a few days, you’ll be fatigued and cranky. This is because: 1. Your body won’t be getting the energy it needs to run properly. 2. You’ll be dehydrated. (Fatigue is a symptom of dehydration.) 3. You’re in starvation mode.
What I like about the shakeology is the design of the program. It’s easy. You drink one shake a day and make healthy choices. You can make the shake how YOU like it. You get to eat REAL FOOD-not a processed snack made by a company to sell. Fruits and vegetables are encouraged. It’s up to YOU. You are encouraged to exercise while on shakeology. THERE IS NO MAGIC PILL OR POWDER THAT CAN TAKE THE WEIGHT OFF! It comes off with hard work, behavior modification, and patience. Any program that promises you instant results may cause you to initially lose a few pounds, but as time goes on you’ll gain the weight back and only end up losing money.
Again the choice is up to you. If you do not wish to use Shakeology in your plans to lose weight, then that’s ok. Beachbody coaches are not here to “push” products. We inform you of what we have available which has helped us and may help you. You make the choice that best suits your lifestyle and goals. Please contact me for more information! I look forward to hearing from you.
