Monday, October 3, 2011

Kirstie's Organic Misstep

Kirstie looks a little like Fergie here, no?
I don’t know about you but I find it hard not to root for Kirstie Alley; she’s quirky and likeable. I root for Kirstie Alley as I do for all my clients, hoping that they can make the positive changes with their eating that they are seeking. After years of counseling I am fairly good at reading genuine readiness. Until recently, Kirstie seemed to want weight loss but there was an awkwardness, you got the sense there was something being withheld. I caught a glimpse of Kirstie on Dancing with the Stars and she was fantastic. I observed the previously missing ingredient, which was self-belief.

Kirstie Alley has slimmed down further since the show. Many of her weight-related tweets have said things to the effect of I’m not on any diet it’s just organic eating and exercise. Oh yeah…and I have this company I founded called Organic Liaison too.  I had heard bits and pieces about Kirstie’s company and have to say I liked that there was an emphasis on organic food and farmers markets. I was curious to learn more.  When I went to the site disappointment set in. My “dodgy detector” was beeping away. Pricey supplements are center stage. The worst part is that there are no ingredients listed for any of the supplements.  This is a serious red flag. Aside from the lack of information there’s automatic monthly billing which just rubs me the wrong way. If you'd like to come with me on this disturbing ride watch this video. Kirstie shows you a box full of bottles and says "it's all you need for a month."  Some of the concepts the supplements address: sleep, relaxation and GI function are sound but without ingredients this is shady.

As far as the organic component, despite my initial interest you can’t help but feeling the organic umbrella is nothing more than a hook.  There’s information on farmers markets but you don’t need to pay a monthly fee for that. Many people criticized Kirstie’s insinuation that pesticides in our food may affect our metabolic levels. While this has yet to be proven, I wouldn’t entirely dismiss that notion. There’s also the “liaison” component of a menu planner, journal, group chat and blog. This type of service can be found on other sites for a lot less money. You are forking out money for the pills. Sad.

The other question I had in reviewing the materials was whether being overweight or having lost weight makes you an expert (Daphne Oz I’m talking to you too).  Sure, this seems to be working for Kirstie or she’s thinner right now but we don’t know about Kirstie or this regime long term. There are no studies or long-term data to support some rather serious claims.

Kirstie looks great; the woman is 60 years old. She also has a dance instructor that travels with her and a lot more support in place than an online chat room. If Organic Liaison was about putting high quality ingredients into your diet, it would have my vote. As for taking things without knowing the ingredients or dosage…I graduated from college already.
Have you read about Organic Liaison or known anyone who has tried it? What do you think of the concept? Do you think Kirstie Alley is someone to take weight loss advice from? If there was a pill that could make you loose weight but you weren't allowed to know what it was, would you take it?
Skincare giveaway winners will be announced Wednesday, comment by Tuesday for a change to win.



33 comments:

  1. I like her, too. I totally fell in love with her on that HBO show, "Fat Actress" and have felt sorry for how much she gets slammed by the media.

    However, quirky or not, I ain't gonna buy her crap. I hate any and all 'diets' that involve eating out of a bottle and dosing on supplements. I am a purist. I want to succeed at being fit in any climate, at any restaurant or grocery store, not confined to a life of eating out of a box of supps. And that automatic billing stuff, NOoooO! So bad.

    I think many people who successfully lose weight feel like a bit of an expert. I certainly do. But it doesn't mean I should be doling out advice or bottling herbs and selling them to an impressionable public!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Cameo, I missed fat actress but someone like/empathize with Kirstie. you would think everyone would turn down a box-o-pills but clearly they aren't.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for bringing this to our attention, Lauren. Did you know that I used to be obsessed with Kirstie Alley when I was a kid?! I wanted to be an actress just like her (ha! So random, I know).

    I think it's great that she is persuing a new career path, and that she is keeping her weight off (finally) however, like you, it makes me SO ANGRY when people sell supplements without listing the ingredients. Never in a million years would a take a dietary supplement (especially one for weight loss) without knowing what was in it. I would be willing to bet there is something similar to ephedra in it, and/or lots of caffeine. I see another lawsuit coming soon.....this is pathetic.
    AND, i do not like it when "successful weight lossers" think they are all of a sudden weight loss experts. Nope, not so much.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love that she's promoting organic but the fact that she's pushing supplements and saying "this is what you need for a month" and then setting people up to be automatically billed each month is sad. It feels like another roller coaster ride again where she drags a ton of people with her hoping for quick weight loss.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Why do so many celebs go the supplement route? I had no idea she had started this new business.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Gina- love the Kirstie phase you went through. I really couldn't tell you what's in the supplements. Lisa, I agree in all honesty despite the $ I can't believe she wouldn't want to do things more privately at this point. $ is $ though. Jess interesting you hadn't heard, makes me happy this isn't getting popular.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I hadn't heard about Kristie's new business and that it is centered around supplements. I don't really believe in supplements (beyond some vitamins, fish oil, etc.), and I wouldn't take anything if I didn't know what was in it.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Many of us took pills that helped w/ weight loss w/out knowing what was in it...the uber-successful Phen-Fen combo! And then we found out that it jacked up your heart, lungs and brain. I think that sadly, many people would happily and blindly take a pill/supplement without knowing the ingredients if it meant "easy and guaranteed" weight loss. Add the word Organic and the new skinny Kirstie, and yeah, I think she'll make a lot of money.

    And I totally agree with you about how losing weight does NOT make a person a weight loss expert. In my world, people think that just because they went to college, they are experts on college admissions. I can see how people would make the same false leap in nutrition.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Marie, maybe not readers here but I think more people would pop the kirstie pill. You mean I'm not a Tulane expert? Crap.

    ReplyDelete
  10. You are totally a Tulane expert!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wow I hadn't heard about this whole thing but it just took her down a few notches... The supplements are totally sketchy, "The FIRST EVER USDA certified organic weight-loss product" isn't enough of an explanation. Celebrity endorsements in general drive me crazy.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Yep- hate that line basically throws the USDA under the bus. I vote for kale as a Foodtrainers-certified weight-loss product. May not be sexy but you know what you're getting.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I like Kirstie too, but really hate when celebrities suddenly become "expert" on things that take people years to get degrees in (hello, "Dr" Jenny McCarthy). I don't trust the people at GNC either. I am a science nerd and tend to stick with experts. Jennifer Aniston has great hair, but don't want her coloring or cutting mine!

    Once again I am suspicious of celebrity diet/exercise advice. It is their job to look good and they have a lot of help. My job is to save lives and I have a lot of help. That being said, I can tell you how to treat your kid's fever, but I am no expert on parenthood!

    ReplyDelete
  14. You mean Jenny McCarthy isn't an MD or a sex therapist (well she may be an expert on that one)? I am not sure parents are parenting experts but we'll leave that alone. Keep saving lives Dr O.

    ReplyDelete
  15. another great post and something I had not heard about before. ORganic liason? Sounds like a scam to me! Obviously organic has become popular in the past year or so (a good thing!) but kristie alley has struggled with her weight for YEARS! Who's to say that in a few months she won't gain all the weight back!? I hope for her sack she doesn't (like you, I am rooting for her) but it's not about supplements or wonder drugs...it's about learning about nutrition and practicing it! and no...I would not take nutritional advice or weight loss advice from a celebrity...esp. not kristie

    ReplyDelete
  16. I like her, too. But I would not buy a product because it's endorsed by her, unless I believed in it. I understand why you were disappointed...honestly there is no magical pill...to lose weight or to be healthy, you have to do the work if you want to achieve that.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Agree Erin, regardless of what's in the supplements "all you need for a month" clearly doesn't come in bottles. Ayala, there is no magic pill and I wish that was the message vrs "rescue me" as the be all and end all.

    ReplyDelete
  18. "All you need for a month" in a pill...sounds kind of like science fiction! I, too, am rooting for her. But I think that "organic" is what "low fat" used to me...something that started out genuine, but ended up overrun by marketing nonsense. I'm glad that you posted about this!

    ReplyDelete
  19. um go watch that video stephanie where she mixes her "rescue me" . Fightening.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I did not know that Kirstie Allie was promoting supplements. I think she looks great but I am not going be taking weight loss advice from her anytime soon.

    ReplyDelete
  21. I think she looks great too and she is dancing/clearly has to watch what she eats but the regime is questionable at best.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Thanks again for getting me up to speed on things Lauren! I did know Kirstie had lost a lot of weight, but had no idea about Organic Liason. Definitely would not pop a pill without knowing what was in the ingredients, but scary to know that many would!

    ReplyDelete
  23. I had no idea she was representing a company like this. I do applaud Kirstie for losing weight since I know she has always struggled with this. But I still don't think it makes her an expert. But many seeing that she has lost weight would. That is what is a bit scary.
    I just found out I won the giveaway! Thanks!!!!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  24. I haven't heard of that company, but it does sound a bit sketch to me. She looks great, but you never know what a star really does to lose weight or keep fit. Just because they promote something doesn't mean they take it regularly. (Am I being waaay too suspicious and negative?!?! haha)

    ReplyDelete
  25. This is definitely eye-opening. I am actually happy you mentioned this and brought it to my attention as it is VERY relevant to something I am working on.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Tiff you raise a great point, kirstie promostes this, is this her "magic pill" or are there other "ingredients", we never know. Einat- so cryptic, are you writing a Kirstie bio, wonder what your "work" is.

    ReplyDelete
  27. So sorry to be cryptic!!! You are actually on my "must contact" list as soon as the time is right :) Pinky swear it is NOT a Kirstie bio!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Got it, any time, all my contact info on FT website. Be well.

    ReplyDelete
  29. I didn't know about this...thanks for writing about it. And I love your writing style! I hope people don't buy that. Actress/entertainer she is, but not a dietitian or any kind of health professional who's qualified to sell pills. Speaking of pills, yikes, without ingredients???

    ReplyDelete
  30. She's not a professional but she's a newly thin person and in this country that's enough (I think).

    ReplyDelete
  31. Jenny McCarthy's "anti-vaccine guru" Dr Jay Gordon is one of the dubious weight loss experts associated with Organic Liaison site as a board member.

    I found out most of Organic Liaison's products are manufactured in the Philippines and others made in Argentina, that said, there is little USDA oversight or regulatory standards
    associated with this product.
    most people who bought into this product will be disturbed to see where this product comes from and the conditions of the labs where its produced.

    ReplyDelete
  32. *"If there was a pill that could make you loose weight" should say "If there was a pill that could make you LOSE weight."

    ReplyDelete