Simply put, VSHRED is a series of virtual training and nutrition programs.
You’ve probably seen VShred advertised all over social media, with ubiquitous representative Vince Sant promoting the company with lengthy videos and featured testimonials from customers copied within 90 days.
But the more you delve into VShred’s nutrition programs, the more complicated things get. And I say this as a registered dietitian with decades of experience helping clients achieve their nutritional goals.
Watch or read any of VShred’s marketing materials; You’ll notice claims about hormones and metabolism; Specifically, VShred says it exploits a secret loophole discovered by Harvard to help people lose weight. To further deepen the mystery, VShred claims that the rest of the world is unaware of this loophole.
What’s more, this gap allegedly allows people to lose weight. little effort, but the company tells potential customers that its programs are only for people who are “committed and serious about achieving rapid results.” VShred announced that more than 100,000 people have commented positively on the program.
Although VShred doesn’t seem to have many followers, Dr. Drew Pinsky has appeared in numerous marketing materials touting the benefits of the service.
I spent several weeks analyzing the details of the VShred nutrition program and consulted a leading researcher in the field of nutritional sciences to help me figure out what VShred is selling, the purported research behind its plan, and whether it all works.
What is the VShred Diet?
The VShred diet is a nutrition plan that accompanies VShred exercises and supplements.
The diet is primarily built around one basic concept: Your body type determines what you should eat. More specifically, VShred creates meal plans for three body types:
- Endomorphs: People who naturally have higher amounts of fat and muscle. They tend to gain weight more easily than other breeds.
- Ectomorphs: People who are naturally thinner. They tend to gain weight less easily than other breeds.
- Mesomorphs: People who have the natural ability to gain muscle and lose fat.
From there, VShred offers two options for diet plans: one based on carbohydrate cycling, a nutrition app with a goal of muscle gain and weight loss, and the other based on counting macronutrients (or “macros”): protein, carbohydrates, fat.
VShred gives you basic meal plans for these diets and then the option to pay for a customized meal plan.
Basic meal plans are low in calories, with some dropping below 1,200 calories per day. Otherwise, the foods in the meal plans include normal, everyday choices that most people can find at a supermarket. Sweet potatoes. Blueberries. Chicken breast.
How Much Does the VShred Diet Cost?
It depends.
The price for each program is advertised as $47 to $99, but there are numerous upsells, including meal plans and supplements.
Does the VShred Diet Work?
At least in the short term it may be so. But it’s not because of any little-known scientific gaps or a diet plan designed for your body type.
Consider VShred’s first claim: the Harvard-backed weight-loss loophole.
This “gap” is actually the hormone irisin, yes Harvard researched this in 2012 but little has been published on the subject in terms of solid scientific research since then. For me, as a dietitian, this is a red flag.
VShred diets also mention TRPV1, a receptor that helps produce brown fat, a type of fat that can help burn calories. TRPV1 has Moreover studied in mice and in laboratory dishes; not people. (Another flag.)
So let’s look at nutrition specific to body type.
“The reality is that there is zero evidence to support these body types and zero evidence that you should eat differently based on how someone classifies your body into these ‘body types,’” says Layne Norton, a PhD in nutritional sciences. To make a better point: “VShred’s marketing has long been full of claims but no evidence,” says Norton.
To summarize, although VShred links to studies in their marketing materials and points to glowing testimonials as evidence that their diet works, much of this research is preliminary and inconclusive. And no clinical studies have yet been conducted specifically on the VShred diet. (I looked.)
To step back a little further, yes, you can still lose weight after being on the VShred diet. But it’s not because of any fancy clearances or body type tailored plans. This is because the VShred diet is low in calories. When you can maintain a calorie deficit for any length of time, you will lose weight.
But just because a diet helps you lose weight doesn’t mean it’s great for you.
Is the VShred Diet Healthy?
Not really, especially when you consider the broader definition of “health”; It’s just a definition that doesn’t take into account what you look like.
The diet does not include any ingredients around a person relationship be it with food, body positivity or emotional health.
Requires both carb cycling and macro tracking too much Weighing and tracking at each meal. I don’t believe either is a low-effort, intuitive way of eating.
And although VShred meal plans require little decision-making (some people may find it easy), many people won’t succeed with such a restrictive, regimented diet. Restrictive diets generally do not allow any freedom in food choice, regardless of your situation. This can make dieting extremely difficult during travel, socializing, and *living*.
VShred diet meal plans are also very Eurocentric. There doesn’t seem to be room for foods from other cultures, which may make them even harder for certain populations to follow.
In addition to potentially feeling hungry all the time, restrictive, low-calorie diets can cause nutrient deficiencies over time.
After all, the VShred diet is expertly marketed and scientific support is not needed. It’s low in calories, and using meal plans won’t teach you how to manage food choices on your own.
Interestingly, the “reference support” section at the bottom of the VShred website contains the results of the company’s survey about diet and fitness programs. I didn’t find these particularly convincing.
According to Norton, your eating pattern should be about what you can stick to, not empty promises about which diet is “better.”
“You should choose the nutritional choice that makes it easiest for YOU as an individual to adhere to. Unfortunately, that’s not as sexy as claiming you’ve found a magic loophole that doesn’t allow you to be held accountable from a marketing standpoint.”
Abby Langer, RD, is the owner of Abby Langer Nutrition, a nutrition consulting and communications company based in Toronto.