Psychosomatic Transformation Center - Grant — Attraction in Tucson

I WENT TO THE BROADWAY LOCATION BUT IT IS NOT LISTED IN GOOGLE TO PUT REVIEW IN, SO I AM PUTTING MY REVIEW ON GRANT LOCATION

I entered this challenge to lose weight quickly, and that is exactly what happened. I knew I could lose the weight on my own, however, I have always struggled with completing too much cardio versus toning and strengthening all of my muscle groups. In addition, I struggled with ensuring I had enough protein, carbs, vegetables, and water. So I needed some guidance on exercises that work all my muscles as well as meal plans. This challenge gave me exactly that. I knew what foods I could eat, shouldn’t eat, and my workouts were planned each day working a different muscle group. The trainers were absolutely amazing and also educated me if I did not have the correct form and/or if I could go heavier with weights. They encouraged me every step of the way and ensured that I was challenging myself in order to have continuous improvement. I enjoyed the group atmosphere workout and how some days you challenged your peers by not moving to the next exercise until everyone completed the exercise. I ended up working out 6 times a week versus the recommended of 5. I lost 23.8lbs and could not be happier with the results! I dropped from a size 15/16 to a size 7/8. My old clothes fit, I do not have my “baby fat” from my most recent pregnancy (my newborn is now 3 months), and my wedding dress fits better than I imagined! The pictures look like I lost much more, so the scale is nothing but a number. For breastfeeding mommas, I was extremely worried about losing my supply with a different diet and intense exercise, however, there was support from Eric (a knowledgeable trainer) regarding how to alter your meal plan to have more carbs in order to be able to make your milk. Even with the added carbs I still lost the weight. I breastfed during the challenge and did not lose my supply of milk!!!

For improvement, I wish there was more support to transition from a meal plan of losing weight to a meal plan of maintaining weight. I also wish the gym membership was more affordable so that I could continue attending as I made great friendships and again enjoy the group atmosphere. I also did not like that the supplements the gym sells are pushed to sell without really taking everyone’s needs into consideration. I was informed by management staff that the supplements were safe to consume while breastfeeding and after taking them for a couple of days, checked with my doctor as my infant was extremely fussy. My doctor, midwife, Pediatrician, and “MothertoBaby” resource all confirmed some of the supplements are not safe for breastfeeding. They cited research to support their recommendation. I immediately stopped taking the supplements, gave my baby frozen milk I had from days prior to taking the supplements, she went back to normal, THANK GOD. But I was left with all of these supplements that I spent hundreds of dollars on and I could not consume them nor offered any type of refund. I provided the information to the Facebook group in case there were other breastfeeding mothers, and management did apologize stating they had not been provided information that it was not safe previously and they would pull breastfeeding mothers aside at the nutrition seminar to inform them they should check with their doctor. So my feedback to management was to just have people check with their doctor’s regardless and not take it upon themselves to inform whether they are “safe” or “not safe.” I believe they should leave that decision to the member to discuss with their doctor and not mislead people. I also believe they should inform people they CAN lose the weight and be successful WITHOUT the supplements, as they are extremely expensive and people feel pressured to purchase the supplements because they feel they can’t lose the weight without them, when you can. The supplements are presented in a fashion that you need to buy them. In the end everything worked out, and I would most definitely recommend this gym to...

Pros: --Definitely the best part of the program were the trainers. Our regulars were Paul and Bryce—both excellent—but we also saw Veronica, Colin, and Darien, who were great. Every single one had their own distinct personality and training style, but they all also had the same ability to be encouraging and supportive while acting a little bit drill-sergeanty. It was a good combination. --The workouts were never easy, but always doable with modifications. I think even a person in excellent shape would be able to get something out of these workouts. We also got a little bit of trainer personalities, as they traded off weeks to design them. --Our fellow worker-outers were not only fun to hang out with, but great motivators too. One moment I will never forget: A woman just did a weekly weigh-in, saw how much she lost, and started to tear up. That got us all going, and when the trainer revealed how much it was to the group (it was a lot!), we all cheered her. She was incredible. --My husband and I did the program together, and we lost the weight we came to lose. We have a handle on our drinking, we’ve hit the reset on our diets, and we plan to keep working at it in the future. So Psycho’s program was a success for us.

Neutral: --The meal plan. It is what it is. Not fun or diverse, but nourishing. It left me just a little bit hungry most of the day, though not uncomfortably so. Totally doable for the length of the program. The only time I went off-menu was when I had a work-related trip that kept me traveling for 8 days, otherwise I think I could have stuck it out. Toward the end, I would have given my kingdom for a piece of fruit, but it wasn’t allowed. --While ultimately it was our choice to buy, expensive supplements are heavily encouraged to complete the program. We spent a small fortune on protein powder and other pills to help us reach the goal. Now that we've finished, we are trying to get what we need from whole food rather than supplements, as much as possible.

Cons: --I think Psycho could work on its transparency. First, they draw you in with a “free” program, only to reveal at the information session that you need to shell out between $300-500 (depending on the special they are running at the time), and you will be eligible for a refund if you follow their requirements. It seemed a little shady. --I kept thinking we would be emailed a copy of our signed agreement/contract. This is the document that details what is required of us to complete the program and potentially get our refund back. We never did get the copy, instead we had to rely on info posted in the Facebook group to ensure we were following the instructions. --If you complete the program, you would have the choice of the refund or rolling the money into a membership fee. They did not state in the beginning that the membership is an annual contract, not month-to-month, which is the norm. (And it happens to be very expensive for a gym!) --The worst part of the program was what was known as “fish week,” and the lead-up to the final weigh-in. This was where participants who had not lost 14 lbs by the end of week four were to eat fish and asparagus six times per day. On the last day, fasting and laxatives promoted by the program. I understand that Psycho did want us to reach our goal, and of course they want to keep up their success rate. But this rapid weight loss was just for the scale, not for any justifiable short- or long-term health reasons. I wonder if 20 lbs in 6 weeks—while obviously possible for hundreds of people—is even a healthy premise to begin with. --The information we received depended on the trainer answering the question. On one supplement, the pill bottle had its own dosage instructions, the info packet said something else, and a Facebook thread something else. It did not inspire confidence to follow a process very carefully when the instructions could change daily. I think if the information is standardized better, that would be great.

While there are areas for improvement, overall Psycho was a positive...

I completed the March Challenge and lost 6.3% body fat overall. TRUST THE PROCESS and FTDI! I loved the workouts- no two were the same and they were all very challenging and rewarding. I saw amazing results and sculpted my body in ways that I was never able to achieve before.

A few things would have made my experience a bit better. First, I found it difficult to get consistent advice on how to alter the meal plan, or whether or not I even needed to after the 3rd week. I felt like the support for people trying to lose body fat was not as robust as that of those trying to lose 20lbs. One example, those who successfully lost 20lbs got a t-shirt at the end of the challenge to celebrate their victory while those who successfully lost at least 5% body fat got a high five at best. Despite this notion, the Facebook private group was a great support for both body fat and lbs challengers.

I knew joining a totally “free” challenge promising unfathomable results was almost too good to be true so when we were finally informed of the intricate details of the challenge I felt like the premise was good, fair, and well executed. You’re asked to put up a significant amount of money to join the challenge, if you succeed and follow the contract, you get the money back; if you don’t succeed then you either forfeit the money completely or use it towards a membership. Money is quite a motivator.

The mandatory nutrition seminar was very organized and helpful; however, because there are many things you need to buy in order to be successful in the challenge, it would have been nice if those things were available for sale at the seminar. For example, you MUST buy protein and a food scale at the very least. While the protein sold by Psychosomatic tasted fairly good (I can only speak on the chocolate) it was overpriced for the mere 10g of protein you get per serving, and it only lasts half way through the challenge for women, even less time for men. The nutrition seminar is just a day or two before the challenge so I had to scramble to find a food scale so that I could begin meal prepping right away. Not including groceries, I spent roughly $150 on Challenge necessities.

I really liked the meal plan. It didn’t feel like some crash diet that I was going to dread partaking in. If you follow it correctly, you truly are never hungry and you are getting the fuel you need to make it through the workouts and through each day in general. I hope more veggies are added in the future; however, I understand that the list is limited to prevent decision fatigue which is something that can easily derail a person from making healthy choices. And I know Quest bars are not the greatest source of nutrients/protein but it was nice to have the option to consume these in emergency situations. I wasn't crazy about eating Greek yogurt each night and often went without it.

I’m not sure if it was my own personal bias but I felt like the energy and intensity of the workouts differed between the East and North locations, especially depending on the trainer. I felt like my workouts were more intense at the North location. I didn’t get a chance to work out with all of the trainers but of the few I did, I favored Rene and Eric the most. The gym facilities could also use a bit more attention- I’m not sure how often the floor mats were cleaned but my hands were always filthy after a workout and there was often debris (such as human/animal hair and lint) on them. It would also be nice if there were evening class options on the weekends.

Overall this process was great and I would do it again. The Challenge helped me get motivated to work out and to love and treat my body better. I gained confidence, energy, endurance, and self-control which you truly cannot put a price on. If you’re considering participating in the Challenge, DO IT! You will...