Whoa! That’s a mouthful!
The Good Guru Muscle and Tone Diet Whey is the latest supplement under review today.
This UK-based manufacturer aims to take us back to Mother Nature with their organically produced herbal supplements which they claim can lead to “regulation of body fat, muscle tone improvement and mental clarity.”
Basically, if you’d like to lose weight, build muscle, and feel fantastic, they believe Muscle and Tone Diet Whey is the product for you!
But how good is it REALLY?
Remember, no supplement has ever received a full 5 star review from me. Can this be the first?
… unfortunately not.
THE GOOD GURU MUSCLE AND TONE REVIEW
The product certainly looks the part.
With its jam jar-esque tub and minimalist design, The Good Guru have gone “all in” on their mission statement to keep things simple, and it looks super cool.
I’ll be honest, this looks way better than those old tubs of whey protein with pics of gigantic orange bodybuilders wearing shades indoors.
However, that’s where the compliments end.
Once we pop the hood and inspect the formula, we can see that this is just another run-of-the-mill whey protein supplement that’s no better than anything else out there (despite costing more!).
Each 50 gram serving of Muscle & Tone provides:
- 145 kcals
- 16g protein
- 16.7g carbohydrates
- 1.6g fat
- 15.7g vitamin blend
For a product which claims to help you build muscle, it seems strange that I need to point out that there’s not enough protein.
Serioulsy.
A 2009 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that optimal protein intake to spike maximum results after training lies somewhere between 20-40 grams, and The Good Guru do not provide you with this. (1)
Sure, we could “double scoop” it, but that would simultaneously double everything else too.
Which brings us to another issue…
There is no need for 16.7 grams of carbohydrates in a protein shake! They’ll argue that oats (the main carb souce) are great for you, and I’d agree, but you don’t need them here. You’re likely buying this product to get more protein into your diet, and a whopping 68% of your scoop isn’t protein!
Oh, it gets worse!
Because perhaps now that we know the nutritional breakdown isn’t so great, we have to look for reasons why it’s so damn expensive.
Perhaps it’s because The Good Guru use superior ingredients? Maybe we’ll get a really expensive, super high quality protein blend?
No such luck!
The primary source of protein used in Muscle and Tone is good old whey protein concentrate (milk), a.k.a. the cheapest form of protein they could have used.
They throw in a huge proprietary blend of vitamins and so-called “fat burning ingredients” alongside this. The blend contains all the usual stuff you’ll see in a fat burner supplement (CLA, guarana, green tea extract, zinc) alongside a few muscle builders like creatine, beta-alanine and glutamine.
Some of these ingredients are great.
For instance, creatine and beta-alanine have immense strength training benefits when used consistently, and zinc supplementation can lead to healthier hair and skin. (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
They sit alongside a bunch of “fat burners” which have been thoroughly debunked. (7, 8, 9, 10)
Hiding the dose of each ingredient behind a proprietary blend is a process known in the supplement industry as “fairy dusting”. This is where a manufacturer throws in a selection of ingredients in order to be able to make claims of fat loss, energy, or muscle building even if the dose in the product is too low to produce those results.
Also, the packaging (and the website) seems to love the word “toning”.
So lets get this straight – how toned you look depends on how much body fat you carry, and there isn’t a product which can inherently fix that (even if they include it in the damn name), but it’s something they play on in their marketing efforts.
According to The Good Guru:
“Muscle & Tone Diet Whey will lead to quality muscle and tone, without unwanted fat gain. This product will ensure you reach your goals if you are on a calorie controlled diet.”
Do you know what else leads to weight loss if you are on a calorie controlled diet?
ANYTHING!
A calorie controlled diet is literally all that matters for weight loss! (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
Mind, maybe we should be grateful.
You see, the company has undergone a bit of a re-brand in the last couple of years but the internet never forgets.
In 2015 when this product was released under its original name (Slim & Tone), The Good Guru had a reputation for dishing out even crazier advice.
Here they are telling people their shakes and pills will help you easily lose weight WITHOUT exercise and/or a controlled diet:
“Weight Loss: The idea to lose weight is always accompanied by the dreaded thoughts of a challenging workout routine and strict diet control. However, with The Good Guru’s vegan weight loss supplements and multivitamin weight loss capsules, you can easily burn the excess fat and bring your body back in shape.”
THE GOOD GURU MUSCLE AND TONE DIET WHEY REVIEW – THE FINAL VERDICT
It’s time to decide whether Muscle and Tone lives up to the hype.
I think you know how this one goes.
What we have here is a product which is slightly too low in protein, too high in carbohydrates, and contains a proprietary blend of ineffective fat burning ingredients which they charge you a premium price for.
If you’re looking for a quality whey protein supplement you’d be better served opting for something like Total Protein Blend by Myprotein, whcih has a vastly superior nutritional breadown despite costing LESS.
Or you could go “all out” on ingredient quality and pic up something like Impact Whey Isolate – it would still cost less!
The Good Guru Muscle And Tone Diet Whey receives 1 star.
You can check it out here.
References:
- Moore D. R., et al. Ingested protein dose response of muscle and albumin protein synthesis after resistance exercise in young men. Am J Clin Nutr (2009).
- Rawson E. S., et al. Effects of creatine supplementation and resistance training on muscle strength and weightlifting performance. J Strength Cond Res (2003).
- Hoffman J., et al. Beta-alanine and the hormonal response to exercise. Int J Sports Med (2008).
- Franco-Vidal V., et al. Zinc protection against pneumolysin toxicity on rat cochlear hair cells. Audiol Neurootol (2008).
- Verma K. C., et al. Dhamija SK. Oral zinc sulphate therapy in acne vulgaris: a double-blind trial. Acta Derm Venereol (1980).
- Douglas R. M., et al. Vitamin C for preventing and treating the common cold. Cochrane Database Syst Rev (2007).
- Rodrigues M., et al. Herb-Drug Interaction of Paullinia cupana (Guarana) Seed Extract on the Pharmacokinetics of Amiodarone in Rats. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med (2012).
- Hursel R., et al. The effects of green tea on weight loss and weight maintenance: a meta-analysis. Int J Obes (Lond) (2009).
- Westerterp-Plantenga M.S. Green tea catechins, caffeine and body-weight regulation. Physiol Behav (2010).
- Diepvens K., et al. Obesity and thermogenesis related to the consumption of caffeine, ephedrine, capsaicin, and green tea. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol (2007).
- Leibel R. L., et al. Energy intake required to maintain body weight is not affected by wide variation in diet composition. Am J Clin Nutr (1992).
- Golay A., et al. Similar weight loss with low- or high-carbohydrate diets. Am J Clin Nutr (1996).
- Golay A., et al. Weight-loss with low or high carbohydrate diet. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord (1996).
- Luscombe-Marsh N. D., et al. Carbohydrate-restricted diets high in either monounsaturated fat or protein are equally effective at promoting fat loss and improving blood lipids. Am J Clin Nutr (2005).
- Raatz S. K., et al. Reduced Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load Diets Do Not Increase the Effects of Energy Restriction on Weight Loss and Insulin Sensitivity in Obese Men and Women. J Nut (2005).
- Johnston C. S., et al. Ketogenic low-carbohydrate diets have no metabolic advantage over nonketogenic low-carbohydrate diets. Am J Clin Nutr (2006).