Actiderm/Actilabs 7 Day Shred – Independent Review

I feel like I’m becoming a bit of a serial weight loss/dieter on this blog (I never have been “that person”). If you’re a member of any Facebook selling groups in the UK – you’re likely to see people posting pictures of amazing weight loss that they’ve achieved over a week. I’ve had my eye on the brand for years and years and have never been able to find a review that’s been done, that isn’t somehow associated with Actiderm.

I’ve made good progress over the past few months, making healthier choices and losing a bit of weight with the aid of Raspberry Ketones, and I wanted another little boost before I went on holiday in a few weeks time. Suddenly these Actiderm 7 Day Shred (EDIT: Now Actiderm is names Actilabs) plans were in the forefront of my mind, and searching for reviews again I still wasn’t able to find any.

This made me a little dubious, but I thought to myself “Rachael you started this blog to help people save money on stuff that is crap that you can’t find reviews on, so try it so people can see for themselves. I saw weight losses on their pages that claimed anywhere between 6-11.5lb lost over a 7 day plan.

actiderm-7-day-shred-review-results

Actiderm is a little bit like Avon in which you will  have representatives who you buy the product from, from my experience the consultant/rep was very helpful in answering any questions – and just having a general chit chat online (if you want the name of my rep, please let me know I’ll pass over her details to you – they work regionally, but dispatch nationally through ordering on their website).

So onto the diet/plan. The 7 day shred contains 7 meal replacement shakes (available in a variety of flavours and shakes). You also receive a cordial style drink called Hydraslim which you sip throughout the day to make dieting more comfortable.

actiderm-7-day-shred

All your food/drinks throughout the day should be 800-900 calories (including your shake which is 169kcal – at least vanilla, unsure on the others). Food should be high protein, low carb and low fat. For me this meant lots of veg (especially courgettes/zucchini as they are really filling and a medium sized one is only 21calories) accompanied with white meat such as turkey and chicken (if you like fish that’s good too – I don’t).

The Hydraslim whilst looking positively revolting (as people at work called it dirty dish water), it doesn’t really have much of a taste, it reminds me of a very very weak green tea. The taste is nothing offensive, but it does advise if you don’t like the taste to add some sugar free squash/cordial to it to mask the taste. There’s more than enough hydraslim to last the whole week – and you follow on with it afterwards to stabilise the results. As well as the hydraslim you should drink around 2 litres of water additionally.

actiderm-7-day-shred-review-inderpendent-vanilla

The Shakes took a little longer to get used to taste wise, there’s something about it which at the start was making me struggle to finish them and would drink them over the course of 2 or 3 hours. By the end of the week I was drinking them much quicker and easily. Personally I didn’t find using them as a full meal replacement worked for me, I opted for a small breakfast and lunch (under 100 calories each) and with my lunch drank half of the shake and drank the rest throughout the afternoon.

Over my 7 days I was pleased to weigh in at 6lb lighter than I was at the start of the week. I’m happy to report that there was no adverse effects for me from the other end”. You’re only able to do this once in a 4 week period, but other than that you’re free to repeat it monthly. Whilst I was really happy with  my results I did wonder what my results would be if I carried on the diet the following week, still cutting my calories to 900 and eating low carb high protein meals.

During the official diet I ignored every office treat and resisted every temptation. During my second week where I simply cut the calories I was a little less strict with myself, I had one day off during the week for a friend at works birthday and we might have popped to KFC one lunch time (I did choose a “healthy” option) we all just needed to get out of the office, and I had 2 meals out when visiting the bloggers festival, a meal out for my sisters birthday and a triple whammy celebration with my boyfriends family. I still lost 3lb. I hadn’t been continuing to take my hydraslim as I misplaced it for several days – and decided by the time to see what the results were without it!

actiderm-7-day-shred-pictures

Whilst I’m not 100% convinced that the diet really had much to do with the weight loss as I didn’t get results that far away from it considering indulgence along side calorie cutting. If you’re someone that needs structure and something to get you into the swing and a routine going then I do think it’s good. It wasn’t super cheap at £25 for both 7 shakes and the hydraslim, personally I think if I was going to do it again, I would buy the shakes by themselves as they were £10. Supposedly the hydraslim is mean to make the diet more comfortable – but I didn’t really feel uncomfortable at all if I forgot to sip it for a few hours.


Have you tried a diet like this before? Did you see results?

rachael

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31 Comments

  1. Becca
    September 20, 2015 / 6:20 am

    Thanks Rachel, this is really interesting. I’ve always wondered about these sorts of thing too. I think this is probably still cheaper than slimfast or similar?

    • September 20, 2015 / 6:23 am

      I think sometimes you can get them on offer but slim fast is something like £1.99 a shake,so this is a fair whack cheaper, but there is delivery on top so I can imagine it works out roughly the same for 7 shakes. Xx

    • July 27, 2017 / 6:42 pm

      The Shred is currently $30.55 USD

      Mine will be delivered today and I am starting it tomorrow. I have been struggling to lose weight for over a year and have only managed to lose 15 pounds since March. So I’m super excited to try this and hopefully give my body a jump start and start losing more weight again. I’m seriously considering doing it every week for a month depending on what my first results are.

  2. Ann
    October 25, 2015 / 7:25 pm

    Ive actually been looking at starting this once payday gets here but ive also noticed tesco do a meal replacement shake too and its much cheaper.
    I have already done 2 days of low calorie eating so not sure if I need the shakes too or not.
    Thank you for the review, I was struggling to find any too!

    • October 25, 2015 / 8:22 pm

      No problem! The post is proving quite popular with people searching for reviews so hopefully it’s helping people make a more informed decision. If you can stick to low cal eating I think that honestly it will have the same effect, it’s just helpful if you need that extra structure to keep you on the straight and narrow 🙂

  3. michelle
    December 2, 2015 / 5:00 am

    Starting April 2016.
    You will be able to buy it in U.S.A .

  4. Claire jones
    February 9, 2016 / 10:47 pm

    Hi can you do this diet if you have diabetes

  5. dr P
    May 3, 2016 / 5:09 pm

    But the only reason muck like this works is because you’re cutting calories!

    Eat less, exercise more….boring, painful, slow but really the only way to loose weight 🙁

    • I mostly agree, and that’s pretty much the conclusion I came to – like I say in this review I do think this will be something that works if you need the motivation of a set diet structure to keep yourself to, but I don’t think it’s unachievable without this product – I think it depends on your mindset!

      My review on this product is the only one I’ve ever been able to find on the internet, away from ones which are shared by the Actiderm consultants, and it gets hundreds and hundreds of hits a day and I receive many emails a week about it, they definitely don’t give the customer a rounded review just ‘approved’ images by Actiderm.

      I’m 100% glad that I did this diet because with all the hits it gets, hopefully people will get a better idea of what this diet is actually like, and when people message me with questions I can tell them that they don’t necessarily need this if they can stick to eating well alone!

      • May 3, 2016 / 5:43 pm

        Yes, you did a good job of it. There are so many reviews (read: propaganda ) by these big companies that it’s refreshing to see a review by someone who’s not on their payroll!

        These weight loss scams are a pet peeve of mine…weight loss isn’t difficult to achieve, you just have to rewire your brain and stomach!

        • I think propaganda is a very apt word! Youniqu is a company I’ll definitely never buy from as they’re not able to share anything thus not been approved by head office!

      • May 3, 2016 / 5:45 pm

        The name is pretty gross too. Shred can be slang for fats!

    • Jay
      July 21, 2018 / 4:37 pm

      As a fact your reply is false. I suffer with fibromyalgia so I can’t exericse due to constant body pain. I’ve been taking hydra slim for just over a week and I have already lose 2 inches from my waist going from a 38 waist to 36. No dieting, eating normal food and having a treat of chocolate every night. My calorie intake is around 1500 a day but the hydraslim is making me feel full quicker. Exercise isn’t for everyone so if you want to loose weight and a few inches then this is the way to go.

  6. Lucy Richardson
    June 2, 2016 / 12:09 am

    Not a great review as you didn’t follow the duet properly 😐 of you’re going to follow a duet and review it you do need to follow the instructions especially using the hydra-slim. I lost 9lbs on my first week then 5lbs the foking week and kept it off. Not had any results like this from following Slimming world or weight watchers.

    Postage is free if you order from a rep or ambassador (I think they’re called Ambassadors?) But I definitely give it the thumbs up. Much cheaper and more effective than slim fast etc

    • Thanks for your comment Lucy, I think it depends how you look at it! I did follow the instructions to the letter in the first week – other than spreading drinking my shake out through the afternoon which the consultant said was fine and kept me from wanting to stab someone as I felt like I hadn’t eaten enough.

      Second week I yes didn’t drink the hydra slim, but I couldn’t as someone had moved it in the office. But in total you lost 14lb, I lost 9 so results aren’t miles away regardless – and it’s hard to compare one persons weight loss to another, depends how easily you lose weight and how much you have to lose too. I still feel the hydra slim didn’t make me more comfortable like described but maybe it was doing something in the background.

      Delivery was definitely not free when I ordered this last September – I think it was around the £4 or £5 mark.

      On reflection I don’t think this is the right way to lose weight, not just actiderm – but shakes in general, especially as a one off as I found that the weight easily crept back on over a few months, maybe if you were doing it as a monthly thing to keep it down then yes, but for me that’s not something j would want to continuously do.

      Either way this is still the only review on the Internet that isn’t associated with actiderm and was a true representation of my experience with the product, yes with a little bit of cheating in the second week, but I chose not to hide the fact I had been to places like kfc so people could make their own judgement.

      I’ve had actiderm ambassadors contact me about using and sharing my review so I can’t have done a too bad job!

    • November 12, 2017 / 8:03 am

      Quality of the shakes is important as well. I am diabetic. I have used slimfast with good results however it is not ideal for diabetics. They have in this past year come out with a high protein low sugar version. It is more expensive than their regular version but has much less sugar in it. Since going on insulin weight has become an issue and so I am exploring fasting. I’m reading of some other benefits to that when it comes to sugar and insulin control. Eating less and exercising more I think is good advice however it is not the only factor in weight game. Hormones actually play a larger role than most people realize. I currently am eating less and exercising more than I ever have in my entire life. The result is I am gaining weight. Still. I am going to look into these shakes further. Read the ingredient list. Make an informed decision based on all of the facts. I will do my best to disregard opinions without substance. Not much in life is actually black and white. Its best to look at whole picture.

  7. Oliver jennings
    June 2, 2016 / 12:12 am

    I did this last month. I lost 22lbs in 3 weeks. Lost 5lbs more following it just using the shakes. Wife is now doing it with some wraps in readiness for our holiday. Cant fault it!

  8. Kal
    October 14, 2016 / 1:04 pm

    Gave me diarrhea

  9. Jo
    January 5, 2017 / 1:47 pm

    Hey Rachael, I’m on my second shred and thought I’d let you know that the Hydraslim is actually more about natural ingredients that boost metabolism, reduce water retention, reduce cholesterol and increase energy…. it’s not just a hunger suppressant like some people may think 🙂

    • January 5, 2017 / 1:53 pm

      Thanks Jo, I still didn’t notice what it did for me/my body I couldn’t notice what it did at all – but it’s handy to know as we’re all different 🙂 x

  10. Eileen
    January 22, 2017 / 10:23 pm

    If you don’t eat only a small evening meal and drink replacement meals your going to loose weight. This is not the way to live and what happens when you go back to proper food.Only can think this is yo yo dieting and can lead to more weight which leads to more dieting

    • January 22, 2017 / 10:35 pm

      I didn’t put any weight on after finishing, however I agree it’s not the best way to diet. I think if you’re someone who needs a straight and narrow regimen that’s set out for you to do then I can see how it works, and the idea of this diet is that it’s something that you do once a month to maintain and lose more. Don’t necessarily agree but I see how it works for some people.

      • Julie
        May 30, 2017 / 9:54 pm

        I have bought this but worried i might be running to the loo all day !! Is this a diaretic?

  11. Katie
    February 19, 2019 / 12:09 am

    Hi, I’ve just started it today and my stomach feels bloated. The hydraslim, for me, is pretty disgusting in taste but I’m what they call a super taster? So I have a heightened sense of taste. I chose the Thai soup rather than a shake (by accident) and they’re ok.. I still want to (but didn’t) butter up some lovely crusty bread with some lurpak!!! (Terrible I know)

    Wish me luck!! X

    • February 19, 2019 / 10:17 am

      Good Luck Katie, it’s a few years since I did this and I don’t think I’d want to go back to it again! I don’t think I could do Soup without some toast, it’s the best part of soup for me haha! x

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