New Diet Plan Lacks Credibility

A positive note for Ashy Bines, the new guidelines being distributed as of 24/10/2012 are a vast improvement to the previous ones which were simply lacking in substance and fell short of market credibility. (This includes the Cookbook).

What is wrong with the new guidelines and cookbook, more importantly the guidelines (still sold on the basis/name of a Diet Plan depending on which page you are on and which post you are reading).

In short:

• Noticeably absent is the ABBBC sub-contractor and employed Nutrition For Life Accredited Dietitians from any endorsement of either of the Ebooks. Julie Masci, dietitian, has not endorsed nor put her name to the products.

• Dan Nimmo is the only named person with the least impressive qualifications, when comparing him to Julie Masci, who endorses the product. One has to ask, given the friendship between ABBBC Director Steven Evans and Daniel Nimmo, is this an arms length bona fide endorsement? How much money has exchanged hands for the only named endorsement on the actual product?

•  The use of pseudonyms to provide advice and endorsements is of no value whatsoever, in fact, they are misleading and could induce a customer to believe the product has credibility when in fact once we contacted the Nursing Federation, and Medical Boards, and we were advised that any endorsement would be acknowledged by the use of name, qualifications, particulars of experience including education, as per Daniel Nimmo's endorsement. Therefore the purported endorsement by the alleged Cardiologist, Nurse and Dermatologist is questionable and attempts to mask the apparent flaws contained in the Ebooks and should be disregarded as a furphy.

• The Clean Eating Plan Video (Sales) contradicts the Guidelines/Diet Plan and in particular, in so far as the inconsistency with the use of supplements which is not congruent with Clean Eating per se.

• The Dietitian Association advises that any diet plan which purports to provide health advice, meal plans, and the like must provide the following:-

(a) Nutritional Value(s) and facts for each snack, meal option suggestions, and
(b)Kilojoules and
(c) For example:- How the food will effect the body:-

Issues like what is the Glycemic Content, whether the meal is low carb/high in protein and its value to the body when eating that portion or size, it fails to advise why if at all you need nutritional supplements and in what circumstances, whether the meal or snack is heart healthy, low in fat, sugar content/artificial sweeteners contained in the supplement recommendations, omega 3 to omega 6 ration, sodium content, (you get the general idea) and how it effects your body?.

Sadly It still purports to provide the unfettered catch cry phase "lose weight fast guaranteed watch your waist shrink in just days" without taking into account:-

(a) The age group ranges,
(b) Possible medical and or mental health issues and how medication can effect the process of weight loss,
(c) To consult a medical practitioner prior to undertaking the diet plan to have your personal circumstances assessed in order to not feel disappointed should your results not be in line with the expected sales pitch.

There are of course a myriad of reasons why a diet will not deliver immediate guaranteed weight loss, why? Because nobody can provide that guarantee having regard to the factors hereinbefore stated. Therefore whilst there is a vast improvement in the size, colour and product presentation, it still falls short of what one would expect of a diet plan particularly when you can purchase a diet plan from Accredited Dietitians for as little as $19 and Clean Eating has been around for so long, there are hundreds of free resources on the internet which provide information of equal if not higher quality and which provide sensible advice and does not promise spectacular results, rather focused on the lifestyle change which will more likely than not lead to a healthier lifestyle but may not yield quick weight loss.

Finally, whilst we have exposed some of the negligent advice Ashy Bines PT and Director has provided on her forums, we note she has Australian qualifications as a PT yet she fails to provide advice on the guidelines preferring to obtain advice from two PT's from Sydney, who are friends, and whom one has a questionable financial background. Does that make the advice invalid? No, but it makes you question the cohesiveness of the Ebook and whether it offers value for money and why you would taint the product with a party which has a questionable public financial history.

Whilst Clean Eating is not a fad diet, in my opinion what Ashy Bines offers constitutes a fad diet having regard to the representations she makes via the Ebook/Product/Sales Video.

Further the lack of structure in including alternatives for the International Market, and using colloquialisms which are foreign to International Customers or options which are available in their own country, makes the product fall short of its International Promise to be universal.

The hero of the Ashy Bines Clean Eating Guidelines - is the Facebook forum. Women who help each other every single day with support and recipes which they share and variances to the guidelines, that is the only reason in my view why the business has survived for so long. They do not realise that it is not Ashy Bines providing the support, it is themselves, and they are the heroes of the whole project.

For example, here is a post on one of the new pages run by ABBBC, which show a picture of the guidelines for the international market, yet refers to it as a diet plan. It cannot be both.

In fact, on 6 November 2012, the page name was changed to Amazing Bikini Body Diet Transformations for what reason? It is unknown, save that there are complaints lodged with Scambook world wide perhaps? In my opinion, the name change is that they are desperately trying to sell their product under as many banners as possible, using social media in order to avoid legislation governing their conduct, with a total of 8 pages now running, selling the same product to different audiences under different titles, as confirmed by Mr Steven Evans, Director of ABBBC.

Who is Daniel Nimmo?

Please note: 

Daniel Nimmo is regarded as an industry leader as a PT, see link. However there are allegations that he is friends with both Directors, Bines and Evans. Herein is the proof, and makes me question the credibility and/or objectiveness of Mr Nimmo’s when essentially he is the only name who underpins the whole diet plan.

http://wellness.edu.au/presenters-2/daniel-nimmo/

Dan Nimmo’s links are:-

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dan-Nimmo-Fitness-C-QLD-Naturopathy-Nutrition-and-Personal-Training/173492996073246

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dan-Nimmo-Fitness-C-QLD-Naturopathy-Nutrition-and-Personal-Training/173492996073246

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwellness.edu.au%2Fpresenters-2%2Fdaniel-nimmo%2F&h=DAQFtwAth

https://www.facebook.com/daniel.nimmo

He has also worked at the Golden Doors Retreat, known as and situated at The Golden Door Health Retreat, Queensland, but it has been confirmed on 16 November 2012, that he is no longer associated with, nor employed by this business, located at:

400 Ruffles Road Willow Vale, QLD, 4209
Phone: 61 7 5540 6100 [(07) 5540 6100 for Australian Residents]
Fax: 61 7 5546 6173 [(07) 5546 6173 for Australian Residents]
Email: info@goldendoor.com.au

Sydney Based Nurse Anonymous:

(Page 60 of the Guidelines)

The use of a pseudonym does not necessarily invalidate the value of the information, but it makes it worthless on the basis that it is not endorsed appropriately as previously highlighted.

Dermatologist Anonymous:

Page 56, same analogy applies.


Cardiologist Anonymous:

Notwithstanding that the purported advice is surprising given the education level, the standard of expression is not only surprising, it is not congruent with in my opinion, an experienced Cardiologist would speak, for example if he were referring to milk products as he does, and asserts he read some interesting information from the Heart Foundation, I submit he would have cited the article as doctors are experienced with writing information, they cite their references in order to not be held responsible for information they have disseminated which is not theirs. Nor is it a habit for a trained doctor especially a specialist to adopt the information from a third party source without full acknowledgement and quotation marks. That being said in my view one ought to have great difficulty believing that this information was in fact provided by a Cardiologist, and the fact that he will not qualify himself nor his practice, says a lot, and should force consumers to ask questions. It does not sound right, it does not feel right, then it is not credible in my view.

Sydney Based PT's who provide advice but do not endorse the products:

Please note I am not suggesting the advice is not appropriate nor competent. However, I find some of the background to be questionable when trying to sell a product and obtain market share, when you are seeking credibility, these issues (which are available publicly) make you question why one Ashy Bines PT did not provide the advice, and, two, why they would choose PT's who have had a colourful history?

Kenneth Cheer (whom is also friends with Scott Mathew Dingwall)

Links located re: Scott Matthew Dingnall

https://creditorwatch.com.au/company/profile/84800631915

http://businessprofiles.com/details/dingwall-scott-matthew/AU-84800631915

ASIC – Searches:

http://www.abr.business.gov.au/SearchByAbnHistory.aspx?SearchText=84800631915

http://www.abr.business.gov.au/SearchByAbnHistory.aspx?SearchText=84800631915

Proof the PT's are friends, which may not be sinister in itself, more collaborative. However, I like to provide evidence for comments which I, and the advocacy page make.

We also note that ABBBC was listed on the NZ Scam Watch Page:-

Scam Watch NZ

https://www.facebook.com/FraudInfo

In my opinion whilst the guidelines/diet plan has improved substantially from its three previous versions, given all the feedback and complaints from customers, which still to this day continue to roll in despite the changes to the current updated version, demonstrates that the product still falls short of the mark. It would have cost them very little overall, in time and expense, to have the plan assessed properly, by, say, Julie Masci, and remove any issues which may give the impression that the product has not evolved on a professional basis. Just because it is prettier to look at and has more content, does not make it a sustainable, nor a product which has intrinsic public value or market credibility.

Like I mentioned previously, but for the incredible dedication of the women on the forum who are simply members and who provide each other advice, recipes and support to each other without expense to the Ashy Bines Brand, ABBBC Clean Eating would have now died a slow death. They are the true heroes, and those who have left the ABBBC Clean Eating Group and moved to Sensible Clean Eaters, which is not only free, but offers incredible advice and support, then one simply has to ask - what are you paying for? In my view, nothing you cannot get yourself free of charge, as many ex customers have worked out for themselves, and, in fact improved the Facebook group model, which is more congruent. The new guidelines are also a platform for Ashy Bines Brand to further spruik her products, such as Tone, which is not an industry leader, and is definitely in opposition to the principals of Clean Eating.

The original article for this piece was written by Anne-Claire O'Loughlin, and can be found here.