An Unbiased Review of All In by Teddi Mellencamp

After seeing some emerging details about this program, I’m totally horrified that women are investing thousands in such a dangerous program. So here is an unbiased review of All In by Teddi Mellencamp.

Listen, I watch Housewives. Beverly Hills is not and has never been at the top of my list. Let’s be honest, they just can’t keep up with New York.

Last night I got sucked into Emily Gellis Lande’s Instagram about All In by Teddi Mellencamp. I wasn’t familiar with the program and I was shocked to see so many women sharing horror stories.

My shock turned to anger when I saw that Teddi is now promoting her program for postpartum mothers. As a mother myself, that anyone would promote this starvation diet to a woman in her most vulnerable time is sickening.

For the record, I have some several unbiased reviews on various programs, meal replacements and products. You can see them below:

What is All In by Teddi Mellencamp?

I knew that Teddi Mellencamp had her accountability program; though I thought it was more focused on texting your accountability coach about workouts, in the way you would a workout buddy.

As it turns out, Teddi’s program is incredibly restrictive, requires members to do an hour of cardio every single day, does not recommend weight lifting (which we know strengthens women’s bodies and is more effective for long-term health than cardio alone), send pictures of every single meal and pictures of daily weigh ins to an “accountability coach.”

I’m honestly horrified by this.

This is not health.

This is a recipe for disordered eating at best and at worse, a full blown eating disorder.

Why is this program harmful for participants?

I’m not even sure where to begin.

First, it’s a starvation diet. It is extremely low calorie, low fat and zero protein. Ladies, please hear me when I say this: our bodies need calories, fat and protein.

This meal plan is a recipe for hormonal imbalance, thyroid disorders and disordered eating.

First, our bodies thrive on fat.

We need healthy fats. Our hormones are created from the fat we eat. Over 60% of the brain is made up of fat. Without adequate calories and fat content, our bodies go into starvation mode.

When this happens, it signals to our body that famine is present and we are in danger. Our bodies are still incredibly primal. When our bodies experience famine, we shift to survival mode and away from hormonal balance.

This is because thousands of years ago, if the body sensed famine, it would shift away from hormone balance as to not allow a woman to become pregnant in a time of famine. Today, this same thing happens. Without adequate calories and fat, our hormones no longer function properly. We lose our periods. The thyroid becomes stressed, our adrenals become stressed, we can throw ourselves into a hypothryoid state and into adrenal fatigue. When this happens, women experience sleep disorders, anxiety and depression. All so Teddi can make money on unsuspecting women who just want to lose weight.

The second thing that happens with such a low protein diet is that our bodies lose muscle and we further deplete our neurotransmitter production. Neurotransmitters are responsible for making us feel happy and relaxed or anxious and sad.

To function properly the central nervous system requires adequate protein intake. This is because neurotransmitters like GABA and serotonin needs amino acids (found in protein) to properly fire.

We need 20g-30g of protein, whole proteins (ideally found in animal foods like grass-fed beef, eggs, wild seafood and pasture raised chicken) per meal for ideal neurotransmitter function.

Without this, our bodies deplete and our neurotransmitters do not function properly. This can lead to feelings of depression, anxiety and sleep disturbances.

There really is so, so much wrong with this program. I truly do not have the time to write about it all.

But weighing yourself daily, sending that weight to a “coach” while depriving yourself of vital nutrients your body needs is simply a recipe for disaster. You can do real damage to your body, not to mention your mental health.

Here is a daily menu from Teddi’s meal plan with macronutrients (protein, fat, carbohydrates) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals):

*see Emily Gellis’ Instagram for screen shots of meal plans

Breakfast: 1/2 cup of oatmeal cooked with water and a 1/2 cup of berries

Snack: an apple

Lunch: 1/2 cup brown rice, lentils or quinoa and 1 cup mixed vegetables

Snack: 1/2 avocado (I chose the most nutrient dense option here, the other options are just fruit)

Dinner: soup with veggies and no protein, fat or salt, Pacific brand is recommended so I chose the tomato and red pepper soup, as it does not have protein which Teddi seems to avoid

Calories: 739
Protein: 20g
Carbohydrates: 119g
Fat: 21g
Fiber: 21g
Teddi’s program does not meet a single amino acid daily recommendation
Teddi’s program does not meet the caloric recommendations for even a toddler, much less adult women and certainly not postpartum women
Teddi’s program does not meet a single daily vitamin content recommendation
Teddi’s program meets only two mineral requirements – sodium (recommendation is already quite low) and manganese

And here is a daily menu from one of my meal plans with macro and micronutrients:

Breakfast: three eggs scrambled with a little grass-fed butter, spinach and cherry tomatoes (or really any veggies you like)

Lunch: big ol’ salad with arugula, 4oz chicken breast, tomatoes, red onion, bell pepper, about 2 tbsp olive oil and sea salt for dressing, sprinkle of feta on top

Snack: smoothie with 1/2 scoop Ancestral Nutrition Collagen Protein + Super Greens, 1/2 cup blueberries, 1/3 cup frozen kale, 1 tbsp psyllium husk, 1 tbsp MCT oil, 1/2 a lemon

Dinner: 4oz salmon cooked with olive oil and salt, 1/2 cup of white rice (learn why I recommend white rice here) and snap peas and shiitake mushrooms cooked in olive oil and coconut aminos

Calories: 1709
Protein: 103g
Carbohydrates: 90g
Fiber: 30g
Fat: 107g
my meal plan meets every single protein and amino acid requirement
my programs meets or nearly meets the RDA for B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, Biotin, choline, folate, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K and vitamin E
my meal plan meets or nearly meets the mineral requirements for calcium, copper, magnesium, manganese, phosphorous, potassium, selenium, sodium (I forgot to add in the sea salt I recommend) and zinc

And most importantly: the ability for a person to flexibly use my meal plan. I encourage people who purchase my meal plans to tailor them to their needs and likes. No two people are alike and will have the exact same biological needs, preferences, food sensitivities, etc.

What should you do instead?

Fuck these coaches telling you what to do or how to feed your own damn self. They are not trained. No one knows your body better than you do. Listen to it!

Get to know what your body needs. Start with a well balanced diet rich in veggies, healthy fats and protein. Include veggies at every meal. Include protein at each meal and aim for at least 20g per meal. Avoid processed food. Keep carbohydrates whole and with the idea to stabilize blood sugar.

This program is so detrimental on so many levels. Women deserve better than this, which is why I wrote An Unbiased Review of All In by Teddi Mellencamp. This is not healthy, this is not sustainable, it’s not even safe.

If you need more help, seek out someone that is trained in nutrition, whether it be a health coach, holistic nutritionist or registered dietitian. Just make sure their philosophy aligns with yours. Just like there are bad doctors, mechanics, lawyers – there are people in the wellness world that aren’t very good at their job. And Teddi Mellencamp is proof of that.