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Lights On, Lights Off: DynaMAXX Review

dynamaxx

We all want to have better focus, sleep better and work out better in the gym. Clearly, all three of those things rock. And while normally we don’t review this kind of stuff—too much supplement stuff beyond the basics makes us a bit wary—we got this really convincing email from a reader saying that we had to try some of DynaMAXX’s products. That it was pretty much life-changing, or health-changing. And so, as we FBGs always do, we became a guinea pig for you!

Up first, we tried Lights On and Lights Off, two complementary products—one to light your brain up with more clarity and focus and another to help you chillax and get a good night’s sleep. Lights On, which doesn’t have any caffeine in it, has a mix of vitamins C and B, plus ginseng, resveratrol, maca root, goji and acai Berries, among other things. One packet of the stuff does have 28 calories. With no artificial flavors and sweetened with a little stevia, you mix a packet in 12 to 14 ounces of water and down the hatch it goes. The Natural Berry flavor wasn’t too bad (kind of reminds me of a less intense flavor of this), and while I can’t say that after drinking it I felt my “lights turn on” or my clarity or focus really kick into super drive, I felt good after drinking it. I especially noticed that when I drank it around that usual 3 p.m. slump that I didn’t have quite my normal lull in energy.

Then there’s the Lights Off. With 12 calories a serving, you mix a packet into just two ounces of water and drink it about an hour before bedtime. Each packet has a proprietary blend of calm-inducing supplements like chamomile, 5-HTP and melatonin. I one of these before bed one night and found that it did seem to relax me quite nicely. I didn’t get super drowsy, but I did feel chill. And I slept well.




The final one we tried was the DynaMAXX B4. Designed for sports performance, you fill one of these plastic expand-o pouches with 12 ounces of water and then shake and drink before working out. With 15 calories, there’s B and C vitamins, along with amino acids, caffeine and some other multi-syllable stuff. The drink is said to “enhance muscle oxygenation at the cellular level, and its proprietary blend of ingredients promote strength, energy, power and stamina.” My husband and I both tried one of these before a recent Fit Pit workout and while I did have a great workout—it was a long one (a little more than an hour) and I had plenty of energy, strength and endurance—toward the end of it, we both had a slight bit of nausea. I also had extra air in my belly and kept burping. So while it did do some good, for me, it also had some drawbacks.

The products are pretty pricey (about $60 for a 30-count box of Lights On or Lights Off and $70 for a box of B4)—and the business is set up with “associates” to buy from, although you don’t have to know someone to enter the store. So there’s that. And it goes without saying, but of course, we prefer whole nutrition, rest and taking care of yourself above any supplementation. But if you need a little help with focus, relaxation or a slight edge when you work out, this stuff might be worth trying.

So tell us, would you try something like this? Have you? Share your thoughts! —Jenn

FTC disclosure: We often receive products from companies to review. All thoughts and opinions are always entirely our own. Unless otherwise stated, we have received no compensation for our review and the content is purely editorial. Affiliate links may be included. If you purchase something through one of those links we may receive a small commission. Thanks for your support!

Comments

28 Comments
  1. Thanks so much Jenn for taking time with the products that have made such an impact for me (and pilates rehab clients of mine). I’d love to answer any questions Fit Bottomed readers may have.

    Dr. Cassie Lewallen, DPT and STOTT Pilates Rehab Certified
    dr.cassie.dpt (at) gmail.com

  2. Yeah, I’m not sure how I feel about stuff like this. I would much rather go the whole foods route and get my vitamins and such naturally.

  3. B Clanchy says:

    Hi, I was looking at becoming an associate of this company so was doing a bit of research and came across your review. Your statement that Lights On contains no caffeine is misleading, as the 3rd ingredient (3rd most amount by labelling laws) is guarana seed which contains 3 to 4 times the amount of caffeine as coffee beans.
    Also, though the products are sweetened with stevia, listed under the Supplement Facts, all three also list crystallized fructose as the first ingredient in the ‘Other Ingredients’ list: fructose being a form of sugar. This makes the biggest impact in ‘Lights On’ where 5 grams of the 9 gram single serve package is sugar.
    I am not saying this is necessarily a negative for all your readers, but if you are going to write a review it is good for it to be accurate. Easy to miss these facts, I had to use a magnifying glass to read the information!

  4. Victoria says:

    I think that this company is a scam – I have been selling the product and every time I have a good month Dynamaxx finds some reason to take my profit. If any of you decide to sell this be careful!!

  5. brenda says:

    A friend of mine is trying to set me up in this “unique opportunity”, she says this product is new in Canada only since October 2013, Im skeptical as don’t really like the pyramid thing, does anyone have any info to help me decide either way?

  6. Sherry says:

    I tried the b4 and had a terrible reaction. My tongue, gums, hand, and feet swelled. My muscles got week and I felt like I was suffocating. I was not asked if I have any allergies. I have malignant hypothermia . I would never promote this product.

  7. Stephanie says:

    I need to purchase lights off

  8. Emilie says:

    I’ve tried this stuff before and I really liked it. I had lots of energy throughout a day that would have normally been very stressful and busy but I found I just sort of breezed right through it. That being said, I would like to actually purchase some of the stuff but I can’t seem to figure out how. The Dynamaxx website is less than helpful. I felt like I was just going in circles there. I read that you have to join as some kind of salesperson in order to get it? I do NOT want to do that. I just want to order the stuff WITHOUT a recurring subscription. Soooo, anyone know how I can just straight out buy it?
    (If you have a good product, it doesn’t make sense to make it so difficult to find out how to order it. Maybe the company needs to change this?)

  9. Terry says:

    I have heard of this company for a few years now and have friends actually involved with the company and they are very happy with all aspects of it. I do’t want to be involved in the sales but I finally decided to try all of the products to see for myself. This is my 5th day using them faithfully and I can honestly say that I am very surprised at how well I do like them. As others who have responded I am not much for supplements but I am getting older and my Dr. says I should take them. I start with the Lights On in the morning before taking my kids to school. I can definately feel my energy boost and it does not give me the shakes like products I tried in the past do. It is a bit sweet tasting but I expect to adjust to this. I then take the B4 and head to the gym. I go 3 times a week for 60-90 minutes. I found myself with a bit more endurance and not wanting to quit so easily when I usually get a bit tired after a while. Now the Lights Off..YEAH!!!! I have taken it as directed 30 minutes before bed and I have slept so soundly its incredible. I am normally up 2-4 times a night. I am also trying the Whey Protein shake. I am drinking it after my workout. It is pretty bland so you can add whatever you want to the vanilla flavor it has. I add a banana and peanut butter and love it.

  10. Graywriter says:

    A friend gave us three samples of Lights Off and DynaMAXX B4.

    My wife took the Lights Off and said it had no effect whatsoever (I can vouch for that; she was up in the night just as often with as without the product.

    So far, I’m reluctant to try the B4 because I’m suspicious of any product that throws around such grandiose claims and such pseudo-scientific gobbledegook. I googled the product and can find no definitive information about its effects. There are a few vague subjective anecdotal accounts such as the ones in this blog, and a lot of obviously biased testimonials on the corporate website. The best info would be the results of an independent double-blind study using physical metrics as the outcome variable, but I doubt that will ever be carried out.

    I also checked the DynaMAXX site, and it’s strictly MLM. The corporate leadership is a dynamic team of entrepreneurs with expertise in multi-level marketing (now called “network sales” or “direct sales”), financial management, advertising and promotion. Not a health professional in the list.

    Among the company’s three “life coaches”, though, is a Dr. Carrie Carda. An Ob/Gyn, she has “a Masters degree from the University of South Florida in Nutrition”. The other two “life coaches” are Bryan Dodge, a saleman/public speaker/sales trainer; and Rhonda Boyer, a woman who “has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Sociology and is an AFAA certified Personal Trainer with association education in Nutritional Fundamentals”. There is no indication that Carda and/or Boyer had any involvement with the development or formulation of the products nor that they have in any way assessed or tested them.

    As with any supplement, CLAIMS ARE NOT SUPPORTED BY THE FDA “due to inadequate studies”.

  11. Ermin Pettiford says:

    I am so happy for these comments especially Graywriter. People forget about the scientific method of research before diving head first into these nutritional supplement scemes, I almost did. I went to one of the meetings where I was the only male in a room of nine women. I hope everyone does their research before signing up.

  12. Rebecca says:

    HI I JOINED THE COMPANY ABOUT 2 months ago love it and love the products. Can’t rememeber the persons name about ordering problems please go to my website and order you will have to do a recurring order but once you process the first one you can just cancel the recurring order

  13. Rebecca says:

    My dad just started selling this and since I have a lot of weight to lose decided to be a testimonial to the weight loss 30 day challenge. I’m only on day 1 so far. The appetite blocker seemed to work as I ate half the food I normally would at lunch. As per the whole FDA stuff…the fda are not the be all and end all of what is safe and what is not. Big pharma plays a huge role in what is allowed and not and why the FDA won’t do studies on these new supplements. Read the book Bending Science and you will see how people, “dr.s”, are strategically put into studies to counter some studies being done. Other scientists omit certain information in order to make sure the results they want are seen.
    Not everyone is going to react the same way to products. Some may have an allergic reaction, some may not feel any effect at all, and some it will work wonders on.

  14. Lake says:

    I have been with this company since the day it opened in canada and i joined originally for the business. But what these products have done for me and I have seen done for others are amazing. With supplementing everyone is different and has different things going on in their bodies so reactions are definitely going to be different. I never supplemented before these products and I can tell you its bettter than taking any pills any day. Also it can be pretty difficult to get the things we need to function properly daily because there are so many fillers and sugars in food. Now; crystalline fructose in the product is often mistaken for high fructose (corn syrup) https://www.dropbox.com/s/hlpl7xvkioxffxm/The%20Truth%20About%20Fructose%20Dangers.docx?dl=0 … with each of the products because they are natural ingredients i always tell my friends to not expect major results after 1 packet. For some people it takes maybe 5 days of using it to feel the full . I personally noticed right away. As for the products being FDA approved it is not necessary because the products do not claim to prevent or cure any illness’ But is approved through the health administration in canada. There are many health proffesionals involved in the company as distributors. Like Dr. Carrie Carda (OB- GYN and specialist in Holistic Medicine.. Now that we are officially fully licensed in canada for re-sale anyone can go to a distributors website and order retail or as an elite customer (puts you on an autoship that you can turn off anytime and gets you the distributor price) All prices are US dollars. http://www.dynamaxx.com/LGARDNER

  15. Matthew J. Holt says:

    Hello a friend gave me a pack of lights on and it worked pretty good, but I really have trouble sleeping so I want to try lights ou t. Please tell me how I can order it.

  16. Patricia V says:

    Matthew. I can help you out. Please email me at rossverhelst@sasktel.net and we can get you all set up :). Look forward to hearing from you 🙂

  17. George says:

    Thanks for the Dynamaxx Lights On review. One thing to point out though is that Lights On does contain caffeine due to the ingredient of green tea (leaf).

  18. Terrylynn Grier says:

    I was invited by a friend to try “lights on” and “lights off” several times! I kept being invited out to the meetings. I was thinking – great another nutritional product, even better an MLM. I was NOT interested!!! However I did finally go to a meeting I herd about the business plan, I then herd about the products I signed up for the business as despite being an MLM I can honestly say I’ve never seen an MLM set up like this one is! There are many significant differences. In addition to the bussiness these products are truly life changing! I suffered for months not having any energy constantly feeling lethargic and even though I slept I would wake up with anxiety attacks. It was Awful!!! The first night I took “lights off” I woke up easily, I did not have an anxiety attack, I got up and I took “lights on” that day I had energy for the first time in months! I felt like me. I felt happy. For me the positive effects were immediate! For others I know it can take a few days to notice the effects. I’ve talked to many people who can attest to how life changing these products are. There are so many areas they are beneficial! Weight loss, increased energy, deeper more restful sleep (it had properties to help recover you Physicaly and emotionally as you sleep). The lights on increases your serotonin levels. I am a distributor and I completely believe in these products and this company! My site is dynamaxx.com/TGrier

  19. Dustin says:

    As most companies do you some drawbacks and yes products are pricey but if you think about how much you spend on a cup of coffee which would be equivalent to one dynamaxx drink. one packet is $1.30 where as a medium coffee might be $1.50 – $2.00. Even energy drinks cost you almost $4.00 a can. The founders had decided they wanted a healthy yet affordable solution to people’s problems

  20. D. Hilton says:

    Yes, I just came back from a talk about Dynamax and me and the rest of the invited folks were all encouraged to join up with Dynamax by paying a signup fee of $59. We were told about the benefits of the Dynamax products Jen and her husband (article here) had tried. Then I read through the signup sheet and saw the costs of packages a new agent could purchase and what was included in it. Someone quipped that it was a pyramid scheme and she was told it wasn’t that it was an MLM (multilevel marketing. Call it what you want, it is a pyramid scheme and the products are unreasonably pricey as far as I can see. It’s my perception. I have seen this all before. People buy in and they get their friends on board who get their friends on board, etc. Things are looking pretty good for a while. At some point things start to collapse like a cake in the oven after you peak inside and then slam the door. After a while you start to see your income slowly collapsing. Anyway the products sounded pretty fishy as did the schpiel so I was out of there.

  21. Brad Simmons says:

    Hi my name is Brad Simmons my wife is a distributor for dynamaxx I have personally been taking the product now for 5 years straight and I just got all of my bloodwork back as I am over 50 years old now I was happily surprised that my doctor had told me there was not one medicine that he could give me my blood pressure was in check my cholesterol was at normal levels. My wife is currently a ruby in the company which means she has a new Mercedes and dynamaxx does cover the payments I have currently for The Last 5 Years went on vacation with the owners and they have become like family the whole company is a Class Act from dr. Carrie carda all the way down to the owners Bill Ladwig and Jay Archer. Dynamaxx is a very family-oriented company that will only provide the best of products. If you would like any information on this company please speak with somebody that has been a proud associate since it has been open from day one, my family has been truly blessed to be a part of this company.
    http://Www.dynamaxx.com/gohealthy , feel free to get the truth about the company contact Prissy. 386-804-0383

  22. Gayle Bjorklund says:

    We have been using these products for a couple of years now, especially for our son who is Fetal Alcohol Affected and ADHD. It would take him up to several hours to be able to calm and go to sleep. Once we began to give him Lights Off, he is ready and ASKING to go to bed as soon as 15 minutes after taking it and sleeps calmly through the night. Within a week after starting him on this, his speech and occupational therapists were asking what we had changed because he was now able to focus and accomplish tasks that he previously could not. Our older children regularly take lights on, and some of them use lights off. I find that the lights off does not help me so much, but Lights On does. On days where I have gotten short sleep (which is more often than should be) when I have lights on I am able to keep my focus while at work, and not ‘drift off’, but do not feel jittery. It really does depend on how your body reacts to each product. I have noticed that some people cannot take it if they are sensitive to melatonin. One friend has strange and vivid dreams when he takes Lights Off, but is also bothered by melatonin. However, he responds favorably to Lights On. Another friend told me that after his first night taking Lights Off, when he woke up his comment was, “I will never again be without this product. I slept better than I have in 20 years!” I believe it is worth trying if you have any issues.

  23. Kelvin says:

    This product was a the greatest and worst thing that happened to me. I took it initially as a free sample and wow I felt amazing. I think it gets described incorrectly a lot though. It’s not that energy drink feeling it’s made me just feel like I was 20 again. That young strong I’d rather walk then drive feeling. It also made a extremely big difference in my focus when it came to tedious work I needed to do. I was running to tell everyone about this stuff and of course wanted to sell it immediately. That was the great part of course. The bad part was it never happened again. I bought my own and nothing. Thought maybe I got a bad batch bought some more nothing again and the people I have some to experienced the same thing. I eventually figured they had a quality issue or something and I just left the products alone all together but if they ever got it to where it worked the same every time I’d be back so fast it would make your head spin.

  24. Dee says:

    You said there is no caffeine but there is in this prodcut and I am just looking for what the ph is of this casue they claim its healthy but coffee is acidic. Are you able to find out?

  25. Audrey says:

    I tried the lights on being very skeptical that it wouldn’t do anything for my chronic fatigue. I’m a person living with MS. I also tried lights off because I had very poor sleep. These 2 products changed my life for the better. I finally have sleep where I feel rested in the morning and have energy to do the things I want to do. I would diffinetly recommend these products to everyone who wants to feel better.

  26. Terry quiring says:

    When will my order get here your company has some thing wrong when you cant get your order.

  27. Julia Sherriff says:

    I used Light-on to go through night shift back in days, when there was little effect from 3-4 8oz-cups of coffee due to sleep deprivation with work-school schedule. It was a nice little boost.

  28. Colleen says:

    Where can you buy the lights off ??

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