I get your point. Water does imply zero calories. Other products that use the term ‘water’ in their name are rife with sugar and calories – vitaminwater and sobe lifewater just to name two. If you looked at the points I addressed, I just want to make sure you get the facts straight. You should also be aware that most of the country does not drink regular water – preferring sweeter products such as iced teas, sodas, or other enhanced water beverages, and in many cases, those that do drink water, look for healthful sweeter alternatives to satisfy a particular craving. TrimWater is formulated to satisfy both scenarios. Again – not replace water, but, to provide a healthier alternative to the other products in the marketplace that are contributing to the fattening of America.

A huge percentage of what we piss our money away on is marketing? Is a mercedes with a breakdown record worse then the 1970′s Ford, worth twice as much as Toyota that almost never breaks? No, but it makes you feel good in front of friends…

Same for Diamonds which are artificially kept scarce buy an organization that makes the mob look like nice folks, same for almost all fashion.

Hell even water. Look how many plain ol, non “enhanced” waters are on the shelf and it costs 1000x as much as tap water and yet tap water in most parts of the US has been proven to be as good, if not better than all this premium water. THey charge more for this premium water in most cases then you pay for Gas, even at today’s prices.

If you owned the business and wanted to sell water with sugar, you wouldn’t get the time of day, if you just called the bottle….Tap water with sugar.

Thats the beauty of free enterprise. Just don’t claim it makes you lose weight faster than water, those types of claims get you screwed (aka the latest Airborne fiasco)

The dirty secret, though, is the cost of mfg any of these beverages is tiny. The gross margins are huge. The big expenses are marketing, paying rappers like 50cent (or giving stock) to plug your product, and both inbound and outbound freight as water is one of the heaviest consumables on the market. Add the $4.50/gallon for diesel to transport and the beverage liquid itself, probably makes up 5%, if that much, of the retail price.

At least these guys show a per container number. These huge 20oz Vitamin Water bottles would show “serving” calories, but who the hell actually doesn’t consume the whole bottle and thus that is 2 servings.

I already consume too many calories, I don’t need more in a beverage, especially with how good Splenda tastes.

I just pray, that I don’t die of cancer because all my health food nuts tell me I’m killing myself…

Further, I am not saying there isn’t marketing. You are overlooking that my post was to clear up inaccurate statements in the original blog entry and that the opinions stated in Wayne’s entry should be taken into consideration of the misinterpretation of the facts – again, read my clarification of points 1 through 4, wherein I state that we are ‘more than slick marketing’. Marketing? Yes – However, the phrase ‘slick marketing’ implies deception – so I take umbrage with that. Our product is in no way deceptive – can others say the same?

TrimWater is formulated with a calorie and sugar profile as well as nutritional ingredients to assist with weight maintenance – to help people stay trim and fit. The name clearly depicts that.

Again, read the labels. Other beverages list the nutritional facts on a per serving basis, not on a per container basis, leaving the consumer to ostensibly be misled. We tell the whole truth, per serving and per container, leaving the consumer with a clear understanding of the product and its contents. You have already stated accurately that vitaminwater doesn’t -

And just to be clear, the FDA won’t let you choose the more familiar description “sugar”, but requires the more precise description “crystalline fructose”?

I’m not trying to bust your chops, but it seems ridiculous to maintain that there is not any marketing spin involved here.

I can’t speak for Wayne, but I believe his issue was with the choice of the name “Trim Water”. It may be a “Trim Beverage”, but it can’t be “Trim Water” because water already has zero calories.

So your saying it wasn’t a marketing decision to change the name of “sugar” to “crystalline fructose”.

Mark Reid

My name is David Sackler, and I am the founder and CEO of Lifestyle Beverages, the makers of TrimWater. I came across your blog, and I would like to clear up a few things.

First, TrimSpa has NOTHING to do with TrimWater, other than a marketing agreement that has since run it’s course. We are a beverage company, they are a supplement company.

Second, we are about more than ‘slick marketing’. TrimWater is a low calorie, low sugar alternative to other beverages on the market, and we are formulated with a nutritional profile that is designed to assist with weight maintenance.

Third, nothing is wrong with a bottle of water, nor a bottle of water with a slice of lemon for flavor. However, in a society with a ‘sweet tooth’, TrimWater provides a healthier alternative to most, if not all, of the alternatives on the market. We are not looking to replace water as a beverage of choice, nor make water healthier – we are about providing a healthier alternative to colas, sugar laden ‘enhanced’ waters, juices, and other beverages. Nothing is better for you than water. The reality is, many people look for flavor and sweetness at the expense of their health and weight. TrimWater helps satisfy that without all the calories and sugar.

Fourth, you are correct that your 12 ounce can of Diet Pepsi has 35 milligrams of caffeine. However, when you compare the volume of the products, TrimWater, which is in a 20 ounce container, has 50mg of caffeine. When comparing the two, 20 ounces of Diet Pepsi has nearly 58mg of caffeine, or nearly 13%% more caffeine in volume.

One of the things you point out about our Nutrition Facts label, is that we show our full nutritional profile on a per serving and per container basis. No one else does this. Why? We want our consumers to see the facts rather than be duped and not doing the math to find out what’s really inside their beverage.

Wayne, I appreciate your passion. However, our mission is not about being slick. I know what it’s like to have been fat, and all of the physical, emotional, and social issues that are involved with that. Our country is facing an epidemic of health issues as a result of obesity, and, as adverse to other companies that deserve the label of ‘slick marketers’, I guide Lifestyle to be the healthful alternative to the products that have contributed to the fattening of America. 25% of the calories in the typical American diet come from beverages. That is a crazy number. If we can have a positive impact and mitigate that number to eliminate up to 500 calories a day, we could take a pound a week off of every person who gets away from the sugary stuff. Are we looking to replace water? No. We are providing a healthy, enjoyable beverage for the consumer to have as a choice for their diet. Not as their only choice.

I’d be happy to discuss this in further detail with you, and send you some product to try. Read the labels, and compare it to the other enhanced beverages on the market. You may not become a fan, but, at least you will hopefully understand our concept better.

Of course, that affect is small, and likely more than offset by the calories from the sugar. If they want to be trim and sweet they could add a non-nutritive sweetener like sucralose instead.

I guess that it is trim compared with, say, Vitamin Water, which all have 13g sugar per 8 oz serving. And that is their marketing point, I suppose; we are tastier than water and still trim.

Wouldn’t that still be zero calories? If not, at least it would be all natural.

Trim Water…..the name is just amusing. As if there was a way to make water healthier…