Past F-Factor employees speak out about a toxic work culture where eating was policed and women were mandated to wear heels
For years, F-Factor — which promises customers that they can "eat carbs, dine out, drink alcohol, work out less" and stay slim on founder Tanya Zuckerbrot's fiber-heavy regime — has been the in-the-know diet for well-heeled Upper East Siders and celebrities, including Megyn Kelly, Olivia Culpo, and Katie Couric.
Zuckerbrot charges some clients up to $15,000 for a startup package and serves up diet tips and scenes from her jet-setting lifestyle to her 119,000 Instagram followers. She seemed to have it all: books, a line of powders and fiber bars, a $22 million Park Avenue apartment, and a handsome second husband, the corporate real-estate investor Anthony Westreich.
But her empire came under threat this summer when the Instagram influencer Emily Gellis launched an internet crusade against F-Factor, saying that adherents suffered dangerous side effects. Gellis' efforts culminated last month in a splashy New York Times story about the drama, which quoted former F-Factor devotees complaining of hair loss, gastrointestinal issues, and eating disorders they believe were caused by the diet.Now former F-Factor employees are coming forward to Insider with allegations about the company's work environment, including claims that employees' eating habits were policed by Zuckerbrot in a manner that was diametrically opposed to the carefree image F-Factor projects to its users. Some employees also said Zuckerbrot engaged in office behavior they found inappropriate and told sexually explicit jokes that made them uncomfortable.
"These allegations [are] all either false or misleading," Zuckerbrot said in a statement to Insider.