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Former clients of ex-'Real Housewives' star Teddi Mellencamp's extreme diet program say they were limited to 700 calories, ate mostly soup for dinner, and had to do an hour of cardio each day

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The <keyword id="9824224" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="f-factor">F-Factor</keyword> diet founder, <keyword id="238971" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Tanya-Zuckerbrot">Tanya Zuckerbrot</keyword>, is suing <keyword id="9923820" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="emily-gellis">Emily Gellis</keyword> Lande, alleging that the fashion influencer ran a "smear campaign to destroy" the controversial diet company and its creator. </li><li>Zuckerbrot and Gellis have been at the center of a months-long battle playing out on Instagram. The influencer shared complaints from women who say they experienced negative <keyword id="6354750" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="health">health</keyword> effects while using F-Factor's products. </li><li>The 59-page lawsuit, filed with the New York Supreme Court on Thursday, alleges that Gellis spent about 75 days this summer creating at least 4,500 "false, defamatory, and/or harassing" posts, including 750 minutes of video footage, about Zuckerbrot and F-Factor. </li></ul>Tanya Zuckerbrot, a registered dietitian and founder of the <a href="https://www.insider.com/f-factor-tanya-zuckerbrot-legal-threats-denial-amid-controversy-2020-9">beleaguered diet company F-Factor</a>, is suing fashion influencer Emily Gellis Lande, alleging that she attempted to destroy the high profile brand. Zuckerbrot accuses Gellis Lande of inflicting monetary losses and emotional distress, according to the lawsuit filed with the New York Supreme Court. The lawsuit alleges that Gellis, who has been Zuckerbrot's most prominent critic, "began a smear campaign to destroy" the company and its founder in July. "This campaign continues today," the complaint says.<a href="https://www.ffactor.com/">F-Factor</a>, a program that launched with a book in 2006 and more recently developed products including bars and powders, pitches itself as a simple weight loss program by emphasizing fiber above all else. It's been popular among celebrities and well-heeled New Yorkers, who want to "eat carbs, dine out, drink alcohol, and work out less" — per the company slogan.But the diet and Zuckerbrot became the center of controversy this summer after Gellis, who's never tried the diet, began posting hundreds of Instagram stories per day, screenshotting direct messages from women who said they believed they had suffered health problems after consuming F-Factor products. <a href="https://www.insider.com/ffactor-diet-health-problems-emily-gellis-tanya-zuckerbrot-2020-8">Insider spoke to some of these women</a>, who said the program and its products led to everything from eating disorders and gastrointestinal issues to rashes and hair loss. The women said they wanted more transparency from the company, which had a history of deleting negative comments and reviews, leaving adherents feeling in the dark about whether their symptoms were related to F-Factor. Zuckerbrot <a href="https://www.insider.com/f-factor-tanya-zuckerbrot-legal-threats-denial-amid-controversy-2020-9">previously told Insider</a> that in her 20-year career, she's never heard complaints like the ones shared on Gellis's Instagram stories or reported by the outlet. She said she wanted people to come directly to her with complaints, saying she's "not a litigious person," despite sending cease-and-desist letters to other <keyword id="1112328" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Influencers">influencers</keyword> and former employees who spoke out against the brand.The current lawsuit follows weeks of social media silence from F-Factor and Zuckerbrot, who last month hired Lanny Davis — the former special counsel to President Bill Clinton who also represented Michael Cohen in his trial related to the President Trump and Stormy Daniels scandal — to assist in handling this fallout."The Defendant Gellis may think she is immune from accountability for false, defamatory and/or harassing statements she made to substantially harm Tanya Zuckerbrot and F-Factor because she made the statements on social media platforms," Dan Webb and Davis, co-counsel in the case against Gellis, said in a press release. "But she is wrong, and we believe a jury of her peers in New York City will ultimately agree that her conduct is unlawful and maliciously reprehensible."When asked for comment on the lawsuit, Gellis told Insider, "Karma is a b---h." <h2>The lawsuit claims Gellis has made 4,500 'defamatory' posts </h2>The 59-page lawsuit says Gellis spent about 75 days this summer creating at least 4,500 "false, defamatory, and/or harassing" posts, including 750 minutes of video footage, about Zuckerbrot and her company. The suit claims Gellis told her 207,000 followers she had evidence F-Factor caused a range of serious health problems including a heart attack, miscarriage, and even a death. Gellis also said she had evidence the products contain high levels of arsenic and "destroy the intestinal lining" of people who eat them, according to the suit. The lawsuit alleges that due to Gellis's behavior, Zuckerbrot's business went from bringing in more than $1 million a month to $100,000 monthly. It also alleges that Gellis caused Zuckerbrot "devastating emotional distress," saying the dietitian "has become withdrawn and is sometimes unable to get out of bed."Finally, the suit claims Gellis threatened the safety of Zuckerbrot and her family by exposing the home address of Zuckerbrot, her children, and her husband. Gellis Lande herself has shared harassing messages which she believes to be from people who support F-Factor, including threats against her family. Her home address was also made public, leading her to tears in an Instagram Story on Thursday. "My entire family has been threatened for seven weeks," she said. <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-emily039s-fight-for-the-truth">A GoFundMe page</a> supporting Gellis's "fight for the truth" has already raised more than $28,000 since its creation on September 2. Gellis has maintained she's done nothing wrong, and is simply using her platform to give voice to people who believe they've been harmed by F-Factor but feel they've been silenced by the company."Facts matter. Victims matter," she wrote on Instagram Tuesday. "I will not ever apologize for who I am or what I am doing." <ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/ffactor-diet-health-problems-emily-gellis-tanya-zuckerbrot-2020-8">Women claim they experienced hair loss, gastrointestinal distress, and eating disorders while following the F-Factor diet. The founder says it's an anti-diet campaign to ruin her.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/f-factor-tanya-zuckerbrot-legal-threats-denial-amid-controversy-2020-9">F-Factor has sent legal threats and deleted Instagram comments alleging reactions to the high-fiber diet. The company says it wants to hear from the aggrieved, but some say it's too late.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/past-f-factor-employees-speak-about-workplace-pressure-to-restrict-eating-2020-9">Former employees of Tanya Zuckerbrot's popular F-Factor diet say she fat-shamed colleagues and policed their eating, causing terrified staffers to snack in secret</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/past-employees-at-f-factor-say-the-office-culture-was-toxic-and-eating-was-policed-2020-9">Past F-Factor employees speak out about a toxic work culture where eating was policed and women were mandated to wear heels</a></li></ul>

F-Factor's Tanya Zuckerbrot is suing influencer Emily Gellis, alleging a 'smear campaign to destroy' the diet company and its founder

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The <keyword id="9824224" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="f-factor">F-Factor</keyword> diet has been around for about 14 years, and the company introduced high-fiber, high-fiber protein products in 2018. </li><li>This summer, the program and products have come under fire, with women claiming it leads to <keyword id="6354750" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="health">health</keyword> problems including gastrointestinal distress, hives, hair loss, and eating disorders. </li><li>The controversy began when fashion influencer <keyword id="9923820" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="emily-gellis">Emily Gellis</keyword> began sharing anonymous complaints about F-Factor and led to stories in The New York Times, Insider, and other outlets. </li><li>Along the way, F-Factor's responses have been criticized as much as the diet itself, with the company denying complaints and calling the controversy an anti-diet "smear campaign" against its founder, dietitian <keyword id="238971" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Tanya-Zuckerbrot">Tanya Zuckerbrot</keyword>. </li></ul>For most of the summer, the wellness community has been upended by controversy over a popular diet. <a href="https://www.ffactor.com/">F-Factor</a>, a program that launched with a book in 2006, claims to offer simple weight loss for women by emphasizing <keyword id="165753" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Fiber">fiber</keyword>. But in recent months, women have said that the program and its powders and bars gave them a slew of health problems, with some telling Insider that they believed the diet was to blame for issues including eating disorders, hair loss, amenorrhea, rashes, and severe gastrointestinal symptoms. Emily Gellis, a fashion influencer with 183,000 <keyword id="819905" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Instagram">Instagram</keyword> followers, became the face of the anti-F-Factor faction, posting hundreds of stories per day screenshotting direct messages from women who alleged health problems related to F-Factor.The diet's founder and company CEO Tanya Zuckerbrot, a registered dietitian based in New York, became the Instagram health and wellness community's most controversial figure. Soon, several other influencers weighed in on the drama, expressing support for Gellis and her mission. Here's a timeline of how the drama unfolded. <h2>F-Factor has long offered women a vision of health and thinness if they follow a high-fiber, low-calorie eating plan </h2><div type="image" title="tanya zuckerbrot ffactor megyn kelly" height="682" width="910" msid="78068848" hostid="261"></div>Zuckerbrot published <a href="https://www.amazon.com/F-Factor-Diet-Discover-Secret-Permanent/dp/0399533745">"The F-Factor Diet: Discover the Secret to Permanent Weight Loss,"</a> a book describing how to follow the diet, in 2006. The book became popular, earning positive reviews from Dr. Oz and Megyn Kelly.Zuckerbrot was featured on t<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxplgLTcfmg">he "Today" show</a> in 2011 and in a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/17/fashion/tanya-zuckerbrot-sets-a-weight-loss-example.html">profile by The New York Times in 2013</a>, where she promoted the diet and its "eat carbs, work out less" trademark. As <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/past-f-factor-employees-speak-about-workplace-pressure-to-restrict-eating-2020-9">Business Insider's Dana Schuster previously reported</a>, Zuckerbrot charges some clients up to <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/features/the-15000-cracker-diet-ceos-are-eating-up">$15,000 for a startup package</a> and has put her glamorous lifestyle, including a $22 million Park Avenue apartment, on social media display. <h2>Emily Gellis, a fashion influencer, began posting anonymous complaints about the diet on Instagram at the beginning of the summer </h2>Gellis, a fashion influencer whose posts typically promote affordable clothing, discovered two now-deleted Instagram accounts discussing health allegations against F-Factor in April.Gellis soon began talking about the diet on her own Instagram stories, and gained thousands of followers as she started receiving direct messages from women telling their stories of negative F-Factor experiences.Other influencers, including @<a href="https://www.instagram.com/thewellnecessities/">thewellnecessities</a>, caught on and started weighing in on their own pages. By August, criticizing F-Factor was in vogue within the fitness, health, and wellness Instagram world.<h2>The company made its first public statement in response to the controversy on August 16 </h2>After weeks of women asking for answers on Instagram, the company <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CD9rnCCDaGM/">responded</a> to the controversy, focusing on the claims against the products rather than the diet itself."The trust and safety of our consumers is our top priority and we respect your concerns," the statement said, promising customers that the company would soon release a certificate of analysis to prove that the products were safe for consumption. The New York Times featured Gellis and Zuckerbrot in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/24/style/f-factor-diet-instagram.html">an August 24 article</a>, including glamorous original photographs of Gellis. The article brought the story off Instagram and into the mainstream. <h2><a href="https://www.insider.com/ffactor-diet-health-problems-emily-gellis-tanya-zuckerbrot-2020-8">Women</a> spoke to Insider about their experiences on the diet, including hair loss, hives, and eating disorders </h2>On August 25, <a href="https://www.insider.com/ffactor-diet-health-problems-emily-gellis-tanya-zuckerbrot-2020-8">Insider reported on four women</a> who said that they had struggled with several health problems after following the F-Factor diet or using its products.Sami Miller, 24, said she entered an eating disorder treatment facility, experienced gastrointestinal distress, and lost her period (amenorrhea, the pausing of menstruation, is a common side effect of anorexia or low-calorie <keyword id="39418" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Diets">diets</keyword>) after following the diet.Anne McCall, 60, said her eyes swelled up and she had full-body rashes when she began adding F-Factor products into her regular diet. Zuckerbrot said in interviews with Insider that her diet and products were safe and that the controversy was an anti-diet campaign against her.She also said in an interview with Insider that the company deleted some negative Instagram comments. <h2>Zuckerbrot appeared on the "Today" show on August 27, where she spoke about allegations against F-Factor's products</h2>Two days after Insider published that initial investigation, Zuckerbrot said on the "Today" show that her products were "100% safe for consumption."Zuckerbrot again said the diet could not cause health problems, and that adverse effects from the products were due to allergies or the introduction of fiber too quickly. <h2>The same day, the company released a certificate of analysis of one of its powders </h2>Zuckerbrot released a certificate of analysis to demonstrate the safety of F-Factor's products, and told "Today," "I do regret that we did not share this information sooner."The company released the certificate in an Instagram post to appease former F-Factor dieters who'd been demanding to see it via Instagram comments, because of their concerns about excess levels of heavy metals.The analysis showed that the products were safe, but many people commented on Instagram saying that they didn't believe the certificate was legitimate and didn't show that eating multiple servings of the products — as Zuckerbrot and her advocates have said on social media — was safe. <h2>Insider <a href="https://www.insider.com/f-factor-tanya-zuckerbrot-legal-threats-denial-amid-controversy-2020-9">reported on the company PR response</a>, including the use of legal threats and history of deleting negative comments </h2>At the end of August, influencers including Gellis said several former F-Factor employees had received cease-and-desist letters from the company for allegedly "slandering" F-Factor and Zuckerbrot on Instagram.Insider reviewed all seven known cease and desists as a part of a story about the company's response to the controversy. Some women told Insider they hadn't come forward before with their complaints before because they saw no negative reviews or comments on the website or Instagram page, and trusted Zuckerbrot and her "all-natural" products.They said they lost time, money, and trust in their bodies before considering a possible link between their experiences and the diet and its products.An F-Factor spokesperson told Insider that the company would not stifle free speech from former dieters as long as they did not spread "lies." Several women still said they felt the company wasn't doing enough to show empathy with former dieters facing health problems. <h2>Zuckerbrot appeared on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CEzdRPSFC35/">an Instagram live September 6</a> to read a lengthy prepared statement, and did not allow comments </h2>Zuckerbrot addressed three main complaints: those with the products, those with the diet, and those with the company, calling all of them part of a "smear campaign" against her. She re-emphasized that the products are "100% safe for consumption;" that her book, not her social media feed, should guide people in following the diet, which she said again is not restrictive; and that reports about a toxic company <keyword id="24504" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="culture">culture</keyword> can't be trusted because they come from anonymous sources.<h2> </h2>On Wednesday, in an Instagram Live video that is no longer available on her profile, Zuckerbrot reacted to concerns raised by a<a href="https://www.instagram.com/wellnessalexis/"> wellness influencer</a> that her social media feed contradicts her book, with the former promoting the powders and bars that didn't exist when the book was published. The influencer also said she pushed the most restrictive phase of the diet onto her followers. Zuckerbrot said again people shouldn't take nutrition advice from social media alone, and that her diet is not restrictive. In comments, Zuckerbrot was criticized for "gaslighting" Alexis and others by blaming the victims. "That is a very nasty accusation," Zuckerbrot said. "This is the opposite of gaslighting." <h2>On September 10, Business Insider released an investigation into F-Factor's workplace culture, including <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/past-f-factor-employees-speak-about-workplace-pressure-to-restrict-eating-2020-9">interviews with former F-Factor employees</a> who said Zuckerbrot fat-shamed them and policed their eating</h2>In the story, by Dana Shuster, former F-Factor employees said their eating habits were policed by Zuckerbrot in a way that contradicted F-Factor's image as easy, non-restrictive, and accepting of carbs. Some employees also said the CEO told sexually explicit jokes that made them uncomfortable, and all said the workplace required them to wear high heels and suggestive outfits. <h2>The same day, the company <a href="https://www.ffactor.com/facts/">added a "facts" page to its website</a> to "correct the record" and answer frequently asked questions</h2>The page links to other F-Factor resources and reiterates past statements, saying the products are "100% safe for consumption," that it can't respond to anonymous complaints, that the program doesn't promote disordered eating, and that it doesn't have a toxic work culture. Followers criticized the announcement of the new page, with one highly-liked Instagram comment saying, "You are losing so much credibility and trust from your customers by the way you have handled this whole situation. It's so simple to take accountability. ... It's not too late to do the right thing."<ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/ffactor-diet-health-problems-emily-gellis-tanya-zuckerbrot-2020-8">Women claim they experienced hair loss, gastrointestinal distress, and eating disorders while following the F-Factor diet. The founder says it's an anti-diet campaign to ruin her.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/f-factor-tanya-zuckerbrot-legal-threats-denial-amid-controversy-2020-9">F-Factor has sent legal threats and deleted Instagram comments alleging reactions to the high-fiber diet. The company says it wants to hear from the aggrieved, but some say it's too late.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/past-f-factor-employees-speak-about-workplace-pressure-to-restrict-eating-2020-9">Former employees of Tanya Zuckerbrot's popular F-Factor diet say she fat-shamed colleagues and policed their eating, causing terrified staffers to snack in secret</a></li></ul>

F-Factor drama timeline: How the high-fiber diet led to the biggest controversy in Instagram's health and wellness community

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 <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/features/the-15000-cracker-diet-ceos-are-eating-up">$15,000 for a startup package</a> 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 <a href="https://www.instagram.com/emilygellis/">Emily Gellis</a> launched an internet crusade against F-Factor, saying that adherents <a href="https://www.insider.com/ffactor-diet-health-problems-emily-gellis-tanya-zuckerbrot-2020-8">suffered dangerous side effects.</a> Gellis' efforts culminated last month in a splashy <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/24/style/f-factor-diet-instagram.html">New York Times story</a> 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.<h2><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/past-f-factor-employees-speak-about-workplace-pressure-to-restrict-eating-2020-9?r=ffactor-teaser">Subscribe here to read the full story.</a></h2>

Past F-Factor employees speak out about a toxic work culture where eating was policed and women were mandated to wear heels

Women claim they experienced hair loss, gastrointestinal distress, and eating disorders while following the F-Factor diet. The founder says it's an anti-diet campaign to ruin her.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>For weeks, people have come forward on social media and to Insider with claims that they experienced <keyword id="6354750" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="health">health</keyword> problems while following the <keyword id="9824224" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="f-factor">F-Factor</keyword> diet, including hives, hair loss, gastrointestinal distress, and eating disorders.</li><li>The company's founder, <keyword id="238971" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Tanya-Zuckerbrot">Tanya Zuckerbrot</keyword>, a dietitian, told Insider she welcomes people's complaints directly. But many of the women who have come forward say that is at odds with the company's history and recent behavior.</li><li>Zuckerbrot's legal team has sent cease-and-desist letters to people who they say have made defamatory statements, stoking fears in women about speaking up.</li><li>Until the controversy, F-Factor didn't include negative reviews on its website or respond to concerns on social media, leading some women to believe their allegations of health issues on the diet were not shared by others.</li><li>Zuckerbrot denies that F-Factor may have caused many of the health problems raised, saying those who have complained may be interpreting her book incorrectly or have preexisting conditions.</li></ul>The F-Factor diet has been around for 14 years, offering the vision of sustainable and easy weight loss without giving up your life. The company, run by its creator, Tanya Zuckerbrot, touts the slogan: "Eat carbs. Dine out. Drink alcohol. Work out less."But the program has come under heavy fire, as <a href="https://www.insider.com/ffactor-diet-health-problems-emily-gellis-tanya-zuckerbrot-2020-8">some former adherents previously told Insider</a> that they experienced health problems — including eating disorders, hair loss, hives, and gastrointestinal distress — while following the diet and consuming its branded products, high-fiber bars and powders.The controversy came to a crescendo last month, after weeks of fashion influencer Emily Gellis Lande sharing anonymous complaints about the program on her <keyword id="819905" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Instagram">Instagram</keyword> Stories. As Gellis Lande gained followers, the volume of screenshotted testimonials — many now sharing their names — grew to hundreds of posts a day, holding Zuckerbrot to the flame. Zuckerbrot, a registered dietitian in New York whose <a href="https://www.amazon.com/F-Factor-Diet-Discover-Secret-Permanent/dp/0399533745">2006 book about the diet</a> landed her glamorous features in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/17/fashion/tanya-zuckerbrot-sets-a-weight-loss-example.html">The New York Times</a> and on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxplgLTcfmg">"Today"</a> show, told Insider that in her 20-year career, she's never heard complaints like the ones screenshotted and shared on Gellis Lande's Instagram stories, and wants women to report them directly to the company.But that message seems at odds with the brand's history of deleting negative reviews and comments on its website and social media, and its response to the recent backlash — sending cease-and-desist letters to people they say "slandered" the company on social media and repeatedly denying women's claims that the diet has led to health problems.Zuckerbrot is "saying one thing and doing the complete opposite," said Sami Miller, a 24-year-old who believes that her use of the F-Factor diet contributed to gastrointestinal issues and an eating disorder.The company's denial is angering, Anne McCall, a 60-year-old in California who said she developed rashes and facial swelling after introducing the products to her diet, said. "It's like, 'Hey, a lot of women are saying something's happening. Why don't you take some responsibility, at least look into it?'" McCall told Insider. "That's all I wanted. I just don't want anyone else to get hurt." Zuckerbrot has repeatedly contested the social-media campaign against F-Factor, saying that people are just trying to destroy her career, despite Gellis Lande's claim that she's received thousands of complaints. Zuckerbrot says that adverse reactions to the F-Factor diet and products indicate that a person has a preexisting allergy or health problem. A spokesperson for F-Factor said the company couldn't respond to anonymous complaints on Instagram.<h2>F-Factor is sending cease-and-desist letters to some users, stoking fears among women about speaking up</h2>One woman, 35, told Insider that just knowing F-Factor sent cease-and-desist letters to people who the company claims made "defamatory or disparaging" comments about Zuckerbrot or the company has made her afraid to use her name in interviews."People keep telling me I need to be careful about speaking out," the woman, from California, told Insider, adding that she "might be in danger if I do." Citing Gellis Lande's reports of online harassment (the influencer has shared a deluge of harassing messages she's received on Instagram since she began her anti-F-Factor campaign) and seeing posts about cease-and-desist letters, she said "lawsuits and cyberbullying are a concern" for her.A former F-Factor employee who spoke with Insider said fears about legal retaliation are also driven by Zuckerbrot's perceived wealth, a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/17/fashion/tanya-zuckerbrot-sets-a-weight-loss-example.html">key part of her public image and brand</a>."We can just Google how much money they have, and so I think that's what scares people: They would beat you out in court because they can just go longer and harder than anybody," said the woman, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.An F-Factor spokesperson said that the cease-and-desist letters were mostly sent to people who were part of a "smear campaign" against Zuckerbrot and claimed that the recipients of the cease-and-desists had biases against the company.In the recent cease-and-desist letters, all of which have been reviewed by Insider, the company warned against defamation with the threat of legal action. At least three were sent to former employees of the company, and several others were sent to people who have no previous employment with F-Factor but posted remarks on Instagram that Zuckerbrot and her attorneys deemed libelous, according to a spokesperson for the company.People who've received such threats are "definitely afraid," said a lawyer who is consulting with some former employees who have received cease-and-desists and spoke with Insider on condition of anonymity."They're terrified, frankly," the person said.A spokesperson for F-Factor said that the company would not stifle complaints from former adherents who did not spread "lies."Danielle Hamo, a registered dietitian who used to work for F-Factor, received a cease-and-desist and said in an Instagram story broadcast to her 17,000 followers that she'd never made a "false statement" against the company. The letter, reviewed by Insider, demanded that she "cease and desist from making any false, defamatory or disparaging statements or comments" about F-Factor or Zuckerbrot, or else she'd be held legally responsible for damages.<div type="image" title="Danielle Hamo screenshot.PNG" height="620" width="827" msid="77939589" hostid="261"></div>When asked why Hamo received a letter, an F-Factor spokesperson said she had "been involved in slander" against Zuckerbrot and the company, but did not elaborate.Zuckerbrot said she's been the victim of harassment on Instagram, which prompted some of the cease-and-desist letters. Insider has reviewed screenshots depicting some of these interactions, which included profane language about Zuckerbrot and her husband.<h2>Cease-and-desists can be considered abusive if for the purpose of intimidation, but they are often helpful in deterring legal action </h2>A cease-and-desist letter is not a notification of legal action, but a warning that legal action may be taken if the receiving party doesn't end their alleged misconduct, <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/cease_and_desist_letter">the Legal Information Institute at Cornell Law School says</a>.When a cease-and-desist is used for the purpose of intimidating the recipient with a threat of legal action, the act can become abusive."There aren't (currently) many real downsides to sending out abusive letters," Leah Grinvald, a law professor at Suffolk University, told Insider in an email. "There are few incentives to stop the 'shoot first, ask questions later' mentality that some senders of cease-and-desist letters have."But the letters can often be productive, said Rebecca Roiphe, a law professor at New York Law School and an expert on lawyers' ethics."You want somebody to be able to respond and back off before you have to engage in expensive litigation," Roiphe said.F-Factor has hired Lanny Davis — the former special counsel to President Bill Clinton who recently represented Michael Cohen in his trial related to the Donald Trump and Stormy Daniels scandal — to assist in handling this fallout. Davis told Insider in a statement that the lawyer for one of the cease-and-desist letter recipients "admitted that his client was involved" in a "targeted smear campaign" and would stop her social-media activity related to the controversy. <div type="image" title="lanny davis" height="1333" width="2000" msid="77939593" hostid="261"></div>Davis said that as a result of sending out the letters, F-Factor has had success in thwarting what they say are false allegations about Zuckerbrot's personal life."We also want to clarify that Cease &amp; Desist letters are not abusive or threatening, they are merely legal letters telling the recipients that if they continued making 'false, defamatory or disparaging comments' that they would be held accountable for any damages caused by their conduct," Davis said in an email.The letters, Davis said, were "asking for personal scurrilous, false and misleading statements to cease."Zuckerbrot says she's not a "litigious person" and began sending cease-and-desist letters only amid the recent Instagram drama. Otherwise, she said, she's never been involved in legal action. A search of public court records showed only <a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/8269573/miller-v-tanya-zuckerbot-nutrition-llc/">one case</a> involving Zuckerbrot, related to an overtime-pay grievance from a former employee who sued the company.<h2>Issues of bullying and harassment on Instagram continue to surface as women speak out against the company</h2>Other people on social media who have called out the company say they've experienced online harassment and bullying from F-Factor supporters.Gellis Lande told Insider that when she refused requests from Instagram users, who were apparently F-Factor dieters, to end her run as the most prominent anti-F-Factor account, anonymous Instagram accounts threatened "to expose my past and tell stories about me."Gellis Lande said she started being harassed on Instagram, through comments and direct messages. "Be careful what you do in life. Your kids may pay for it later if you have any," one user commented. "Wow!! I don't know what's worse YOU or COVID-19.""Keep it up dirty Jew," a direct message read. "All of you, your all crazy, your all Jewish. The world is laughing at you." <div type="image" title="Emily Gellis harassment" height="620" width="827" msid="77939595" hostid="261"></div>Miller also told Insider that she's received angry direct messages from people she believes to be showing support for F-Factor and Zuckerbrot. <h2>F-Factor has previously deleted negative comments and delayed in posting negative reviews </h2>Five women told Insider they never thought their health issues might be connected to the F-Factor diet until the current controversy emerged. Before that, negative reviews, comments, or concerns about the plan appeared to be largely absent from the public eye, so they blamed their problems on themselves or sought other answers, they said.Plus, they said, Zuckerbrot is a health professional they trusted and the products boasted "all-natural" ingredients."Had I seen that someone else experienced this, I would have just said, 'This isn't for me, tossed the stuff, end of story," said McCall, who only tossed her products after reading about the controversy and found her rashes and swelling then subsided. Zuckerbrot previously told Insider the company deletes some negative comments from its Instagram page. "We felt we were following community guidelines when it was slander," Zuckerbrot said. "When people say, 'Your products have lead and are poisoning people,' or 'I lost my period,' and we know that there's absolutely zero correlation between our product and those claims, why would you leave that there?"Some women told Insider the company has also made it difficult to raise concerns via its social media accounts, with negative comments or concerns ignored while support for the program is responded to with gratitude.Zuckerbrot's Instagram page has gone private since the controversy began and, as of Wednesday evening, the ability to comment has been deactivated on the company's three most recent Instagram posts.Peter Costello, F-Factor's COO, told Insider the company can only speak to concerns that come through the company's official customer-service email address and phone number, and an F-Factor spokesperson added that this is the traditional way companies log complaints.Both McCall and Fernanda Rodriguez, a 25-year-old woman who says she developed disordered eating and other symptoms while on the F-Factor plan, said they felt they were not welcome in the diet's Facebook group because they wanted to address concerns rather than praise the program.Rodriguez said she was removed from the group when she asked if others experienced hair loss, hives, and gastrointestinal distress, as she said she had. McCall's request to join the group is still pending weeks after she wrote in the Facebook application form that she'd like to join to help figure out if her adverse reactions might be related to F-Factor products.F-Factor told Insider their only criteria for entering and remaining in the group are guidelines like being courteous, not bullying, and not spamming other members.Negative product reviews on the F-Factor website have also long been absent, with some dating to 2019 suddenly appearing in recent weeks, the 35-year-old from California said. Insider has seen dated screenshots that corroborate that claim.Seeing that subpar reviews weren't always public made her feel "like information is being suppressed that could potentially help women make smarter health decisions." She said she had experienced extreme discomfort and bloating for about a year before considering that her symptoms might be a result of using F-Factor products, stopping them, and feeling healthy again.After demands from consumers, the company released a certificate of analysis, a quality-assurance report that includes the results of lab testing on its products, for its chocolate powder on August 27. Costello, the company COO, told Insider more COAs for other flavors will be released in the coming days and weeks.Some former F-Factor followers say it's too late. Many of them said they lost time, money, and trust in their bodies, shuffling between doctors, trying different medications, and, in Miller's case, undergoing inpatient eating-disorder treatment before considering a possible link between their experiences and the diet and its products.<h2>F-Factor's CEO is begging to hear from complainants directly, but finds allegations that her diet caused harm 'hurtful'</h2>In an interview with Insider, Zuckerbrot said she wanted to hear from women who have faced health struggles while following her diet."I would want to be the first person to know if someone was being harmed by my recommendation, or if they were having side effects," Zuckerbrot said, adding that these complaints came "out of nowhere" after her 20 years of business. "This all started three months ago and I'm horrified by what I've been hearing."But she said she does not believe the diet has caused any of the health problems that have been raised online, and that women who have had health problems may not have read the book carefully or have been experiencing issues for other reasons.As for eating disorders developed by some women who have followed F-Factor, Zuckerbrot said that people with histories of disordered eating may face issues on any diet."I don't think that any diet is for everyone, whether it's my program or anyone else's," she said. "I do stand by the fact that F-Factor is a safe program."She said that allegations about F-Factor's safety were "very, very hurtful, because it goes against everything I believe in and everything I've dedicated my entire life and work to."In a statement subsequently emailed to Insider, Zuckerbrot added, "I want to hear from our customers and clients if they are having issues to reassure them that our products are 100% safe for consumption.""We will always work with our customers to identify and resolve any issue they're having to ensure they can use our products and program safely," the statement continued.Some women getting daily updates on the controversy from Gellis Lande's Instagram say they still feel that their complaints are not being heard.Miller — who said she is overcoming an eating disorder that she believes was linked to her time on F-Factor — said it's now "way too late" for the company to issue a public apology."Now it's been three or four weeks of this, and she still hasn't come out and said she's sorry," Miller said.<ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/ffactor-diet-health-problems-emily-gellis-tanya-zuckerbrot-2020-8">Women claim they experienced hair loss, gastrointestinal distress, and eating disorders while following the F-Factor diet. The founder says it's an anti-diet campaign to ruin her.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/fiber-benefits">6 health benefits of fiber and how to add more to your diet</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/instagram-tests-taking-away-likes-celebrities-influencers-reactions-kim-kardashian-2019-11">Celebrities and influencers are furious at Instagram's experiment with hiding likes, and some are threatening to stop posting on the app</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/chadwick-boseman-body-shaming-cancer-weight-loss-out-of-context-2020-9">The body-shaming Chadwick Boseman experienced is a reminder to think twice before commenting on a celebrity's weight loss</a></li></ul>

F-Factor has sent legal threats and deleted Instagram comments alleging reactions to the high-fiber diet. The company says it wants to hear from the aggrieved, but some say it's too late.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Alexis Robinault, an influencer in Houston also known as Alexis Sharkey, was found dead over the weekend.</li><li>Robinault, 26, was found with no clothing and no visible wounds, the police said.</li><li>"I believe solely that she was murdered, because of the manner in which her body was left," her mother, Stacey Robinault, told Insider in an interview.</li></ul>A 26-year-old <keyword id="819905" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Instagram">Instagram</keyword> influencer from Houston, <keyword id="15710" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="texas">Texas</keyword>, was found dead on the side of the road on Saturday.Alexis Robinault, who also used her husband's last name, Sharkey, was found with no clothing and no visible wounds, <a href="https://twitter.com/houstonpolice/status/1333813553858490370">the police said</a>.Alexis' mother, Stacey Robinault, told Insider in a phone interview on Wednesday that she believes her daughter was murdered."I believe solely that she was murdered, because of the manner in which her body was left," Stacey said. "It just drives deep into the soul that something very malicious happened here, and I want to get to the bottom of it."Alexis' body was found on Saturday morning, and she was identified on Monday, <a href="https://cityofhouston.news/update-investigation-into-female-found-deceased-at-1000-red-haw-lane/">the police said</a>. Her family had learned that she was missing on Friday.A representative for the Houston Police Department told Insider on Wednesday that the department was still awaiting the results of the autopsy and could not comment further.<h2>Some of Alexis' friends said she was having marital issues</h2>Stacey said Alexis' tragic death happened on a weekend when Stacey would have been with her daughter if not for the pandemic. "We were even going to get together over the week of Thanksgiving," she said. "Over the weekend of Thanksgiving is when she was killed, and so that's extremely heartbreaking as well."Stacey said that she, her husband, and the rest of Alexis' family, who live in Pennsylvania, hadn't seen their eldest daughter since Christmas because of travel restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic.She said Alexis had always wanted to escape the cold in Pennsylvania, so Stacey was happy for her daughter to start her own life in Texas with her husband, Tom. Stacey recalled that the last time the whole family was together, with Alexis' husband and her younger sister, she was sad to see her daughter go. "When they pulled away and headed out, we were sad because we had had the most wonderful time together," she said.Some of Alexis' friends <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/instagram-influencer-alexis-sharkey-found-dead-along-houston-road?ref=scroll">told The Daily Beast</a> that she and her husband were having trouble."I know they were going through some things," Kendra Martin told The Daily Beast. "She had mentioned being separated even though they were still living in the same apartment. I actually pulled her aside two weeks ago to let her know I'm here for her, and that I know something is going on because her demeanor had changed over the last month."Tom Sharkey did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In an <a href="https://abc13.com/8416301/?ex_cid=TA_KTRK_FB&amp;utm_campaign=trueAnthem%3A+New+Content+%28Feed%29&amp;utm_medium=trueAnthem&amp;utm_source=facebook&amp;fbclid=IwAR3bOKYqDJQvFMPZ6-ewgsNA5Vn9RX8kcgrvmQIfOU-10zkWveT0NqcOfh410zkWveT0NqcOfh4">interview with ABC 13</a>, ABC's affiliate outlet in Houston, Sharkey said he'd been receiving death threats since the <keyword id="6355005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="news">news</keyword> of his wife's death. "She understood me. I understood her. We didn't fight when she left," he said of the night she went missing. "I just told her she couldn't drive under the influence."He added: "She left anyhow. This is where we're at."Alexis' friends <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/alexis-sharkey-memorial-fund?utm_source=customer&amp;utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&amp;utm_medium=copy_link_alllink_all">set up GoFundMe</a> to raise money to support her family's travel costs and funeral plans. As of Thursday, it had raised more than $21,000.<h2>Alexis was a budding influencer</h2>Alexis' Instagram account now has more than 51,000 followers; her follower count has more than doubled since her death. The account jumped from 20,000 followers on Sunday to 51,000 on Wednesday, according to data compiled by SocialBlade, a social-media-analytics website. Her TikTok account also has more than 57,000 followers."She was so much fun. She was very playful. She was very caring," Stacey told Insider of her daughter. "She made you feel good."In addition to posting lifestyle and beauty content, Alexis used her Instagram to promote Monat, a haircare and wellness company that uses "market partners" to sell its products for a commission, which is considered a form of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mlms-coronavirus-layoffs-monat-mary-kay-younique-recruit-social-media-2020-4">multilevel marketing</a>. A representative for Monat did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Stacey said she was surprised that her daughter, who she said disliked fundraising for her sports teams in high school and studied biology in college, was making a career from selling products. "She went down a totally different road, and she's happy with it," she said, "and if she was happy with her life, I was happy for her."<ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/alabama-soldier-boy-leave-car-on-a-highway-killed-2020-12">A 35-year-old forced his girlfriend's 5-year-old son to leave his car as punishment before the child was struck and killed on a highway</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/police-arrest-man-in-connection-to-shooting-of-aidan-ellison-2020-11">A man fatally shot a Black teenager in a hotel parking lot after confronting him over his loud music, Oregon police say</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/f-factor-founder-tanya-zuckerbrot-suing-influencer-emily-gellis-2020-10">F-Factor's Tanya Zuckerbrot is suing influencer Emily Gellis, alleging a 'smear campaign to destroy' the diet company and its founder</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/qanon-conspiracy-theory-yoga-influencer-took-over-world-2020-11">How QAnon infiltrated the yoga world</a></li></ul>

You Searched For "emily gellis" and got 7 results

Former clients of ex-'Real Housewives' star Teddi Mellencamp's extreme diet program say they were limited to 700 calories, ate mostly soup for dinner, and had to do an hour of cardio each day

Gabrielle Bluestone

F-Factor's Tanya Zuckerbrot is suing influencer Emily Gellis, alleging a 'smear campaign to destroy' the diet company and its founder

Anna Medaris Miller,Rachel E.…

F-Factor drama timeline: How the high-fiber diet led to the biggest controversy in Instagram's health and wellness community

Rachel E. Greenspan,Anna Meda…

Past F-Factor employees speak out about a toxic work culture where eating was policed and women were mandated to wear heels

Dana Schuster

Women claim they experienced hair loss, gastrointestinal distress, and eating disorders while following the F-Factor diet. The founder says it's an anti-diet campaign to ruin her.

Rachel E. Greenspan,Anna Meda…

F-Factor has sent legal threats and deleted Instagram comments alleging reactions to the high-fiber diet. The company says it wants to hear from the aggrieved, but some say it's too late.

Anna Medaris Miller,Rachel E.…

A Houston Instagram influencer was found dead and naked on the side of the road. Her mother believes she was murdered.

Rachel E. Greenspan

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