2025 OPTAVIA?

jwasson3
jwasson3 Posts: 11 Member
in Health and Weight Loss

hi there, I have seen threads from the past, wondering if anyone is using the Optavia lifestyle currently? Maybe we can encourage each other and share ideas.

Replies

  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 2,195 Member

    There may be, but I think Optavia has become pretty unpopular due to being extremely restrictive and many people have found it unsustainable.

  • jwasson3
    jwasson3 Posts: 11 Member

    gotcha, it is definitely low calorie. Been following since July with great results. Looks for insight on transitioning off their food

  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 2,195 Member
    edited November 9
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48828425#Comment_48828425

    I would start by making sure all my meals have a good amount of vegetables. Make sure and add some lean protein. And then eat a moderate amount of whole grains.

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 38,350 Community Helper
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48828425#Comment_48828425

    Congratulations on your success so far: That's great! You're being smart by realizing it may be necessary to take a somewhat different path with your eating long-term.

    For sustainability, you might consider increasing calories for more sustainability if you've been losing fast so far. I know it feels rewarding to lose fast, but fast loss increases health risks, and the longer we stick with it, the more likely our bodies will fight back in some way via downregulating useful bodily systems (immune system, muscle repair, body temperature, and more), adding water retention due to physical stress, burning fewer calories via the downregulation plus subtle fatigue, and increasing hunger/appetite hormones. Our bodies can't tell a diet from a famine, and they try to preserve our lives in that "famine" by slowing down the bodies less survival-vital processes. That can even reduce our calorie needs long term, making maintenance more difficult.

    If you're losing something like half a percent of your current weight per week, that's good. If faster, but not severely obese and under medical oversight for nutritional deficits or health complications, I'd suggest slowing down the loss rate. Doing that can also better help a person work out new, routine eating and activity habits that will be needed long-term to stay at a healthy weight after reaching there. That's one thing the packaged diet meals don't really do for us, if we're not planning to eat packaged meals forever: Teach us personalized habits that are sustainable for us, enjoyable, practical, affordable.

    You could consider working on a meal at a time, or something like that: Develop a rotation of nutritious, enjoyable breakfasts, then lunch after that's dialed in, etc. I think it's realistic to believe it will take some experimenting, and to accept that not all experiments will be successful. (That was true for me, even without packaged meal as part of my weight loss method.) The experiments that don't work out aren't personal failures, just something to learn from then try something else. As long as we learn and keep working at it, we can make progress and reach a good long-run outcome.

    As a generality, I think it's usually more manageable to change routines gradually, rather than trying to revolutionize everything all at once.

    If you're not sure what to do, you could start with meal ideas you can see here in threads in the MFP Community, or recipes from the MFP Blog or other solid mainstream sources. If you haven't been managing your own nutrition/calorie level explicitly, the basic MFP process can help you do that. Don't be afraid to ask specific questions here about things you're finding challenging! I've gotten so much good info from posts here in the Community - they've been important in helping me lose to a good weight, and stay at a healthy weight for 9+ years since.

    Best wishes!

  • jwasson3
    jwasson3 Posts: 11 Member
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48828607#Comment_48828607

    thank you so much for your wisdom and input!! I look forward to this journey ahead. I recognized that the program was temporary to get my mindset and habits in the right place…..it has been a challenge to eat processed foods. I am looking forward to creating rotational meals that serve my body well as well as being enjoyable!

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