Help! Optavia - concerned for my health.
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I am a health professional (not nutrition-based) who speaks about obesity 20-30 times/year at conferences. I think my wife and I have tried every major diet and lifestyle plan we've discovered. It's a journey!
I've come to believe that few diet plans are purely evil or purely good. Optavia is no exception. As you already know, it is a very low carbohydrate way of eating that emphasizes purchasing "fuelings" for each of 5 meal times a day. The 6th meal time is a lean-and-green with a substantial amount of protein and veggies. The goal is to maintain a consistent blood sugar level. Once you hit a healthy weight, you transition to more calories and a wider variety of food.
This concept of small meals with one bigger, healthy meal is a positive aspect, one we've tried to adopt as a long-term life strategy.
1. Your health coach is motivated by money made by purchases you make. It is not altruistic by any means, though the language of the program suggests it is. Higher sales result in special "levels," including trips, etc. My health coach has been quite disconnected, not a great match for my wife or I, but there is NO recourse in Optavia for getting a new one (it's not about matching, it's about their level above you in making money).
2. Eating the same few pre-packaged options is convenient but also gets tiring. Oh, and expensive. We found the average cost is about $400/mos/person. As a coach you are trained to emphasize that this is probably similar to how much you spend at the supermarket and eating out most months. That being said, we still use the fuelings sometimes ... they're well-balanced and great if you're on the go.
Here's the math:
$20 for 7 fuelings (+ shipping, but also some discounts if you get regular deliveries)
5 fuelings/day x 30 days = 150 fuelings/mos
= 21 boxes/person/mos, or around $400/mos
3. Is it sustainable? There's a passionate group that sustains the lifestyle, and the thought is once you buy into being a health coach (literally buy in, a couple hundred dollars if I recall) you'll be motivated to stay healthy as your success is your billboard for promoting sales. For most people, I would say it is not sustainable, but I know some great people that have adapted to it long-term.
4. De-emphasis on physical activity. You are discouraged from exercising (you're consuming too few calories), although you are encouraged to be active (find activities other than eating that you find value in).
5. Finally, the thing that bothered me most about the program is that it is heavily focused on secrecy. You post your own weight loss photos on social media, but you never, ever, ever publicly disclose how you are getting healthy. You message people and tell them you'd like to personally video chat and tell them how you've gotten healthy. It is heavily scripted with an emphasis on caring about your health, and you are closely monitored by your own health coach until you have the company script down. I hate, hate, hate secrecy. If it's that good, let's talk about it, be open, honest, educate on the weaknesses of Optavia, etc.18 -
brettakuss wrote: »Hi all! Haven’t really ever been active on here but I lack a community or knowledgeable person to ask.
I started Optavia 5 days ago. I’m down 7 lbs.
I LOVE how fast I’m losing weight. But what I’m really struggling with is how sustainable this is. For those of you that don’t know. It’s basically eating 6 small meals a day (5 of those are 100 calories each) for a total of 800-1100 calories a day.
I started at 230lbs, I’m down to 223 on day 5.
But I HATE the food. And my cravings are INSANE. Plus, I can’t really workout since my deficit is so high.
Wondering everyone’s thoughts and if there are any trainers/dietitians on here I can talk with.
I think you answered your own question. Sustainability with things you hate does not seem like a realistic proposition.
eat what you like, just don't eat more than you need - calorie wise.1 -
If you follow the program it’ll teach you how to get rid of bad habits and maintain your weight loss. The program works, congratulations on your weight loss.8
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No way to live1
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RespiratoryScot wrote: »I am a health professional (not nutrition-based) who speaks about obesity 20-30 times/year at conferences. I think my wife and I have tried every major diet and lifestyle plan we've discovered. It's a journey!
I've come to believe that few diet plans are purely evil or purely good. Optavia is no exception. As you already know, it is a very low carbohydrate way of eating that emphasizes purchasing "fuelings" for each of 5 meal times a day. The 6th meal time is a lean-and-green with a substantial amount of protein and veggies. The goal is to maintain a consistent blood sugar level. Once you hit a healthy weight, you transition to more calories and a wider variety of food.
This concept of small meals with one bigger, healthy meal is a positive aspect, one we've tried to adopt as a long-term life strategy.
1. Your health coach is motivated by money made by purchases you make. It is not altruistic by any means, though the language of the program suggests it is. Higher sales result in special "levels," including trips, etc. My health coach has been quite disconnected, not a great match for my wife or I, but there is NO recourse in Optavia for getting a new one (it's not about matching, it's about their level above you in making money).
2. Eating the same few pre-packaged options is convenient but also gets tiring. Oh, and expensive. We found the average cost is about $400/mos/person. As a coach you are trained to emphasize that this is probably similar to how much you spend at the supermarket and eating out most months. That being said, we still use the fuelings sometimes ... they're well-balanced and great if you're on the go.
Here's the math:
$20 for 7 fuelings (+ shipping, but also some discounts if you get regular deliveries)
5 fuelings/day x 30 days = 150 fuelings/mos
= 21 boxes/person/mos, or around $400/mos
3. Is it sustainable? There's a passionate group that sustains the lifestyle, and the thought is once you buy into being a health coach (literally buy in, a couple hundred dollars if I recall) you'll be motivated to stay healthy as your success is your billboard for promoting sales. For most people, I would say it is not sustainable, but I know some great people that have adapted to it long-term.
4. De-emphasis on physical activity. You are discouraged from exercising (you're consuming too few calories), although you are encouraged to be active (find activities other than eating that you find value in).
5. Finally, the thing that bothered me most about the program is that it is heavily focused on secrecy. You post your own weight loss photos on social media, but you never, ever, ever publicly disclose how you are getting healthy. You message people and tell them you'd like to personally video chat and tell them how you've gotten healthy. It is heavily scripted with an emphasis on caring about your health, and you are closely monitored by your own health coach until you have the company script down. I hate, hate, hate secrecy. If it's that good, let's talk about it, be open, honest, educate on the weaknesses of Optavia, etc.
Holy Dang, my family of five's grocery budget for the month is $400 and that covers pretty much all our breakfasts, 4 of our lunches and then all our suppers (plus we host several times a month).
I can't even wrap my mind around having $400 a month, per person...can I come live with you?
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RespiratoryScot wrote: »I am a health professional (not nutrition-based) who speaks about obesity 20-30 times/year at conferences. I think my wife and I have tried every major diet and lifestyle plan we've discovered. It's a journey!
I've come to believe that few diet plans are purely evil or purely good. Optavia is no exception. As you already know, it is a very low carbohydrate way of eating that emphasizes purchasing "fuelings" for each of 5 meal times a day. The 6th meal time is a lean-and-green with a substantial amount of protein and veggies. The goal is to maintain a consistent blood sugar level. Once you hit a healthy weight, you transition to more calories and a wider variety of food.
This concept of small meals with one bigger, healthy meal is a positive aspect, one we've tried to adopt as a long-term life strategy.
1. Your health coach is motivated by money made by purchases you make. It is not altruistic by any means, though the language of the program suggests it is. Higher sales result in special "levels," including trips, etc. My health coach has been quite disconnected, not a great match for my wife or I, but there is NO recourse in Optavia for getting a new one (it's not about matching, it's about their level above you in making money).
2. Eating the same few pre-packaged options is convenient but also gets tiring. Oh, and expensive. We found the average cost is about $400/mos/person. As a coach you are trained to emphasize that this is probably similar to how much you spend at the supermarket and eating out most months. That being said, we still use the fuelings sometimes ... they're well-balanced and great if you're on the go.
Here's the math:
$20 for 7 fuelings (+ shipping, but also some discounts if you get regular deliveries)
5 fuelings/day x 30 days = 150 fuelings/mos
= 21 boxes/person/mos, or around $400/mos
3. Is it sustainable? There's a passionate group that sustains the lifestyle, and the thought is once you buy into being a health coach (literally buy in, a couple hundred dollars if I recall) you'll be motivated to stay healthy as your success is your billboard for promoting sales. For most people, I would say it is not sustainable, but I know some great people that have adapted to it long-term.
4. De-emphasis on physical activity. You are discouraged from exercising (you're consuming too few calories), although you are encouraged to be active (find activities other than eating that you find value in).
5. Finally, the thing that bothered me most about the program is that it is heavily focused on secrecy. You post your own weight loss photos on social media, but you never, ever, ever publicly disclose how you are getting healthy. You message people and tell them you'd like to personally video chat and tell them how you've gotten healthy. It is heavily scripted with an emphasis on caring about your health, and you are closely monitored by your own health coach until you have the company script down. I hate, hate, hate secrecy. If it's that good, let's talk about it, be open, honest, educate on the weaknesses of Optavia, etc.
I am on Optavia now, and I think much of what you say relies on who you get as a coach and how motivated you are to reach out to others for help, if needed. The cost is spot on, it is expensive. My coach is making some money, but is truly motivated by being a Christian and wanting to pay it forward. She has lost 70 pounds and is working on more and only has 3 clients right now. Sustainability is very personal, will I sustain it forever? Not the whole program, but I hope to sustain the pillars of health in the program (healthy eating, moving my body, behavioral strategies, support my body through vitanutrients, reduce inflamation, get good sleep, be involved in community). I'm not seeing what you speak about with secrecy. I am encouraged daily to tell everyone what I am doing and how wonderful I feel and about the 21 pounds I've lost in 3 weeks.
If a person needs to lose weight (I need to lose over a 100 and even considered surgery) and has the money for the program it is worth it, it does work. It will take motivation, hard work, consistency, and long term commitment to yourself!9 -
I did Medifast several years ago and I lost a bunch of weight. I kept it off for a number of years afterwards by replacing the shakes and bars with store bought versions of the same and eating the same type of dinners. Over the years, my weight crept up and then "life" happened in a big, ugly way and I abandoned the store-bought bars and shakes and "lean, green" dinners. I gained all the weight back and more.
My coaches were an older couple. They were very sweet and very passionate, but could only spew what they knew. They really couldn't answer in-depth questions that didn't have a pre-written script that they could follow. I'm still Facebook friends with them and they are still coaches, but we don't talk about that.
The program was expensive, the food was meh--but I could "doctor" most meals with spices and low-cal condiments enough to make the palatable. To keep costs down, I bought a lot of food from people on Craigslist who found the plan unsuitable for them. Another tip I learned was to keep making up new email addresses and rejoining to get the "new member" deal every month--which amounted to a savings of 50%.
I did lose a lot of hair several months into the diet; but the coaches assured me that it was safe and normal. I have a lot of hair, so it was no biggie. My biggest problem while on the diet was the near constant constipation. It was severe--I had to go to the ER twice to get it resolved. This is a known caveat to the diet; one that has been around for years and the company has done little to correct it. It's all about the dollars. I had to keep enemas on hand to use every time I got "backed-up." This was at the recommendation of my coaches.
No thanks! MFP is cheaper and safer! Most of all, it's sustainable.4 -
It's just my opinion, but I think Optavia is nothing but a scam. $400 a month! There is nothing Optavia can do for you that you can't do for yourself.6
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Yeah! Well “they” have scammed me out of 46 lbs in 81 days! I couldn’t be happier about it. I’m going to let them “scam” me out of 20 lbs more!14
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I’ve read positive and negative comments on Optavia here. I’m not a “health coach” and am just a person trying the program after seeing a few people I know having success with it. I am not understanding some comments here. I received a 375 page booked chocked full of recommendations on modifying your diet for long term success. A 175 page workbook and another 2 week tracking workbook to help when starting. We all already know the gourmet meal packs are not going to stack up against that steak and baked potato meal we’ve been cooking every week so come on. But for a temporary plan while you also change your eating habits and learn more about nutrition (and I thought I knew a bit already) it has worked well for me and several people I know. The cost of the packaged meals “fuelings” are in line with other high protein bars/other out there and is offset somewhat from other food you would be buying if it’s just you so it works out. And the daily 1 “lean and green” meal we do prepare is a good one. So whether you try this or something else or just modify both your food and portions on your own you can do it. And tracking with MFP or other helps A LOT also! Keeps you in check. Bit it is work to make sure you’re being honest with yourself and getting the correct info on food and nutrition! And it has helped immeasurably in staying away from junk food and sugar (including fake sugar)! It’s killing us all.8
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I have been on Optavia for almost 4 weeks and have lost 15 pounds. I'm a nurse, currently in grad school for my FNP, and was very skeptical of the program at first. Even just four weeks in, I realize that I can't keep up the expensive fuelings forever, but you aren't supposed to! I've been eating as a reward and and as a pleasure my whole life, and it has gotten me 100 + pounds overweight. I realize, that if I truly want to be smaller and healthier, I will have to drastically alter what and how I eat, permanently. This program is helping me make those changes. I know that I can't go back to eating how I was before, once I reach my goal weight, and expect to keep the weight off; that's pretty obvious. But I do have faith that I can successfully transition off of the pre-packaged food when the time comes. Optavia isn't the be-all and end-all of everything, a magic answer or easy solution. It is a tool, and that's how I'm using it. And according to MFP, I'm meeting all of my nutrient needs, even at the high calorie deficit. Plus, I'm really loving how I feel. I believe the program is a solid one.7
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brettakuss wrote: »I appreciate the comments guys! These are my bought as well. The points that keep me from immediately ditching immediately is this:
- the amount I’ve lost so far (I mean, let’s be honest, fast weight loss feels great right?
- The $400 I have invested into this month.
If I were to ditch it, does anyone have any resources I could use to find a replacement?
I’d love some kind of support coach, does MFP have that?
I don't want to pee in your Cheerios, not you're asking for advice and using it to make an important decision. To that end, you should be aware that when people begin a new diet, it's often accompanied by about 5 pounds of water weight that the body lets go of. This isn't the kind of weight that matters for health or vanity reasons.1
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