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Help! Optavia - concerned for my health.
Replies
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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.5 -
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 -
There is a great deal of misinformation on here
I am on the Optavia 5/1 plan. I only order it every 8 weeks because right at 8 weeks is when you lose your premier discount, and it's more sustainable financially and practically as some days I just don't get 5 fuellings in.
Each fuelling is $3, so on the 5/1 plan you're eating $15 a day of fuellings.. Sorry but a Mcdonalds meal in both Australia AND the USA is $15 now!!
So you will pay $15 for a meal at Maccas but you don't want to spend $15 a day on high nutrient shakes and bars?
Each "fuelling" bar/shake/mash potato etc is 100/110cals.. I don't have one in front of e but I think they're 15g protein, 15g carbs each wtih a good portion of calcium and fiber and other nutrients.
The plan is strict in that there is no fruit, no carby vegs..
BUT it isn't meant to be a lifelong thing, it's meant to be a TOOL.
Go look at the nutritional panel of a weight watchers bar or snack, and there are like 4g protein and barely any nutrients.. just garbage..
Optavia has good vitamins/nutrients. That's the main reason my husband was ok with me giving it a go.
Johns Hopkins approves it too.
Most of America is living on packaged foods with zero nutrients and nobody telling them to eat a lean green meal and nobody bats an eye, but the minute somebody is using high nutrient packaged foods to lose weight all of a sudden everyone comes out of the woodwork to say its bad..
LETS BREAK DOWN THE CALORIES
1) 5 fuellings = 500-550 calories
2) "There are 321 calories in 7 ounces of boneless, cooked, skinless Chicken Breast (Skin Not Eaten)."
But there are 470 calories in 7 ounches of boneless GRILLED chicken... I will use the lower number for the arguement
so with your fuellings and meat you're up to 871 calories.. but that's not counting your veggies in your lean green meal.
1200-871 = 329 calories left for your veggies and condiments
I typically eat an entire bag of cauliflower and broccoli in the air fryer, and I usually can't finish it so I'm finishing it later like it's broken into 2 meals
There is a myth that broccoli and cauli and spinach are calorie free, but they are not. a bag of broccoli and cauli flower is 100 calories
that has me up to 971, and then I'll usually have 1/4 cup of nuts which on average is around 180 calories which brings me to 1151... that's only 49 short of what MFP recommends for me, but of course there are condiments so I'm usually eating easily a 50 calorie portion of olive oil that I utilize to cook m food as I use the air fryer
That's 1200 calories
Let's look at the nutrients on that
5 fuellings Calories Fat Carb fiber sugar prot calcium vit d iron vita vite thiamin niacin
x 5 of these 110 1.5 15 4 8 11 211mg 10mcg 5mg 180mcg 3mg 0.2mg 3mg
7oz chicken 387 15.32 0 58.64 28.mcg 2.1mg 56mcg
Chicken has potassium of 482mg
1/4 cup almonds 201 calories, 18.1 fat, 7 carbs, 7.6g protein
12oz Broccoli nutrtion 116 Calories, 1.26g fat, 22.59 carbs, 9.59g protein,
1 Teaspoon olive oil as one of my 3 allowable condiments
40 calories 4.5g fat,
TOTAL CALORIES 1294 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
and that's with ONE condiment when I'm allowed 3...
if I halved the volume of nuts I'd be spot on 1200
Total Calories 1294
Total Fat 46.68 grams... - you wanna watch this as the female body only burns 39-41g fat a day
Total Carbs 104.59
Total Protein 130.83
Calories 1294
Carbs 104.59
Protein 130.83
Fat 46.68
Macro Total = 282 grams..
making 2.82 = 1%
Protein 46%
Carbs 37%
Fat 17%
People sign up for nutrtion plans and then they hve no idea how to folllow them properly and smack talk them and it's really annoying.
I'm sorry you don't like the food, I find the bars and shakes amazing. I love the Strawberry shake it tastes like Mcdonalds strawberry shake.. I don't think there has been a fuelling I didn't like.
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THE PLAN
the nutrients are really good, although I prefer higher carb and lower fat,
ABOUT ME, I'm 5'10 and I've successfully lost weight in the past on high carb low fat 1200 calorie counting, and I've lost RAPID weight on 1500 calorie high carb 2 week vegan cleanse plans
however both of those require me to be in the kitchen a lot with a lot of food prep
I gained a lot of weight during both my back to back pregnancies and was too sick to work out and the week i gave birth to baby 2 I was 244 including baby weight.. 3 months postpartum I began busting my bum at the gym 8 hours a week, and got down to 211 and got stuck. I was counting calories but I was just stuck and it was incredibly discouraging.
One of the mums in my MOPS group was an optavia coach and I liked that it took the brain work and kitchen time out of everything because with a 1 and 3 year old I just don't have time to be in the kitchen..
I either eat a bag of raw shredded cabbage as my lean green, or I stick the broc/cauli in the air fryer and air fry the chicken and come back and it's done..
I use a RHENPHO scale and my gym has the TONITA body composition measuring scale, so NO I am not simply losing water..
Also when people have a LOT of fat to lose, they do lose weight more rapidly..
This week I opted to do a 30 hour fast, and in that time my body fat percentage dropped 1%
Having said this, I don't do Optavia 30 days of the month, as I already said I only order every 8 weeks, and I usually order the main Premier box which has 22 boxes of fuellings
22 x 7 per box = 154 fuellings / 5 per day = a 30.8 day supply, plus I order 2-3 extra boxes of my favirites
therefore I aim to go 3-5 days as strict as I can on Optavia, then I have a couple of high carb days where I eat 400-600 grams of potatos for lunch and toast and eggs for breakfast for 1-2 days, then back on Optavia for another 3-5 days
The Hot Chocolate is the greatest hot chocolate I've had in my life and I use a tall metal insulated thermos to make it, and when I'm down to the bottom 3rd of the drink I refill with boiling water and the yummy powder is potent enough to get me 2 hot chocolates out of 1
WHAT I DO NOT LIKE ABOUT THE PLAN
Only 9 fuellings are whey based, and everything else is soy based
soy messes with estrogen so I like to limit soy
Here is a pic of one of the nutritional panels
https://www.optavia.com/webmedia/images/h8e/hbe/31227724398622.jpg
Here's the nutrition on the chicken https://www.fatsecret.com/calories-nutrition/generic/chicken-breast-ns-as-to-skin-eaten?portionid=4833&portionamount=7.000
Here is the 5/1 info
https://www.optavia.com/us/en/plans/weight-loss-5-1
there are also optional EEA's you can utlize which I do not.
They don't reccomend high activity on this plan due to the deficit, but I do 3 hours of very high intensity cardio a week, and 3 20 minute sessions in the gym sauna0 -
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!
Not a healthy pace to lose weight! In the long run you are at a much higher risk for health problems with fast weight loss.
What is your plan long term?0 -
Your impassioned reply is to a five year old Zombie thread.
If it works for you, awesome.
I lost my (substantial) weight simply counting calories, and paying attention to macros, and, of course, exercising. . Simply changing my diet led to better nutrition and I’ve honed it further since then.
But I have a question for you, and apologies in advance if I’ve misunderstood or jumped the gun.
You mention a number of “successful” weight losses, which implies that you’ve lost and gained it back. That’s a common thread with people who’ve done fast losses.
I’d challenge you- if this is indeed the case- to review what’s worked for you and what hasn’t, and change it up, so your loss becomes something you can continue.
For me, I took it slow, eating non -subscription, easily available foods, avoiding fast loss annd trends, and taught myself new habits. I’ve maintained for four years, and feel confident I can easily continue in the future.4 -
Mrsrobinsoncl wrote: »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!
Not a healthy pace to lose weight! In the long run you are at a much higher risk for health problems with fast weight loss.
What is your plan long term?
Doubting this person who posted five years ago is going to answer.0 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »Mrsrobinsoncl wrote: »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!
Not a healthy pace to lose weight! In the long run you are at a much higher risk for health problems with fast weight loss.
What is your plan long term?
Doubting this person who posted five years ago is going to answer.
I’m thinking she’s ultimately replying to the member who resurrected the thread. 🧟♂️
I am impressed there’s actually emoticons for zombies. Who the dadblamed heck woulda guessed.1
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