Optivia....Yes or No???

Looks like the Optimal Weight 5&1 Plan is too low in calories, at 800-1,000, and unnecessarily high in protein, at 40%.

See the "Is OPTAVIA nutritious?" section here:

https://health.usnews.com/best-diet/optavia-diet/health-and-nutrition

Re the "Does OPTAVIA have any health risks?" section: a lot of these side effects, perhaps all of them, can be caused by undereating:

Side effects might include leg cramps, dizziness or fatigue, headaches, loose skin, hair loss, rashes, gas, diarrhea, bad breath, gallstones or gallbladder disease for those at risk, constipation and (for women) menstrual changes.

Never-the-less, if you wanted to make it work, you could just add the carbs and fat needed to get you up to a healthy calorie goal. The exact number would depend on your age, height, weight, gender, and activity level.



Pick a weekly weight loss goal based on that ^ and plop all your stats into here:

https://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/change_goals_guided

Note that the calorie goal given is BEFORE intentional exercise, so log exercise and eat those calories back too.

I don't have personal experiences with it, but my coworker did it and lost a bunch of weight quickly...which I can tell she has gained back some. She then got my boss to do it (who I didn't think was overweight to begin with), who also lost weight quickly. It's an MLM scheme, too, where one can become a "health coach" and recruit other people to do it. That right there is enough to tell me it might be sketchy.

It seemed quite restrictive, which it would have to be to lose weight quickly. They also have pre-packaged foods, which I'm not sure you *have* to purchase, but again, any diet plan that has pre-packaged products that go along with it always seems sketchy to me. It's just another way for them to make money, as opposed to actually teaching you how to make or find nutritious foods.

I think people feel like they have to follow some kind of "plan" to be successful. I know I did! It wasn't until I educated myself on proper nutrition to fuel my body and for my overall health and wellness as well as change my mindset about weight loss (huge, IMO) was I able to lose and keep weight off.