Start speaking a new language in 3 weeks with Babbel 🎉 Get up to 65% OFF your subscription ▶️ HERE: go.babbel.com/t?bsc=1200m65-youtube-hannahalonzo-july-2022&btp=default&UA-cam&Influencer..Hannah%20Alonzo..USA..UA-cam
I feel you! Recovery is a process, a day by day process. I hope you are doing well in your recovery. I never did Optavia, but I have my own dark history with every "diet" that has ever come on the market. "This time, I'm really going to do it" is a phrase I told myself probably 50 times in my life!! Best wishes in your recovery.
That Optavia commercial is WILD to me. "Nutritionally interchangeable" is the most dystopian phrase I've ever heard, and "fuelings" is giving "our legal department says we can't call these 'meals'"
I found out today that my friend was on Optavia. I told her that I was proud of her for her commitment to weight loss, but that she was doing it in a dangerous way. I tried to tell her as lovingly as possible. She wanted to know more so I sent her your video. She promptly canceled her membership and messaged the coach. I’m so proud of her! And I’m glad she’s not mad at me. Another person saved from an MLM! Thank you so much for these informative videos. They help those of us who want to communicate the truth, but don’t know how to accurately display it to others. I also have a friend in Green compass. I need a deep dive on that one, so I can send it to her!
There’s no way to paint a company that makes money not just off scamming people in an MLM structure, but also by promoting a starvation diet which has sent people to hospital in a good light.
Dietitian here 🙋🏼♀️ this does promote starvation. I am so mad I’ve had at least 5 patients ask me about this and each time I cringe. This is one of the WORST diet programs I’ve seen. If you have any nutrition related questions, I’m happy to help ☺️
hii, okay, since you offered here's my question: my gf recently went to a dietician, she normally eats around 3.000-4.500 calories a day, and the dietician gave her a restrictive diet of max 1.500 a day right away... do you think this is ok? She's tried to lose weight before and having these big goals give her a lot of anxiety, she beats herself up and bullies herself into quitting because in her mind she already failed basically. I just don't know if I should be supportive of this diet or if I should encourage her to relax a bit? I don't want to be a bad influence but I'm really worried she'll become depressed if she can't do this perfectly :(
@@marlikesun Hey! So I'm not a dietician but I've worked with some professionals in the past. If she has been eating 3k/4k a day, she might want to drop down to 2k a day, maybe a bit more, and then go from there. I, personally, was struggling for 2 years with eating and went slowly from 2300 to 2000 to now 1800 a day. I'm not a dietician, but I believe a diet with things in moderation is key. I don't believe in cutting foods out. Definitely reach out to a dietician! 💕
@@marlikesun I hope ya'll can get some more professional opinions. I am not a dietician, but approaching anything with anxiety over doing it perfectly is not healthy. I have had professionals counsel me against negative talk to myself, such as "I should have" or the if I can't do it perfectly, I may as well not try aproach. Maybe focusing on small victories rather than giant mountains will help. You sound very supportive and I hope your gf will find a healthy path for this journey.
@@marlikesun hey! I’m sorry to hear about this. I agree with you that this change is too big. I usually recommend to my patients they start with changing one meal at a time and focus on healthy choices first. That could be specific food choices like a side of veggies versus fries or just adjusting their portion sizes. This helps it become an actual lifestyle change and not a diet. Unfortunately, like everything, there are duds and that doesn’t exclude dietitians. Every dietitian I know would recommend not cutting your calories in half. It’s not great for your metabolism and can lead to a cycle of yo-yo dieting. Overtime, it can lead to weight gain. Definitely “shop around” until she finds someone that supports her!
The bare fact that they call food "fuelings" is a big red flag. Food is so much more than just biofuel. It's culture, a sensory experience, a way to nurture and please yourself, a way to share with others. Cooking is a creative outlet for millions of people. Their reductionist attitude is disordered from the get-go.
So well said. I want to know which registered dietitian didn't understand this fundamental aspect and found it appropriate to put their approval to this.
absolutely and i’m so glad you pointed this out. it seems like a small detail but calling food “fuelings” feels so robotic and creepy & disconnected from human experience…
I had bariatric surgery in 2012. For 8 weeks before the surgery I was put on a diet of about 900 calories, which was comparable to what I was eating after surgery. Optivia used to be called “Medifast”, which is a better description of what it really is. A medical fast. I personally think that this can be beneficial (as it was for me), but only when it is MEDICALLY SUPERVISED, as mine was. The “coaches” in optivia are in NO way medically trained. There is NO medical supervision. But there IS rapid weight loss, which will get people’s attention. My weight loss decisions were 100% my own, I’m not recommending it to anyone. It was the right choice for me, but had big consequences as well. It is insane that people would try to pressure (or even persuade) a person into something like this.
A medical low calorie diet is only ever used for people so badly overweight the risk of a crash diet is less than them staying the weight they are. Like an immobile person who will die within months kind of weight problem. It should unequivocally NOT be marketed to normal people who dont have an extreme weight problem by people with no medical training. That is bananas.
Yes, you are being supervised by actual doctors and I am guessing that you were overweight based on the bariatric surgery and could survive on 900 calories a day for a while.
You 100% hit the nail on the head. I've successfully lost weight via lifestyle intervention and agree with everything you say. Btw good on you for all the hard work you put in! I'm really happy for you and super impressed
Thank you for sharing. I agree that if someone is in a health crisis and needs to lose weight fast a very low calorie diet can be beneficial, but like you said, only under medical recommendation and supervision. Regular uneducated people shouldn’t be taking on this diet under the supervision of an MLM coach. That’s insane. And definitely not safe.
I was JUST arguing with someone about this company! They were trying to say that a 700-1200 calorie diet was totally healthy for anyone and I was pissed. It is so unhealthy and it’s awful that this company puts uneducated people in a place of authority as “coaches” to spread their dangerous diet plans.
fr. i have disordered eating habits and if i dove into a calorie deficit right now i’m laying odds on a medical emergency. wonder if they have pending lawsuits for this reason?
When I lost weight my deficit was 1700 calories and at the lowest it was 1500 (with minimal activity). Are as I normally did but being mindful of portions. I don't count anymore but my maintenance is around 1750 which feels like plenty of food for myself because I was able to build healthy sustainable habits with my meals. Anything lower and I would have been starving. 1200 is already low but anything under that is just.... insanely low. That's a recipe for an eating disorder. (I.e overly restricting yourself and losing weight in an unhealthy way or causing yourself to binge and eat in unhealthy amounts once you can't sustain it). This "diet" is not only unnecessary and expensive but very alarming in what they promote.
Literally seconds on Google can prove them otherwise, to me this goes beyond harmful ignorance, this is just malicious. Too many people truly think that being thin is more important than being healthy and want to impress that on other people at whatever cost. Same people probably scoff at the idea of fatphobia
I’m not a medical health professional, 1200 cal is only for special circumstances. 1500 to 2000 is usually the average. If people are concerned with wanting to do weight loss finding and estimating their basal metabolic rate (BMR) is a good place to start on maintenance and speaking to a health care provider about nutrition plans that can be healthily sustained under that bmr
I've been losing weight since november 2020. I have serious health concerns, and my weight was also affecting my illnesses, so under the care of a nutritionist and my physician we decided I needed to change my lifestyle. I was 230lbs at 5'3" and in constant pain from the pressure of the weight on my joints and organs, and something needed to change, but the entire time I was cautioned. Not to lose weight too fast not to exercise too much right off the bat, not to just cut out foods I was used to, and not to skip meals. I went from 0 exercise to a quarter of a mile walking a day, for a MONTH and then increasing it by another quarter, but never to exceed 2miles a day, just to be safe.. Slow, slow, slow. From my estimated 4k calories a day I was told to go down to 2200, and then gradually (over months) to go no lower than 1500, which is what I'm on now. I hate counting, I hate portioning, but I'm not the kinda guy that can cut out foods they love. Candy? Yup, but I only get a serving a day. Soda? Sure, but one can a day. Whatever I want, but portion control. Sometimes I eat a little more, sometimes I eat way more if I wanna just let loose and enjoy some takeout, but you go right back to it the next day. Starvation isn't sustainable. Weird bars that make you hungry right after is not sustainable. A giant salad that's only 300 calories for lunch and a 500 calorie dinner, that's sustainable, with room for snacks and treats. Sure, it sucks, but I've lost over 40lbs. If you do the math, that's less than the recommended 1lb a week, but it also proves that sure it can take longer than you'd like, but it's totally possible to do safely and WITHOUT an MLM shilling processed cardboard to you. I still have a long way to go, and sure I'd love for it to be a month and boom, I'm 160lbs, but that's not logical or healthy. And I'd be desperate to get back to silly little things like EATING.
I am a health care professional (Pharmacist) and I agree with everything you said. A starvation crash diet with super-ultra-processed food is going to cause extreme problems. And that's not even taking into account the mega expense and the MLM structure.
@I'm So Tired as long as though processed food supplements are balanced with the correct nutrition. A lot of the MLM "support" products often have super amounts of B vitamins which could be problematic and miss micronutrients and other supportive nutrition that you can only get from whole foods.
I’m thankfully years into recovery from my ED, and if you hadn’t mentioned the company itself I would think you were describing the mental illness that almost killed me. Controlled starvation, little to no exercise, and lots of rebound gaining of fat. We can only hope for a strong enough lawsuit to shut down such predatory programs, and inform vulnerable people in the meantime.
As someone who has degrees in kinesiology and sports nutrition, it pisses me off to see random moms from high school claim themselves to be a “health coach” out of nowhere. This scam is dangerous and needs to be shut down NOW!
YES! I have a friend who was gifted a program from her MIL (which is gross lol) and when she raised concerned about the nutrition aspect her MIL assured her that she would be working with a “coach” who knows what they’re talking about… her coach was literally the front desk girl at the dental office in her MIL building. So messed up.
As a registered dietitian, optavia is a terrifying eating plan. Coming off of this plan also runs the risk of refeeding syndrome due to the prolonged under eating. Developing refeeding syndrome can be fatal it's so scary that a program like this can exist!
I tried out Octavia but it was not for me because I was literally starving and would be so hungry!! I also got up one morning and literally fell to the floor and was not able to stop myself from falling due to the strict diet from Octavia. I was shaking and could have really hurt myself when I fell. Thank God I stopped.
Imagine paying a company that much money to starve yourself. You might as well put half your usual food budget into a savings account and starve yourself the traditional way
Hahaha no really! Also, not enough people talk about how disgusting this food is. I got suckered in by an acquaintance's weight loss. It's just one big *expensive* ED promotion.
Years ago I did a similar diet to this. It It was not an mlm though there was some kind of drops involved that was supposed to trick your body. After about a week I began to feel bad but was led to believe it was just my body adjusting. After 2 weeks I felt lightheaded, dizzy, serious lack of energy, severely anxious, etc. but I still continued on. Then one day just after the 3 week mark I was driving (with my young son in the car) and began to have scary heart palpatations. I decided to drive to my doctors office since they were doing walk-ins that afternoon. I soon realized I was quickly getting worse, my vision had now blurred, I was shaking all over, and had a hard time even making sense of what was going on around me. I knew I needed to pull over. The last thing I remember was eating a piece of candy before I passed out. Thankfully I came to a few minutes later and since I was almost at my doctor's office I proceeded on. When I got there I must have looked bad because they immediatly took me back and the first thing they checked was my blood sugar. It was 48, which was coma level low. And that was after eating that piece of candy. They immediately transferred me to the hospital where I spent that night being monitored, given fluids, eating correctly, etc. It scares me to think about what could have happen. I was diagnosed in the weeks that followed with thyroid issues and afib/irregular heartbeat. I still suffer from those things even years later. I can not say with certainty that those health problems came from the diet however I wasn't aware of them prior. In addition several doctors I have seen believe it is very possible it is due to the damage done by the diet. Low calorie diets on this level are. not. worth. it. Ever!!! They can cause serious, life threatening, problems and can leave lasting damage. There are healthy ways to lose weight if that is your goal. This is not the way and isn't worth the risk!!!
Actual healthcare professional here! This type of diet is called a very low calorie diet (VLCD) that would typically be recommended only if a patient with obesity needed to lose weight rapidly in preparation for bariatric surgery. I'm assuming that's where the "recommended by healthcare professionals" comes from - unsure if they mean that these professionals recommend Optavia specifically (doubt it) or recommend VLCDs more generally. VLCDs are prepackaged shakes, soups, bars etc. (e.g. Optifast) that have been manufactured to ensure that people eating them won't develop nutrient deficiencies. However, this sort of diet should ONLY be done short-term and under medical supervision. It's typically used as a medical treatment for severely obese patients in whom the risks of obesity outweigh the risks of short-term caloric restriction - not as a quick fix for some extra tummy fat. Recommending it to the general public without any sort of medical supervision is irresponsible, full stop.
Optavia is absolutely self destroying.. the products are not healthy.. it's sad and we appreciate you Hannah for educating us on this toxic MLM!!!!😍 Much love Hannah!!!! 🥰
I have lost friends from this program! They no longer want to be friends with me because I spoke against it saying they’re literally starving themselves! I had an eating disorder and aw so many red flags immediately! Thank you for this video this company needs to be stopped IMO!
As a CERTIFIED coach in nutrition, training and hormone optimization, this makes me so mad I almost can’t watch it. I worked (as a nanny) for a family high up in this specific company. I ended up having to leave them because of this scam. I watched the love bombing IN PERSON, and I tried the food/ researched them. The quality of the food is HORRIBLE and cheaply made. It’s a SCAM. this is why people feel like they can’t get healthy… because of bs like this.
Same! I cringe everytime I see someone randomly claim to be a “health coach”. It should be illegal. It’s so sad how susceptible people are to this type of deceit.
"physician and registered dietician developed plans have been recommended by more than 20,000 doctors since 1980" thats similar to the toothpaste companies that say 4 out of 5 dentists recommend brushing with X brand because the question they were asked was something like: "do you recommend not brushing your teeth or do you recommend brushing with X brand?"
This made me wonder too… (I’m a dietitian) and I dug through their website and never found a name of a dietitian that supports it…. So the dietitians supports it but not enough to put their name on it 😆🤔🤔
I own a gym and one of my clients was addicted to this stuff and she was a nurse! It took me reading the ingredients to get out loud to get her to understand and finally switch to Whole Foods. She was so supportive of it bc it was developed by a physician.
@@chelseamcfarland6170 definitely. I am a soon to be physician and our work is to look out for the well-being of our patients. Of course I want money, who doesn’t, but that is preying of people trust in you. What a fucking disgrace to the profession.
My coworker did this diet and she would microwave the weird packet soups and pastas. Most of them smelled horrible. And they looked watery and so unappetizing. She lost a ton of weight of course, but gained most of it back when she went off the plan. And beat herself up for that happening when in reality her body was probably like "omg we're finally not starving, thank god!" People don't realize that the diet industry is a multi-*billion* dollar industry because none of it works long term. They make their money from people coming back time after time after they regain the weight.
We moved to a new state about a year ago and one of the families we made friends with do the Optivia "health plans". What was funny - when I was first getting to know the wife, I asked her what she did for a living, and she said "I'm a health coach". I kid you not - it was just the *way* she said the words "health coach" that immediately sent up the red flag that it was an MLM. We went to their house for dinner, and both she and her husband had big plates of cooked, shredded, unseasoned chicken breast, with lettuce and tomatoes on the side. That was it! I knew it wasn't enough calories for her, let alone him - he's a BIG guy. She's the sweetest person, so I'll never say anything to her. But her constant social media posts about her health journey, and the "clients" she's helping to lose weight just make me cringe. Funnily enough, her husband hasn't lost any weight. I'm thinking he's not following his health plan very well ;)
My dad's gf has been using Optavia for over a year now and I did not know until a few months ago that it was an MLM, but I knew that it was bad news! She wanted to lose weight for her daughter's wedding and was super happy she was able to shed some pounds. But, not two days after the wedding (where she ate actual FOOD!), she was complaining about how she put the weight back on and needs to get back on her diet. This type of quick yo-yoing has been going on ever since - any holiday or event where she eats actual food, she puts on 5+ pounds and immediately starts back on this garbage again. Every month she gets a gigantic box and the pantry is filled to the brim in organized containers with all of the fuelings with little room for other, real food. Her one meal a day (sometimes on a weekend she will have two meals) comes in the evening, and as a "treat" she gets two pieces of dark chocolate roughly the size of a quarter. The other day she made some of the pancakes and asked if I wanted any, so tried them and no wonder there was so much leftover! It tasted like straight cardboard. I don't even want to know how much money she is spending on this junk, not to mention she is going every few days to the store to buy the ingredients for her actual meals. I don't feel its my place to say anything but it really does seem like she has developed a form of disordered eating - everything is divided into containers and portioned just so, she eats only at specified times (at least during the week), and now has it ingrained in her that diverting from the Optavia path means weight gain which equals bad and unhealthy. Thank you for making videos like this, and I hope that anyone out there who is currently on this diet or looking into it takes their money and goes to an actual, licensed dietician and health care professional.
Every person I've ever met who was eating Optavia was cranky as hell, probably because they were super hangry 24/7. My old boss who sold it used to get mad at how I didn't seem to eat a lot and wanted to know why I wasn't always hungry like she was. I was like...probably because when I eat my snacks and meals are more than 100 calories?! Her lunches and snacks always looked so sad. Tiny little boxed microwave experiments that always smelled gross and looked bland. If I had to survive on those I'd be miserable all the time too!
I wasn't sure I wanted to thank you or not for this video. My wife and I have a history with Equinox (she joined and I tried to tell her how horrid MLM's were). They told her to ditch me because I wasn't supportive. Months later I'd even hired a private investigator to look into it. She eventually got out but lost money. She got her Mother into it as well and I think Mom might still have product stored away. Anyway, my wife joined optavia something like three months ago. She sure did lose weight and then tried to talk me into doing it. I was already skeptical and asked if it was an MLM. She sheepishly admitted it was but, "it was different". She talked about wanting to help people with their health as a coach. My reply was, "what is the training?" I didn't get mush of an answer and soon a fight ensued as I said, "you are being left out to swing in the wind. If anything goes wrong the company will not protect you so WE will be liable should there be a suit." I'm bookmarking this video (and others that were not hard to find) on how dangerous this diet could be and how bad the business model is (she even let slip that she WAS making some money... maybe next tax season I can request the optavia info for our taxes... maybe that will help shine a light on this shitty opportunity). Unfortunately, because we recently had that MLM fight over optavia, she would not be receptive to this video right now. If she end up planning to go to one of their events/trainings/cult sessions, I'll be putting my foot down. The thing I worry about the most is her hurting herself (she was a D1 college swimmer when women's swimming was still a thing... sorry bad joke... so should be able to pull herself out of a dangerous situation should it arise) but as worrisome is that one of her friends will struggle with a newly developed eating disorder or begin to distance themselves from her. In these cult like systems, those types of events tend to just drive the person who has bought in deeper rather than open their eyes. Anyway, thanks again for the video(s) and stay strong.
@@annea.4173well, about when I wrote that there are some “women” that had been allowed to crush women. Many women’s groups have wised up but the US education system seems to be the last bastion trying to fight for the “women”
Thank you for bringing Optivia to light. I personally know people who are on this plan. It started with one woman (an extended family member) who got into it. She was already pretty slim, but thinks she is big. She than got her husband, elderly parents, sisters, their husbands, her own children onto the program. She tried to get me onto it...but I don't believe in a starvation diet. So I declined. She later became a "health coach" and still is trying her best to get me to be her underling. She constantly posts people she "coaches". So I'm extremely anti Optivia. Her parents are still on Optivia, because the woman is very controlling. Her sister and I have voiced are disapproval and have told them how unhealthy it is. But the sister is extremely controlling and kind of just ignores us. Parents do sneak some food that the program won't allow.
Not the elderly parents! :( I've known quite a few seniors, my mom among them, who seems to continually lose weight without trying to or a health issue. But even if they aren't dropping pounds it seems like it would be extremely dangerous for a senior to use Optavia (obviously dangerous for everyone, but especially those of a certain age!!). I really hope somehow your family that's in this sees the light before their health is compromised.
@@smurph13 we think this lady is a narcissist. So she won't listen to us. But luckily the elderly parents don't live with her anymore and so they have more freedom in eating. But ya. The sister of the lady and I were very vocal about how bad the program is. Even saying it isn't healthy and there are lacking in nutrients. It fell on deaf ears with the lady. I even whipped out my major knowledge (went to college studying Exercise Sports Science and Nutrition). She still says she knows more because she is a nurse. 🤦♀️ nurses don't study Nutrition at all.
Also, Noom is Optavia, just in a non-MLM format. It is the SAME THING, and includes the same bullying tactics of Optavia. The creator used to work for Optavia when it was Medifast.
Optavia has a FB group that I took a peek into about a year or so ago. I saw several instances of them warning people about the sugar content of lozenges and other medications before taking anything if they got sick😳Talk about red flags! They're very problematic. I'm glad you did this deep dive. Your channel is great! ❤
The program is to get clients into mild ketosis, losing 1-2 pounds per week, and any extra sugar or carbs will throw the body out of ketosis. It is strict and extreme but so is any ketogenic diet.
I am a personal trainer and nutrition coach and yeah…the calorie intake on this plan is scary low and something I would NEVER recommend to my clients, even those ready to take an a more aggressive calorie deficit for their weight loss goals. This is one of the most insane crash diets I’ve ever seen, not to mention all the problems with it being an MLM company! Complete cringe.
Hannah Im so glad you come with receipts and facts because the way these MLM's trick people is sickening the lies that they are willing to tell are scary.
Thank you for talking about this awful program! I had a friend get sucked into it (she only tried the month, it was absurdly expensive and she did not have the money at the time, the food was horrible and she couldn’t finish). I tried so hard to stop her when she mentioned thinking about trying it, but I didn’t know much about MLMs or any of that at the time, so I didn’t really have the information to talk her out of it. I did recognize that it was a starvation diet and told her that, but she was desperate for weight loss and the lady she met (at a weight loss library group the optavia woman set up) said it had worked so well for her. I wish I’d had a video like this at the time!
I really feel like this is one of the most dangerous MLMs. This puts people into starvation mode. That is so dangerous and upsetting. People really need to watch out for this company. To top it off, it is an MLM. Truly horrifying.
I was recently talking to my dad and his wife, who is a literal step monster (she is THE *WORST*), is using Optavia. When he told me this, I freaked out, because I literally just got finished watching your MLM horror stories with the one the girl sent in where it sent her to the hospital. My stepmother has done so many diet plans, she was on nutrisystem when I lived with them while I was in college. She's a nurse and it's just baffling to me that she continues to get involved in these things. The worst part of the whole situation is that she has chronic kidney disease, has had a transplant, and is in stage 5- so she's not doing great. She has gone legally blind and she has developed diabetes. I told my dad that this garbage MLM is going to kill her if she continues with it and he said that he tried to talk to her about it, but she literally will not listen. It's beyond frustrating. I was just shocked and baffled that this would pop up somewhere in my life, but my stepmother is really absurd when it comes to dieting 😒
Optavia itself says that it is contra-indicated for persons with certain conditions. There is an initial screening assessment that asks about health conditions, including kidney disease. She should not have been permitted to start the program without a physician’s consent. I know this from a brief period as a program client then health coach.
My sisters adopted mom is a “healthy coach” for optavia. She was hospitalized at one point because of a calorie deficit due to their starvation diet. She is still doing it though and goes on all their retreats. She convinced many others to join but I thinks she’s the only one still doing it officially. My boyfriends aunt also recently joined and his mom is now hoarding product to help support her. I obviously shared my opinion with my bf and he said something along the lines of: she’s already making tons of money and she’s so charismatic she’ll make plenty of sales and recruit plenty of people. My response: oh good I’m so glad you think she’s capable of conning many people, like your mom. Also for thanksgiving she tried to pitch to me after I opened up to her about how I lost 20 pounds recently due to chronic health issues. Just saw the part about exercise which is so scary, starvation diets cause strain on the heart and they literally have to warn you against exercising so you don’t have a heart attack.
I was recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. In the last 1 1/2 years I have lost around 35 pounds, and I did this by reducing carbs, cutting out as much sugar as I can (using sugar substitutes), and cutting out soda. I eat more protein and vegetables, and exercise daily. It’s been a LIFESTYLE change for me, not something I did exclusively to lose weight. I’m doing it to keep my DMII under control, which I have done without insulin, and to feel better. Diets rarely work in the long term, because if you get to your goal weight and go off the diet, it’s usually right back to those old habits and the weight comes back. Instead of looking for a quick fix via starvation dieting, we need to think about our overall health. Weight loss can help improve health conditions, but a well-rounded lifestyle change will offer more long term success, plus you’ll feel better in general. This company should be shut down for its toxic message alone, never mind the high priced garbage they encourage their reps and customers to eat.
As someone who has always struggled with my weight (and was drawn to nutrisystem because I thought pre-packaged foods were a good idea), I’m so glad I had never heard of this company prior to becoming anti-MLM; I definitely think I would have gotten roped into being a coach for the discount, and I would have lost so much money 😬
I did this for about a week and was miserable. I got really hungry preparing dinner so I ate a strawberry 🍓 and that’s when I decided I was finished. I didn’t become over weight eating fresh fruits and vegetables.
Thank you Hannah for giving such an in-depth dive into this company ❤️ As someone who suffered from a severe ED for almost a decade due to over exercising and under eating.. it makes me so mad that companies (mlm or not) would push this harmful bullshit on people. Thank you for doing everything you do!
A few years ago, two of my coworkers were on Optavia. The female, who frankly is not very bright, boasted to me all about the food plan… I told her she could do what she wants but that it is unhealthy. She didn’t listen but moved on to another get-skinny-quick diet after a few months. The more concerning was my male coworker. 1,000-ish calories is pushing it for a female, but a tall man it was absurd. I overheard him admit he was absolutely starving, weak, and passing out. At this time, I didn’t know in addition to being awful for your body, it was also an MLM. Doesn’t surprise me since the female coworker falls for tons of them - her daughter did Cutco, she only uses & brags about Lipsense, etc.
I'm glad theres a video like this. People are getting more and more concerned with their health and such which makes the perfect ground for these "coaches" to recruit and spread misinformation. Let's hope this video can reach as far as possible so people don't get misinformed and potentially harm their own health.
I personally know a "coach" that is from my extended family. The misinformation she spouts is ridiculous. It cures chronic pain and sickness Aches and pains magically dissappear Reverses diabetes I was almost positive she told me it cures cancer. 🤦♀️🤦♀️ She's deep into it and is still on it.
Once again, superb analysis, Hannah. Thank you for including the phrase 'watch this before joining' in the title. I hope this attracts potential recruits.
I had a meeting with one of their coaches once… one of the questions was if my Husband would be supportive… and encouraged him to participate with me. I found that so odd. He does NOT need to lose weight! The cost of the meals was super pricy. And I was concerned when I saw how fast people were losing weight on their programs. It seemed alarming.
I feel so sorry for every single person who might not know a lot about nutrition, just wants to lose some weight, and gets sucked into this... I used to suffer from a binge-restrict eating disorder, and this seems like the perfect setup for just that. Best case, someone sticks to this diet, ends up starving, and binges. Worst case, the person sticks to the diet consistently, and ends up with serious health issues further down the line. It's fucked up either way.
Can confirm. After my stillbirth, I was very overly aware of the weight I had gained, and between the depression of losing my very wanted pregnancy and me reaching out for other people to 'eat healthy' with, I fell right into this with a coach I met through a networking event. My husband was understandably super suss, but I had calculated out the 'per day' cost and really had myself convinced this was just a little more per day than otherwise I would be spending. I ended up doing it for a few months at least. I think I had gotten pregnant again and that's why I stopped, knowing I needed regular food consistently, but after my miscarriage (unrelated; I have a history) I didn't pick it back up. I was extremely unfamiliar with MLMs at the time (also got into ordering Usborne not realizing what that was - I might need to send in THAT story) and having gotten very into anti-MLM content recently with first the Antibot and you, I am so grateful I stopped before doing serious damage to myself.
About a year ago I nerded out on weightloss, nutrition, and fitness. These mlm make me so mad. weight loss is all about balance and moderation. Calories in and out is foundational but there is a satisfing way to do it where it isnt super restrictive. Also everyone is different, i did better eating 5 to 6 times a day, my dad does better intermediate fasting. Know yourself, your weakness/triggers, and what you find more enjoyable in the prosses and stratagize appropriately
It's super frustrating that people don't realize that moderation is an option when it comes to weight loss. People always go for the crazy crash diets and scams instead of a reasonable deficit and some exercise.
yes!!! I know this is an old comment, but it's so important. I'm so sick of people labeling things as "healthy" vs "unhealthy" as if it's objective. What one body needs is not the same as another, and even more, people will label things with little nutritional value as "healthy" because of its lack of... anything. That's !!! not!!! healthy!!!!! Nutrition!!!! is!!!! healthy!!!!!
Had no idea it was an mlm when I did this. I lost 70 lbs in 11 months but I gained 100 lbs back (50 in only 3 months) as well as developing an eating disorder, waisting a ton of money and seriously destroying my body image. It made me mentally so messed up, and I’m ashamed that I called some of my heavier friends and tried to sell this to them really thinking I was helping them. This seriously messed me up in so many ways. And the worst part was it took 2 years of therapy before I actually believed that it wasn’t my fault that I gained the weight back and had an eating disorder. I still defended the learning side of the program, so brainwashed. Never again will I let something have this kind of power over me. Thank you for sharing this to save people from making this mistake like I did.
Oh my word I have been waiting for a deep dive on Optavia!! My cousin unfortunately is a "health coach" for it. Some of my mom's friends have done the program to lose weight too, but once they quit they gained weight back. Also not many people realize it's an MLM!
Thank you so much for this. I’m a weightlifter and a hiker. If I’m in a cut, I eat between 1800 and 2000 calories per day and focus on getting about 150g of protein daily. I am never hungry when eating in a caloric deficit and frequently have enough calories left at the end of the day for a sweet or salty treat. I can lose 2-3 lbs per week and still have energy for weightlifting, hiking and my massage therapy job which is very physical. I can’t imagine trying to live on 1000 calories of crap per day. And I can’t imagine my family having to live with me. This is crazy.
Oooo I've been waiting for this! I have my own story with Optavia, but maybe I'll save it for an MLM Horror story. I was lucky to be gifted the "food" and didn't actually buy it.
I have a friend who is an Optavia coach. She tried to get me to try but the price turned me off. After watching videos by you and CC I am so happy I didn’t try it! I am surprised she uses/sells the stuff because she is a nurse and should know better!
I visited my wife's family this past weekend and they had a full room of Optivia products, they aren't selling it, but they are using it for weight loss, and it genuinely scares me, so I'm sending this video to my wife to possibly forward on, thank you for everything you do!
Hannah, your face while watching the promo video at the start is Perfection! Like I can tell you're trying to stay neutral but just the mix of disbelief and disgust sums up my feelings watching along completely.
As a personal trainer and functional medicine consultant, the recommendation to limit or not exercise on the program is one of the biggest red flags ever.
@tammiebrown8317 I create programs and protocols with a combination of the vital vitamins and minerals, herbal supplements and a certain diet to help alleviate certain conditions. I am not a doctor, but train under those with a PhD. A lot goes into it, but was able to alleviate my own debilitating fibromyalgia. I decided to become a personal trainer as well, to further aid in my client's overall wellness. I for sure never tell then to come off their meds or stop anything with their physicians.
Thanks to this video, I figured out that a dear friend of mine, who is also a nurse, is very VERY involved with Optavia. When I connected the dots, my heart broke. I’m also extremely confused since she is a health care professional! She HAS to know how horrible this scary low caloric consumption is…right?! I hope she sees the light soon!
It's very strange. I have noticed a LOT of nurses are on this plan. My friend who works in a hospital is on it now. She's actually lost 100 lbs, but she kind of looks sickly because it was too much weight. She starts transitioning to real food next week, so we'll see how it goes. There is also a woman I know that lost a lot of weight on this plan but now looks like she has gained it all back plus more!It seems like a trend, like that god-awful lularoe clothing a few yrs back that everyone was crazy about. People truly are sheep 🙄
Thank you so much for this deep dive. I have friends who have been trying to get me to sign up under them and I needed to know for sure! Appreciate you Hannah and your content!
I have a family friend who retired from her career as a teacher and joined Optavia. I knew something was up when all of her social media started sounding very hun-like. Figured out what she was in. She’s lost a lot of weight but I’ve noticed she’s so thin she looks a little sickly. I do worry about her but feel like if I say anything she’ll take it the wrong way. I lost 60 pounds the good old fashioned way
This is a scarily similar story to someone I grew up with. She didn’t retire as a teacher, she stopped teaching to be a “coach” and then about a year later moved states as her husband’s job moved. Still not a teacher and doing the Optavia coaching thing. I think she tried to feel me out as a customer (I’m overweight) very soon after a mutual very close family friend passed away. She’s never sent me a DM before, but made it light asking how I was. I was a wreck and I didn’t hold back. She quietly said she was praying for me and didn’t continue the conversation. Scary!
Hi Hannah, big and long time fan, I’ve loveds listening to your anti mlm videos and can’t seem to get enough of your kind and honest approach. I just like to say, (in no way do I support it as an mlm company as I feel not being monitored by a health professional could be super risky) but the diet plan octavia offers (the most extreme one) is practically identical to one I just used as a pre-surgery diet for 3 weeks. Granted mine was the ‘doctor approved’ medical variation(?) Which is known to be the most extreme of all the meal replacement ones. But it did actually work. I lost 20kg (44lbs) in those three weeks which made having my surgery less risky for me and simpler for my surgeon. Just a piece of information. And rest assured I 100% missed fruit, veg, and real food the whole time. As someone who doesn’t consume a lot of sweet things the artificial sweetener in those shakes, bars and deserts, and the foamy texture of the soups killed me!
From the perspective of someone who has been dieting for decades and finally started seeing a licensed nutritionist: Calorie deficits should NEVER be less than 200-400 calories from your maintenance calories. Going under that is bad for you and will actually hurt your metabolism and over-all health long term. I just went and checked out the info on their plan and food items available online and if you are prone to eating disorders or disordered eating this plan is going to only exasperate that. It's sad that it isn't illegal to peddle this kind of dangerously bad information.
I recently tried a meal plan (I created it myself) that was around 1350 calories, and even though it was nutritionally adequate, I just couldn’t stick to it and was constantly feeling the need to snack and eat comfort food. So I increased my calories to 1700, which is 10% below maintenance, and I’m able to stick to the plan, energy is great, sleep is great, and if it takes me a year to lose 20 pounds, so be it. Better that then to stay on the yoyo or fall prey to the MLMs again (I did isagenix but never sold it).
@@rebeccajordan4491 It may take you longer -- but if it's based on crafting something that works for your lifestyle it's going to be much easier to stick to it and not shame yourself if you have a day or two here and there where you don't hit your calorie goals. The health benefits of more sleep and more energy for me will always outweigh (pun intended) quick and dramatic weight loss that I'll just gain back. Also a lot more affordable in these days of high grocery prices when your eating-plans are based on stuff you like and having a good relationship with food.
An overweight UA-camr that I watch has tried Octavia multiple times and failed it…. She’s tried many weight loss subscriptions and none of them seemed to work, though she does struggle with staying on the path of any diet, it does make me wonder if more weight loss subscriptions than we realize are just MLM‘s or money grabbers.
Hannah, I love your videos and often watch from the treadmill during my hot summer runs. I have a dear friend who has recently fallen into this scam. Thanks for making this informative video. I hope she finds the truth before getting in too deep. 😔
I did something similar to Optavia & it was horrid. The guy who targeted me knew I had an eating disorder & that I was struggling. The diet was horrible & made me sick. I did it for 2 months & called it quits when I nearly fainted at work several times.
I'm so glad you did this vid. I've got a family member who does this rubbish and they said that it was their doctor who recommended it, but I have serious doubts cos no medical professional worth their degree would recommend something like this. Thankfully, the family member who's on it doesn't pitch it to other people (b"h) but I still get so angry and sad when I see the boxes.
Hi, Hannah! Yes! this is a dangerous system. I was severely overweight and had bariatric surgery about 17 years ago.. I basically went into starvation mode due to the inability to get all of the nutrition I needed. The food I could eat was very VERY little and depended on how my stomach reacted. It was different all the time. Hair loss and other issues were a byproduct of this type of weight loss. I was off my blood pressure meds within a month and lost over 114 lbs, in all. Now I can eat lots of things (even chips which I'm not supposed to) and have managed to only gain back about 20 lbs. Thanks for showing folks this isn't safe. I was under a surgeon's care for the year after the surgery and if anything was amiss he would have caught it. I think think Optatavia has that kind of professional CERTIFIED support for you. Enjoy you so much. Keep up the good work! xoxo
Nothing better than finding you on the video where you said, "I'd like to do a Optavia deep dive," then going your channel and seeing the promised deep dive uploaded 1 hour ago 😍 subscribed!
I was lured to this diet back in 2013 except it was called "Take Shape For Life". It was awful. Yes, I lost weight but only because I was eating 500 calories a day. I have an eating disorder and have had it since I was 12. Because of this, my weight fluctuates drastically sometimes. I was approached on Facebook by a previous friend and coworker who was a MA. I trusted that she wouldn't sell me anything that was harmful because she was a medical professional like myself. I found out really quickly that she had no idea what she was doing and our weekly check ins were her flying by the seat of her pants. The food was disgusting. The packages with "Mac and cheese" never cooked fully and I was basically eating uncooked noodles. The only thing that was semi palatable was the dessert. It definitely had a taste of fake but it was comforting when you are starving. I finally saw the light when my best friend asked what diet I was on. I explained it to her, and the cost, and she laughed so hard and said for the amount of money i was paying monthly for that crap, she would prepare me meals and smack anything that wasn't healthy away. I stopped ordering from that scam and was honestly disappointed in myself for allowing these people to take advantage of me. I was later diagnosed with severe food allergies that have caused me to restrict my food intake to keep from dying and I feel way better. I had no idea this was an MLM.
I’m surprised no one has been harmed enough by this dangerous “diet” to sue the company. So so scary they’re promoting this. And the attractiveness of the promo video from the company might be the scariest part. I have what I feel is a great depth of knowledge about nutrition and how the body works as far as calories and such go, but the way they word this video on surface level seems super legit. Their marketing team knows what they’re doing.
There probably have been plenty of serious health concerns that started with this diet, but suing a company is almost never successful and when it comes to health, things are incredibly difficult to prove. Who is to say that you didn't take some kind of unnamed medication? Did you even really follow the diet? Was your main meal always exactly as prescribed? And it's entirely possible that they have paid plenty of hush-money to victims.
My mother in law did this diet. I told her this wouldn’t work and that she’d need to be really careful. A year later, she gained all her weight back and more.
My MIL was in Optavia and she did loose a lot of weight and she doesn’t do it anymore because seriously it’s so much money, and she gained a good amount of her weight back less than a year later. I’m glad she’s finally seeing the light. Her up line made me so freaking mad they were SO manipulative.
I have to say, I did the Octavia diet, wasn’t starving, lost a lot of weight, almost40pounds. The problem came when I was done losing weight. There is no real way to maintain on a diet like that,so I ended up regaining almost all the weight I had lost. In addition, the plan is expensive, and some of the ingredients are not so great (soyproteins).
Brianna Jewel did a dive into this company, they really do promote disordered eating. I think she said that if you follow the plan you are eating about 800-900 calories per day. Thats insane, 1200 is the lowest you are supposed to go and thats considered a crash diet. Also the fact they only tell you to eat 4-5oz of protein... omg. The body needs at least 100 grams of protien a day, which is what makes you feel sated. Just eating 4oz of chicken is about 40g of protein a day. This is a horrid MLM cause they are straight starving people while robbing them blind.
Yeah I just talked to a coach today & after doing my research & watching this. It made me definitely not wanna go forward. THANK YOU FOR THIS YOU ANGEL. ❤️ saving me starvation & money
Thank you so much for this deep dive. You did a great job, many people miss a few things and I think you nailed it! I sent you my Optavia horror story when I was a client and a coach. I hope it gives you more insight on Optavia
I’d be so interested in hearing your story! I love the insight former coaches and customers add to the anti-mlm conversation. Congrats on finding your way out and I hope you’re doing so much better now! ♥️
I would be interested to hear more of your story. some of my friends are on optavia but because they know I don't approve it is difficult to learn how things are really going for them. once you complete "plan" as I 've heard the drastic low calorie part called, do you continue to order fuelings? I can't figure out how they keep clients if the customers are supposed to learn anything for themselves. A couple of friends were obese and definitely look healthier and seem to have healthier habits but they are obsessed with weight and of course have no nutrition education to support truly coaching people.
@@joyfuljaj yes!! Even after the complete the programs from beginning to end you go into what’s called “transition” which you are supposed to be able to eat regular food, however the coaches highly encourage you to keep buying the fuelings because they’re “easier” to keep off the weight. Plus this diet plan is designed to fail so that when you go back to eating real food, you just end up failing and back on the fuelings to try to lose the weight. I am bigger now that I was when I started because I would get so sick of not eating that I would binge after not eating for 2 weeks. I have like over $800 worth of fuelings in my kitchen that idk what to do with because they upset my stomach. I was always told that they hurt my stomach because of the probiotic that’s in them and my body is just getting rid of toxins and that’s why my stomach always hurts
@@chelseamcfarland6170 I'm so sorry you are dealing with the aftermath. I knew there was a maintenance part, but have been hesitant to ask my friends how that ends up working in reality. There is a former optavia person in my social media who posted her fuelings for sale. I saw her pictures show weight gain after a major weight loss. She said that keto ended up working better for her. I wish I would have asked her when she made the keto comment about what made her stop with optavia. She had some other health problems somewhere along the way too, so I didn't want to intrude; she isn't a close enough friend for me to inquire too much about health stuff. I can understand getting stomach upset with process stuff. I eat protein bars for breakfast regularly and sometimes think I need a break from them to eat whole food.
Something about that video you showed explaining the diet and food they offer was so unsettling to me. It felt extremely cultish and just… off. Thanks for another awesome video and putting in the work to make these! I love these deep dives and I really think they make an impact in supporting people who are considering leaving/joining MLMs ♥️
@@inspiredtoenrich Omg YES!! I can absolutely imagine this as a skit on there 😂 I don’t know how anyone could have heard that and thought “ah yes, this sounds like a totally normal and not at all cultish job opportunity”
I have a girlfriend who was going on a weight loss journey. She was raving over the plan she was on. And was telling me I should do it too. But then she’s like it costs $400 for food and you can’t exercise while doing it. That was a red flag for me. I love working out. Any diet that won’t let me weight-lift is not a diet I can do. She looks good, but she’s always tired and never has energy and is snippy with her kids. I hope she transitions off this plan soon.
please talk to your girlfriend about how dangerous this diet is. having such a low calorie intake could genuinely be life threatening. people have ended up in the hospital following this diet
I did this program. I lost about 50 in 4ish months. However, I gained it all back very quickly. Thankfully no major health issues.however I am still struggling with my weight because dispite it's claim I learned nothing about healthy eating or even how to make changes in the way I cook. It's very restrictive.
I did this when it was still called "Take Shape for Life" and it was horrible. I did lose weight, but the food was so disgusting that I legit decided not to eat at all a lot of the time rather than eat it. I started getting awful stomach pains and just felt terrible so I stopped.
I will never understand someone willingly putting themselves through starvation like this. I have a huge list of digestive and eating problems completely against my will that I have fought against every day of my life. I'm slowly losing the battle. I shake constantly. I'm always dizzy. My vision cuts out sometimes. I sweat profusely. It's hell. Who would ever want this?
Thank you for this video. I was an Optavia client and lost 12 pounds and maintained it for 4 years. While I don't think this diet was starvation, it was not for everyone. The water tip of drinking 64 ounces does indeed work and we should eat whatever we want. The mint cookie bar was quite tasty. My big criticism was about trying to be a coach. I could not solicit people or make even decent money let alone the $120k a year that my own coach was able to do.
My father and grandfather took medifast before they changed the name to optavia, I still have some “fuelings” in the basement. I just showed my dad this video and it wasn’t until your breakdown of what a health caloric intake and deficit would look like that he acknowledged any red flags. A close friend of his still sells these products and is on the 3 and 3 plan probably for life. I, with the help of your video feel proud to have opened his eyes today to how dangerous and predatory the messaging from this company is. (Also he was disappointed you didn’t address what I call the brainwashing you’re supposed to experience along the way. How they’re supposed to “teach” you to look at or think about food differently after taking the products. He beat himself up for not learning to sustain his “healthy eating” after being on the program.. I can’t get through to him that that was never attainable and propaganda to make you feel like you still need their program when you inevitably gain it back.)
Im so glad Im immune to the love bombing these scammers use to hook people in. It comes from surviving narcissistic relationships, and learning all the tricks. Im also glad I've done alot of intetnal reflection work in order to know myself and reduce alot of codependency habits that make folks vulnerable to MLM predation. My hope is that others do the same.
Something really really important to note is that "succeeding" in an MLM isn't just about staying in it for a long time, it's about getting in early so you can ride the momentum and the hype and secure your downline. Because there's a finite number of people on earth, you'll eventually run out of people. Joining up because you heard of a hun who joined 16 years ago and is now a millionaire means you're already doomed to fail, since she already has a bigger downline thn you could possibly achieve at this point.
I am glad you did this video. I have a former classmate that posts recipes and pictures of meals. She has me on her email and sends me newsletters, but not pressuring me. I wasn't sure about this company. Muchas gracias!
Start speaking a new language in 3 weeks with Babbel 🎉 Get up to 65% OFF your subscription ▶️ HERE: go.babbel.com/t?bsc=1200m65-youtube-hannahalonzo-july-2022&btp=default&UA-cam&Influencer..Hannah%20Alonzo..USA..UA-cam
OMG LOL. THEY USED TO BE CALLED MEDIFAST. I lost weight and gained it all back. It’s so restricting. It’s horrible.
Lost money✅
Developed an ED✅
Still recovering ✅
Thank you for warning people about this terrible MLM.
Same
I hope you and @Lisamarie Seltzer continue to recover. I'm sad that you had that experience, but I hope for healing for the both of you.
Same
It took a few seconds for me to realize that ED here = Eating Disorder, not Erectile Dysfunction😂
I feel you! Recovery is a process, a day by day process. I hope you are doing well in your recovery. I never did Optavia, but I have my own dark history with every "diet" that has ever come on the market. "This time, I'm really going to do it" is a phrase I told myself probably 50 times in my life!! Best wishes in your recovery.
That Optavia commercial is WILD to me. "Nutritionally interchangeable" is the most dystopian phrase I've ever heard, and "fuelings" is giving "our legal department says we can't call these 'meals'"
Reminds me of Veridian Dynamics from the sitcom Better Off Ted. "Developing the next generation of food and food-like products."
@@emmaparker7219 I loved Better Off Ted!
that's what I was thinking!! "fuelings" basically means "not food." !!!!!
I found out today that my friend was on Optavia. I told her that I was proud of her for her commitment to weight loss, but that she was doing it in a dangerous way. I tried to tell her as lovingly as possible. She wanted to know more so I sent her your video. She promptly canceled her membership and messaged the coach. I’m so proud of her! And I’m glad she’s not mad at me. Another person saved from an MLM!
Thank you so much for these informative videos. They help those of us who want to communicate the truth, but don’t know how to accurately display it to others. I also have a friend in Green compass. I need a deep dive on that one, so I can send it to her!
There’s no way to paint a company that makes money not just off scamming people in an MLM structure, but also by promoting a starvation diet which has sent people to hospital in a good light.
TRUTH!!!!
Dietitian here 🙋🏼♀️ this does promote starvation. I am so mad I’ve had at least 5 patients ask me about this and each time I cringe. This is one of the WORST diet programs I’ve seen. If you have any nutrition related questions, I’m happy to help ☺️
hii, okay, since you offered here's my question: my gf recently went to a dietician, she normally eats around 3.000-4.500 calories a day, and the dietician gave her a restrictive diet of max 1.500 a day right away... do you think this is ok? She's tried to lose weight before and having these big goals give her a lot of anxiety, she beats herself up and bullies herself into quitting because in her mind she already failed basically. I just don't know if I should be supportive of this diet or if I should encourage her to relax a bit? I don't want to be a bad influence but I'm really worried she'll become depressed if she can't do this perfectly :(
@@marlikesun Hey! So I'm not a dietician but I've worked with some professionals in the past. If she has been eating 3k/4k a day, she might want to drop down to 2k a day, maybe a bit more, and then go from there. I, personally, was struggling for 2 years with eating and went slowly from 2300 to 2000 to now 1800 a day. I'm not a dietician, but I believe a diet with things in moderation is key. I don't believe in cutting foods out. Definitely reach out to a dietician! 💕
@@marlikesun I hope ya'll can get some more professional opinions. I am not a dietician, but approaching anything with anxiety over doing it perfectly is not healthy. I have had professionals counsel me against negative talk to myself, such as "I should have" or the if I can't do it perfectly, I may as well not try aproach. Maybe focusing on small victories rather than giant mountains will help. You sound very supportive and I hope your gf will find a healthy path for this journey.
@@marlikesun hey! I’m sorry to hear about this. I agree with you that this change is too big. I usually recommend to my patients they start with changing one meal at a time and focus on healthy choices first. That could be specific food choices like a side of veggies versus fries or just adjusting their portion sizes. This helps it become an actual lifestyle change and not a diet. Unfortunately, like everything, there are duds and that doesn’t exclude dietitians. Every dietitian I know would recommend not cutting your calories in half. It’s not great for your metabolism and can lead to a cycle of yo-yo dieting. Overtime, it can lead to weight gain. Definitely “shop around” until she finds someone that supports her!
@@thesammielee I love your advice! Moderation is super important
"Fulings" sounds like some post apocalyptic scifi term for your daily allotted food ration.
The bare fact that they call food "fuelings" is a big red flag. Food is so much more than just biofuel. It's culture, a sensory experience, a way to nurture and please yourself, a way to share with others. Cooking is a creative outlet for millions of people. Their reductionist attitude is disordered from the get-go.
Well said!!
So well said. I want to know which registered dietitian didn't understand this fundamental aspect and found it appropriate to put their approval to this.
absolutely and i’m so glad you pointed this out. it seems like a small detail but calling food “fuelings” feels so robotic and creepy & disconnected from human experience…
It’s to lower your expectations so you don’t care it tastes like cardboard
100% the way I’ve dealt with binge eating personally is putting more value into the food I consume. Food defines culture, community and identity.
Dear Optavia, stop trying to make "fuellings" happen. It's not going to happen.
🤣
🤣
Fetch!
Love the Mean Girls callback, lol. Also, "fuelings" sounds like some kind of post-apocalyptic term for rations.
It’s so NOT going to happen lmao 🤣
Watching that video, with the way they keep saying “fuelings”, I kept thinking “are they not legally allowed to call their products food?”
EXCELLENT thought!! 😱
Mind blown 🤯!!!
Call food "fuelings" is the most dystopian thing I've heard all day.
Haha I've just left a comment saying the same, terrifying!
I had bariatric surgery in 2012. For 8 weeks before the surgery I was put on a diet of about 900 calories, which was comparable to what I was eating after surgery. Optivia used to be called “Medifast”, which is a better description of what it really is. A medical fast. I personally think that this can be beneficial (as it was for me), but only when it is MEDICALLY SUPERVISED, as mine was. The “coaches” in optivia are in NO way medically trained. There is NO medical supervision. But there IS rapid weight loss, which will get people’s attention. My weight loss decisions were 100% my own, I’m not recommending it to anyone. It was the right choice for me, but had big consequences as well. It is insane that people would try to pressure (or even persuade) a person into something like this.
A medical low calorie diet is only ever used for people so badly overweight the risk of a crash diet is less than them staying the weight they are. Like an immobile person who will die within months kind of weight problem. It should unequivocally NOT be marketed to normal people who dont have an extreme weight problem by people with no medical training. That is bananas.
Yes, you are being supervised by actual doctors and I am guessing that you were overweight based on the bariatric surgery and could survive on 900 calories a day for a while.
I just looked it up because I remember my friend saying she was doing medifast in like 2017…. Apparently medifast is the parent company
You 100% hit the nail on the head. I've successfully lost weight via lifestyle intervention and agree with everything you say. Btw good on you for all the hard work you put in! I'm really happy for you and super impressed
Thank you for sharing. I agree that if someone is in a health crisis and needs to lose weight fast a very low calorie diet can be beneficial, but like you said, only under medical recommendation and supervision. Regular uneducated people shouldn’t be taking on this diet under the supervision of an MLM coach. That’s insane. And definitely not safe.
I was JUST arguing with someone about this company! They were trying to say that a 700-1200 calorie diet was totally healthy for anyone and I was pissed. It is so unhealthy and it’s awful that this company puts uneducated people in a place of authority as “coaches” to spread their dangerous diet plans.
fr. i have disordered eating habits and if i dove into a calorie deficit right now i’m laying odds on a medical emergency. wonder if they have pending lawsuits for this reason?
When I lost weight my deficit was 1700 calories and at the lowest it was 1500 (with minimal activity). Are as I normally did but being mindful of portions. I don't count anymore but my maintenance is around 1750 which feels like plenty of food for myself because I was able to build healthy sustainable habits with my meals. Anything lower and I would have been starving. 1200 is already low but anything under that is just.... insanely low. That's a recipe for an eating disorder. (I.e overly restricting yourself and losing weight in an unhealthy way or causing yourself to binge and eat in unhealthy amounts once you can't sustain it).
This "diet" is not only unnecessary and expensive but very alarming in what they promote.
Literally seconds on Google can prove them otherwise, to me this goes beyond harmful ignorance, this is just malicious. Too many people truly think that being thin is more important than being healthy and want to impress that on other people at whatever cost. Same people probably scoff at the idea of fatphobia
@@bollocks42o Sadly, there are legal loopholes in most cases of this nature and I fear MLMs take full advantage.
I’m not a medical health professional, 1200 cal is only for special circumstances. 1500 to 2000 is usually the average. If people are concerned with wanting to do weight loss finding and estimating their basal metabolic rate (BMR) is a good place to start on maintenance and speaking to a health care provider about nutrition plans that can be healthily sustained under that bmr
I've been losing weight since november 2020. I have serious health concerns, and my weight was also affecting my illnesses, so under the care of a nutritionist and my physician we decided I needed to change my lifestyle. I was 230lbs at 5'3" and in constant pain from the pressure of the weight on my joints and organs, and something needed to change, but the entire time I was cautioned. Not to lose weight too fast not to exercise too much right off the bat, not to just cut out foods I was used to, and not to skip meals. I went from 0 exercise to a quarter of a mile walking a day, for a MONTH and then increasing it by another quarter, but never to exceed 2miles a day, just to be safe.. Slow, slow, slow. From my estimated 4k calories a day I was told to go down to 2200, and then gradually (over months) to go no lower than 1500, which is what I'm on now. I hate counting, I hate portioning, but I'm not the kinda guy that can cut out foods they love. Candy? Yup, but I only get a serving a day. Soda? Sure, but one can a day. Whatever I want, but portion control. Sometimes I eat a little more, sometimes I eat way more if I wanna just let loose and enjoy some takeout, but you go right back to it the next day. Starvation isn't sustainable. Weird bars that make you hungry right after is not sustainable. A giant salad that's only 300 calories for lunch and a 500 calorie dinner, that's sustainable, with room for snacks and treats. Sure, it sucks, but I've lost over 40lbs. If you do the math, that's less than the recommended 1lb a week, but it also proves that sure it can take longer than you'd like, but it's totally possible to do safely and WITHOUT an MLM shilling processed cardboard to you. I still have a long way to go, and sure I'd love for it to be a month and boom, I'm 160lbs, but that's not logical or healthy. And I'd be desperate to get back to silly little things like EATING.
I love this for you! Keep up the great work!
You’re such a beast, my dude! Keep on going, you’re gonna make in no time, for sure💪🏻
You are amazing! And inspiring! Thanks for sharing 😊
I am a health care professional (Pharmacist) and I agree with everything you said. A starvation crash diet with super-ultra-processed food is going to cause extreme problems. And that's not even taking into account the mega expense and the MLM structure.
@I'm So Tired as long as though processed food supplements are balanced with the correct nutrition. A lot of the MLM "support" products often have super amounts of B vitamins which could be problematic and miss micronutrients and other supportive nutrition that you can only get from whole foods.
It’s wild that this company has ties to big pharma
I’m thankfully years into recovery from my ED, and if you hadn’t mentioned the company itself I would think you were describing the mental illness that almost killed me. Controlled starvation, little to no exercise, and lots of rebound gaining of fat. We can only hope for a strong enough lawsuit to shut down such predatory programs, and inform vulnerable people in the meantime.
As someone who has degrees in kinesiology and sports nutrition, it pisses me off to see random moms from high school claim themselves to be a “health coach” out of nowhere. This scam is dangerous and needs to be shut down NOW!
YES! I have a friend who was gifted a program from her MIL (which is gross lol) and when she raised concerned about the nutrition aspect her MIL assured her that she would be working with a “coach” who knows what they’re talking about… her coach was literally the front desk girl at the dental office in her MIL building. So messed up.
I felt the same about Beach body.
As a registered dietitian, optavia is a terrifying eating plan. Coming off of this plan also runs the risk of refeeding syndrome due to the prolonged under eating. Developing refeeding syndrome can be fatal it's so scary that a program like this can exist!
I tried out Octavia but it was not for me because I was literally starving and would be so hungry!! I also got up one morning and literally fell to the floor and was not able to stop myself from falling due to the strict diet from Octavia. I was shaking and could have really hurt myself when I fell. Thank God I stopped.
When I told my coach he told me it was normal and to just take Powerade.
@@Mychiayher
Oh my God that's horrifying and dangerous!
Thank goodness you stopped!! So glad you are OK.
That's terrifying! Hope you're much better now
@@patriciamccool5243 Thank you! It was definitely scary! Had to call my sister who is an RN to make sure I had nothing to worry about.
Imagine paying a company that much money to starve yourself. You might as well put half your usual food budget into a savings account and starve yourself the traditional way
Hahaha no really! Also, not enough people talk about how disgusting this food is. I got suckered in by an acquaintance's weight loss. It's just one big *expensive* ED promotion.
That puts the whole thing right into perspective.
I know you comment is older but I laughed out loud at this.
Having to pay a company to starve oneself is peak end-stage capitalism.
Years ago I did a similar diet to this. It It was not an mlm though there was some kind of drops involved that was supposed to trick your body. After about a week I began to feel bad but was led to believe it was just my body adjusting. After 2 weeks I felt lightheaded, dizzy, serious lack of energy, severely anxious, etc. but I still continued on. Then one day just after the 3 week mark I was driving (with my young son in the car) and began to have scary heart palpatations. I decided to drive to my doctors office since they were doing walk-ins that afternoon. I soon realized I was quickly getting worse, my vision had now blurred, I was shaking all over, and had a hard time even making sense of what was going on around me. I knew I needed to pull over. The last thing I remember was eating a piece of candy before I passed out. Thankfully I came to a few minutes later and since I was almost at my doctor's office I proceeded on. When I got there I must have looked bad because they immediatly took me back and the first thing they checked was my blood sugar. It was 48, which was coma level low. And that was after eating that piece of candy. They immediately transferred me to the hospital where I spent that night being monitored, given fluids, eating correctly, etc. It scares me to think about what could have happen. I was diagnosed in the weeks that followed with thyroid issues and afib/irregular heartbeat. I still suffer from those things even years later. I can not say with certainty that those health problems came from the diet however I wasn't aware of them prior. In addition several doctors I have seen believe it is very possible it is due to the damage done by the diet. Low calorie diets on this level are. not. worth. it. Ever!!! They can cause serious, life threatening, problems and can leave lasting damage. There are healthy ways to lose weight if that is your goal. This is not the way and isn't worth the risk!!!
Actual healthcare professional here! This type of diet is called a very low calorie diet (VLCD) that would typically be recommended only if a patient with obesity needed to lose weight rapidly in preparation for bariatric surgery. I'm assuming that's where the "recommended by healthcare professionals" comes from - unsure if they mean that these professionals recommend Optavia specifically (doubt it) or recommend VLCDs more generally.
VLCDs are prepackaged shakes, soups, bars etc. (e.g. Optifast) that have been manufactured to ensure that people eating them won't develop nutrient deficiencies. However, this sort of diet should ONLY be done short-term and under medical supervision. It's typically used as a medical treatment for severely obese patients in whom the risks of obesity outweigh the risks of short-term caloric restriction - not as a quick fix for some extra tummy fat. Recommending it to the general public without any sort of medical supervision is irresponsible, full stop.
YES!!! Exactly. VLCDs have a time and place but ALWAYS need to be medically supervised and used as a tool to transition to a whole food diet.
Optavia is absolutely self destroying.. the products are not healthy.. it's sad and we appreciate you Hannah for educating us on this toxic MLM!!!!😍
Much love Hannah!!!! 🥰
I have lost friends from this program! They no longer want to be friends with me because I spoke against it saying they’re literally starving themselves! I had an eating disorder and aw so many red flags immediately! Thank you for this video this company needs to be stopped IMO!
me too. I lost a very good friend, its sad and I am still mad!
You deserve better friends
As a CERTIFIED coach in nutrition, training and hormone optimization, this makes me so mad I almost can’t watch it.
I worked (as a nanny) for a family high up in this specific company. I ended up having to leave them because of this scam.
I watched the love bombing IN PERSON, and I tried the food/ researched them. The quality of the food is HORRIBLE and cheaply made.
It’s a SCAM. this is why people feel like they can’t get healthy… because of bs like this.
Same! I cringe everytime I see someone randomly claim to be a “health coach”. It should be illegal. It’s so sad how susceptible people are to this type of deceit.
"physician and registered dietician developed plans have been recommended by more than 20,000 doctors since 1980" thats similar to the toothpaste companies that say 4 out of 5 dentists recommend brushing with X brand because the question they were asked was something like: "do you recommend not brushing your teeth or do you recommend brushing with X brand?"
This made me wonder too… (I’m a dietitian) and I dug through their website and never found a name of a dietitian that supports it…. So the dietitians supports it but not enough to put their name on it 😆🤔🤔
Wait, so did the fifth dentist really say they recommended to not brush? 😂
I own a gym and one of my clients was addicted to this stuff and she was a nurse! It took me reading the ingredients to get out loud to get her to understand and finally switch to Whole Foods. She was so supportive of it bc it was developed by a physician.
A physician on a get rich quick scheme!!
@@chelseamcfarland6170 definitely. I am a soon to be physician and our work is to look out for the well-being of our patients. Of course I want money, who doesn’t, but that is preying of people trust in you. What a fucking disgrace to the profession.
My coworker did this diet and she would microwave the weird packet soups and pastas. Most of them smelled horrible. And they looked watery and so unappetizing. She lost a ton of weight of course, but gained most of it back when she went off the plan. And beat herself up for that happening when in reality her body was probably like "omg we're finally not starving, thank god!" People don't realize that the diet industry is a multi-*billion* dollar industry because none of it works long term. They make their money from people coming back time after time after they regain the weight.
We moved to a new state about a year ago and one of the families we made friends with do the Optivia "health plans".
What was funny - when I was first getting to know the wife, I asked her what she did for a living, and she said "I'm a health coach". I kid you not - it was just the *way* she said the words "health coach" that immediately sent up the red flag that it was an MLM.
We went to their house for dinner, and both she and her husband had big plates of cooked, shredded, unseasoned chicken breast, with lettuce and tomatoes on the side. That was it! I knew it wasn't enough calories for her, let alone him - he's a BIG guy.
She's the sweetest person, so I'll never say anything to her. But her constant social media posts about her health journey, and the "clients" she's helping to lose weight just make me cringe.
Funnily enough, her husband hasn't lost any weight. I'm thinking he's not following his health plan very well ;)
My dad's gf has been using Optavia for over a year now and I did not know until a few months ago that it was an MLM, but I knew that it was bad news! She wanted to lose weight for her daughter's wedding and was super happy she was able to shed some pounds. But, not two days after the wedding (where she ate actual FOOD!), she was complaining about how she put the weight back on and needs to get back on her diet.
This type of quick yo-yoing has been going on ever since - any holiday or event where she eats actual food, she puts on 5+ pounds and immediately starts back on this garbage again. Every month she gets a gigantic box and the pantry is filled to the brim in organized containers with all of the fuelings with little room for other, real food. Her one meal a day (sometimes on a weekend she will have two meals) comes in the evening, and as a "treat" she gets two pieces of dark chocolate roughly the size of a quarter.
The other day she made some of the pancakes and asked if I wanted any, so tried them and no wonder there was so much leftover! It tasted like straight cardboard. I don't even want to know how much money she is spending on this junk, not to mention she is going every few days to the store to buy the ingredients for her actual meals. I don't feel its my place to say anything but it really does seem like she has developed a form of disordered eating - everything is divided into containers and portioned just so, she eats only at specified times (at least during the week), and now has it ingrained in her that diverting from the Optavia path means weight gain which equals bad and unhealthy.
Thank you for making videos like this, and I hope that anyone out there who is currently on this diet or looking into it takes their money and goes to an actual, licensed dietician and health care professional.
Every person I've ever met who was eating Optavia was cranky as hell, probably because they were super hangry 24/7. My old boss who sold it used to get mad at how I didn't seem to eat a lot and wanted to know why I wasn't always hungry like she was. I was like...probably because when I eat my snacks and meals are more than 100 calories?! Her lunches and snacks always looked so sad. Tiny little boxed microwave experiments that always smelled gross and looked bland. If I had to survive on those I'd be miserable all the time too!
“Fuelings” sounds so dystopian!
I wasn't sure I wanted to thank you or not for this video.
My wife and I have a history with Equinox (she joined and I tried to tell her how horrid MLM's were). They told her to ditch me because I wasn't supportive. Months later I'd even hired a private investigator to look into it. She eventually got out but lost money. She got her Mother into it as well and I think Mom might still have product stored away.
Anyway, my wife joined optavia something like three months ago. She sure did lose weight and then tried to talk me into doing it. I was already skeptical and asked if it was an MLM. She sheepishly admitted it was but, "it was different".
She talked about wanting to help people with their health as a coach. My reply was, "what is the training?" I didn't get mush of an answer and soon a fight ensued as I said, "you are being left out to swing in the wind. If anything goes wrong the company will not protect you so WE will be liable should there be a suit."
I'm bookmarking this video (and others that were not hard to find) on how dangerous this diet could be and how bad the business model is (she even let slip that she WAS making some money... maybe next tax season I can request the optavia info for our taxes... maybe that will help shine a light on this shitty opportunity). Unfortunately, because we recently had that MLM fight over optavia, she would not be receptive to this video right now. If she end up planning to go to one of their events/trainings/cult sessions, I'll be putting my foot down. The thing I worry about the most is her hurting herself (she was a D1 college swimmer when women's swimming was still a thing... sorry bad joke... so should be able to pull herself out of a dangerous situation should it arise) but as worrisome is that one of her friends will struggle with a newly developed eating disorder or begin to distance themselves from her. In these cult like systems, those types of events tend to just drive the person who has bought in deeper rather than open their eyes.
Anyway, thanks again for the video(s) and stay strong.
I don't understand your joke. Women's swimming is still a huge sport around the world.
@@annea.4173well, about when I wrote that there are some “women” that had been allowed to crush women.
Many women’s groups have wised up but the US education system seems to be the last bastion trying to fight for the “women”
Thank you for your message. You clearly love your wife and don’t want her hurt by getting involved in Optavia. It is very risky.
@@annea.4173yeeeah I've got a couple possible interpretations but they're all pretty offensive. Not sure why they felt the need to include it.
Thank you for bringing Optivia to light. I personally know people who are on this plan. It started with one woman (an extended family member) who got into it. She was already pretty slim, but thinks she is big. She than got her husband, elderly parents, sisters, their husbands, her own children onto the program. She tried to get me onto it...but I don't believe in a starvation diet. So I declined. She later became a "health coach" and still is trying her best to get me to be her underling. She constantly posts people she "coaches". So I'm extremely anti Optivia. Her parents are still on Optivia, because the woman is very controlling. Her sister and I have voiced are disapproval and have told them how unhealthy it is. But the sister is extremely controlling and kind of just ignores us. Parents do sneak some food that the program won't allow.
Not the elderly parents! :( I've known quite a few seniors, my mom among them, who seems to continually lose weight without trying to or a health issue. But even if they aren't dropping pounds it seems like it would be extremely dangerous for a senior to use Optavia (obviously dangerous for everyone, but especially those of a certain age!!). I really hope somehow your family that's in this sees the light before their health is compromised.
@@smurph13 we think this lady is a narcissist. So she won't listen to us. But luckily the elderly parents don't live with her anymore and so they have more freedom in eating. But ya. The sister of the lady and I were very vocal about how bad the program is. Even saying it isn't healthy and there are lacking in nutrients. It fell on deaf ears with the lady. I even whipped out my major knowledge (went to college studying Exercise Sports Science and Nutrition). She still says she knows more because she is a nurse. 🤦♀️ nurses don't study Nutrition at all.
*cool this is basically abuse but okay very normal thing to do*
Also, Noom is Optavia, just in a non-MLM format. It is the SAME THING, and includes the same bullying tactics of Optavia. The creator used to work for Optavia when it was Medifast.
there are not words in the english language to express how much i despise noom!!
Holly crap! I didn’t know that but no wonder I hated noom so much. Felt like a weird guilt trip cult
Interesting to know - I find the Noom adverts very cringey and glad I've avoided it.
What!! Not a Noom fan but didn't know linked to mlm as well
You're kidding!!! I KNEW I got the ick from their ads for some reason!!!
Optavia has a FB group that I took a peek into about a year or so ago. I saw several instances of them warning people about the sugar content of lozenges and other medications before taking anything if they got sick😳Talk about red flags! They're very problematic. I'm glad you did this deep dive. Your channel is great! ❤
The program is to get clients into mild ketosis, losing 1-2 pounds per week, and any extra sugar or carbs will throw the body out of ketosis. It is strict and extreme but so is any ketogenic diet.
Sounds like me when I was struggling badly with my eating disorder. This is so dangerous!
I am a personal trainer and nutrition coach and yeah…the calorie intake on this plan is scary low and something I would NEVER recommend to my clients, even those ready to take an a more aggressive calorie deficit for their weight loss goals. This is one of the most insane crash diets I’ve ever seen, not to mention all the problems with it being an MLM company! Complete cringe.
Hannah Im so glad you come with receipts and facts because the way these MLM's trick people is sickening the lies that they are willing to tell are scary.
Thank you for talking about this awful program! I had a friend get sucked into it (she only tried the month, it was absurdly expensive and she did not have the money at the time, the food was horrible and she couldn’t finish). I tried so hard to stop her when she mentioned thinking about trying it, but I didn’t know much about MLMs or any of that at the time, so I didn’t really have the information to talk her out of it. I did recognize that it was a starvation diet and told her that, but she was desperate for weight loss and the lady she met (at a weight loss library group the optavia woman set up) said it had worked so well for her. I wish I’d had a video like this at the time!
I really feel like this is one of the most dangerous MLMs. This puts people into starvation mode. That is so dangerous and upsetting. People really need to watch out for this company. To top it off, it is an MLM. Truly horrifying.
I was recently talking to my dad and his wife, who is a literal step monster (she is THE *WORST*), is using Optavia. When he told me this, I freaked out, because I literally just got finished watching your MLM horror stories with the one the girl sent in where it sent her to the hospital. My stepmother has done so many diet plans, she was on nutrisystem when I lived with them while I was in college. She's a nurse and it's just baffling to me that she continues to get involved in these things. The worst part of the whole situation is that she has chronic kidney disease, has had a transplant, and is in stage 5- so she's not doing great. She has gone legally blind and she has developed diabetes. I told my dad that this garbage MLM is going to kill her if she continues with it and he said that he tried to talk to her about it, but she literally will not listen. It's beyond frustrating. I was just shocked and baffled that this would pop up somewhere in my life, but my stepmother is really absurd when it comes to dieting 😒
Sounds like she needs mental health care! She's killing herself.
Optavia itself says that it is contra-indicated for persons with certain conditions. There is an initial screening assessment that asks about health conditions, including kidney disease. She should not have been permitted to start the program without a physician’s consent. I know this from a brief period as a program client then health coach.
I’ll be so internet stranger honest- I wish my step monster would do this to herself… too mean?
@@cailinanne haha a bit much for UA-cam but I totally relate
My sisters adopted mom is a “healthy coach” for optavia. She was hospitalized at one point because of a calorie deficit due to their starvation diet. She is still doing it though and goes on all their retreats. She convinced many others to join but I thinks she’s the only one still doing it officially.
My boyfriends aunt also recently joined and his mom is now hoarding product to help support her. I obviously shared my opinion with my bf and he said something along the lines of: she’s already making tons of money and she’s so charismatic she’ll make plenty of sales and recruit plenty of people. My response: oh good I’m so glad you think she’s capable of conning many people, like your mom.
Also for thanksgiving she tried to pitch to me after I opened up to her about how I lost 20 pounds recently due to chronic health issues.
Just saw the part about exercise which is so scary, starvation diets cause strain on the heart and they literally have to warn you against exercising so you don’t have a heart attack.
I was recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. In the last 1 1/2 years I have lost around 35 pounds, and I did this by reducing carbs, cutting out as much sugar as I can (using sugar substitutes), and cutting out soda. I eat more protein and vegetables, and exercise daily. It’s been a LIFESTYLE change for me, not something I did exclusively to lose weight. I’m doing it to keep my DMII under control, which I have done without insulin, and to feel better. Diets rarely work in the long term, because if you get to your goal weight and go off the diet, it’s usually right back to those old habits and the weight comes back. Instead of looking for a quick fix via starvation dieting, we need to think about our overall health. Weight loss can help improve health conditions, but a well-rounded lifestyle change will offer more long term success, plus you’ll feel better in general. This company should be shut down for its toxic message alone, never mind the high priced garbage they encourage their reps and customers to eat.
As someone who has always struggled with my weight (and was drawn to nutrisystem because I thought pre-packaged foods were a good idea), I’m so glad I had never heard of this company prior to becoming anti-MLM; I definitely think I would have gotten roped into being a coach for the discount, and I would have lost so much money 😬
Same
I lost about 60 pounds on nutrisystem about 8 years ago. It was easy and convenient
I did this for about a week and was miserable. I got really hungry preparing dinner so I ate a strawberry 🍓 and that’s when I decided I was finished. I didn’t become over weight eating fresh fruits and vegetables.
Thank you Hannah for giving such an in-depth dive into this company ❤️
As someone who suffered from a severe ED for almost a decade due to over exercising and under eating.. it makes me so mad that companies (mlm or not) would push this harmful bullshit on people.
Thank you for doing everything you do!
A few years ago, two of my coworkers were on Optavia. The female, who frankly is not very bright, boasted to me all about the food plan… I told her she could do what she wants but that it is unhealthy. She didn’t listen but moved on to another get-skinny-quick diet after a few months.
The more concerning was my male coworker. 1,000-ish calories is pushing it for a female, but a tall man it was absurd. I overheard him admit he was absolutely starving, weak, and passing out.
At this time, I didn’t know in addition to being awful for your body, it was also an MLM. Doesn’t surprise me since the female coworker falls for tons of them - her daughter did Cutco, she only uses & brags about Lipsense, etc.
I'm glad theres a video like this. People are getting more and more concerned with their health and such which makes the perfect ground for these "coaches" to recruit and spread misinformation. Let's hope this video can reach as far as possible so people don't get misinformed and potentially harm their own health.
I personally know a "coach" that is from my extended family. The misinformation she spouts is ridiculous.
It cures chronic pain and sickness
Aches and pains magically dissappear
Reverses diabetes
I was almost positive she told me it cures cancer. 🤦♀️🤦♀️
She's deep into it and is still on it.
Once again, superb analysis, Hannah. Thank you for including the phrase 'watch this before joining' in the title. I hope this attracts potential recruits.
I had a meeting with one of their coaches once… one of the questions was if my Husband would be supportive… and encouraged him to participate with me. I found that so odd. He does NOT need to lose weight! The cost of the meals was super pricy. And I was concerned when I saw how fast people were losing weight on their programs. It seemed alarming.
I feel so sorry for every single person who might not know a lot about nutrition, just wants to lose some weight, and gets sucked into this... I used to suffer from a binge-restrict eating disorder, and this seems like the perfect setup for just that. Best case, someone sticks to this diet, ends up starving, and binges. Worst case, the person sticks to the diet consistently, and ends up with serious health issues further down the line. It's fucked up either way.
Can confirm. After my stillbirth, I was very overly aware of the weight I had gained, and between the depression of losing my very wanted pregnancy and me reaching out for other people to 'eat healthy' with, I fell right into this with a coach I met through a networking event. My husband was understandably super suss, but I had calculated out the 'per day' cost and really had myself convinced this was just a little more per day than otherwise I would be spending. I ended up doing it for a few months at least. I think I had gotten pregnant again and that's why I stopped, knowing I needed regular food consistently, but after my miscarriage (unrelated; I have a history) I didn't pick it back up. I was extremely unfamiliar with MLMs at the time (also got into ordering Usborne not realizing what that was - I might need to send in THAT story) and having gotten very into anti-MLM content recently with first the Antibot and you, I am so grateful I stopped before doing serious damage to myself.
About a year ago I nerded out on weightloss, nutrition, and fitness. These mlm make me so mad. weight loss is all about balance and moderation. Calories in and out is foundational but there is a satisfing way to do it where it isnt super restrictive. Also everyone is different, i did better eating 5 to 6 times a day, my dad does better intermediate fasting. Know yourself, your weakness/triggers, and what you find more enjoyable in the prosses and stratagize appropriately
It's super frustrating that people don't realize that moderation is an option when it comes to weight loss. People always go for the crazy crash diets and scams instead of a reasonable deficit and some exercise.
yes!!! I know this is an old comment, but it's so important. I'm so sick of people labeling things as "healthy" vs "unhealthy" as if it's objective. What one body needs is not the same as another, and even more, people will label things with little nutritional value as "healthy" because of its lack of... anything. That's !!! not!!! healthy!!!!! Nutrition!!!! is!!!! healthy!!!!!
Had no idea it was an mlm when I did this. I lost 70 lbs in 11 months but I gained 100 lbs back (50 in only 3 months) as well as developing an eating disorder, waisting a ton of money and seriously destroying my body image. It made me mentally so messed up, and I’m ashamed that I called some of my heavier friends and tried to sell this to them really thinking I was helping them. This seriously messed me up in so many ways. And the worst part was it took 2 years of therapy before I actually believed that it wasn’t my fault that I gained the weight back and had an eating disorder. I still defended the learning side of the program, so brainwashed. Never again will I let something have this kind of power over me. Thank you for sharing this to save people from making this mistake like I did.
Oh my word I have been waiting for a deep dive on Optavia!! My cousin unfortunately is a "health coach" for it. Some of my mom's friends have done the program to lose weight too, but once they quit they gained weight back. Also not many people realize it's an MLM!
Thank you so much for this. I’m a weightlifter and a hiker. If I’m in a cut, I eat between 1800 and 2000 calories per day and focus on getting about 150g of protein daily. I am never hungry when eating in a caloric deficit and frequently have enough calories left at the end of the day for a sweet or salty treat. I can lose 2-3 lbs per week and still have energy for weightlifting, hiking and my massage therapy job which is very physical. I can’t imagine trying to live on 1000 calories of crap per day. And I can’t imagine my family having to live with me. This is crazy.
Oooo I've been waiting for this! I have my own story with Optavia, but maybe I'll save it for an MLM Horror story. I was lucky to be gifted the "food" and didn't actually buy it.
Oooh, please send it in!
I have a friend who is an Optavia coach. She tried to get me to try but the price turned me off. After watching videos by you and CC I am so happy I didn’t try it! I am surprised she uses/sells the stuff because she is a nurse and should know better!
I visited my wife's family this past weekend and they had a full room of Optivia products, they aren't selling it, but they are using it for weight loss, and it genuinely scares me, so I'm sending this video to my wife to possibly forward on, thank you for everything you do!
Good luck.
Hannah, your face while watching the promo video at the start is Perfection! Like I can tell you're trying to stay neutral but just the mix of disbelief and disgust sums up my feelings watching along completely.
As a personal trainer and functional medicine consultant, the recommendation to limit or not exercise on the program is one of the biggest red flags ever.
ditto!!!
What’s a function medicine consultant?
@tammiebrown8317 I create programs and protocols with a combination of the vital vitamins and minerals, herbal supplements and a certain diet to help alleviate certain conditions. I am not a doctor, but train under those with a PhD. A lot goes into it, but was able to alleviate my own debilitating fibromyalgia. I decided to become a personal trainer as well, to further aid in my client's overall wellness. I for sure never tell then to come off their meds or stop anything with their physicians.
Thanks to this video, I figured out that a dear friend of mine, who is also a nurse, is very VERY involved with Optavia. When I connected the dots, my heart broke. I’m also extremely confused since she is a health care professional! She HAS to know how horrible this scary low caloric consumption is…right?! I hope she sees the light soon!
An educated person is not necessarily a smart person.
It's very strange. I have noticed a LOT of nurses are on this plan. My friend who works in a hospital is on it now. She's actually lost 100 lbs, but she kind of looks sickly because it was too much weight. She starts transitioning to real food next week, so we'll see how it goes. There is also a woman I know that lost a lot of weight on this plan but now looks like she has gained it all back plus more!It seems like a trend, like that god-awful lularoe clothing a few yrs back that everyone was crazy about. People truly are sheep 🙄
I LOVE your deep dives. I know they take a lot of time to do but they are always worth it for the viewers.
Thank you so much for this deep dive. I have friends who have been trying to get me to sign up under them and I needed to know for sure! Appreciate you Hannah and your content!
I have a family friend who retired from her career as a teacher and joined Optavia. I knew something was up when all of her social media started sounding very hun-like. Figured out what she was in. She’s lost a lot of weight but I’ve noticed she’s so thin she looks a little sickly. I do worry about her but feel like if I say anything she’ll take it the wrong way. I lost 60 pounds the good old fashioned way
This is a scarily similar story to someone I grew up with. She didn’t retire as a teacher, she stopped teaching to be a “coach” and then about a year later moved states as her husband’s job moved. Still not a teacher and doing the Optavia coaching thing. I think she tried to feel me out as a customer (I’m overweight) very soon after a mutual very close family friend passed away. She’s never sent me a DM before, but made it light asking how I was. I was a wreck and I didn’t hold back. She quietly said she was praying for me and didn’t continue the conversation. Scary!
Hi Hannah, big and long time fan, I’ve loveds listening to your anti mlm videos and can’t seem to get enough of your kind and honest approach.
I just like to say, (in no way do I support it as an mlm company as I feel not being monitored by a health professional could be super risky) but the diet plan octavia offers (the most extreme one) is practically identical to one I just used as a pre-surgery diet for 3 weeks. Granted mine was the ‘doctor approved’ medical variation(?) Which is known to be the most extreme of all the meal replacement ones. But it did actually work. I lost 20kg (44lbs) in those three weeks which made having my surgery less risky for me and simpler for my surgeon. Just a piece of information.
And rest assured I 100% missed fruit, veg, and real food the whole time. As someone who doesn’t consume a lot of sweet things the artificial sweetener in those shakes, bars and deserts, and the foamy texture of the soups killed me!
From the perspective of someone who has been dieting for decades and finally started seeing a licensed nutritionist: Calorie deficits should NEVER be less than 200-400 calories from your maintenance calories. Going under that is bad for you and will actually hurt your metabolism and over-all health long term. I just went and checked out the info on their plan and food items available online and if you are prone to eating disorders or disordered eating this plan is going to only exasperate that. It's sad that it isn't illegal to peddle this kind of dangerously bad information.
200-400 under? Only? That’s insanely little. Guarantee that’s not the same for everyone
I recently tried a meal plan (I created it myself) that was around 1350 calories, and even though it was nutritionally adequate, I just couldn’t stick to it and was constantly feeling the need to snack and eat comfort food. So I increased my calories to 1700, which is 10% below maintenance, and I’m able to stick to the plan, energy is great, sleep is great, and if it takes me a year to lose 20 pounds, so be it. Better that then to stay on the yoyo or fall prey to the MLMs again (I did isagenix but never sold it).
@@rebeccajordan4491 It may take you longer -- but if it's based on crafting something that works for your lifestyle it's going to be much easier to stick to it and not shame yourself if you have a day or two here and there where you don't hit your calorie goals. The health benefits of more sleep and more energy for me will always outweigh (pun intended) quick and dramatic weight loss that I'll just gain back. Also a lot more affordable in these days of high grocery prices when your eating-plans are based on stuff you like and having a good relationship with food.
It’s crazy I didn’t know this was an MLM until way after I actually bought some of it.
Now you know
An overweight UA-camr that I watch has tried Octavia multiple times and failed it…. She’s tried many weight loss subscriptions and none of them seemed to work, though she does struggle with staying on the path of any diet, it does make me wonder if more weight loss subscriptions than we realize are just MLM‘s or money grabbers.
Is it ALR?
They’re definitely for money
A situation type deal.
I can’t see the word optavia without thinking of our gorl
@@Tubecute88 you’d be painfully correct.
Hannah, I love your videos and often watch from the treadmill during my hot summer runs. I have a dear friend who has recently fallen into this scam. Thanks for making this informative video. I hope she finds the truth before getting in too deep. 😔
I did something similar to Optavia & it was horrid. The guy who targeted me knew I had an eating disorder & that I was struggling. The diet was horrible & made me sick. I did it for 2 months & called it quits when I nearly fainted at work several times.
I'm so glad you did this vid. I've got a family member who does this rubbish and they said that it was their doctor who recommended it, but I have serious doubts cos no medical professional worth their degree would recommend something like this. Thankfully, the family member who's on it doesn't pitch it to other people (b"h) but I still get so angry and sad when I see the boxes.
Hi, Hannah! Yes! this is a dangerous system. I was severely overweight and had bariatric surgery about 17 years ago.. I basically went into starvation mode due to the inability to get all of the nutrition I needed. The food I could eat was very VERY little and depended on how my stomach reacted. It was different all the time. Hair loss and other issues were a byproduct of this type of weight loss. I was off my blood pressure meds within a month and lost over 114 lbs, in all. Now I can eat lots of things (even chips which I'm not supposed to) and have managed to only gain back about 20 lbs. Thanks for showing folks this isn't safe. I was under a surgeon's care for the year after the surgery and if anything was amiss he would have caught it. I think think Optatavia has that kind of professional CERTIFIED support for you. Enjoy you so much. Keep up the good work! xoxo
Nothing better than finding you on the video where you said, "I'd like to do a Optavia deep dive," then going your channel and seeing the promised deep dive uploaded 1 hour ago 😍 subscribed!
Ugh, what a terrible scheme-that’s messing with peoples health-yuck!! Thanks for the deep dive Hannah! ☺️
I was lured to this diet back in 2013 except it was called "Take Shape For Life". It was awful. Yes, I lost weight but only because I was eating 500 calories a day. I have an eating disorder and have had it since I was 12. Because of this, my weight fluctuates drastically sometimes. I was approached on Facebook by a previous friend and coworker who was a MA. I trusted that she wouldn't sell me anything that was harmful because she was a medical professional like myself. I found out really quickly that she had no idea what she was doing and our weekly check ins were her flying by the seat of her pants. The food was disgusting. The packages with "Mac and cheese" never cooked fully and I was basically eating uncooked noodles. The only thing that was semi palatable was the dessert. It definitely had a taste of fake but it was comforting when you are starving. I finally saw the light when my best friend asked what diet I was on. I explained it to her, and the cost, and she laughed so hard and said for the amount of money i was paying monthly for that crap, she would prepare me meals and smack anything that wasn't healthy away. I stopped ordering from that scam and was honestly disappointed in myself for allowing these people to take advantage of me. I was later diagnosed with severe food allergies that have caused me to restrict my food intake to keep from dying and I feel way better. I had no idea this was an MLM.
So exciting to see you have a sponsor!! Congratulations!! I remember watching you at 10k subscribers and you’ve grown so fast!!
I’m surprised no one has been harmed enough by this dangerous “diet” to sue the company. So so scary they’re promoting this. And the attractiveness of the promo video from the company might be the scariest part. I have what I feel is a great depth of knowledge about nutrition and how the body works as far as calories and such go, but the way they word this video on surface level seems super legit. Their marketing team knows what they’re doing.
There probably have been plenty of serious health concerns that started with this diet, but suing a company is almost never successful and when it comes to health, things are incredibly difficult to prove. Who is to say that you didn't take some kind of unnamed medication? Did you even really follow the diet? Was your main meal always exactly as prescribed? And it's entirely possible that they have paid plenty of hush-money to victims.
You’re amazing loved this video. Been binging them for the last week
My mother in law did this diet. I told her this wouldn’t work and that she’d need to be really careful. A year later, she gained all her weight back and more.
The deep dives are absolutely some of my favorite videos you make. They're so great and informative
My MIL was in Optavia and she did loose a lot of weight and she doesn’t do it anymore because seriously it’s so much money, and she gained a good amount of her weight back less than a year later. I’m glad she’s finally seeing the light. Her up line made me so freaking mad they were SO manipulative.
I have to say, I did the Octavia diet, wasn’t starving, lost a lot of weight, almost40pounds. The problem came when I was done losing weight. There is no real way to maintain on a diet like that,so I ended up regaining almost all the weight I had lost. In addition, the plan is expensive, and some of the ingredients are not so great (soyproteins).
Brianna Jewel did a dive into this company, they really do promote disordered eating. I think she said that if you follow the plan you are eating about 800-900 calories per day. Thats insane, 1200 is the lowest you are supposed to go and thats considered a crash diet. Also the fact they only tell you to eat 4-5oz of protein... omg. The body needs at least 100 grams of protien a day, which is what makes you feel sated. Just eating 4oz of chicken is about 40g of protein a day. This is a horrid MLM cause they are straight starving people while robbing them blind.
Yeah I just talked to a coach today & after doing my research & watching this. It made me definitely not wanna go forward. THANK YOU FOR THIS YOU ANGEL. ❤️ saving me starvation & money
Thank you so much for this deep dive. You did a great job, many people miss a few things and I think you nailed it! I sent you my Optavia horror story when I was a client and a coach. I hope it gives you more insight on Optavia
I’d be so interested in hearing your story! I love the insight former coaches and customers add to the anti-mlm conversation. Congrats on finding your way out and I hope you’re doing so much better now! ♥️
I would be interested to hear more of your story. some of my friends are on optavia but because they know I don't approve it is difficult to learn how things are really going for them. once you complete "plan" as I 've heard the drastic low calorie part called, do you continue to order fuelings? I can't figure out how they keep clients if the customers are supposed to learn anything for themselves. A couple of friends were obese and definitely look healthier and seem to have healthier habits but they are obsessed with weight and of course have no nutrition education to support truly coaching people.
@@joyfuljaj yes!! Even after the complete the programs from beginning to end you go into what’s called “transition” which you are supposed to be able to eat regular food, however the coaches highly encourage you to keep buying the fuelings because they’re “easier” to keep off the weight. Plus this diet plan is designed to fail so that when you go back to eating real food, you just end up failing and back on the fuelings to try to lose the weight. I am bigger now that I was when I started because I would get so sick of not eating that I would binge after not eating for 2 weeks. I have like over $800 worth of fuelings in my kitchen that idk what to do with because they upset my stomach. I was always told that they hurt my stomach because of the probiotic that’s in them and my body is just getting rid of toxins and that’s why my stomach always hurts
@@chelseamcfarland6170 I'm so sorry you are dealing with the aftermath. I knew there was a maintenance part, but have been hesitant to ask my friends how that ends up working in reality. There is a former optavia person in my social media who posted her fuelings for sale. I saw her pictures show weight gain after a major weight loss. She said that keto ended up working better for her. I wish I would have asked her when she made the keto comment about what made her stop with optavia. She had some other health problems somewhere along the way too, so I didn't want to intrude; she isn't a close enough friend for me to inquire too much about health stuff. I can understand getting stomach upset with process stuff. I eat protein bars for breakfast regularly and sometimes think I need a break from them to eat whole food.
As a personal trainer & nutrition coach, you explained everything perfectly 👍🏽😊
yep! I was going to do a FB live in my weight loss support group but I don't need to now, I will just share this one!
Something about that video you showed explaining the diet and food they offer was so unsettling to me. It felt extremely cultish and just… off. Thanks for another awesome video and putting in the work to make these! I love these deep dives and I really think they make an impact in supporting people who are considering leaving/joining MLMs ♥️
So cultish! The woman’s voice sounded like a cult parody from SNL 😂
@@inspiredtoenrich Omg YES!! I can absolutely imagine this as a skit on there 😂 I don’t know how anyone could have heard that and thought “ah yes, this sounds like a totally normal and not at all cultish job opportunity”
I have a girlfriend who was going on a weight loss journey. She was raving over the plan she was on. And was telling me I should do it too.
But then she’s like it costs $400 for food and you can’t exercise while doing it. That was a red flag for me. I love working out. Any diet that won’t let me weight-lift is not a diet I can do. She looks good, but she’s always tired and never has energy and is snippy with her kids. I hope she transitions off this plan soon.
please talk to your girlfriend about how dangerous this diet is. having such a low calorie intake could genuinely be life threatening. people have ended up in the hospital following this diet
I have a girlfriend…? How many do you have
@@emilyfierro7696 many. Most of my friends are girls/ women. Is that a problem for you?
@@emilyfierro7696 what are you implying?
@@emilyfierro7696 lol they mean "girlfriend" as in "friend who is a woman"
Thank you for finally covering this! So many people I know are optavia coaches and try to convince everyone it’s just a diet plan. It’s deceitful af
i love your approach to these videos hannah! you’re a great teacher!
I did this program. I lost about 50 in 4ish months. However, I gained it all back very quickly. Thankfully no major health issues.however I am still struggling with my weight because dispite it's claim I learned nothing about healthy eating or even how to make changes in the way I cook. It's very restrictive.
I did this when it was still called "Take Shape for Life" and it was horrible. I did lose weight, but the food was so disgusting that I legit decided not to eat at all a lot of the time rather than eat it. I started getting awful stomach pains and just felt terrible so I stopped.
I will never understand someone willingly putting themselves through starvation like this. I have a huge list of digestive and eating problems completely against my will that I have fought against every day of my life. I'm slowly losing the battle. I shake constantly. I'm always dizzy. My vision cuts out sometimes. I sweat profusely. It's hell. Who would ever want this?
This deep dive was so incredibly well done and how gross is this "system". The product and the business.
Thank you for this video. I was an Optavia client and lost 12 pounds and maintained it for 4 years. While I don't think this diet was starvation, it was not for everyone. The water tip of drinking 64 ounces does indeed work and we should eat whatever we want. The mint cookie bar was quite tasty. My big criticism was about trying to be a coach. I could not solicit people or make even decent money let alone the $120k a year that my own coach was able to do.
I was binge watching the deep dive playlist just yesterday and hoped there would be a new one soon. These are so interesting, thank you!!
My father and grandfather took medifast before they changed the name to optavia, I still have some “fuelings” in the basement. I just showed my dad this video and it wasn’t until your breakdown of what a health caloric intake and deficit would look like that he acknowledged any red flags. A close friend of his still sells these products and is on the 3 and 3 plan probably for life. I, with the help of your video feel proud to have opened his eyes today to how dangerous and predatory the messaging from this company is. (Also he was disappointed you didn’t address what I call the brainwashing you’re supposed to experience along the way. How they’re supposed to “teach” you to look at or think about food differently after taking the products. He beat himself up for not learning to sustain his “healthy eating” after being on the program.. I can’t get through to him that that was never attainable and propaganda to make you feel like you still need their program when you inevitably gain it back.)
Im so glad Im immune to the love bombing these scammers use to hook people in. It comes from surviving narcissistic relationships, and learning all the tricks. Im also glad I've done alot of intetnal reflection work in order to know myself and reduce alot of codependency habits that make folks vulnerable to MLM predation. My hope is that others do the same.
Something really really important to note is that "succeeding" in an MLM isn't just about staying in it for a long time, it's about getting in early so you can ride the momentum and the hype and secure your downline. Because there's a finite number of people on earth, you'll eventually run out of people. Joining up because you heard of a hun who joined 16 years ago and is now a millionaire means you're already doomed to fail, since she already has a bigger downline thn you could possibly achieve at this point.
I am glad you did this video. I have a former classmate that posts recipes and pictures of meals. She has me on her email and sends me newsletters, but not pressuring me. I wasn't sure about this company. Muchas gracias!
OMG, I always see lean and green on the recipes