The Optavia Diet Is All About Ready-To-Eat Meals That Are Low-Carb And Low-Calorie (2024)

When it comes to weight loss programs, there are a slew of branded diets out there that many people choose to follow, including options with ready-to-eat meals as part of the plan. One in particular you may run into scrolling social media is: the Optavia diet.

So, what is the Optavia diet—and does it really help you lose weight?

The Optavia weight loss plan requires followers to eat a mix of pre-made, portion-controlled food sent to their home, as well as protein-rich, low-carb Optavia dishes and snacks participants make themselves.

The company’s co-founder and independent Optavia Coach, Wayne Scott Andersen (a.k.a., Dr. A.), DO, says a big reason why the program works for so many is that the focus isn’t just on food. After joining Optavia, you connect with a coach who works one-on-one with you and provides support as you learn lifestyle habits that’ll help you shed pounds and improve your health.

Plus, Optavia followers get access to a community of others who are on a similar journey—and who are eager to give and receive encouragement, too. “I wanted to teach people how to take control of their lives and create health for themselves—and provide them with the tools to help make that a reality,” says Dr. A about why he co-founded Optavia.

Curious if this weight loss plan is for you? Here’s what you need to know about the Optavia diet, including what you can eat, if it can actually help you shed pounds, and who the program may not be right for.

Meet the experts: Julie Upton, RD, is a nutrition communications specialist, the co-author of two nutrition books, and co-founder of Appetite for Health.. She has provided counsel to many food and beverage companies. Roxana Ehsani, RD, is a national media spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and previously served as the sports performance dietitian for Georgetown University's Division I Athletic Department. Kimberly Gomer, RD, is a Miami-based registered dietitian who specializes in weight loss, diabetes, cholesterol, and polycystic ovary syndrome.

What is the Optavia diet, exactly?

The plan focuses on five other key areas that go beyond what you put on your plate: hydration, exercise, sleep, mindfulness, and your surroundings.

These are all part of the Habits of Health Transformational System designed by Dr. A, which he says teaches people how to improve their well-being through small, simple behavior changes.

Julie Upton, RD, the co-author of two nutrition books and co-founder of Appetite for Health, a nutrition communications firm, agrees with Dr. A’s 360-degree approach to wellness. “Taking a holistic look at all of the areas of your life that can impact the number on the scale is crucial,” she says. “Being overweight is rarely a result of people not knowing what’s good for them. Things like stress, anxiety, and depression are almost always also at play. Plus, healthy habits tend to bundle together and build on one another,” Upton adds. “When you transform one area, a new, healthier lifestyle may become sustainable.”

Optavia also comes with an app that allows you to track your food intake and activity and schedule weekly calls with an Optavia coach, some of who are previous Optavia clients. They’ll help you determine which plan is best for you based on your goals, provide personal guidance, hold your hand (virtually!) throughout each step of your journey, and celebrate your victories. This kind of personalized support can be a game-changer, says Upton.

“Having someone you can reach out to when you’re struggling (or just need some motivation or advice) is so helpful and can help you stay on track,” she says.

What can you eat on the Optavia diet?

For those first starting Optavia, the most popular plan is the Optimal Weight 5 & 1 Plan, which Optavia says is backed by a cross-disciplinary panel of experts, physicians, and scientists. In addition to the pre-portioned meals that Optavia sends you (a.k.a., “Fuelings”), you’ll also learn another habit: how to cook a daily “Lean & Green” meal with ingredients purchased from the grocery store.

These Lean & Green recipes consist of five to seven ounces of cooked lean protein, plus three servings of non-starchy vegetables and up to two servings of healthy fats. You can also have an optional snack. Think: dill pickle spears, sugar-free ice pops, celery stalks, or nuts.

“Ultimately, Optavia helps clients adopt healthy habits that can inspire long-term success, allowing them to eventually replace some or all Fuelings with Lean & Green meals they make themselves,” says Dr. A. In other words: You’ll gain all the know-how to shop for and cook meals that can help you manage your weight.

Optavia offers more than 50 different Fuelings. There are also easy-to-follow lists of foods that are great choices for Lean & Green meals. Here are a few examples:

• Lean meats (like turkey, lamb, or chicken)
• Fish and shellfish (like salmon, shrimp, and crab)
• Low-carb veggies (like spinach, cauliflower, mushrooms, and cabbage)
• Eggs
• Tofu
• Healthy fats (like avocados and pistachios)

This kind of food diversity will help you stick to the plan, says Upton. “If you’re only limited to a few foods, there’s a good chance you’ll get bored and fall off the wagon," she says. "The more variety you have, the more likely it is you’ll stick with it and ultimately develop an eating and lifestyle pattern that lasts the rest of your life.”

How does the Optavia diet help you lose weight?

Ultimately, "the ready-to-eat foods, pastas, soups, pudding, shakes, cookies, bars, are all portion-controlled, made using sugar substitutes and protein powders to make them low in carbs and high in protein," says Miami-based dietitian Roxana Ehsani, RD.

"The weight loss plan is very low in calories, about 800-1,000 calories, which claims you can lose 12 pounds in 12 weeks," says Ehsani. Most people need between 1,800-2,200 calories a day, she adds.

In addition to Optavia's plan and products, healthy habits system, and personalized coaches, you’ll also have access to weekly meetings with other members—a community of people on a similar journey who can give you real-time support.

“We know that group support helps people adhere to healthy habits—and when it comes to weight loss, adherence is crucial because you have to be able to stick with the program to achieve your goals,” says Upton.

Is the Optavia diet a healthy way to lose weight?

The brand promises quick results, but in reality, you are following a very restrictive, low-calorie diet plan which isn’t recommended for long-term use. "This, like many other fad diets, is not sustainable for life-long health or long-term success. You likely will see weight loss quickly due to its restrictive nature (very low calorie plan), but once you go off the diet, you likely will see the weight all come back," says Ehsani.

In general, Optavia can also be quite expensive since you have to purchase a lot of their pre-made entrees, Ehsani says. "It may be convenient for the person who doesn't cook, but it's not teaching them lifelong skills for success," she says. "You shouldn’t need to follow a diet that’s all pre-packed foods. That’s not nutritious. Most of the meals don't include fruits and vegetables either, which are the most nutrient-dense foods you should be including."

How much does the Optavia diet cost?

There are many plans you can choose to do on Optavia, which each have different costs. Here's a breakdown of some. (And if you want to explore more Optavia products, here is the full list of prices)

• The Optimal Weight Kit (5 & 1 Plan®), which contains 154 servings, costs $396.50.
• The Optimal Health Kit (3 & 3 Plan®), which contains 130 servings, costs $283.05.
• The Optimal Kit (4 & 2 & 1 Plan®), which contains 179 servings, costs $395.15.
• Habits of Health® Transformational System, which includes Dr. A's Habits of Health Second Edition and Your LifeBook, costs $49.95.

Is Medifast the same as Optavia?

Medifast is the parent company of Optavia that was founded in the ‘80s and also consisted of pre-packaged meal replacements, says Kimberly Gomer, RD, a Miami-based dietitian who specializes in weight loss, diabetes, cholesterol, and polycystic ovary syndrome. Medifast also focused on weight loss, but the brand recently phased out and completely merged with Optavia.

Who should not try Optavia?

The Optavia diet is not one that Gomer recommends to anyone. “Unless a person is extremely inactive, like lying in bed all day, they need more calories than the plan provides,” she explains. “Almost any plan will work via very low calorie restriction, and while it may be a recipe for possible short-term success, it almost always ends in long-term failure.”

Aside from being nutritionally restrictive and low in calories, many of the meals and snacks contain highly processed ingredients, says Gomer. “The products they ask you to purchase are extremely processed with vegetable seed oils as well as additives and preservatives,” she explains. Plus, purchasing the branded pre-packaged meals is more expensive compared to buying whole, unprocessed foods, she adds.

Because the plan is low in calories, you’re unlikely to be satiated throughout the day, leading to increased cravings and even possible nutritional deficiencies, says Gomer. As a result, this may cause increased snacking and a spike in insulin levels which can deter weight loss efforts, she explains. (FYI: Insulin is what’s in charge of hunger and fat storage, so lowering insulin is key to weight management.) “A person should eat a meal and be satiated until the next meal, without a need to constantly snack.”

So, while lifestyle and mindset are key in weight loss success, the processed and low-calorie foods recommended through the Optavia diet are not necessarily healthy for anyone, stresses Gomer.

Is the Optavia diet healthy?

Ehsani says she would not recommend it. "This program is promoting a very low-calorie diet, which is not sustainable for long-term health or success," she says. "A person may follow it for a few weeks and see results, but they won’t see lasting results. And once they start resuming their normal diet after seeing desired weight loss, they likely will see weight creep back on. So it will work, until it doesn’t."

She's also not a fan of the pre-packaged entrees, which aren't as nutritious as eating whole, non-processed foods. "Typically a lot of ingredients go into premade or pre-packaged food. These pre-packed foods also contain lots of sugar substitutes and food additives, which aren’t too nutritious to be consumed daily and multiple times per day either. I would prefer the person prepare or assemble more of their meals at home," says Ehsani.

Another issue with pre-packaged foods is that you don't learn how to prepare a healthy meal or snack on your own, including how to meal prep for the week. "Teaching them these skills will help them for long-term success," adds Ehsani.