The Optavia diet is a weight-loss program that relies on prepackaged foods and personal coaching to help individuals achieve their weight loss goals. It is a low-carbohydrate, low-calorie lifestyle program designed for weight loss. Derived from the Medifast diet, OPTAVIA relies heavily on prepackaged foods, referred to as Fuelings, in combination with home-prepared recipes. While it has gained popularity due to celebrity endorsements and promises of rapid weight loss, it's essential to understand its intricacies, potential benefits, and risks before signing up.
What Is the Optavia Diet?
Optavia is marketed as a weight-loss or maintenance plan that involves eating a mix of purchased, processed food created by the company - mainly shakes, bars, soups and crunchy snacks called "fuelings" - and homemade "lean and green" meals. One nice thing? You don't have to count carb, calories or points. Instead, you just add water to powdered food products or unwrap a bar as part of your plan, which can include up to six portion-controlled meals daily. The Optavia diet was officially launched in 2017, though it is a new version a weight-loss plan called Medifast, created in 1980. Medifast is the parent company of Optavia. It also owns and operates the Medifast program you may remember from the '80s and '90s, which had doctors prescribing meals to their clients. Optavia uses similar foods with an identical macronutrient profile, but consumers can sign up for the plan themselves online.
Subscribing to the plan will also give you access to an independent coach who can help guide your OPTAVIA journey. Many commercial weight loss plans sell very similar products - bars, shakes, dry soup mixes and more. In 2023, the company introduced OPTAVIA ACTIVE, a new line of supplements for active individuals that include amino acid supplements and protein powders. With OPTAVIA’s ACTIVE Plans, these products are intended to be used in addition to the existing weight loss plans to support healthy muscle growth during aging and support overall health through physical activity. Through a partnership with telehealth company LifeMD, eligible OPTAVIA clients may have access to weight-management drugs like GLP-1 receptor agonists with a prescription from a LifeMD provider. In 2024, the company also launched its GLP-1 Nutrition Support Kit, designed to support those already utilizing weight-loss drugs.
How the Optavia Diet Works
The Optavia diet offers seven different meal plans. You’ll also be matched with an independent coach. You'll eat a set number of prepackaged Fuelings each day and one or two low-carbohydrate meals, which you prepare using food from the grocery store. The Optavia diet relies on meal replacements called "fuelings," which are branded products designed to keep you full until your next fueling. No matter which meal plan you choose, you'll be eating every 2 to 3 hours, resulting in six meals a day. However, one to three (depending on your plan) meals will be a dish you make at home using fresh ingredients. The program also recommends avoiding alcohol, sugary drinks and desserts, high-calorie condiments, starchy vegetables and whole grains. In the Optimal Weight 5 & 1 Plan, the most popular of the diet's options, you eat only one whole-food meal per day; the rest of your 5 small meals come via "fuelings," packaged products you are required to buy from the web site or your personal coach.
Optavia Fuelings are nutrient-dense meal replacements that add vitamins, minerals and fiber to your diet without a lot of calories. Because they are already portioned for you, there is no room for error or unintended overeating.
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Optavia Meal Plans
Optavia offers three main meal plans:
Optimal Weight 5-and-1 Plan: You'll eat five fuelings and one lean and green meal. This plan consists of five Optavia Fuelings and one balanced Lean and Green meal each day. On the 5&1 plan, you’re instructed to eat 5 Optavia Fuelings and 1 Lean and Green meal each day. The program recommends eating a meal or a Fueling every 2-3 hours and incorporating 30 minutes of moderate exercise most days of the week.
Optimal Health 3-and-3 Plan: You'll eat three fuelings and three lean and green meals. Designed for maintenance, this plan includes three Optavia Fuelings and three balanced Lean and Green meals per day.
Optimal Weight 4-and-2-and-1 Plan: For those who need more calories or flexibility in food choices, this plan includes four Optavia Fuelings, two Lean and Green meals, and one snack per day.
Two other plans are available to people who have additional considerations. According to Optavia, this includes people with medical conditions like diabetes, those that exercise more than 45 minutes each day, and those over 65.
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Optavia Fuelings
Optavia's fuelings are the bulk of every meal plan -- they include bars, shakes, brownie and pancake mix, snack sticks, cereals, pasta, potatoes, soups and pudding. Each product is said to be high in vitamins and minerals, probiotics and protein, and doesn't contain any artificial colors, flavors or sweeteners. The meal plan you choose will determine how many fuelings you'll receive. While not all fueling products are available in every meal plan, you do have the option to customize your fuelings kit.
There are two kinds of Fuelings to choose from:
Essential Fuelings: These are Optavia’s versions of classic American dishes and flavors, such as Cheesy Buttermilk Cheddar Mac, Wild Rice & Chicken Flavored Soup, and Essential Creamy Vanilla Shake.
Select Fuelings.
Fuelings use sugar substitutes, small portion sizes, whey protein powder, and soy protein isolate to create low carb, high protein versions of popular food items, like vanilla milkshakes and mac and cheese. Each fueling product contains around 100 to 150 calories. All fuelings contain added protein and a probiotic, and are around 100-110 calories.
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Lean-and-Green Meals
The meal plan you choose will determine how many lean-and-green meals you eat a day. Unlike fuelings, these meals are not included in your meal kit. That means extra grocery shopping and cooking is required, but each meal is completely up to you. Optavia does provide recipes. Each lean-and-green meal you prepare on your own must include 5 to 7 ounces of lean protein (for example, chicken, salmon or tofu), three servings of nonstarchy vegetables (for example, cauliflower, collard greens or broccoli), up to two servings of healthy fat (for example, avocado, eggs or nuts).
Here’s what a Lean and Green meal should include:
- 5-7 ounces (145-200 grams) of cooked lean protein
- 3 servings of non-starchy vegetables
- up to 2 servings of healthy fats
The program also includes a dining out guide that explains how to order a Lean and Green meal at your favorite restaurant.
Foods allowed in your daily Lean and Green meal:
- Meat: chicken, turkey, lean beef, game meats, lamb, pork chop or tenderloin, ground meat (at least 85% lean)
- Fish and shellfish: halibut, trout, salmon, tuna, lobster, crab, shrimp, scallops
- Eggs: whole eggs, egg whites, Egg Beaters
- Soy products: only tofu
- Vegetable oils: canola, flaxseed, walnut, olive
- Additional healthy fats: low carb salad dressings, olives, reduced fat margarine, almonds, walnuts, pistachios, avocado
- Low carb vegetables: collard greens, spinach, celery, cucumbers, mushrooms, cabbage, cauliflower, eggplant, zucchini, broccoli, peppers, spaghetti squash, jicama
- Sugar-free snacks: ice pops, gelatin, gum, mints
- Sugar-free beverages: water, unsweetened almond milk, tea, coffee
- Condiments and seasonings: dried herbs, spices, salt, lemon juice, lime juice, yellow mustard, soy sauce, salsa, sugar-free syrup, zero-calorie sweeteners, 1/2 teaspoon only of ketchup, cocktail sauce, or barbecue sauce
Foods to avoid - unless included in Fuelings:
- Fried foods: meats, fish, shellfish, vegetables, sweets like certain pastries
- Refined grains: white bread, pasta, biscuits, pancakes, flour tortillas, crackers, white rice, cookies, cakes, pastries
- Certain fats: butter, coconut oil, solid shortening
- Full fat dairy: milk, cheese, yogurt
- Alcohol: all varieties
- Sugar-sweetened beverages: soda, fruit juice, sports drinks, energy drinks, sweet tea
Personal Coaching with Optavia
Losing weight is hard, and it's even harder to do it alone. A personal coach can help motivate you and ease the stress of beginning a weight loss journey. A majority of Optavia's coaches were clients themselves. After training provided by the company, you can become a paid coach for newcomers. Losing weight is hard, and it's even harder to do it alone. A personal coach can help motivate you and ease the stress of beginning a weight loss journey. A majority of Optavia's coaches were clients themselves. After training provided by the company, you can become a paid coach for newcomers. The Optavia program provides additional tools to aid weight loss and maintenance, including tips and inspiration via: text message, community forums, weekly support calls, an app that allows you to set meal reminders and track your food intake and activity.
Transition and Maintenance
Once you reach your desired weight, you enter a 6-week transition phase, which involves slowly increasing your calories to no more than 1,550 calories per day. You’ll also be allowed to incorporate a wider variety of foods, including:
- Fruit: all fresh fruit, particularly berries because they’re lower in carbs
- Low fat or nonfat dairy: yogurt, milk, cheese
- Whole grains: whole grain bread, high fiber breakfast cereal, brown rice, whole wheat pasta
- Legumes: peas, lentils, beans, soybeans
- Starchy vegetables: sweet potatoes, white potatoes, corn, peas
After 6 weeks, Optavia recommends transitioning to the Optimal Health 3&3 Plan, which includes 3 Lean and Green meals and 3 Fuelings daily, plus ongoing Optavia coaching.
Cost of Optavia
The cost of Optavia depends on the types and number of products you purchase each month. Optavia products are available individually and in kits. Individual Fuelings cost $2.96 or $3.46 per serving, while kits come out to $3.60 or $3.38 per serving, depending on the kit.
Here's what you can expect to pay for each program in 2024 (there is a discount for the first month's kit, these prices reflect the regular price):
- Optimal Weight 5 & 1 Plan: $511.50 for 154 servings
- Optimal Weight 5 & 1 ACTIVE Plan: $571.45 for 184 servings, including whey protein and the essential amino acids powder).
- Optimal Weight 4 & 2 ACTIVE Plan: $515.15 for 179 servings
Keep in mind that these prices don’t reflect the additional cost of groceries needed to prepare Green and Lean meals. Premier members can also qualify for 5 free Fuelings boxes when they order 15 boxes or 1 kit.
In contrast, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates published in September 2022 suggest that a woman between the ages of 19-70 may spend upwards of $243 per month on groceries while still following a nutritious diet. It's true that you'll need to prepare most of your food, unlike Optavia - though, there are many other programs for you to consider that don't involve portion control.
Can the Optavia Diet Help You Lose Weight?
Yes, you can lose weight on the OPTAVIA diet. The Optavia diet is designed to help people lose weight and fat by reducing calories and carbs through portion-controlled meals and snacks. The 5&1 plan limits calories to 800-1,000 per day, divided among 6 portioned-controlled meals. As with all weight loss diets, factors such as weight, age, muscle mass, activity level, genetic makeup and metabolic rate influence how much weight you lose. Perhaps most importantly, you should also ask yourself how likely you can stick to a plan long term.
Weight loss research specific to the OPTAVIA diet is limited to a handful of small studies, but short-term weight loss is possible with the diet:
- According to the company, the average weight loss on the 5 & 1 Plan is 12 pounds in 12 weeks.
- A short-term 16-week study followed 65 people on Optavia’s 5&1 Plan with excess weight or obesity and found that those on Optavia’s 5&1 Plan had significantly lower weight, fat levels, and waist circumference than the control group by the end of the study (6). Specifically, those on the 5&1 Plan lost 5.7% of their body weight, on average, and 28.1% of participants lost more than 10%.
As with all weight loss diets, factors such as weight, age, muscle mass, activity level, genetic makeup and metabolic rate influence how much weight you lose.
Potential Benefits of the Optavia Diet
- Reduced risk of diabetes: Being overweight is one of the most significant risk factors for Type 2 diabetes. If OPTAVIA helps you lose weight and keep it off, it can help tilt the odds in your favor in fending off insulin resistance.
- Reduced inflammation: Researchers have reported reduced blood pressure, pulse rate and blood levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation that may predict heart disease risk, in the Medifast dieters.
- Heart disease: OPTAVIA states that its Fuelings are lower in fat and cholesterol and include enough high-quality soy protein to meet the Food and Drug Administration’s heart health claim.
- Easy to follow: Since the diet relies mostly on packaged Fuelings, you’re responsible for cooking only one meal per day on the 5&1 Plan. What’s more, each plan comes with meal logs and sample meal plans to make it easier to follow. While you’re encouraged to cook 1-3 Lean and Green meals per day, depending on the plan, they’re simple to make - and the program includes specific recipes and a list of food options. Plus, people who aren’t interested in cooking can buy packaged meals called Flavors of Home to replace Lean and Green meals.
- May improve blood pressure: Optavia programs may help improve blood pressure through weight loss and limited sodium intake. All Optavia meal plans are designed to provide less than 2,300 mg of sodium per day - although it’s up to you to choose low sodium options for Lean and Green meals. That’s because higher sodium intake is linked to an increased risk of high blood pressure and heart disease in salt-sensitive individuals (9).
- Offers ongoing support: Optavia’s Coaches are available throughout the weight loss and maintenance programs. Research suggests that having a lifestyle coach or counselor may aid long-term weight maintenance (10).
Health Risks and Potential Drawbacks
Because the OPTAVIA diet is low in carbs and calories, it can result in potential health problems. Additionally, rapid weight loss increases the risk of arrhythmia, dehydration and electrolyte imbalance.
- Very low in calories: With just 800-1,000 calories per day, the Optavia 5&1 program is quite low in calories, especially for individuals who are used to eating 2,000 or more calories per day. While this rapid reduction in calories may result in overall weight loss, research has shown that it can also lead to significant muscle loss (11). In addition, low calorie diets may decrease the number of calories your body burns, making it even more difficult to lose weight. This slower metabolism can last even after you stop restricting calories (12). Calorie restriction can also lead to the inadequate intake of essential nutrients, including vitamins and minerals. Finally, research indicates that low calorie diets trigger increased hunger and cravings, which could make long-term adherence more difficult (13).
- May be difficult to stick with: The 5&1 Plan includes 5 packaged Fuelings and 1 low carb meal per day. As a result, it can be quite restrictive in food options and calorie count. Since you may tire of relying on packaged foods for most of your meals, it could become easy to cheat on the diet or develop cravings for other foods.
- Can be costly: Regardless of your specific plan, the Optavia diet can be expensive, especially when you factor in the additional cost of groceries for Lean and Green meals. Depending on your budget, you may find it cheaper to cook low calorie meals yourself.
- May be incompatible with other eating patterns: The Optavia diet includes specialized programs for vegetarians, people with diabetes, and people who are nursing. Plus, about two-thirds of its products are certified gluten-free. However, options are limited for those on specific diets. For example, Optavia Fuelings are not suitable for vegans or people with dairy allergies because most options contain milk.
Who Should Not Follow the Optavia Diet?
Pregnant women and those younger than 13 shouldn’t be on any OPTAVIA program. Teens, nursing mothers, people with gout and those with diabetes should stick to the OPTAVIA program options developed for their unique needs after clearing it with their doctors. Older, sedentary adults and people who exercise more than 45 minutes daily should avoid the 5 & 1 Plan. People with serious illnesses - like cancer, liver disease, kidney disease or an eating disorder - shouldn’t follow any plan unless they have recovered and are cleared by their health care providers.
Optavia Diet Tips and Advice
Christi McDaniel, 39, is a musician and YouTuber in Grass Valley, California. “At first, I felt like I would never be able to lose the amount of weight I needed to lose, and I found myself comparing my journey with others on the program," she says. "Over time, I changed my mindset as I came to the realization that the weight wasn’t going to all come off in one month.
Alternatives to Optavia
Instead of signing up for Optavia, consider meeting with a dietician who can work on your specific health and wellness needs, creating a plan that you can follow for a lifetime, not just a few weeks. Start by making small changes like incorporating fruits and vegetables into your meals, or reducing your intake of sugary snacks. It's natural to wonder if a popular diet can help you lose weight and improve your health. The Optavia Diet relies on severe calorie restriction and processed foods, which are expensive to purchase.
Rather than spending on a specific diet, she recommends following the tried and true methods of reaching and maintaining a healthy weight. "Fad diets, cleanses, detoxes, fasts, supplement pills, etc. are not necessary to lose weight or be healthy," Holley says.