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Not only is obesity becoming increasingly common at 42.4% in 2017-2018, but obesity-related diseases have quickly become the leading cause of preventable death among the population [1,2]. This has led to numerous diet programs popping up and increased interest in them.
There are a variety of different diets that have become highly sought after by those looking to lose weight and better their health. Due to the variety of diets available, one of the hardest parts about losing weight can be choosing the right diet program to go with.
This article will be going over two of the more popular diet programs that are taking over the diet industry. These two programs are Nutrisystem and OPTAVIA.
Features Comparison: Is Nutrisystem or OPTAVIA Better?
How Nutrisystem Works
Nutrisystem is an optimized weight-loss program that is meant to be highly convenient and accessible [3]. It promises to deliver healthy foods that are perfectly portioned in order to make it easy to follow.
Nutrisystem takes the guesswork out of the dieting process which helps you avoid the common issue that plagues a lot of diets which is counting calories.
By decreasing the resistance to eating healthy with a perfect diverse and portioned menu full of items delivered right to your door, it really makes sustaining a diet easier than ever before.
Along with having the most diverse selection of nutritionally balanced meals, you gain access to world-class leading experts in the nutrition industry with Nutrisystem’s contact center.
How OPTAVIA Works
Optavia offers different diet programs that are catered toward the weight-loss crowd. With the program, you get pre-packaged meals delivered to your door. Along with it, you get snacks, shakes, and other goods to help you along your journey. Optavia stresses teaching you what healthy eating looks like and with personal coaching, they want to make healthy eating second nature.
The different plans take different approaches. For instance, the 5-in-1 plan starts you off with a diet optimized to ramp up your metabolism to put it into a fat-burning state by having you eat smaller micro meals (6) times per day every 2 to 3 hours.
These micro meals are referred to as “fuelings” by the plan which is optimized to help you maintain a properly functioning metabolism.
Primary Differences Between OPTAVIA and Nutrisystem
- Nutrisystem has a diverse range of fresh food selection to choose from
- Nutrisystem has a much longer track record (over 45 years)
- Optavia offers primarily packaged food and meals
- Optavia emphasizes having a personal coach (with Nutrisystem, you have an email contact system to connect with coaches)
Nutrisystem offers a much more comprehensive approach to losing weight. Not only do you get fully portioned and optimized meal plans with meals delivered right to your door, but you get comprehensive support and counseling from trained weight-loss coaches, registered dietitians, and more from their contact center [4]. With Optavia, you get assigned a coach who is intended on keeping you on your path towards optimal well being. Your coach is going to keep in regular contact with you throughout the process. During the initial stages, you will be speaking with your coach often and gradually transition to regular check-in every now and then.
Winner: Nutrisystem for having the longer track record of success
Menu Comparison: Who Has More Food Options?
As with any diet plan, you should be prioritizing finding the one that offers you the most food selection that you could see yourself eating long term. Find the diet program that is going to be capable of offering you food that can keep you on your diet track for as long as possible and you will find one that you should choose to go with.
After all, a diet is only going to be effective if you are able to stick with it. Therefore, don’t choose a diet with a restrictive menu with foods that you will grow tired of quickly.
Nutrisystem’s Menu
This is perhaps the best thing that Nutrisystem offers. Nutrisystem menu really stands out in the crowded marketplace because it is not only diverse, but it includes everything from pre-packaged foods to snacks to fresh meals.
Example Menu Items:
- Vegetable frittata
- Waffles
- Grilled chicken sandwich
- Chicken Parmesan
See the full Nutrisystem menu at their website.
Optavia’s Menu
Optavia is much more limited in this regard as you will only get pre-packaged foods with their diet program. This can lead to you quickly growing tired of Optavia much quicker than you would Nutrisystem.
Example Menu Items:
• Lean protein-based meals
• Shakes
• Protein bars
• Pancakes
Winner: Nutrisystem (more menu items available and a large selection of fresh food and special diet options like vegetarian)
Price Comparison: Is Nutrisystem or OPTAVIA More Affordable?
When choosing between diet plans, you are likely to be concerned about the pricing. After all, weight loss programs that are too expensive may be unsustainable for you for other reasons.
Nutrisystem Pricing
Nutrisystem does a fantastic job with its weight loss plans. You get to choose from different plans at different price points that are sure to satisfy a variety of those looking to lose weight. The cheapest 4-week plan on Nutrisystem starts at $8.57 per day and it can go all the way up to $12.50 per day.
Check current Nutrisystem prices.
Optavia Pricing
Optavia’s diet plans start at $283 for their 30-day weight loss kit. The kit comes with everything from full meals to shakes, bars, and samples. Considering you are meant to eat as many as (6) ‘fuelings’ per day, this weight loss program can add up real fast. With its higher entry price, Optavia assigns a diet coach to each member. Therefore, you are getting extra value from being able to have someone guide you along the way.
Therefore, even at $8.57 per day, Nutrisystem’s much more comprehensive diet plan with a much more varied menu comes in at a cheaper price point than Optavia. While you do gain the advantage of having a personal coach assigned to you with Optavia, Nutrisystem offers an award-winning contact center that allows you to ask questions and speak with trained professionals. Therefore, the advantage isn’t as much as it may seem.
Winner: Nutrisystem (cheaper)
Summary: The Better Diet is?
As mentioned, the better diet is the one that you are capable of sticking with. They are both formulated well, and when consistent with each, they will both lead to weight loss. Because you want to pick the one that is most sustainable, the clear winner for the majority of people would be Nutrisystem.
Nutrisystem simply offers a much easier to follow diet program with a greater variety of menu items to ensure that you don’t get tired of it. Likewise, you have different plans that you can choose from which can cater to different needs depending on if you want every day covered or if you want to supplement the meal plan with your own fresh ingredients and prepared meals.
With Optavia, you are going to be much more limited in your menu selection and the base price of Optavia’s budget plan is more than Nutrisystem’s. With a far shorter track record and a more limited selection of food choices, it’s recommended for most to opt for Nutrisystem’s comprehensive and time-tested weight loss program.
You should choose Nutrisystem if…
• You want the diet program with the best track record of success
• You want the most affordable diet plan
• You want a greater selection of healthy and delicious meals to choose from
• You want a vegetarian meal plan
You should choose Optavia if…
• You absolutely need to have a coach you can talk to all of the time
• You want to pay more for fewer menu options
References
- https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html
- https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/managing-overweight-obesity-in-adults
- https://patriciaandcarolyn.com/best-diet/nutrisystem/cost/
- https://www.nutrisystem.com/jsps_hmr/about/index.jsp
