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Nutrisystem vs. Optavia: Which Weight Loss Program is Right for You?

Nutrisystem and Optavia are both subscription weight loss programs that help members meal prep and learn healthy eating habits. Here’s how they compare.
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A subscription weight loss program can take the stress and planning out of dieting by creating the structure for you. Nutrisystem and Optavia are both members-only diet programs that help customers meal plan, meal prep, develop healthy habits and achieve their weight loss goals. These programs are designed by dietitians, nutritionists and scientists, and they combine eating nutritionally balanced meals with proven weight loss strategies. To date, millions of members have tried them and found success.

Yet with so many subscription weight loss programs on the market, in addition to weight loss apps, calorie counter apps and meal delivery services for weight loss, deciding which program (and approach) is right for you isn’t always easy.

Related: Lose weight with Nutrisystem with 50% off plans, 50% off a month of shakes and free shaker bottle

If you’re leaning towards a structured diet like Nutrisystem or Optavia to achieve your weight loss goals, our in-depth comparison will take a look at how these two popular weight loss programs compare. We’ll explore how they work, their features, their pros and cons and who they might ultimately be best for. We’ll also highlight everything you need to know to get started, like cost, menu variety and the ordering process. Keep reading to see which program ranks superior in our Nutrisystem vs Optavia comparison.

What Is Nutrisystem?

Plate of pasta next to chocolate cherry milkshake and three boxed meals

Nutrisystem is a subscription weight loss plan that delivers its members pre-portioned and pre-packaged meals, which include ready-to-eat and/or frozen foods. These prepared meals follow a high-protein, lower-glycemic diet that research has shown to be effective in promoting weight loss. Nutrisystem offers several meal plans that include specialty diets, like diabetic or vegetarian-friendly, in addition to weight loss coaches who are available for one-on-one support.

Related: Lose weight with Nutrisystem with 50% off plans, 50% off a month of shakes and free shaker bottle

What Is Optavia?

Optavia_Source Optavia

Optavia is a subscription weight loss plan that bills itself as less of a diet program and more of a lifestyle and wellbeing program designed to teach members healthy habits for life. The Optavia diet is a low-calorie, reduced carb meal plan that includes pre-packaged foods, easy-to-make homemade meals and meal replacements, like shakes and bars. It also offers personal coaches and a community forum to help support and inspire members during their weight loss journey.

What’s the Difference Between Optavia and Nutrisystem?

When comparing Optavia vs Nutrisystem, a number of differences set them apart. First, Optavia puts a greater focus on eating home-cooked meals, while Nutrisystem foods are mostly (but not always) packaged meals. Although some Nutrisystem plans encourage flex eating, or cooking some meals at home with fresh foods, Optavia makes cooking your own healthy meals a critical part of the diet, mainly to teach members healthy eating habits that they can use after their diet ends.

While both plans offer specialty diets, Nutrisystem makes it easier to follow a diabetic or vegetarian diet, and Optavia has food items better-aligned to dietary intolerances, like gluten. Then, there’s pricing. Nutrisystem’s pricing system operates on cost-per-day, while Optavia’s pricing system revolves around buying kits that provide members with a month’s worth of food. Lastly, Optavia offers more personalized coaching and support when compared to Nutrisystem.

Nutrisystem offers more than 160 meal options, while Optavia offers more than 60. Optavia foods include traditional American fare, but also Asian, Italian and Latin American weight loss meals (some examples include latin chili lime chicken and ginger lemongrass chicken). These meals follow Optavia’s Lean & Green diet approach which includes lean protein, non-starchy veggies and healthy fats, depending on your lean protein choices.

Nutrisystem’s menu has more international foods to choose from and boasts a higher flavor profile. Since Optavia uses easy-to-make, at-home recipes, the menu options lean toward simpler foods, giving Nutrisystem an edge in terms of flavor and ingredients for pre-made meals.

Meal Customization

Nutrisystem offers custom specialty diets that include diabetic or vegetarian meals, in addition to diet plans created specifically for women and men. While there isn’t a gluten-free meal plan, you can contact Nutrisystem customer service for a custom wheat-free menu, but keep in mind that these meals aren’t certified gluten-free.

Optavia offers a helpful filtering system for choosing meals that allows members to pick foods that are certified kosher, for example, or foods that are soy-free, low-fat or heart-healthy. You can also take advantage of a free consultation call with an Optavia coach to talk about how to customize your program to meet your health goals. Just be aware that these coaches aren’t allowed to give medical advice.

Check out our Nutrisystem for Men review for more information on the men's diet program on Nutrisystem.  

Ordering, Delivery and Shipping

Nutrisystem and Optavia both ship prepared foods to their members, but Optavia ships to more regions—Nutrisystem only ships to the continental U.S., while Optavia ships to the continental U.S. in addition to Alaska, Hawaii and other territories. Both programs ship ready-to-serve and frozen items separately, since these require different shipping containers; shelf-stable items, like soups and supplements, typically arrive first. Still, while the shipping processes are relatively similar, Nutrisystem is more upfront about its process on its website, while Optavia requires some digging around (or even a call to customer service) to get all of the necessary info.

Customer Support

Nutrisystem wins in terms of accessibility to reach its customer support department, since it offers a live chat option in addition to contacting customer support by phone or email (which can help save you long wait times for the next available representative). Optavia doesn’t offer live chat, but its customer service department can be reached by phone or email.

While Nutrisystem makes it easier to contact customer service, Optavia has the edge for personal coaching. Members receive a personal health coach that provides advice on their diet, meal plan and exercise, in addition to a robust Optavia community to connect with. For Nutrisystem, all plans (including the basic plan and higher-level Uniquely Yours Max+ plan) come with weight loss coaching that’s available on-demand seven days a week, but you’ll have to personally reach out for guidance, as opposed to having someone at your side at all times.

Keep in mind that neither programs’ health coaches are registered dietitians, but rather program specialists, so any medical advice should be sought out from medical professionals or physicians.

Pricing

Depending on which plan you select, you can expect to pay anywhere from about $300 to $407 per month for the Nutrisystem program, which includes free shipping. We recommend keeping an eye on promotions, since Nutrisystem is constantly running deals that lower or raise the price.

Optavia kits are slightly more expensive, costing anywhere from $379 to $423 per month. Optavia also offers free shipping, but only on orders over $250. Still, this monthly price for Optavia doesn’t include the green meals ingredients you’ll need to shop for on your own, so you’re looking at paying significantly more for Optavia long-term. For example, the Essential Optimal Kit from Optavia includes Optavia Essential Fuelings (snacks and shakes), but not lean protein, fresh veggies or healthy fats that are part of the overall diet and wellness plan.

Related: Lose weight with Nutrisystem with 50% off plans, 50% off a month of shakes and free shaker bottle

Customer Reviews

Many customers note that Optavia resembles an upgraded Medifast diet, which renamed its subsidiary Take Shape For Life to Optavia in 2017. Still, Optavia members say that the diet is too restrictive and the servings too low, since it only allows 800-1,000 calories per day, which is very small compared to Nutrisystem’s calorie budget of roughly 1,200-1,500 calories per day. They also note poor taste in Optavia Fuelings foods, and there are numerous complaints about the price, which runs high considering members still need to make trips to the grocery store to buy many ingredients.

Nutrisystem, on the other hand, sees significantly more positive reviews, with members praising good tasting food, a wide menu variety and a more flexible diet style that still allows them to reach their optimal weight. At the same time, Nutrisystem sees complaints about the food items being too processed and high in salt, so there are some drawbacks.

Features

Overall, Nutrisystem has a more robust menu with more than 160 choices, while Optavia has just over 60 choices. Nutrisystem is better-suited for structured dieting on a budget, while Optavia lends itself well to weight loss coaching and a community feel. Nutrisystem has special diet plan options, like vegetarian or diabetes-friendly, and Optavia uses filters to allow members to choose specific meals that don’t contain certain ingredients, like shellfish or peanuts. There’s also no shipping fee for Nutrisystem, but in order to take advantage of the same for Optavia, you’ll need to buy at least $250 worth of food to get free shipping.

Overall, the prepared foods come in similar packaging with both Nutrisystem and Optavia, so the main differences boil down to whether or not you want to cook your own meals, the price and any dietary restrictions.

Sign Up

The sign-up processes for Optavia and Nutrisystem are very similar. Both programs offer online sign-up, and if you’re a new member, you can create an online account during checkout. For each program, you’ll select your plan, meals and other features during sign-up, and if you would like to inquire about a custom meal plan, you can call customer service for more information.

Nutrisystem and Optavia FAQs

Are Nutrisystem and Optavia keto-friendly?

While the traditional keto diet itself is different from a lot of Nutrisystem’s menu, Nutrisystem offers numerous meals that are keto-friendly, so you can customize your diet with these food items if you want to lean toward a keto eating style. Optavia, on the other hand, isn’t very keto-friendly, since it operates on eating less fat (which keto needs more of). You can, however, pick Optavia meals that are keto-safe, but those following a keto diet may want to lean towards weight loss programs like Noom, Jenny Craig or WeightWatchers that provide better support for keto.

Related Post: The Best Keto Meal Delivery Services 

Can you keep weight off after using programs like Nutrisystem and Optavia?

Yes, it’s possible to keep weight off after using programs like Nutrisystem and Optavia, but you’ll have to put in the work to continue following a healthy eating pattern. By making positive lifestyle changes, diet modifications, exercising and practicing overall wellness, you can achieve long-term weight loss and stay at your optimal weight after completing one of these programs.

How much weight does the average person lose on Nutrisystem and Optavia?

Optavia disclaimers say that the average weight loss for those who follow the Optimal Weight 5 & 1 plan is 12 pounds, but how much weight you lose will ultimately depend on how closely you follow the diet and your activity levels, health, metabolism, age and other personal factors. Clinical studies on Nutrisystem, meanwhile, claim that the average customer loses about one to two pounds per week, according to the company’s website. Again, this will depend on your personal traits, so it’s important to keep in mind that every person loses weight differently.

How long should you use Nutrisystem and Optavia?

While Nutrisystem is a four-week program, you can repeat the program as many times as you want to achieve your weight loss goals. Optavia doesn’t have a target timeframe, but like Nutrisystem, can be used for as long as you want. For example, if you aim to lose one pound per week, consider staying on your program for as many weeks as pounds you want to lose.

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, Nutrisystem is a much better diet than Optavia. It has a more robust menu, tastier food, better prices and is far less restrictive, making it easier to stick to. While the Optavia diet has a good idea behind it, eating 800-1,200 calories per day may leave you hungry, and there are less expensive weight loss programs to follow if you plan on cooking your own food (like Noom or WeightWatchers). While we do prefer the weight loss coaching system provided by Optavia, it’s not enough to outweigh the many benefits of Nutrisystem.

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