Optavia | 1 Year Off The Program

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Sharing a follow up post to my Optavia diet success story. I’ve been off the program for over a year and am forever grateful for this tool that helped me get back to where I feel best.

Optavia

If you’re reading this, you’re probably already familiar with Optavia. For those who are not, I’ll give a brief overview. Optavia is a weight loss system that allows you to eat 6 small meals each day, 5 of which are meals purchased through the systems website and the final is a “lean & green” meal. For the lean & green think chicken & broccoli or salmon & asparagus. The meals you order from Optavia are really more snack like… think bars, oatmeal, biscuits, etc.

This weight loss system really has people divided. Some people swear by it and love the results they obtain. Others highly dislike the system because it does restrict calories to an extreme extent which makes it difficult for some people to keep the weight off long term. Basically, its quick and it works but it doesn’t really teach you how to live healthy once you’re off of the program.

I am not a doctor nor am I a nutritionist. Any diet you decide to try is something you should discuss with your health care provider. I am simply sharing my personal experience for anyone researching the program.

Why I Chose Optavia

After my 4th and final pregnancy I was really struggling to lose weight. It had been over a year since I had given birth and I was hanging on to about 10lbs that I just didn’t want to live with. To be fair, I am 5’0″ so 10lbs to me is like 15 or 20 to taller women. Living with that extra weight wasn’t doing me any good – I exercised regularly and I ate relatively healthy but I just couldn’t keep myself in a calorie deficit long enough to get back to where I wanted to be.

I’ll share some additional color here so you get a better sense of why this program worked for me.

After my 1st and 2nd child, I bounced back relatively quickly. I didn’t nurse either of my first two babies so once my body had healed from giving birth I jumped right back into working out hard and eating healthy and the weight came off without a problem. However, I did nurse my 2 youngest kids which caused me to hold onto weight. I couldn’t cut my calories as much because it would negatively affect my supply which meant I had to wait until I finished nursing to fully focus on myself. The first post-nursing weight loss system I used was Weight Watchers. I was obsessed with this system! It helped me drop pounds at a slow but consistent pace and was truly a blessing. I tried that again after baby number 4 and I just wasn’t seeing that same success.

Now we’re getting to why I chose Optavia. I had multiple friends do Optavia and their success was blowing me away. I already ate healthy on my own but I needed something with more rigid guidelines to keep myself focused for more than 2 weeks at a time. Optavia costs a lot of money… I knew if I spent the money there was no way I would cheat because I would feel guilty for investing in myself without follow through.

That’s where I’ll stop sharing regarding my Optavia story. If you want to hear more, check out the 3 posts below! Otherwise, keep scrolling to see my 1 year later check in.

Here Are My Optavia Post That Walk Through My Experience While Following The Program

Optavia Results: 1 Week On Program

Optavia Results: 3 Weeks On Program

Final Optavia Results: 6 Weeks On Program

Optavia | 1 Year Off The Program

I am over 1 year post Optavia and I have 100% kept the weight off. I’ve even actually dropped another pound from just being more active and healthy! I really have no idea how to structure this post so I am going to answer some questions I received in the below section.

Before we get into the questions, my #1 piece of advice is never lose sight of your “why”. My why was because I wanted to enjoy life again, I wanted to feel good, I didn’t want my health holding me back and because I wanted to be at my best to give that version of myself to my family.

TOOLS THAT HELPED ME STAY SUCCESSFUL

How did I transition off of Optavia?

Cold Turkey!! I’m not kidding. I did try to adapt some of the behaviors I learned while on the system though. I stopped drinking sweetened creamers in my coffee (now I use half & half or whipping cream), I started having a light breakfast in the mornings (Larabars & Luna bars are my favorite!) and overall I just stuck with healthier options.

Getting off of Optavia was a lot easier than I thought it would be. Even when I ate normal meals, I would eat way less because I was so use to smaller portions that I would fill up quickly. I also felt so amazing that unhealthy food just wasn’t appealing anymore. For me, I put in the work and nothing was going to make me forget why I started.

I also think it’s important to talk about exercise. Even if you’re just walking, get your body moving! I try exercises I find on Pinterest, I do Youtube videos, BeachBody videos and I run all the time (obsessed with my Nordic Trak treadmill) to stay active. Incorporate movement into your long term plan and you will be way more likely to see long term success.

What do I eat now?

OMG, everything!! Literally. I have no restrictions in my diet but I do make it a point to go for the healthier options whenever I can. Like I mentioned above, eating healthy for me and getting exercise was never a struggle. I don’t typically overeat, I just couldn’t maintain my calorie deficit long enough to see my body change in the way that I wanted it to which is why I will always be grateful to Optavia for giving me that structure.

A typical day for me consists of 2 coffees with cream, a breakfast bar, a salad or chicken wrap for lunch followed by a lean protein and veggies for dinner. I do snack as well but my snacks are healthier options now. Rather than chips and crackers, I go for hard boiled eggs, dark chocolate & almonds or homemade protein energy balls. I stay away from processed carbs as much as possible but I don’t completely cut carbs out altogether. I indulge in ice cream and cookies when I get a craving but it’s no longer a weekly occurrence.

Did I struggle to maintain the weight loss?

I wouldn’t say I struggled but I will say I’ve had ups & downs. I think that goes for most people right? During the holidays I treated myself to Christmas cookies a little more than I should have. I also enjoyed one to many servings of smoked cream cheese during the summer. I’m sure if I weighed myself every single day there would be days that I wouldn’t be proud of. However, I didn’t do that. I allowed myself some grace, weighed myself once every 1-2 weeks and made adjustments to my lifestyle where needed. Writing this post I currently weigh 112lbs which is lower than my weight at the end of Optavia. Guess what? The day after Christmas I probably weighed 115! My point here is that I’ve been successful in keeping the weight off because I maintain self-awareness and remind myself that feeling and being healthy is more valuable to me than junk food. If you fall off the track, get up and hold yourself accountable.

Do I recommend Optavia?

This is a hard one. Yes and no. I will never downplay the success that this weight loss system helped me achieve. The food didn’t taste amazing, I was 100% not eating enough and I lost a lot of my endurance when it came to running while on the program. However, it worked. I already know how to eat healthy… my weight gain came from pregnancy – not necessarily an unhealthy lifestyle. I also knew I would be on the system a max of two months.

If you are like me and know how to be healthy and hold yourself accountable then yes, with your doctors approval I suggest Optavia. If you have no idea where to even start then no, I do not suggest Optavia. I suggest meeting with your doctor to discuss options and potentially a nutritionist to help build healthy habits that will let you change your lifestyle.

This post was all about Optavia one year after ending the program.

If you have any additional comments or questions please email them to me or comment them below. I am happy to answer as much as I can to help you make the best decision for yourself.