What is an Optavia Health Coach?

Hiring a coach to help you with your weight loss goals can be a transformational experience. However, finding the right professional can be more difficult than it appears on the surface. With the rise of multi-level marketing schemes, like Optavia, health coaches are being misrepresented and people's health goals are at risk.

Optavia coaches are not real health coaches. They are not credentialed to be working with people on their health, nutrition, fitness, or weight loss goals. 

Before you hire a coach, it's important to make sure they are qualified to help you with your specific goals. Otherwise, you could end up working with someone who harms you more than helps you.

• TL;DR Summary

  Optavia health coaches are not credentialed to be working with people on their health, nutrition, fitness, or weight loss goals. Furthermore, the Optavia diet is a dangerous starvation diet.

  Optavia is an MLM scheme that relies on social exploitation and underpaying contractors to profit. Most participants will end up seeing a loss of money with many going into debt after expenses are accounted for.

  There are many other ways to become a certified health or fitness coach and reach your personal health and wellness goals without resorting to an MLM scheme. It is better to invest your money and time into more reputable services.

What is OPTAVIA?

Optavia is a multi-level marketing (MLM) company that promotes weight loss through their starvation diet program.

Optavia's diet programs are expensive, don't teach sustainable healthy habits, and can harm your health.

Why is Optavia unhealthy?

The Optavia diet is a crash diet that promotes starvation through extremely low calorie intake programs.

Many Optavia users have reported feeling dizzy or lightheaded while on the Optavia diet. This is an indication of ketoacidosis, where their bodies are not receiving enough carbohydrates.

Optavia warns participants on their diet that they may feel tired, lack energy, and have trouble thinking clearly. These are symptoms and signs that your body is not getting the nutrients it needs to properly function.

When you drastically reduce your calorie intake, your body begins to break down muscle for energy rather than fat.

Hair loss, brittle nails, dry skin, and anemia are all possible symptoms of an inadequate diet. This can also lead to a weakened immunity and increased susceptibility to infection.

According to the Optavia website, the Optavia diet claims to help people achieve weight loss by teaching them the Habits of Health Transformational System.

Optavia also claims that you will lose weight without exercise. They strongly suggest reducing or eliminating exercise to reduce some of the physical symptoms of being in starvation mode.

It doesn't matter how Optavia wants to market their "Healthy Habits" program, starvation diets and reducing physical activity are not the healthy habits needed to successfully and sustainably achieve a healthy weight.

What is an OPTAVIA coach?

Optavia offers to connect you with a coach to help you along in your weight loss journey.

However, these coaching sessions are not led by actual health professionals.

An Independent Optavia Coach is an Optavia diet participant who has purchased an Optavia coaching business kit and also passed an internal certification test.

Is there an OPTAVIA coach certification?

In order to become an Optavia coach, you have to pass a certification exam.

According to the Optavia website, this exam only certifies their Independent coaches to "become more knowledgeable about our products and programs, including the Habits of Health."

This certification does not credential anyone to be a health coach. Again, Optavia explicitly states on their website that "OPTAVIA’s Certification Exam is not an accredited or unaccredited “Health Coach” certification."

Many Independent Optavia Coaches insist that they are allowed to perform health coaching because they believe they are credentialed through the MacDonald Center for Obesity Prevention and Education (COPE) & M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing at Villanova University.

This is another misdirect by Optavia. In the fine print on Optavia's website, they disclose that their certification is not designed by or administered by COPE.

Instead, Optavia claims on their website that their partnership with "the MacDonald Center for Obesity Prevention and Education & M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing at Villanova University assists OPTAVIA in validating its Certification Exam."

This means the certification exam is solely by and through Optavia. In order for an Independent Optavia Coach to stay in compliance when presenting their role, they can only refer to their certification as being “by OPTAVIA” OR, “by OPTAVIA in partnership with the MacDonald Center for Obesity Prevention and Education & M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing at Villanova University.”

What is the role of an OPTAVIA coach?

It is important to understand the role of an Optavia coach because so many of them misrepresent themselves as legitimate health coaches.

An Optavia coach is not a medical professional, dietitian, or nutritionist. They are not credentialed to give you health advice. 

According to Optavia's website, Independent Optavia Coaches are not allowed to refer to themselves as health coaches, weight loss coaches, or indicate in any way that they are certified or credentialed health professionals.

This is for good reason: because they're not.

The role of an Optavia coach is to sell you the Optavia diet program and products. That's it.

Independent Optavia Coaches are moreso product consultants than coaches.

I suspect that Optavia chose to co-opt the title of coach to misdirect and deceive consumers into believing they are working with actual health professionals when enrolling in this starvation diet program.

Because Optavia Coaches were clients of Optavia first, and become coaches by being recruited by their coaches, many of them haven't read the details outlined on the website. Because of this, many aren't fully aware that they aren't legitimate health coaches and continue to misrepresent themselves online.

Beware of anyone claiming to be an Optavia coach who isn't transparent about the fact that they are not a credentialed health professional or weight loss coach.

The Dangers of Working with an Optavia Coach

Optavia coaches are not real health coaches. They are not credentialed to be working with people on their health, nutrition, fitness, or weight loss goals.

The Optavia diet is a starvation diet that is not sustainable or healthy. It's also been linked to serious health complications like gallbladder disease, pancreatitis, and kidney failure.

If you are considering working with an Optavia coach, I urge you to reconsider. You could be putting your health in danger.

A properly credentialed coach would take a more comprehensive approach to ensure that you are following a healthy, sustainable diet and would not put your health at risk. Your optimal health should be their top priority, not their commission check.

Additionally, a real coach would have your best interests at heart and would not be trying to sell you an overpriced, MLM product.

If you're looking for help with your health and wellness goals, I urge you to seek out a real, credentialed coach who has your best interests at heart.

There are many credentialed and qualified health coaches out there who can help you create health promoting habits for reaching and maintaining your health and fitness goals. And they're much more affordable compared to Optavia's programs.

To hire a professional weight loss coach who has education and experience in nutrition, fitness, and behavior change costs about $200-500 a month with the highest end of that being in person coaches who work with specialty populations and have extra credentials to support that.

Most online weight loss coaches will cost about half of what Optavia costs - and you'll actually be receiving the service you're paying for instead of a box of granola bars and powdered soups.

To find a properly credentialed coach, look for someone with credentials from an accredited organization. Professionals will hold credentials through higher education in health sciences.

Alternatively a professional coach will be credentialed by an accredited certifying body like the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), the American Council on Exercise (ACE), American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), or the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).

What is the cost to be an Optavia coach?

To become an Optavia coach, you must purchase a coaching business kit for $65 and complete the OPTAVIA Certification Exam which costs $200.

This fee allows you to become an Independent Optavia Coach, access the business portal of their website, and sell Optavia products.

As an Optavia coach, you are also expected to purchase a monthly supply of Optavia products which average about $450 a month.

This is an outrageous cost, considering you are now working for this company and have not been credentialed to use any part of your certification anywhere else in the industry.

For reference, an accredited nutrition coach certification from the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) costs a one time fee of $629.

This is less than one month of the cost of Optavia coaching, and you can use that certification anywhere in the fitness industry to develop a legitimate coaching business.

In fact, for $3397 or 12 payments of $283 (HALF of what Optavia costs monthly) you could get accredited certifications from NASM to be a Certified Personal Trainer and a Certified Nutrition Coach with a Weight Loss Specialization.

This is not only a much more accepted set of credentials to become a professional weight loss coach but actually costs you a fraction of the price.

So, if you're considering paying to become an Optavia coach, understand it is a scam.

I urge you to instead invest in more reputable services. You'll not only save yourself money but also gain more marketability as an actual weight loss coach.

Do coaches for Optavia get paid?

Yes and no. 

As an Optavia coach, you are not an employee of Optavia and do not get paid directly by Optavia.

Instead, you earn a commission on the sale of Optavia products that you make to clients. You also earn commission off of recruiting clients to become coaches. (YES coaches are paid to encourage people to pay for that ridiculous coaching certification!)

According to the Optavia income disclosure, 86% of coaches don't make enough money to break even on the annual costs of being an Independent OPTAVIA Coach.

Furthermore, of the OPTAVIA Coaches that do turn a profit, only 2.3% of them make enough to be considered a livable wage.

As with all MLM companies, most participants will end up seeing a loss of money with many going into debt after expenses are accounted for.

The Optavia business opportunity is not a good opportunity at all. It is not dependent on the time and effort of the coaches, but instead on the recruiting nature of the business structure which sets most up to fail.

Even worse, when you do leave, you are left with no marketable skills or credentials to use elsewhere in the industry. Investing in accredited coaching certifications is a much better use of your money and time.

Is OPTAVIA a Pyramid Scheme?

Optavia is an MLM scheme which is a pyramidal business structure. There is a very fine line between multi-level marketing companies and pyramid schemes.

In order to make money as an Optavia coach, you must recruit other clients to become coaches in your downline.

The people who recruited you will then earn a commission off of your efforts.

This creates a never-ending cycle of people recruiting and then being recruited in order to make any sort of profit.

The only people who make money in these types of schemes are the people at the top of the pyramid.

The definition of a pyramid scheme is "an illegal business model in which participants make money by recruiting new people into the scheme."

Optavia does not explicitly state that their business model is a pyramid scheme, but it very much so seems like one.

The key differentiation is whether Optavia makes more money from selling their products and programs or from recruiting. If they make more money from recruiting, that classifies them as an illegal pyramid scheme business.

Of course, this is not disclosed to the public.

Regardless of whether it's a pyramid scheme, Optavia is an MLM company. MLM companies are unethical because they rely on social exploitation and underpaying contractors to profit.

As with all MLM companies, most participants will end up seeing a loss of money with many going into debt after expenses are accounted for.

Conclusion

If you're considering becoming an Optavia coach, I urge you to instead invest in more reputable services. You'll not only save yourself money but also gain more marketability as an actual weight loss coach.

If you are looking for personal health coaching, please do your research to avoid working with someone who presents themselves as an Optavia health coach.

There are many legitimate health coaches out there who can help you in a sustainable and ethical way!

There are many other ways to become a certified health or fitness coach and reach your personal health and wellness goals without resorting to an MLM scheme.