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A space to talk openly about weight loss journeys and challenges. Mumsnet hasn't checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. You may wish to speak to a medical professional before starting any diet.

Original poster

Second Nature

17 replies

nutmegand · 29/02/2020 17:35

Anyone tried the Second Nature Weight Loss programme? It looks good, but not cheap so I'm interested to hear people's thoughts

OP posts:
Zebrasandfairytales · 01/03/2020 21:29

Also interested...

Orangesandlemons82 · 01/03/2020 21:33

Yes. I found the chat/ support group a bit too intense and struggled to keep up with all the messages. The group coach also came across as quite fake. However some of the articles were good and the recipe book had some great recipes in. I think you need to be very committed to do it.

Original poster
nutmegand · 03/03/2020 18:23

OrangesandLemons - that's interesting to hear. Did you find the mindful eating etc helpful? I really need to address my relationship with food (self control, binging), so was hoping this would be a good plan to try...

OP posts:
Orangesandlemons82 · 04/03/2020 07:32

@nutmegand that was what I was hoping for, and to be honest I don't think it really did. Any advice was really the same as what you could get from a quick Google search. I'm sure it does work for some, but it wasn't for me.

hussherbye · 09/03/2020 11:05

I've been using it and it's fab, changes habits and educates. Feel so much better too. Here's a code for money off

www.secondnature.io/invite/racheu

Jordigirl · 28/07/2020 23:54

I am on it currently and it’s okay. Coaches are quite patronising if you already know a lot about healthy eating and the coaching is very scripted and agree it’s a bit fake. Comes across a bit like brainwashing and is aimed at people who know nothing about food or exercise. Food and recipes are delicious though but I been in it four weeks and lost only 2lbs. Reserving judgement at the minute.

For £40 a month it’s an expensive cookbook.

nibdedibble · 01/08/2020 14:10

I did it last year and tbh, it wasn’t for me. A LOT of emphasis on food and very little on exercise, in comparison. It has its good points. I looked forward to logging in and reading that day’s article; but then the follow-up from the leader-type person was a real damp squib and she didn’t really give much in the way of dialogue. I expected more.
I’d LOVE something like it for people who have experience of say WW or SW already but know that what they need is dialogue and encouragement to exercise. (Just in case anybody’s reading for research purposes!)

Jordigirl · 14/08/2020 17:07

Coaching is very simplistic and scripted, not personalised at all. The app is okay but not as good as my fitness plan. The tech version with scales and fitness tracker was not available.

I think they have spent a lot of money in advertorials and reviews so getting a lot of press. But in reality most of the information they give you is easily available in NHS and other healthy eating sites. Lots of interactions early doors with group which was good but everyone is now bored with the artificial attempts by coach to talk - that not much group activity. Don’t waste your money if you don’t enjoy being treated like a school kid and patronised.

RubySlippers77 · 16/08/2020 23:04

I did it last year (when it was still Our Path) and did find it useful - it helped that I had a very active group - other feedback that I've seen said some people have been in groups which were too quiet.

Halfway through I stopped doing it for a week or so (DC was in hospital unexpectedly) and I just couldn't pick it up again.

I did email to ask if I could postpone/ rejoin/ if they offered any discounts to restart (as obviously I didn't need all the books etc again) but never heard anything!

Some of the recipes were really good - I still use those - but unless you get a discount, I think you'd be better off following another weight loss plan that suits you and using the boards on here for interaction with other people.

DysonDiva · 17/08/2020 16:50

Thanks for the interesting posts those of you have done Second Nature!

One of my friends did it last year. She did well for the 12 weeks but opted to not move to the 'Sustain' programme, and has now pretty much gained it all back.
During the time she was on it, spring 2019, I followed a ton of Second Nature instagrammers as I was interested in giving it a try.

I haven't been on IG for a few months, logged in on Saturday and decided to clean up who I was following. Only two of those accounts I followed a year ago are still posting, and the others all seemed to stop posting just after the first 12 weeks.
One of the accounts did lose quite a bit of weight for her wedding last summer but disappeared for several months. When she reappeared she'd regained the weight and was back on it. She's now gone quiet again.

So, either they all did brilliant and no longer want or need to post on IG , even about their maintenance, OR they fell off the plan.

I tried some of the recipes that are available on the SN FB page and their website and enjoyed them all, but won't be signing up.

Copperblack · 17/08/2020 16:56

I did it but while the recipes were nice, I didn’t lose weight. My group was a bit rubbish, most were very quiet, there was one member who seemed very negative and another who couldn’t grasp it so nothing to be learned from it.

Mumblesoldbloke · 06/09/2020 21:40

I’ve just completed the 12 week course and have gone onto “sustain”. In the 13 weeks I’ve been on SN I’ve lost 58 lbs and now way 17 stone 3lb. I have totally altered how I look at food and exercise.

I think you get out it whatever you put into it. Half the group of 12 I started with fell away after 6 weeks but the remaining were really helpful.

The online menu planner Is incredibly helpful and helped both with shopping and bulk cooking.

I personally would recommend it, I’ve gone from barely moving to walking over 2 million steps in the last 13 weeks.

VJoK · 16/09/2020 07:30

Definitely aimed at people who dont know much about dieting and exercise, so will be good for some. I joined to lose weight and 6 weeks in I've lost 1.6kg - I can do that on a diet of biscuits and icecream. It did stop me binge eating - which i'd really got into so that was a good thing - and that literally kicked in, during the first week so I thought it was going to be great. It's fairly free diet wise - it's not strict at all and whilst they say you can have "mindful" drinking - it's hard to socialise mindfully(!). And I dont drinnk often but at this corona time socialising is few and far between

I've reached out to the coach a couple of times and got a very lack lustre response - if she really is a dietician she should have been able to say stop drinking until you're over the hump, cut down where you get extra calories like full fat yoghurt and nuts. But she really had no suggestions. And I'm just not one for "mindfulness". I'm a happy person - just I need ot lose a couple of stone. And really - I need someone to tell me what to do - if I could work it out on my own I would have done that by now. I'm trying to extract myself which is not easy - I want my accoutn closed down, be removed from the group and they dont make it easy.

DysonDiva · 17/09/2020 10:08

@VJoK

Definitely aimed at people who dont know much about dieting and exercise, so will be good for some. I joined to lose weight and 6 weeks in I've lost 1.6kg - I can do that on a diet of biscuits and icecream. It did stop me binge eating - which i'd really got into so that was a good thing - and that literally kicked in, during the first week so I thought it was going to be great. It's fairly free diet wise - it's not strict at all and whilst they say you can have "mindful" drinking - it's hard to socialise mindfully(!). And I dont drinnk often but at this corona time socialising is few and far between

I've reached out to the coach a couple of times and got a very lack lustre response - if she really is a dietician she should have been able to say stop drinking until you're over the hump, cut down where you get extra calories like full fat yoghurt and nuts. But she really had no suggestions. And I'm just not one for "mindfulness". I'm a happy person - just I need ot lose a couple of stone. And really - I need someone to tell me what to do - if I could work it out on my own I would have done that by now. I'm trying to extract myself which is not easy - I want my accoutn closed down, be removed from the group and they dont make it easy.

Well done so far! Can you say a bit more about how it's helped with binge eating? Is it the daily reading material or do you think it's the actual diet itself, the food you're eating now? I posted a while back about this, my friend who did it last year is now talking about doing it again and I'm thinking of joining her. My eating habits have gone out of control during and since lockdown. Anyway, my friend said that the food she was eating seemed to take away the desire to eat the crappy stuff, fewer cravings etc.

Do you still allow yourself a cake or biscuit now and then or have you had to cut them out completely?

VJoK · 17/09/2020 10:49

I think it's the food that you eat - you're allowed full fat food and that does work. But also - I dont find it difficult to give up carbs. Definitely not all the reading - I've read so much about diets and nutrition there's not much they're telling me that I haven't already read somewhere.

So for 6 weeks I was super good and it didn't feel like an effort at all. I have to admit in the last 2 weeks I've just given up a bit - but not because of cravings, just because I couldn't see why I shouldn't if I wasn't losing weight. I think my downfall is snacking - which they try to discourage. Its healthy snacks like fruit and a piece of cheese or nuts - but that's probably why I'm failing (plus the wine when I socialised - which I could stop of I just pulled my finger out).

In all honesty the diet itself is remarkably similar to Food Optimising by Slimming World - except that that has more low fat. (Yoghurt is a really good example - I love yoghurt and on SN you can eat full fat greek yoghurt. Which makes a difference. Food optimising is 0% fat yoghurt.)

hope that helps!

DysonDiva · 18/09/2020 09:02

@VJoK

I think it's the food that you eat - you're allowed full fat food and that does work. But also - I dont find it difficult to give up carbs. Definitely not all the reading - I've read so much about diets and nutrition there's not much they're telling me that I haven't already read somewhere.

So for 6 weeks I was super good and it didn't feel like an effort at all. I have to admit in the last 2 weeks I've just given up a bit - but not because of cravings, just because I couldn't see why I shouldn't if I wasn't losing weight. I think my downfall is snacking - which they try to discourage. Its healthy snacks like fruit and a piece of cheese or nuts - but that's probably why I'm failing (plus the wine when I socialised - which I could stop of I just pulled my finger out).

In all honesty the diet itself is remarkably similar to Food Optimising by Slimming World - except that that has more low fat. (Yoghurt is a really good example - I love yoghurt and on SN you can eat full fat greek yoghurt. Which makes a difference. Food optimising is 0% fat yoghurt.)

hope that helps!

It does help, very interesting, thank you.

I've noticed that full fat definitely keeps me feeling more full for longer. I did Slimming World years ago when it was still red and green, haven't tried the newer version.
I'm not convinced that I'm committed enough at this point (even though I've quite a bit of weight to lose).

Blessedwithlove · 17/06/2021 20:57

Hi , has anyone tried healthoptimising center in Maida Vale? Thanks

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