Weight loss programs can provide a helpful structure for your health journey when you feel out of control with unhealthy habits. They can also be a great way to join individuals going on the same journey, which can be incredibly motivating.
Everyone is different, and there is not a one-size-fits-all approach to choosing a weight loss program. It ultimately depends on what suits your individual needs and what fits into your lifestyle.
Many people find online weight loss programs more convenient and easier to fit into daily life. To save you tiresome research and help to answer some important questions, this guide compares two popular online weight loss programs; 28 by Sam Wood and Second Nature.
28 by Sam Wood and Second Nature focus on behaviour change and sustainable weight loss. Both programs focus on a holistic approach, including aspects such as nutrition, exercise and mindset. They also encourage a wholefood approach and recommend obtaining nutrients from foods rather than supplements, unless medically required.
The main difference between the programs are that Second Nature provides daily support and guidance from a qualified health coach, as well as peer support from other members on the program. 28 by Sam Wood offers support from a nutritionist but this is only to answer ad-hoc questions rather than personalised, daily support.
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Trustpilot score
Trustpilot is a platform where consumers can leave reviews and scores reflect overall customer satisfaction.
28 by Sam Wood | Second Nature | |
Star rating | ||
Score | – / 5 no reviews |
4.8 / 5 read reviews |
Signing up
28 by Sam Wood | Second Nature | |
Free trial | ✗ | ✓ |
Clear breakdown of costs | ✓ | ✓ |
Clear cancellation policy | ✓ | ✓ |
Length of programme | Subscription-based model: 28-day “fitness blocks”, also offers 8-week challenges |
12 week minimum, then ongoing |
Easy to cancel | ✓ | ✓ |
Refund policy | No refund offered after purchase. | Full refund if cancelled within 14 days. After this point, any charges non-refundable. |
Refer-a-friend scheme | ✗ | ✓ ($10 credit for referring family or friends.) |
Easy to include family | ✗ | ✓ |
Nutrition
28 by Sam Wood | Second Nature | |
Dietary approach | Whole food approach | Lower-carb |
Caters to vegetarian | ✓ | ✓ |
Caters to vegan | ✓ | ✓ |
Vegetarian/vegan recipe section | ✓ | ✓ |
Supplements encouraged | ✗ | ✗ (Other than Vitamin D.) |
Support
28 by Sam Wood | Second Nature | |
Tailors the plan around diabetes | ✓ | ✓ |
Tailors the plan around other health issues | ✓ | ✓ |
Access to registered dietitian or nutritionist | ✓ | ✓ |
Dietitians based locally in Australia and New Zealand | ✓ | ✓ |
Assigned to an in-app local support group (timezone friendly) | ✗ | ✓ |
Weekend support available | ✓ | ✓ |
Daily support from coach | ✗ | ✓ |
Program features
28 by Sam Wood | Second Nature | |
Encourages daily weigh-ins | ✗ | ✗ |
Makes you take numerous body measurements | ✗ | ✗ |
App | ✓ | ✓ |
Recipe videos | ✗ | ✓ |
Exercise videos | ✓ | ✓ |
Tracks steps | ✓ | ✓ |
Tracks exercise | ✓ | ✓ |
Tracks water intake | ✗ | ✓ |
Tracks custom habits | ✗ | ✓ |
Education of nutrition science | ✗ | ✓ |
Requires calorie counting | ✗ | ✗ |
Food diary feature | ✗ | ✓ |
Meal planning tool | ✓ | ✓ |
In-app journalling tool | ✗ | ✓ |
Pricing
When programs provide price plans in different formats, it can be hard to accurately compare prices. To make this easier, we have calculated the price of monthly basic price plans on each program to show you how costs compare over 3, 6, and 12 months (as of Februrary 2021). All admin fees are included in these prices.
On the surface, Second Nature does appear to be slightly more expensive. However, this is because you are assigned a qualified health coach who is a registered dietitian or nutritionist, and is able to provide you daily, individualised support and guidance. You also have the same coach throughout the whole Second Nature program that you can build a relationship with, rather than an ad-hoc response which is not guaranteed to be the same coach each time.
On the 28 by Sam Wood program, you are able to contact a nutritionist, but are not assigned a health coach or smaller peer group for this personalised support.
Registration to a professional body requires a nationally recognised nutrition or dietetics degree. Weekly face-to-face sessions with a registered dietitian or nutritionist can be very expensive ($100+/hour). We have added a column representing this to compare costs (Weekly Nutritionist).
Monthly (basic) digital subscriptions:
28 by Sam Wood | Second Nature | Weekly Nutritionist | |
Registered dietitian or nutritionist coach | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
The same, personal coach throughout the programme | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
Price | $59 / month* | $75 / month | $400 / month |
*28 by Sam Wood also offer a quarterly payment option of $147, which is a $10 per month discount.
Example nutrition query response
Nutrition is a major part of any weight loss journey. Therefore, it is important to receive accurate and reliable nutrition advice. We asked each program a common nutrition-related query to see how the information provided as an answer compares.
Q: Are eggs bad for your cholesterol? Should I avoid them?
28 by Sam Wood’s answer:
“As our meal plans are all designed by a qualified Nutritionist, we take into account cholesterol levels and ensure that everything is balanced throughout the week and you’re not getting too much or too little of different nutrients. If you do have high cholesterol, You are more than welcome to reduce your egg intake down to 1 in a meal. You could also add an egg white and leave out the additional yolk. Alternatively, just limit yourself to having eggs twice a week and this should be fine!”
Second Nature’s answer:
“Eggs are a rich source of dietary cholesterol. It was previously thought that cholesterol-containing foods increase blood cholesterol and the risk of heart disease and strokes. However, this has not been shown to be the case as dietary cholesterol is poorly absorbed from the digestive system, and if cholesterol is absorbed, the body will produce less of it to balance out (and prevent blood cholesterol levels rising). Therefore, you do not need to be restricted unless recommended to do so from your GP/Healthcare professional. Eggs are among the most nutritious foods on the planet providing good quality protein as well as being loaded with vitamins and minerals.”
Take home message
- When choosing a health program, it is important to consider what would fit into your lifestyle and help you achieve your goals.
- For those who find face-to-face weight loss meetings uncomfortable or inconvenient, online and digitally-led program are a better option.
- 28 by Sam Wood and Second Nature are both fully available online.
- The Second Nature program allows individuals to support each other through an in-app group platform, whereas the 28 by Sam Wood app does not offer this.
- Second Nature provides a registered dietitian or nutritionist personal health coach who supports you for the length of the program, providing specific advice based on your personal circumstances. Second Nature also provides peer support from smaller groups, whereas on 28 by Sam Wood, you can contact a nutritionist and ask questions but do not receive individualised daily support from an assigned coach.
- Second Nature provides you with an education of nutrition science, allowing you to make informed decisions yourself and develop a healthy relationship with food in the long-term.