Weight loss programmes 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 isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to choosing a weight loss programme. It ultimately depends on what suits your individual needs and what fits into your lifestyle.
Many people find online weight loss programmes 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 programmes; GetSlim and Second Nature.
Formerly known as Rosemary Conley Online, they’ve rebranded to GetSlim and continue to offer a range of weight loss plans, with focus on different lifestyles.
Both GetSlim and Second Nature have partnered with Public Health England for the Better Health campaign and are designed to help you make healthier sustainable long term changes that will help you to become fitter and healthier.
Customer Review Score
| GetSlim | Second Nature | |
| Star rating |  |
 |
| Score | 4.72 / 5 read reviews |
4.9 / 5 read reviews |
Signing up
| GetSlim | Second Nature | |
| Money back guarantee | Refund if cancelled within 2 weeks.
If you have progressed beyond the initial 14 days your membership will expire at the end of the current period paid for. You can also upgrade and downgrade at any time. |
Full refund if cancelled within 14 days. After this point, any charges non-refundable. |
| Clear breakdown of costs | ✓ | ✓ |
| Clear cancellation policy | ✓ | ✓ |
| Length of programme | Plans start from 21 days. | Ongoing subscription (minimum 12 weeks) |
| Easy to cancel | ✓ | ✓ |
| Refer-a-friend scheme | ✗ | ✓ |
| Easy to include family | Dependant on your chosen plan | ✓ |
Nutrition
| GetSlim | Second Nature | |
| Dietary approach | Although programmes vary, they all focus on lower-fat | Lower carb |
| Caters to vegetarian | ✓ | ✓ |
| Caters to vegan | ✓ | ✓ |
| Vegetarian/vegan recipe section | ✓ | ✓ |
| Supplements encouraged | ✗ (other than vitamin D) |
✗ (other than vitamin D) |
Support
| GetSlim | Second Nature | |
| Tailors the plan around diabetes | ✓ | ✓ |
| Tailors the plan around other health issues | ✓ | ✓ |
| Access to registered dietitian or nutritionist | Coaches have qualifications but aren’t all registered* | ✓ |
| Weekend support available | ✓ | ✓ |
| Phone support available | ✓ | ✓ |
*Coaches at GetSlim are required at minimum to hold a Level 2 qualification in Nutrition, however some coaches have up to Level 5. Some GetSlim coaches are also qualified fitness instructors.
At Second Nature all the health coaches are registered nutritionists or dietitians. This means they have completed university accredited degrees (Level 6 or above) to gain this professional title.
Programme features
| GetSlim | Second Nature | |
| App | ✗ (Available online on various devices) |
✓ |
| Exercise videos | ✓ | ✓ |
| Weight tracker | ✓ | ✓ |
| Tracks sleep | ✗ | ✓ |
| 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 programmes 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 programme to show you how costs compare (as of November 2020).
Both programmes provide the opportunity to have the same coach throughout the whole programme that you can build a relationship with. The difference is that on the Second Nature programme you get this feature without additional cost.
Registration to a professional body requires a nationally recognised nutrition or dietetics degree. Weekly face-to-face sessions with a nutritionist or dietitian can be very expensive (£40-£100/hour). We have added a column representing this to compare costs (Weekly Nutritionist – WN).
Monthly digital subscriptions:
| GetSlim Standard Plan | Second Nature | WN | |
| Registered dietitian or nutritionist coach | Coaches have qualifications but aren’t all registered* | ✓ | ✓ |
| The same, personal coach throughout the programme | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Price | £13 / month** | $60 / month | £300 / month |
*Coaches at GetSlim are required to hold at least a Level 2 qualifiaction in Nutrition, however some coaches have up to Level 5.
**If you choose to commit to a longer GetSlim subscription, the cost per month decreases.
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 programme 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?
GetSlim’s answer:
“I’m afraid the social media team are unable to provide specific dietary advice via this page. However, if you join please do message our friendly coaches who will be able to discuss this topic with you further*.”
*This question was answered on social media.
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 weight loss programme, it’s 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 programmes are a better option.
- GetSlim and Second Nature are both fully online.
- Second Nature provides a registered dietitian or nutritionist personal health coach, whereas GetSlim coaches are not required to be registered with a professional body.
- GetSlim has a clear guide of foods to eat or avoid, however, the focus is on reducing calories which might not be helpful for people who have an unhealthy relationship with food.
- 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.
- GetSlim and Second Nature both offer customer phone support.
