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 is not a one-size-fits-all approach to choosing a health 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; the JS Health App and Second Nature.
JS Health program and Second Nature focus on behaviour change and take a holistic view of health by addressing sleep, stress and mindset and nutrition. Both programs encourage whole foods and mindful eating. JS Health also encourages the use of supplements which can be an unnecessary cost for some people.
One of the main differences between the programs is that Second Nature offers daily guidance from a dedicated and qualified health coach, alongside peer support from members on the programme. The JS Health app provides a nutritionist to answer questions, but no personalised support is given throughout the program.
Second Nature is also scientifically-designed for weight loss, whereas the advice offered by the JSHealth app is based on the ‘JSHealth philosophy’. This philosophy is based on the founder’s own healthy journey and revolves around ‘eating a nutritionally balanced diet and establishing equilibrium for mind, body and soul’.
Trustpilot score
Trustpilot is a platform where consumers can leave reviews and scores reflect overall customer satisfaction.
| JS Health App | Second Nature | |
| Star rating |  |
 |
| Score | – / 5 no reviews |
4.8 / 5 read reviews |
Signing up
| JS Health App | Second Nature | |
| Money back guarantee | Once purchased, refunds will not be provided. | Full refund if cancelled within 14 days. After this point, any charges non-refundable. |
| Clear breakdown of costs | ✓ | ✓ |
| Clear cancellation policy | ✓ | ✓ |
| Length of programme | No set length unless you join a challenge which vary in duration (2 weeks to 4 weeks) | Ongoing subscription (minimum 12 weeks) |
| Easy to cancel | ✓ | ✓ |
| Refer-a-friend scheme | ✗ | ✓ ($10 credit for referring family or friends.) |
| Easy to include family | ✗ | ✓ |
Nutrition
| JS Health App | Second Nature | |
| Dietary approach | Whole food approach plus supplements | Lower-carb |
| Caters to vegetarian | ✓ | ✓ |
| Caters to vegan | ✓ | ✓ |
| Vegetarian/vegan recipe section | ✗ (However, you can filter recipes by vegetarian and vegan.) |
✓ |
| Supplements encouraged | ✓ | ✗ (Other than Vitamin D.) |
Support
| JS Health App | 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 local support group (timezone friendly) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Weekend support available | ✓ | ✓ |
| Phone support available | ✗ | ✓ |
| Daily support from coach | ✗ | ✓ |
Programme features
| JS Health App | 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 (as of February 2021). All admin fees are included in these prices.
On the surface, Second Nature seems slightly more expensive. Second Nature is the only programme that gives you access to an Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD), registered with the Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA).
This means that all Second Nature coaches practise in line with DAA Professional Standards. Registration to the DAA requires:
1) A nationally recognised dietetics degree
2) Ongoing training and education programs to ensure that they’re the most up-to-date and credible source of nutrition information.
Your health coach provides daily support to your and your group, helping guide you along each part of the program. You also have the same health coach throughout the whole Second Nature journey that you can build a relationship with, rather than an ad-hoc response from a different coach each time.
For more support with your diet, you may wish to speak to a dietitian. Weekly face-to-face sessions with an Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) can be very expensive (AU$70 – AU$150/hour). We have added a column representing this to compare costs (Weekly Dietitian – WD).
Monthly digital subscriptions:
| JS Health App | Second Nature | WD | |
| Registered dietitian or nutritionist coach | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| The same, personal coach throughout the programme | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Price | AU$9.99* / month | $60 / month | AU$440 / month |
*JS Health provides discounts when you sign up to longer subscriptions, however, you are locked into a non-refundable contract
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?
JS Health App’s answer:
“Eggs are naturally high in HDL (the good cholesterol) and don’t raise cholesterol levels the same way that other cholesterol-containing foods do. We recommend enjoying an average of 2 eggs a day if you like. They are a great source of protein, quality fats and choline.”
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.
- JSHealth app and Second Nature are both fully available online.
- JSHealth encourages purchasing multiple supplements which can be costly and unrealistic for some people.
- Second Nature provides a registered dietitian or nutritionist personal health coach who supports you for the duration of the program, providing specific advice based on your personal circumstances. Whereas JS Health provides a nutrition coach who can only provide generalised support and advice.
- 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. JS Health offers advice based on the ‘JSHealth philosophy’ rather than nutrition science.
