Second Nature is an online weight loss plan that helps you to make long-term healthy lifestyle changes. Basically, you start with a ‘reset week’ where you analyze your intake and outgoings, get prepared with recipes, and generally get your head in the game.
It’s all done on the Second Nature app, with a group and a private nutritionist. Every day a new article is released for you to read – on topics such as sleeping, alcohol, insulin, and healthy eating – this is an all-around program to encourage you to check everything you take in and put out with your body.
There’s a weight track function, a steps counter (links up to Google Fit), and a sleep tracker too. You’ll get access to a whole toolbox of recipes, guides, exercise links, a meal planner, and a journal. Most importantly, there’s the chat where you can talk to the group and your nutritionist.
How much does Second Nature cost?
I paid £100 for three months of dietician advice, a recipe book, access to a group on the app, and videos and articles to read every day. This pretty much works out as £1 a day.
Bargain.
The cost of Second Nature is normally £40 a month, but you can sign up using this link and save £10 (for a limited time only).
Once you sign up, you’ll be given a date to start. For me, it was the coming Monday. This gives you a chance to get shopping – planning is a big part of the program – and to prepare yourself mentally and physically.
You’ll also have some articles to read on the Second Nature app so you know what to expect.
The basic premise is to eliminate – at least for the first week – all white bread, sugar, and carbs. Instead, you’ll replace it with veggies, protein, and three small amounts of good carbs (complex carbs) a day.
This leaves LOADS of food you can still eat. You just need to be prepared and plan, so you don’t find yourself reaching for a quick pizza/sandwich/bag of sweets – whatever your poison.
It sounds kinda obvious and is based on the premise of eating more good things, staying hydrated, and exercising more. Having the private chat, the group chat, and measuring your success means you’re held accountable and have all the more reason to do it. It also guides you through making better choices every day, until that becomes a habit.
I’ve been so impressed with the Second Nature recipes and have really enjoyed having a book of tasty, easy-to-make recipes so ready at hand. You can also access them all on the Second Nature app, which is updated regularly.
I have quite a few cookbooks but never use them because I don’t plan for the supermarket, or know what’s good to make. And they’re just long and complicated, and anything over about 40 minutes to prepare is not fun for me.
The Second Nature recipes are pretty simple, and by using the app I’ve been able to order my ingredients very easily online. In fact, ordering online with the app in one hand and my laptop in the other has been an absolute game-changer for me.
Second Nature is your friend. They don’t want you to have to go sober, or breadless, or boring – but they do want you to be able to make better choices. There’s advice on alcohol, eating out, and recipes with friends. They want to give you the tools to be able to change your mindset forever.
How does the Second Nature app work?
One of the USPs of Second Nature is that you get access to a group on the app. There are 14 of us in my group – all women – and we help support each other through daily choices and meal plans. It’s really inspiring and great to have a group to bounce ideas off so you don’t bore friends and family with Second Nature talk.
Also, this is where you’ll find the Second Nature recipes. You can track your progress here too, and it syncs up to your Google Fit. Or, if you’ve decided to buy the Second Nature pedometer and scales, it syncs here too.
Every day Second Nature releases a new article to inspire you. These could be on anything from sleep, to alcohol, to insulin, to positive mindsets. I think it’s great they do this as it keeps something new in your mind every day and stops that initial burst of enthusiastically reading everything, only to fall flat after.
This way there’s always a new lesson to learn and something fresh to bring to your healthy eating plan.
All the Second Nature diet reviews enjoy the ‘drip feeding’ of the information, as it keeps you interested.
My overall thoughts on the Second Nature diet
I am very impressed with how I have been eating on the plan. All my meals have been filling, tasty and nutritious when I have been eating at home and when I have eaten out I have felt less concerned with being on or off-plan or calorie counting.
As vegetarian eating out on Slimming World was difficult as my only real was usually a plain salad or jacket potato with baked beans and cheese.
Salads with things such as pine nuts, olive oil, or sundried tomatoes would be classed as off-plan and would be harder to work out the syns for.
Following Second Nature these things are not needing to be counted and can fit into my plan reasonably. This meant for me eating out was more guilt-free.
Would I recommend the diet?
I love the way that the Second Nature diet has reading to help you to understand your body and healthy eating plan.
The reading also focuses on your mental health surrounding food and definitely helps you to understand why you have struggled previously. The support you have with the Second Nature diet is from a qualified nutritionist which I love.
Whilst I believe plans like Weight Watchers and Slimming World work as plans they are delivered by people who have only been trained by the organization itself.
If you have specific concerns about your health and nutrients, for example, the answer you would often be given is that the plan is developed by nutritionists so just to believe and accept it.
I love that if you prefer organic, vegan, or gluten-free you can literally tailor this plan to suit you perfectly.
I am happy with my weight loss so far and more importantly my change in eating habits and hope that I can continue in this way.
My determination is high to get back to my target weight where I was happiest with myself! All the meals above are ones I have made and enjoyed whilst following Second Nature. Don’t they look good! They tasted good too I can assure you!
I am happy with my weight loss so far and more importantly my change in eating habits and hope that I can continue in this way.
My determination is high to get back to my target weight where I was happiest with myself! All the meals above are ones I have made and enjoyed whilst following Second Nature. Don’t they look good! They tasted good too I can assure you!
Why there are Second Nature NHS partnerships?
The NHS truly believes in the Second Nature plan and endorse it in many ways. I can really see why as it is a well-thought-out plan that seems to truly work if you put your mind to it and use the support offered.
Whilst I have been given access to the program to review all views above are my own.
