Second Nature Diet Review: An Honest Rating
I wanted to write a Second Nature diet review, seeing as I’m into week 7 of the 12-week programme and thought it’d be good for me to do a halfway evaluation. And, good for you to know what the Second Nature healthy eating plan is all about if you’re thinking of signing up.
I’m all for body positivity and loving yourself, but I’m also for feeling healthy and active, and in control. I don’t want to make anyone feel bad with this review, so here’s a lovely travel quotes post if you feel you don’t want to read this.
For anyone looking for an honest Second Nature review, read on. And check out the Second Nature diet promo code below…
Second Nature is normally £40 a month, but if you sign up using this link you can save £10 – for a limited time only!
“Second Nature is an online weight loss plan that helps you to make long-term healthy lifestyle changes. We are used and trusted by the NHS.” – Second Nature
This is one of the most comprehensive Second Nature reviews on the internet.
Why I decided to join Second Nature
I thought the scales in the bathroom were malfunctioning when I stepped aboard at the beginning of May.
“That can’t be right”
So, I invested in some new fancy ones that linked up to your phone for the actual result.
Turns out they weren’t broken at all, and I’d actually just put on a whole load of weight without realising. Two stone in two years in fact. Oops.
It’d been a great two years though, to be fair.
I think at least half a stone of that was in lockdown. First few weeks and I’d just decided to bury the worry and anxiety in daily gin and tonics, bottles of wine on zoom quizzes and whatever I liked to eat ‘to do what I could to get through it’.
Start of May and I was feeling crappy, mentally and physically. So, I knew I needed help and couldn’t do it on my own and decided to sign up and pay up, so I’d have some accountability and guidance.
In short, I’m really, really, glad that I did. I’ve lost weight, I feel better, and I know that the programme is giving me help and advice for life. And making me reassess my unhealthy habits in life, not just towards food. As we get older we’re setting the habits that will take us through till the end, I needed them to be better.
I know there’s absolutely no way I could stick to the popular shake diets, and I don’t really believe they can be long term. I knew I didn’t want to start calling food ‘sins’, or go to any group weigh in, or count calories, or ruin food with guilt forever. Counting calories can help track food intake for health and fitness goals, but it can also cause stress and anxiety if it involves excessive restriction or punishment. I wanted to find a healthy balance and remember that food is an important part of culture and socialising.
– One of the many Second Nature desserts, frozen bananas covered in 85% chocolate and hazelnuts – YUM
I liked that Second Nature is backed by the NHS, that I’d have an online support group, and that it came with recipes to make at home. It didn’t seem like any rad ideas – like drinking lemon and cayenne pepper – but just back to basics that good, natural food, and a decent amount combined with exercise and knowledge would help you lose weight.
I’d also read that they didn’t want you to go hungry – very important.
Also, I wanted to be able to do something that didn’t involve me sitting there eating lettuce while my boyfriend tucks into a feast. I can have what he has, just minus the carbs and plus some veg.
In this Second Nature diet review of the healthy eating programme I’ll look at:
- Why I decided to join Second Nature
- What is the Second Nature diet?
- How much does Second Nature cost?
- Second Nature diet review – is it hard to stick to?
- What are the Second Nature recipes like?
- Can I still have fun on Second Nature?
- How does the Second Nature app work?
- Exercise on Second Nature
- How much weight have I lost on Second Nature?
- My Second Nature diet review
If you’re debating signing up, I hope this Second Nature diet review will give you all the pros and cons you need.
SECOND NATURE DIET REVIEW VIDEO
I’ve put together a video below so you can see some of the different recipes on Second Nature. It should be playing somewhere on your screen right now – here’s the £10 off link I mention for a limited time only. This Second Nature diet promo code will definitely work.
What is the Second Nature diet?
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 analyse your intake and outgoings, get prepared with recipes and generally get your head in the game.
I’ve never done any sort of official weight loss thing before. I did go with a friend once to a Slimming World class and decided that wasn’t really for me, and, with my random work schedule being a travel blogger I knew I wouldn’t be able to commit. My only experience of weight loss was when I lost about four stone when I was 20, after an indulgent first year at uni.
That was all obsessive calorie counting, living in hilly Sheffield, working every shift possible in a busy pub, and going out dancing all night. None of those I fancied doing again.
So, Second Nature it was.
– I LOVE the Second Nature banana bread, great for breakfast and snacks!
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 round programme 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).
Second Nature is normally £40 a month, but if you sign up using this link you can save £10 – for a limited time only!
If you do use that link and the Second Nature diet promo code, you’ll get £10 off, and I will too. Up to you though. I didn’t write this Second Nature diet review for that, but as a therapy for me, and a help for you.
Second Nature diet review – is it hard to stick to?
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 programme – 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 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 habit.
What are the Second Nature recipes like?
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 are 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.
I’m self-employed, I don’t have time for that.
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 at the other has been an absolute game changer for me.
One of the main positives the Second Nature reviews all share is that the recipes are great.
My favourite recipes are the savoury slice, the banana bread, the butter chicken and the Burmese curry – oh, and the muesli.
Yeah, I make my own muesli now.
Before Second Nature we had a few recipes we’d recycle at home – fajitas, chilli, roast chicken – but this has made me a lot more adventurous in the kitchen, and given me some great recipes to learn in lockdown.
– Just had Shakshuka for breakfast – YUM
My boyfriend likes them too – although, it can be hard to stick to their portion size. Which, incidentally will be my next thing to focus on in the programme.
My secret weapon in all of this is lots of decaf tea and coffee, and high protein yogurt. I’m soon to become an expert in which natural yogurt is best from all the supermarkets.
Can I still have fun on Second Nature?
Yes, Second Nature are 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, on eating out and on recipes with friends. They want to give you the tools to be able to change your mindset forever.
They also try to adjust your mindset to thinking fun = food. I mean, this is hard, it’s been a good 30+ years, but it’s great to have the tools to think differently.
I’ve studied all the Second Nature diet reviews and so far, they’ve all been positive. You need to do the work, of course, but they give you all the tools.
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.
I just add my weight manually from my Bluetooth Body Fat scales, which give a full breakdown of everything. Including telling me my BMI, body age, muscle mass, BMR, visceral fat… everything.
Every day Second Nature release 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.
Second Nature is normally £40 a month, but if you sign up using this link you can save £10 – for a limited time only!
Exercise on Second Nature
If you link the app up to Google Fit it’ll monitor your steps. I aim for 5,000 a day, although 10,000 is a better idea. I have been so sedentary through lockdown.
I go out for maybe an hour or two a day to cycle, walk or go paddleboarding but the rest of the time I’m in my little house, working.
I know more movement equals better chances at weight loss, but it’s hard when there’s nowhere to go! I feel like I’ve cycled and walked every street in Portsmouth through lockdown!
If you do something other than walking on the Second Nature programme, you have to convert it to steps and put in the app, it’s quite a weird way of doing it which I think they could make better.
How much weight have I lost on Second Nature?
So, what everyone wants to know in a Second Nature diet review, how much did I lose?
I’m coming up to week 7 and I’ve lost 9lbs (4kg) on Second Nature. As I’ve thought about it more, I’m very happy with this.
Obviously it feels good to be one of those people that ‘loses half a stone in the first week!’ but Second Nature isn’t like that. As in, you’re not hugely restricted. They want you still to eat.
Second Nature is a way of life they want you to get used to and adopt, rather than eating 500 calories for a few weeks, losing weight and messing up your mind and body. Only to put it back on when you start eating normally again.
There’s some crazy stat about how many people put weight back on, and then some, when they’re on diets, and I didn’t want that, which is why I initially chose the Second Nature healthy living plan instead.
You’ll notice there are no ‘before and after’ pics here. This isn’t just about what I look like, it’s what I feel like – and the cold fact that it’s not healthy for me to be any heavier than I am right now. That’s the point I want to make with this Second Nature diet review.
Last week I had fish and chips, and loads of bread and two BBQ lunches – and wine, champagne and cider. It was a great week, no regrets as we were coming out of lockdown and I had friends and family to celebrate with. I was nervous to stand on the scales but was actually thrilled that I didn’t put on any weight.
ANY weight.
I didn’t lose any in that week either, but I had all the other weeks and I’m ready to get back on it again.
I want this to be one of those Second Nature reviews that gives you the whole truth.
I’d say, bar that week, I’ve stuck to the plan about 85% of the time. And that’s fine. If I was eating and drinking like I was before, I would’ve put even more weight on, so 9lbs to lose, while not being super restricted, has been fine.
As I’ve said, I know I wouldn’t last long on a super restrictive diet, so slow and steady is the way forward for me.
My Second Nature diet review
The Second Nature programme has been great for me so far. I really needed it right now. Everyone can be the weight they want, obviously, I’m not judging and this is why I haven’t written mine in, but at the rate I was going, I would need to buy new clothes to fit me, and I wasn’t feeling good.
Last Monday I put on jeans for the first time since the start of March and they felt tight. Uncomfortably so. I’ve been wearing yoga trousers for the last four months and I think if I’d put the jeans on before I started Second Nature – 9lbs / 4kg ago – I wouldn’t have even got in them.
I really like that you can use the premise of the plan in daily life. I know it will be harder when I’m seeing friends, and going out more, but I definitely feel that the results have shown me it works. And that I can stick to it most of the time.
My choices have already improved so much and I’m looking forward to making more of the recipes.
After a lax week, I’m going for it full throttle next week and hope to lose another 2 lbs. If I can lose another 9lbs in the last six weeks of the programme, then I’ll be happy. I need to step up a bit to make that a reality.
If you have any questions about Second Nature, let me know in the comments below.
I hope this Second Nature diet review has been helpful!
Find out more about Second Nature today
– sign up through that link and get £10 off for a limited time only!
More questions about the Second Nature diet
How can I trust the Second Nature diet reviews?
I did this Second Nature diet review as I was so pleased with the results of the programme. I lost weight, had a new approach to food, and enjoyed learning to cook some great new Second Nature recipes. I just wanted to share my experience to help you feel as good and strong as I did after doing the Second Nature diet for three months.
Just check out the comments on this Second Nature review at the end of the post, and you’ll see more successful followers!
What is Second Nature Australia?
Second Nature Australia is just the same, but it’s the Second Nature diet with Australian measurements and references. If you live in Oz, then the Second Nature Australia programme is the one for you.
Is Second Nature any good?
YES! Do it!
PIN THESE SECOND NATURE WEIGHT LOSS REVIEWS FOR LATER
Great, detailed, review. Many thanks for sharing. I get the impression Second Nature is largely about cooking their recipes at home, is that right? I hate cooking! So although I really like the sound of it, I’m wondering if it’s too cooking focused for me. Any thoughts appreciated 🙂
Hi Manda, yes, you do have to cook a lot of the recipes and avoid going out. A lot of the recipes are for four though, so I’d cook one day and then eat leftovers the next. That worked well between my partner and I. Also, some of them can be cooked in advance – ready to go – like the tortilla. It might be difficult if you don’t like cooking at ALL though, but I didn’t find the recipes hard to cook, and they didn’t take too long either.
Hi Vicky. Read your review as I have completed the programme, love the changes I’ve made and am just generally interested in what others think. I like the review apart from the description of reset week where there is some confusion over carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates are actually the “good carbs” and what we are advised to stick with throughout the whole plan. What you cut out in the first week are simple carbohydrates ie. White bread & pasta, highly processed and sugary foods and alcohol. You don’t have to cut out all bread – wholegrain or sourdough are fine from the start as part of the daily complex carb recommendations.
My only minor concern with the programme over all is that there’s no advice about maintaining your goal weight when you get to it. I’m at that point now where I’m trying to maintain but still losing!
Ah yes, there was a rogue ‘complex’ in there which I have now edited. Thanks for that.
Hmm that sounds like a problem a lot of the people doing the programme would love to have! Maybe you could email them and ask. I’ve found them to be very responsive and helpful with emails.
Hi Vicky, I am so inspired to try this food plan after seeing my brother yesterday – he’s lost 3 stone since Christmas! This is the only page I’ve found that gives such a detailed breakdown of the plan. I wanted to ask you two things. As someone who’s been on most diets going, the mind switch to eating full fat cream/yoghurt etc is a huge leap! Do they explain the health benefits of this? And secondly, I’m not one for being part of a weight loss ‘group’ but understand how this support could work. Is the communication between your group members by text or do you have to do face to face? Thanks for the help, and for a really useful review.
Hi Helen, wow your brother has done well. Good on him! Yes it does feel weird going for the fuller fat varieties. I’m sure there’s some reasoning in the book but it’s basically down to eating ‘naturally’. Diet foods have chemicals and other nasties in them to make them taste good. Second Nature is about stripping it back to basics – to eliminate ‘fake’ foods like junk foods and diet foods. It’s how we used to eat, and what our bodies have survived on for a long time before all the diet foods came along. The group communication is all on text on the app. I never spoke to anyone with my voice! You can join in or you can just read other people’s messages to your group nutritionist, depending on your personality and how much you want to communicate. Hope that helps!
@VickyFlipFlop, Brilliant, so helpful. Thank you. Looks like I’m joining up. x
Hi Vicky
I am very nearly convinced 😬
Dieting scares me 😟
But I need to do something, as like most people the COVID lockdown weight has crept up and up and up.
Would you be able to recommend an exercise plan to do at home also?
Hi Samantha, I find the Les Mills workouts really good. You can get a 7 day trial for free on their website I think. Otherwise YouTube tutorials are great too.
Hi Vicky
Loved reading every bit of your review and congratulations on your weight loss so far 🙂
I’d love some advice on your Yoghurt knowledge please. I love TOTAL Greek yoghurt would this be allowed on Second Nature.
Thanks
Lisa
Hi Lisa, yes, in my understanding. I eat the FAGE yogurt which is super high in protein. I eat it for breakfast and as a side with lunch and breakfast – love it!
Thanks for the review, really helpful. I’ve signed up using your £10 off link and start next week.
Hi Caroline, good luck, I hope it goes well for you!
Thank.you for.the.review. I have been doing SW and lost 2 stone but after lockdown and HRT put 1.5 stone back on.
Going to join to start in the New Year and finally put myself first. X
Hi, does Second Nature work with vegetarian diet, please?
Can you eat carbs at all (like bread, pasta etc) later after the first week?
Hi Linds, they have a special veggie programme. You’re allowed 3 portions of complex carbs a day and then I guess it’ll be a lot of veg and cheese! I’m not vegetarian so can’t say for sure but I know they had a different track for you guys to make sure you don’t get hungry.
Thanks for the reply! I was wondering how they worked it. I suspect they’d use tofu etc (which is ok as I love it, but I can’t eat too much fibre as it goes through me!).
Hi, interesting reading. Is there any provision for snacks, it’s not meals I have a problem with it’s the mid afternoon or evening times. Thanks.
I really don’t want to have to calorie count…..but am guessing there has to be some tracking?
Oh wow I really needed to read your review today. I have just signed up to second nature and today is my first day of reset. I had a horrible feeling you were going to say “don’t do it” so I am so please to have read everything you wrote and all the comments too. I really need to curb my bad “lockdown habits” and shift some of the weight too. Thanks so much 😃
Great review! I’m still trying to decide between Second Nature and Noom. Umm not sure exactly what the fundamental differences are – do you know anything about Noom and if so, what was it about SN that stuck out?
Hi Sarah. I have only just started day 1 of second nature today but I did try Noom before and I just couldn’t keep up with all the reading. It felt like such an awful pressure as I fell further and further behind. There is only one article per day with second nature plus the community messages, and lots of blog articles of you search for them. 😃
@Sarah, I tried noon and it was useless. Sooooo american! Coach was on a different time to me and the group were based all over the world. Wast of money
@Wendy Mellon, I’m considering signing up for Second Nature. I was doing a little research on MyFitness Pal which I used several years ago and successfully lost weight. However, I don’t feel that I can get back into weighing and counting again. I stumbled across SN. I AM American and a little concerned with “Sooooo american!” What does that mean? Will the time change work for me? Are there other American clients?
@Laura Hosler,
Soooo American simply means you use different measures, ie 1 cup of cabbage, as opposed to 4oz. And the names are sometimes different, our courgettes are zucchini to you
Am trying to get on to second nature but it says I already have an account? Don’t remember signing up before or password? Please advise. It sounds like just what i need!
Oh, how strange. Do you have a different email address you could try? Or click ‘Forgot Password’. I can’t really help you with the technical side I’m afraid. Maybe email the Second Nature customer services: [email protected]
Hey Vicky, I love your review as I joined the program a month ago via NHS as at risk of type 2 diabetes! Now I have been a slim average 10/12 dress size gal all my life UNTIL I hit 50 & started gaining a few pounds that refused to shift during lockdown…. like you I demolished the wine racks, gin shelf and possibly ate half my weight in kettle chips! I also had become VERY sedentary due to a new job 2 years ago. My weight was nearly tipping 15 stone and I had gone up 3 dress sizes! With nothing to wear except leggings and slippers I completed the NHS survey and was invited to join Second nature for free for 9 months including the scales and fit bit…. realising that the NHS was paying for me to become healthy again so don’t become a burden in later life was a massive incentive to take this program seriously BUT I discovered that this was no hardship as the program is probably the kindest thing I have ever done for myself! The recipes are fantastic, my group of 4 similar aged and diabetes danger Comrades are fantastic and so supportive as is our coach. I learn something new every week about nutrition (and I thought I knew it all). I can still enjoy my life, eat out, have fun and am feeling good about exercise again. I am rarely eating meat because the veggie and vegan recipes are so amazing and easy to make and I no longer drink in the week and sometimes not at weekends either. Best of all I have lost 11lbs in 4 weeks!
Your review is spot on and if anyone is considering signing up my answer is do it! It costs around the same as joining WW Or SW BUT gives back SO MUCH MORE.
I thought I would stay a fat middle aged frump but this program is taking me on a journey of rediscovering how important it is to shed stupid habits, build better ones, make good choices for myself and thus set myself up for a fabulous future – fit, slim, healthy and diabetes free.
Be selfish and do this for yourself. It’s the kindest thing I have ever done.
Good luck on the rest of your journey Vicki be great to read about how you get on.
Hello Amanda, what a great review! I’m so happy to read it’s changing your life. Feels so much better to be healthy and in control doesn’t it?! Sounds like you have a good group and a great attitude, I’m glad you’re finding success on the programme. Well done on the weight loss – fantastic!
I do need to write an update to this actually. I’m just about to start for the second time round as it was so successful first time, and I managed three months without putting ANY weight back on. I just have some more to lose and so my next three months starts today. I often need to be told things a few times to really learn, so I’m looking forward to getting back in and reading again, and losing even more in a healthy and tasty way. Good luck on the rest of your journey too!
Does it cater for vegetarians?
Hello, yes. They have a whole bunch of recipes especially for you!
Hi ! Great review! I went for the no tech option will I have to get a step counter now? Tracking things doesnt do me any good . Also they talk about the gym – I will walk but gyms dont feel safe to me atm and they are not my vibe. Also why are there so few women? How can the guys running it understand us? Finally, did you find you were hungry? Thanks
Thanks! I use the step counter on my phone. I have a Google Pixel which comes with Google Fit that counts your steps. I’m sure Apple has something similar. I didn’t go to the gym for the entirety of my three months – I walked outside, cycled and paddleboarded. Also, YouTube videos. You can do whatever exercise you like. I wasn’t hungry. I drank a lot of decaf coffee and water and always had healthy snacks on hand. I plan to do it again after my birthday as I’ve managed almost three months off the plan without putting on even a pound. I think that shows it’s altered my approach to food. I still have more I want to lose though.
Hi there! You mentioned you wanted to do it again, but doesn’t it mean you just follow the same recipes from the first time you joined? And did you sign up for the maintenance program afterwards? Thanks!
I lost nearly 4 stone on Second Nature (then called Our Path) a couple of years back and have kept it off. I went from obese to a healthy weight. It’s revolutionised how I eat and think about food. I also often have sweets, alcohol etc but not all the time, and my habitual foods are now healthy ones. It’s made me so much healthier and happier!
Oh wow, that’s great – 4 stone! I’ve found this too. I lost 10 pounds the first time, but could’ve tried harder. I’m about to do it again, but I’ve managed to stay the same weight for three months now so I’ve obviously taken it on and changed for life, I hope! I just have some more to go…
@Olivia, Could I please ask long did it take to lose 4 stone?
the key for me (on week 7) is to cook virtually all the food I eat. the recipes in the cook book are great and you know exactly what you are eating. I particularly like the coconut dahl and the butter chicken
Oh I LOVE the butter chicken. That and the lamb tikka masala are my current favourites!
A very well explained article. Very informative. keep it up dear..
Thank you! Hope it’s helped you decide whether to do the programme or not.
Excellent review. Sounds like the kind of healthy lifestyle plan I need. I’ve never been any good at cutting everything out and though I do loads of exercise, it doesn’t really mean much unless you’re making healthy food choices, too. May very well have to sign myself up.
Yeah, definitely. I know that I wouldn’t succeed on anything that made me fully cut out my favourites. This was perfect for me to have a little bit of what I fancy, and to learn lessons on being healthier for life. I’d definitely recommend it. In fact I’m about to do it again as I’ve managed to maintain what I lost the first time, and I’m ready to go in for another stone. Hard work ahead but totally worth it!