30/10 Weight Loss For Life Review
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By CANDICE GREY ConsumersCompare.org Update: Jul 26, 2024 |
Unless you live in Washington State, the brick-and-mortar-based 30/10 Weight Loss for Life weight loss clinic is not for you, geographically speaking. That said, it does appear to be either slated for franchising—or was at one time—so maybe it’ll pop up in other states (or had popped and then poofed). [1]
I was able to find locations in Newton, Massachusetts—though it appears they may be closed. No clue. If you do an internet search and find a location outside of Washington, an address on Yelp! or even a review or two, when you click on the website icon, it brings you back to the site that’s 100 percent Washington. Makes you go, “Hmm.” Regardless, there are nine Evergreen State 30/10 Weight Loss For Life locations and if you’re not nearby, this review may not be helpful. [2]
The key to this program is in-person coaching and weigh-ins, and accountability. And, for the company anyway, the “food” you purchase from them. Okay, but what’s this diet really all about? It’s all in your mind.
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Is 30/10 Weight Loss for Life Worth a Try?
Read more to find out why we believe it is Risky (high risk).
30/10 Weight Loss For Life Claims
The way it’s explained on their website, the 30/10 Weight Loss for Life program is all about accountability, diet, behavior modification, and education. And the “food” you pay for when you join the program, is described on the website only as being designed with client needs in mind. Nothing specific; are they pre-made and packaged real foods? Very vague:
We provide a wide variety of flavors and allergen-sensitive products, all of which are sourced from high-quality proteins that are easy to digest. [3]
I did find a list—on an unrelated fitness website—of 30/10 Weight Loss for Life “food” products including shakes, snacks, bars, a “cheesesteak pasta” dish, Sloppy Joe, soups, pot pies, and breakfast foods like blueberry pancakes, oatmeal, omelets, and a slew of cereals. [4] What 30/10 Weight Loss for Life says:
For dinner, we have you eating fresh, delicious, and easy-to-make recipes that the whole family will enjoy. From marinades to stir-frys, you won’t feel like you’re dieting and you’ll never be hungry. [3]
30/10 says it provides clients with delicious, protein-rich foods to help them lose weight. They say the only thing you’ll have to do is prepare your dinner meal. Aha! Now I’ve got it: You eat one meal and replace the others with their stuff. Speaking of the 30/10 Weight Loss for Life program “food,” the costs for these “meals” is unclear, as is the 30/10 Weight Loss for Life cost—which you won’t know until you go in for a consultation. [3]
(For me, that’d be a cross-country trip.) But I’m getting ahead of myself here. Because this diet is not a diet, per se; it’s a combination of nutritional coaching, education, and enlightenment, with behavior modification—helped along by “certified consultants” and nutritionists—to rewire yourself to eat differently through diet, lifestyle changes, and behavior modification, relaxation, and a type of meditation called self-mastery.
The idea with 30/10 is mind over matter, almost literally. 30/10 Weight Loss for Life claims it has helped 20,000 people lose hundreds of thousands of pounds. Interestingly, among the testimonials called “Success Stories” on the (threadbare) 30/10 website are those from Seattle-area and regional radio and TV hosts, anchors, and DJs. It’s weird. I assume they were paid for their endorsements. But each claims to have lost weight and seen their lives changed. So, good for them, right? [1] [5]
The 30/10 Weight Loss for Life whole approach to helping you lose weight, slim down, tone—and then stay there—is an integrated one, where mind and body meet. The way it works: first is the initial consultation where a staffer, called a “caring consultant,” does a sort of intake; an “in-depth health profile, and your results from our medical-grade body composition scale.” [6]
They say this is where they get to know you by delving into a lifestyle, medical history, and eating habits to figure out why you’re overweight. Then, they say, they’ll design a plan just for you. And this is the point where they sell you your personal program.
30/10 Weight Loss Cost
30/10 Weight Loss Cost depends upon each individual:
- Initial Consultation– anywhere from $25 (if you were referred by a friend) to $160.
- The length of the program varies from person to person. The average client wants to be on the program for at least more than 15 weeks; the cost for 15 weeks is $3,655.
- There are no refunds.
According to the website, 30/10 Weight Loss for Life does say cost depends upon each individual client’s stress issues, health conditions, medications, number of pounds to lose, and body composition; analysis findings determine how much you’ll pay and how long you’ll need to stay on your diet. (I picture a very high-pressure sales pitch, so be cautious going in.)
So let’s assume you’re sold on this just-for-you plan and signed up and paid, you then sit with “one of our certified coaches or on-staff nutritionists” who tell you what to do. 30/10 says the coach (I’d prefer the nutritionist, to be honest) will help you incorporate your new way of eating—with their “food” supplements, too, don’t forget—into your everyday life. [6]
So you leave with your meal 30/10 products, start eating the way they taught you, and every week go to the center for a weigh-in to track your progress on their body comp scale. They say your results will be analyzed, they’ll check out your food journal (yes, you write down everything you eat), and that’s when the schooling begins; they educate you on nutrition and behavior modification techniques.
Afterward, you listen to some relaxation tapes—the self-mastery meditation they say will help you to ignore food cravings, and “help with anything that you might have struggled with that week.” [6]
You also get to jump on a whole-body vibration machine, which I’ll get to shortly. 30/10 says its goal is to not just get you to your goal weight but help you stay there for life. The easiest way to “maintain your weight loss is by reaching your ideal body composition—or the muscle mass and fat percentage that decreases your risk for disease and allows your metabolism to function efficiently and effectively. When you get there, it is easy to maintain your weight and health.” [6]
They also vow never ever to leave you—once you’re at your goal, they claim, you can join their free maintenance plan. (I’m dubious, but will play along.) Included in the free plan are individualized nutritional guidelines and sample meal plans that will teach you how to maintain your weight, your muscle mass, and your body fat percentage. You can use their body composition scale and their coaches while you are transitioning and working on how to control your weight, they say.
Free. Okay, if you say so. About the “food.” 30/10 Weight Loss for Life says their nutritional “food” products—“a wide variety of food options that satisfy the palate”—provide you with enough healthy protein and nutrition you’ll need to burn fat. They claim clients “love our large variety of choices, all with different tastes and textures.” You get your “food” for the following week after each weigh-in. [3]
Let’s stop for a moment. I have been using quotes around the word “food” for a reason. They are, in fact, mostly powders to be mixed as whole food drinks. Yes. Imagine a cheese-steak powder shake. Yum. That’s what they mean by different “textures” I suppose. These powders are your primary food source and send your body into ketosis.
We have talked about ketosis and nausea in these reviews, but essentially it’s when you go very low carb, stuff with protein only, and your energy comes from the proteins that put ketones in your blood as opposed to carbs, our usual primary energy source. Bottom line: When your body doesn’t have enough sugars from carbs to fuel itself, it starts chewing away at the stored fat.
So you’ll have meal replacement powders (a bacon omelet powder? I’m confused), another powdered drink or 30/10 bar for a snack, and then a few more powders at lunch with some good old food—fresh veggies, only though—and you may eat an actual dinner consisting of a few ounces of a very lean protein and some low-starch vegetables. That’s it. Save 30/10 vitamin supplements to keep you alive. (That was hyperbole.)
Moving on to behavior modification, which they say begins the moment you walk through one of their Washington-based centers. The 30/10 Weight Loss for Life is about a lot more than what you eat. They claim it’s about how you think and about how you feel inside and how you think and feel about food.
30/10 says their coaches are trained to facilitate behavior change (how they’re trained and by whom is unclear) and—this is the important part—you must listen to “introspective and meditative audio recordings that guide you through behavioral modification tactics and practices that subsides cravings, stress-eating, negative sleep patterns, and more.” [3]
So while their coaches are trained to help you modify your eating habits and change your life, it’s really about these tapes, called Behavior Modification Sessions, to help “refocus/re-pattern how you think and feel about food, diet, exercise, and weight loss for life. Weekly weigh-ins, coaching, and support help create a positive environment to keep you excited and enthusiastic about your progress and direction.” [3]
Yup. And, 30/10 is really into the coaching component and claims you’ll be excited to see yours each week, the person who is an essential guide in your weight loss journey. A 30/10 coach’s job is to:
…hold you accountable, answer any questions you might have, educate you on nutrition, and give you helpful tips and tricks on losing weight through your vacations, holidays, special events, and any sticky situations you might have to face. In addition, each location has a health provider or a nutritionist on staff, to ensure your success and to work one-on-one with you for any special dietary needs you might have. [3]
The Whole Body Vibration thing supposedly “accelerates your weight loss and health by increasing your flexibility, improving balance, reducing arthritic pain, improving vascular and lymphatic flow, decreasing stress hormones, and so much more.” [3] This is a large number of claims, and I could find nothing on their website to explain any of this. Nothing.
Now, about maintenance. 30/10 says losing weight will be a simple plan you can maintain for life. Not the first time we’ve heard about a diet that promotes itself as being one you can adopt for life. It’s taken a lifetime to get where we are, and another to get back to where we’d like to be, apparently. In any event, 30/10 Weight Loss for Life claims that once you reach your ideal body fat percentage, you get the maintenance plan free, as I’ve already mentioned.
It’s free, so I suspect there’s not much to it—if, in fact, it is really free. Or maybe it is free, but you have to purchase their powders and vitamins. I don’t know.
30/10 Weight Loss for Life Ingredients
The powdered foods? It was nearly impossible to locate any details about the ingredients in these powders. I am fairly certain that at least one site I visited infected my computer.
The Science (or Lack Thereof) Behind 30/10 Weight Loss for Life
So we know this is a deficient calorie diet (VLCD), low-carb, and high-protein. But that’s all we know. Here’s what an article published in the 2014 Nutrition & Metabolism (London) says about high-protein, low-carb diets:
Diets high in protein have been shown to be a potential tool for weight loss …Whereas diets high in protein have considerable beneficial effects on satiety and weight control, which is of great interest to, e.g. obese individuals, there are some caveats to high protein diets such as increased acid load to the kidneys or high-fat content of animal proteins. Awareness of these caveats enables individuals to choose to consume a high-protein diet to get the most benefit from it.
And as it relates to the ketosis idea behind this and similar high-protein, VLCD, and low carb diets, with increased gluconeogenesis in response to a high-protein diet …(your body is in) a state of low energy demand, these metabolites will be stored as glycogen and fat, which is undesirable if weight loss is the goal. Along these lines, weight loss can only be achieved by establishing a negative calorie balance, though this may be more tenable on a high-protein diet: this may also explain the increased gluconeogenesis in response to a high-protein diet, as described above.” [7] (emphasis added)
Word on the Street is about 30/10 Weight Loss for Life
So while there’s very little detailed information on the 30/10 website, it was on Google, Yelp!, blogs, and other sites. I found reviews and some nitty-gritty info. For example, it’s $25 for a consultation if you drop someone’s name; otherwise, it’s more than $150. That’s nuts. The program can cost thousands of dollars—I repeat, thousands and thousands of dollars. But apparently, if these reviews are accurate, there are devotees who say it’s a great program at any cost. “Carolyn K.,” who was reviewing on behalf of her spouse, says,
I’m reviewing for my husband. He has been doing the program for 22 weeks and lost 90 pounds. He looks amazing! We didn’t spend a terrible amount; I think we spent around 3k on this, including food.
He basically tried a variety of their suggested food and settled on a handful he likes, shakes, oatmeal, and soup. Then he eats chicken and broccoli or Brussel sprouts every night for dinner (I wish I had his willpower!) This program is for people who are sincerely dedicated to losing weight. [8] “Julie J,” says it worked wonders for her daughter.
My daughter lost 36 lbs in two months and has reached her goal; she looks fantastic. I want to do it, but the center is too far. She followed the diet correctly. [8]
Reviewer and 30/10 dieter “Stac S,” writes a curious review. Not sure what to make of it. She says the program is not cheap, which we know, and adds that it’s only useful if you are on your “A” game. After your assessment and pictures were taken, you will, of course, get a water bottle-only water-related fluids from now on. Basically, you can have your morning coffee but cream and stevia only. If you were in love with carbs before you might feel hungry.
You also can’t buy their products and do the rest yourself, if you get tired of ready to eat a type of food, then you are also out of luck. They do ask about any allergens such as dairy, gluten, and such. I noticed it says if you have bipolar, you can’t do this program. I guess they figure you will go off the bandwagon right away. They will go over all of your medications, so if there are things they have never heard of being aware of; you might need an ok from your friend the doctor. It can cost up to $12,000 so if it’s not for you, maybe buy a used car and just push it for weight training! [8]
About that reference to bipolar; I did find an interesting thread where folks with various mental illnesses discuss weight gain because of medication, and there’s a comment about trying this diet. It’s a deep dig so may not be worth the long thread read, but I wasn’t able to find any other references to back up her claim. [9] The 30/10 Weight Loss for Life diet also has a pretty vibrant Facebook page, and there are lots of commentaries here to check out before deciding to give this diet a go. [10]
The Bottom Line: Is 30/10 Weight Loss for Life a Rip-Off or Worth to Try?
Risky (high risk). For two reasons: One, it’s a lot of money to spend for a program, and unless you’re 100 percent committed to it, you could potentially be throwing away thousands of dollars.
Secondly, while there’s lots of science about low-carb, high-protein diets that are at once supportive and encouraging, these diets are not for everyone. They are very restrictive and prohibit many foods that a lot of us would be hard-pressed to live without—in my case, whole grains and olive oil.
With the 30/10 Weight Loss for Life diet, the hook is two-fold: you must buy into the meal replacement powders and use them every day, and, you must be willing to get a little brainwashing—but in the right way, I suppose. I did though find similar tapes, audiobooks, and videos; motivational affirmations and subliminal, hypnotic messaging that may help you lose weight, even free apps. So you could do a healthy low-ish-carb diet, drink lots of water, and listen to motivational tapes on your iPhone while working out. Could work. [11] [12]
WOW, is this author for real? “High risk???” Try ‘LOW RISK’; it’s clearly about watching what you eat…you know, what you put on your plate and in your body? Scary to think this individual rails upon a clearly simple, yet lifetime changing solution and demonizes it to her audience; that’s not being objective, it’s downright irresponsible journalistic malpractice.
I’ve personally seen at least three individuals who have taken advantage of the 30/10 program, with weight losses of roughly 25, 60 & 75 lbs. respectively; that ain’t small potatoes and they’ve kept it off all over 1 year. If the program is a bit expensive, then so are athletic clubs that too many buy into, only to stay at home and never achieve their desired results. It comes down to changing the way you live and eat by learning the proper techniques.
Frankly, it appears the author is looking to ‘kick ass’ so to speak instead of being an honest and investigative reporter, perhaps off her diet and gaining weight. Maybe she ought to go on 30/10 instead of being a couch potato and an armchair quarterback trying to throw her weight around at those who are making the concerted effort to lose the weight.
All of the above is true…but it works. I was overall very satisfied with my weight loss…the difficulty came afterwards…I didn’t continue in maintenance and I didn’t try to control my brain in regards to sugar addiction. I’ve believed a long time that the weight management fight is 99% mental, so… it was worth the cost and the tasteless packets, Once you get going, you get used to it and you learn which packets you can tolerate best, and avoid the really yucky ones
Please see pros and cons listed below
Author hasn’t even been there or talked to them.. clearly trying to advert their preferred plans. I lost 90 lbs. It does have packets, though it isn’t drinks only. It truly is good and textured. They do give nutrition sheets. They do give a ton of awesome menues for what you self cook if you want them. Contrary to the author’s closing statement, you do use olive or other healthy oil daily.
You can also find the identical food with other branding on the internet. It is much more challenging to do it yourself though…. at least it has been for me. Their staff truly is helpful and knowlegable. Many with nutritionist degrees.
It is not a ketosis invoking diet either. I consistently lost 2+ lbs a week. I felt good while on plan. They do use a special scale weekly that did show consistent trends of body composition. I could see this when i took breaks and went off plan… i cruise and vacation and am being intentional on and off plan.
Lastly their free maintenance is true. Over half the folks that are in the facilities each week are maintenance. It is monthly weigh in and consulting on maintenance, not weekly when on paid plan. Yes it is pricey… it works, but it is my effort combined with their help. If I’m not putting in the effort, I’m wasting my money more than if i am putting in full effort.
This is a path to success if you need help and are able to make the investment.
Robert C. I use the Kent office, it is about 25 minutes away for me.
I have done this program. I was healthy, moderately overweight and while I did lose 16 pounds, Since quitting, I gained it all back. there are tons of negatives I found:
Counselors really don’t look after you, especially if you stop going but have already paid in full. Stop going? Maybe one phone call did I get.
Food was all processed. If you can get 15 grams of protein in each meal on your own with Whole Foods like eggs you are half the way there ($3000 starts to look better in my pocket)
I find far better resources that work for me free of charge on FB groups like Keto for Beginners.
Watch the movie FAT on Amazon Prime. Game-changer.
The food flat out stinks taste-wise. And if you don’t quit 3010, I’m skeptical their “free” maintenance is anything worthwhile.
In the end, I wish I used the $$ I spent on buying real whole, clean food and a scale like the one they used and my whole family could enjoy using it. That scale showed fat, muscle % and for me that was probably the only valuable component as I could see my muscle mass wasting away on this “diet”.
I did the 30/10 program when it was in its infancy (2012-2013). First off, it worked for me. I lost 50 pounds in about 4 months. The first week can be brutal (headaches and cramps) due to the lack of sugar in the diet. Once I adjusted, I was fine. Staying with the diet takes some fortitude but I liked the fact that it was very specific about what you can eat and can’t eat. If you follow the diet closely, there’s no need count calories or fat. You will lose weight.
About the protein foods that you have to buy, there were protein cereals for breakfast, protein soups for lunch, and protein snacks (shakes and bars) for a 3:00 pick-me-up. They weren’t very tasty and were very expensive. You can buy the same stuff (FitWise or Diet Protein to Go brands) from Nutmegstatenutrition.com. A box of seven packets of Cinnamon Crisp cereal will today run you $13.00. It was $11.00 per box when I started buying from them some years ago.
As for their claim that it’s a diet for life? In my experience, only if you really want it to be. I quit the program after 5 months, but continued the diet (with some modifications) for a couple of years. My recommendation: If you need to go back on the program, buy the food online and do it yourself! I eat Cheerios and Rice Crispies with skim milk for breakfast, real soup and vegetables for lunch, and a Adkins protein shake for the afternoon snack. Meat/fish with vegetables for dinner.
During each visit they made you listen to inspirational weight loss/relaxation/self-improvement audio clips from Dr. Patrick K. Porter (BrainFit). Each file is about 20 minutes long. I bought a bunch of the files online. My wife and I still use them all the time. Great for when you wake up in the middle of the night and can’t get back to sleep!
One more thing. When I first start the diet (I’ve done it several times on my own), I typically lose 5 to 7 pounds the first week, then taper off to 2 pounds a week.
Lost over 60 lbs. Maintenance is FREE!! staff was very supportive and the program works. You eat their breakfast, lunch and snacks and then have a regular dinner. They have different options for purchase but no way is it $3600 for 15 weeks.
I think the original poster is trying to sell their alternative products and have not actually tried 30/10.
I did 30/10 about 4 years ago. I lost 18 lbs, but once you resume eating normal food instead of powdered food, you’ll gain the weight back. The “life coaches” are twenty somethings and really have no idea what they’re talking about. They weigh you in and sort of stare at you blankly while you talk about what your struggles were that week. I think they get paid minimum wage and probably do a 2 week training course. And yes, the “food” is not food, it’s powder with some very small energy bars thrown in. You can buy all the powders and other things from a website called proteinwise, much cheaper. Overall, I think 30/10 could help someone if just really need that kick start. If you have lots of money and have failed at trying to do it yourself, give it a try. Just know that you can’t resume eating the way you used to or you’ll gain it all back.
There seem to be two schools of thought here:
First there are the people who gave this a try and didn’t commit (the one lady said she stopped going and couldn’t believe they didn’t continue working with her) and then who are SHOCKED they gained weight when they went back to eating how they did previously. No kidding. Why do you think you had to lose weight to begin with?
Then there are the people who recognized a needed change in their lives and committed to the program. They understood if they resumed old habits they would gain weight again but seem pretty happy with the initial results and continuing progress seem from their change in lifestyle.
What isn’t up for debate is that everyone who tried this and even did a moderate job of sticking to it lost weight. And isn’t that the hardest part? Changes you make after that are all up to you but at least this program gives you the ability to get to you ideal weight and then maintain it with a new mindset. It ain’t stroganoff shakes forever folks.
Oh and one more thing… this author should be embarrassed. Her agenda is pretty clear. She cuts this program down without even trying it for one day. Epitome of an uninformed review. Can you imagine a blind person judging a Van Gogh fairly? Same thing… Carry on and I hope you lose the weight you need to!
The system works, but the “for life” statement is hog wash. I invested over 5K with them for 20 weeks. Lost 60 lbs, and asked to go on maintenance. They had no interest in letting me come in weekly for counseling once I went to maintenance. They made me feel like I was stealing services from them. Loosing weight is hard and the support is necessary. They abandoned me. Two years later I put back all the weight I lost. They need to be as supportive after they get their money as they were when they got my $5K. I am now doing my own low carb diet. Taking longer, but much less packaged foods.
The cost is ridiculous but the commercials playing continuously on Amazon would prevent me from trying this. Btw, I used to see Dr DeGroot as my chiropractor, I respected her expertise then.
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