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; Second Nature and Scottish Slimmers.
Both Scottish Slimmers and Second Nature have apps to support you in building healthier and sustainable habits for weight loss.
The main difference is the support available. On the Second Nature programme you have access to registered nutritionists or dietitians to support and advise you throughout the programme. Second Nature also has a community element, you will join a support group – they’ll start the programme at the same time as you and accompany you through the programme! The Scottish Slimmers programme is self-guided and community is encouraged through their public Facebook page.
Customer Review Score
| Scottish Slimmers | Second Nature | |
| Star rating |  |
 |
| Score | 4.73 / 5 read reviews |
4.9 / 5 read reviews |
Signing up
| Scottish Slimmers | Second Nature | |
| Money back guarantee | No cooling off period or refund once the service has been activated. |
Full refund if cancelled within 14 days. After this point, any charges non-refundable. |
| Clear breakdown of costs | ✓ | ✓ |
| Clear cancellation policy | ✓ | ✓ |
| Length of programme | Dependant on weight loss goals. Monthly, quarterly and Yearly options available. | Ongoing subscription (minimum 12 weeks) |
| Easy to cancel | ✓ | ✓ |
| Refer-a-friend scheme | ✗ | ✓ |
| Easy to include family | ✓ | ✓ |
Nutrition
Scottish Slimmers offers two programmes: Classic Check Plan and FeelGood Plan, both plans use ‘check’ as a measure – equal to 25 calories – and provide you with a daily allowance to help you manage your food intake. Scottish Slimmers encourages a balanced diet, through categorising your logged foods into three Everyday Essentials – Fruit and Veg, Carbohydrates and Dairy.
Second Nature provides you with an education of nutrition science, allowing you to make informed decisions and develop a healthy relationship with food in the long-term. Second Nature has a meal planner and food diary, to help you keep track of what you’re eating and maintain healthy habits.
| Scottish Slimmers | Second Nature | |
| Dietary approach | Low calorie | Lower carb |
| Caters to vegetarian | ✓ | ✓ |
| Caters to vegan | ✓ | ✓ |
| Vegetarian/vegan recipe section | ✓ | ✓ |
Support
| Scottish Slimmers | Second Nature | |
| Tailors the plan around diabetes | ✗ | ✓ |
| Tailors the plan around other health issues | ✗ | ✓ |
| Access to registered dietitian or nutritionist | ✗ | ✓ |
| Weekend support available | ✗ | ✓ |
| Phone support available | ✗ | ✓ | Face-to-face meetings | ✗ | ✓ |
Programme features
| Scottish Slimmers | Second Nature | |
| App | ✓ | ✓ |
| Recipe videos | ✓ | ✓ |
| Exercise videos | ✗ | ✓ |
| Weighing scales provided | ✗ | ✓ (On tech plan) |
| Tracks sleep | ✗ | ✓ |
| Tracks steps | ✗ | ✓ |
| Tracks exercise | ✗ | ✓ |
| Tracks water intake | ✓ | ✓ |
| Education of nutrition science | ✗ | ✓ |
| Requires calorie counting | ✓ | ✗ |
| Food diary feature | ✓ | ✓ |
| Meal planning 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 March 2021).
Weekly face-to-face sessions with a registered nutritionist or dietitians can be very expensive (£40-£100/hour). We have added a column representing this to compare costs (Weekly Nutritionist – WN).
The Second Nature programme on the surface seems more expensive. But this includes access to a registered nutritionist or dietitian. Second Nature health coaches have completed university accredited degrees to gain this professional title.
Scottish Slimmers is a self-guided programme. You do not have the option to have a coach or join a community group. Additional eating plans are available, which will be charged in addition to the monthly subscription.
Monthly digital subscriptions:
| Scottish Slimmers Standard Plan | Second Nature | WN | |
| Registered dietitian or nutritionist coach | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| The same, personal coach throughout the programme | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Price | £6.99 / month | $60 / month | £300 / month |
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?
Scottish Slimmers’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.”
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.
- Scottish Slimmers and Second Nature are both fully online.
- Second Nature provides a registered dietitian or nutritionist personal health coach, whereas Scottish Slimmers coaches are not required to be registered with a professional body.
- Scottish Slimmers has a clear guide of foods to eat or avoid, however, the focus is on reducing calories and daily weigh-ins, which might not benefit those with 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.
- Customer support is very limited with Scottish Slimmers, whereas Second Nature provides weekend and phone support options.
