Found vs Plenity: Which Online Weight Management Program is Best?

Found weight loss review

To fully consider the benefits of Found for weight loss, let’s do a deep dive into what their solution offers.

What is Found?

“It’s not about what you lose, it’s about what you find”. 

Found was born out of the need to let science drive long-term support of weight loss management plans and in creating achievable individualized programs that lead to lasting results. They know that weight loss is more complex than just “eat less, move more”, and wanted to give everyone access to proven methods of weight care by also focusing on the biological, psychological, and social influence on weight care. When short-term solutions drove the market, this company “Found” a new way. 

Source: Found

Found’s weight loss management program is dedicated to improving people’s overall well-being through evidence-based, affordable online weight management plans. Every weight care plan includes customized nutrition and movement programs, access to personal health coaches and a private community, and an online consultation with a board-certified practitioner to evaluate and manage weight loss medication (for qualifying members, only). 

How to get started with Found

To sign up, you will start by taking a short online assessment. This assessment will look at your health history, lifestyle, and previous weight loss patterns. You’ll include information about what motivates you and disclose any challenges that could influence your weight loss or gain. The answers to the assessment help determine if you will be put on the Rx Path or Wellness Path.

Regardless of which Found Path you sign up for, a health coach will reach out over SMS to put a nutrition, movement, and behavioral health plan in place. You’ll have the option of a one-month, three-month, or six-month commitment. With this selection, you’ll receive an intake form, which asks for more details about your nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress, and other lifestyle choices. This information is used to help develop the customized plan you’ll follow with your coach.

Source: Found

If you’re eligible for Found’s Rx Path, a board-certified doctor will review your information and determine the best weight loss plan for you, including medication. Your medications will be sent directly to your door and are included in the price of your membership!!

Starting the program

Now, you’re ready to start the online weight loss program. You’ll receive a customized plan from your coach and a nutrition guide to set you up for success. Each Wednesday, you’ll log into the portal and report your weight as part of the #WeighInWednesday accountability check. Coaches are there to support you on an ongoing basis via text.

Found Wellness Path

Found’s Wellness Path is the most cost-efficient model and is available for anybody interested, regardless of BMI. This is a coaching program that’s tailored specifically to you and your needs where you’ll work 1:1 with your coach to create better habits and long-term changes to help you reach your goals. This does not include weight loss medication and therefore no access to Clinicians, but does include:

• Personalized nutrition plan & recipes
• Personalized movement and workout plan
• Personal health coach for 1:1 goal creation, implementation, support, & encouragement
• Access to exclusive Found Community
  
  

Source: Found

No matter what you’re struggling with, be that your nutrition, movement, stress, emotional eating, or more, your path is customized to you. Found does not believe in calorie counting or meal logging, they instead focus on long-term changes to implement in your lifestyle. Your coach is there to keep you accountable and motivated and to help educate you on the science behind weight loss.

Found Rx path

Found’s Rx Path has everything that the Found Wellness Path has, with the addition of medication and shipping of the medication. In its integrity, the Found Rx Path includes:

• Provider and future consultations 
• Medical intake and medication(s) (if necessary)
• Personalized nutrition and movement plan
• Personal health coach 
• Access to exclusive Found Community

The weight loss program is broken into three distinct areas: evaluation, medication, and 1:1 health coaching.

After the evaluation process determines that the Rx Path is the right path for you, a doctor will evaluate prescription options to select a weight loss medication program that best fits your personal needs. 

What Rx weight loss medications does Found prescribe?

Found offers 13 FDA-approved medications including Buproprion and Metformin. All medications offer weight loss benefits, but each has a specific purpose of treating other aspects of your health journey, including depression, diabetes, or blood sugar levels and depends on your personal interaction with the medication.

Different medications work for different people, so Found takes into great consideration any reservations, past personal experience, or medical conditions/concerns that you might have in selecting the appropriate medication for you. They work with you after your initial prescription to continue to improve on the decision with the hopes of finding a long-term solution.

Source: Found

After your doctor prescribes your medication and before you move forward with your decision,  you should research the possible side effects and how the substance will affect your body. If you have questions about your prescription, you can message a provider in the Found portal.

Do Found’s medications have side effects?

It can take a bit of time for your body to adjust to a new medication, and the most common short-term (3 weeks) side effects can include constipation or nausea. If there are continued side effects, Found will work with you in order to find the best fit for you and your body.

Found Health Coaching – What it’s like?

Both the Wellness Path and the Rx path incorporate health coaching into the Found weight management solution. The ongoing support from your online weight loss coach and members in the Found community sets Found apart from Plenity. Research indicates that support from providers, coaches, and like-minded communities can yield more weight loss within a 12-month journey.

Health coaching provides accountability through frequent check-ins and weekly goal setting. You’ll work with a coach to build sustainable habits that meet your individual needs. Your plan can include nutrition management, exercise plans, sleep regimens, stress management, and mental health wellness.

The Found online community also offers access to a private Facebook group that rallies around members to celebrate victories, provide encouragement, and offer support.

Found Weight Loss Timeline & Results: What to expect

Found is built on the concept of sustainable, long-term healthy lifestyle choices. As such, their plan offers monthly gains to help support weight loss goals. Found’s goal is for individuals’ weight management plans to follow this timeline:

Month 1: Work with your personal coach to determine your nutrition, exercise, and overall health plan. If you are prescribed medication, your regimen will be introduced. You’ll be granted access to the Found online community.

Month 2-3: A doctor will evaluate your medication and make necessary adjustments. Your health coach will help you focus and stay accountable. You’ll maintain engagement in the Found online community.

Months 4- 6: Your coach will work with you to adjust your nutrition, exercise, and health plan to continue your progress. Weekly goals will aid in achieving long-term results. You’ll also maintain progress with medications and the Found online community.

Months 7+: At this point, you should be thriving. You will still receive the health coaching support you have come to appreciate, but modifications in your plan will minimize. You’ll be at a point where your habits have become a lifestyle and you’ll be in more control to hold yourself accountable.

Since the Found solution is slow and steady, you’ll see results gradually. On average, Found members experience up to a 10% weight loss by month six.

How much does Found cost?

The Wellness Path costs $29 a month. This plan gives you support and accountability but does not include medication or dedicated physician oversight.

The price for the Rx Path fluctuates depending on your prescription and subscription commitment. Prescription costs are included in the monthly price, and prescriptions are conveniently shipped directly to you. The monthly price ranges from $99 to $149 a month.

Does Found accept insurance?

Found does not accept insurance, but you can find peace of mind in your out-of-pocket expenses being applied to a program that works. With a 90-day money-back guarantee and the option to cancel, you can experience the benefits of Found with limited risk.

Plenity Weight Loss Review

Now, let’s dive deeper into the weight loss benefits of Plenity, the first and only superabsorbent hydrogel made exclusively from naturally-derived building blocks.

Created for individuals older than 22 with a BMI of 25-40 to aid in weight management, Plenity is an FDA-cleared weight loss aid with science-backed resources from behavioral science, nutritional research, and psychology. When combined with diet and exercise, Plenity has been shown to help users start losing weight within the first four weeks of starting.

Source: Plenity

Plenity was developed in 2006 by Gelesis, a biotechnology company that develops therapies for GI-related chronic diseases. Through studies, 59% of adults who were overweight or obese lost an average of 10% of their weight or 3.5+ inches from their waist over 24 weeks of regularly using Plenity. 

How to get started with Plenity

There are a few different ways to get Plenity, one of them being through their website. Simply complete an online consultation form or start a telehealth appointment with a licensed physician, where you’ll share information about your general health and medical history. 

Source: Plenity

A licensed physician will review the form and determine if you are a  good candidate for a Plenity prescription. If you receive a prescription, you will be notified within 24 hours and the capsules will be shipped to your home with free 2-day delivery.

You can also ask your primary healthcare provider about a prescription to Plenity that can be filled by GoGoMeds, a mail-order pharmacy.

How does Plenity work to help you lose weight?

Plenity is an FDA-cleared prescription-only weight loss aid. Plenity is not a drug, but rather is a stimulant-free and non-habit-forming medical device that is not absorbed into the bloodstream. Plenity capsules are made from naturally derived building blocks – fruits, vegetables, cellulose, and citric acid.

Subscribers take three capsules with 16 ounces of water 20 minutes before lunch and dinner. The capsules absorb the water it’s taken with and mixes with your food, making you feel more full, therefore causing you to eat less and eventually lose weight. 

The superabsorbent hydrogels mimic some of the properties of raw vegetables, increasing the volume and firmness of the foods we eat while reducing the caloric density of meals. The program is most effective in conjunction with exercise and meal planning.

Plenity member experience

The Plenity Member Experience goes beyond just the capsule used to help you manage your weight, helping you to build long-term, healthy habits. Their approach to weight loss also offers:

1. A free lifestyle coaching session – Plenity’s complimentary initial consultation, along with your prescription, will help you to achieve your wellness goals
2. Health and wellness insights from credentialed authors and experts – delivers practical and trusted advice from registered dietitians and medical experts to help make the changes that feel right for you.
3. A private online community exclusively for Plenity members – A private, members-only Plenity Facebook community that offers encouragement, support, and inspiration from other members

Your shipment of Plenity will come with instructions on how to join the Plenity Member Experience. The overall goal is to help you unlearn old habits, create healthy routines, and tune out the noise. To not just rely on a prescription, but improve both as a person and in your habits.

Does Plenity have any side effects?

We all experience some side effects like bloating or gas after eating, especially depending on the food that we’re consuming. Due to the nature of the prescription itself, Plenity can also sometimes cause bloating and some stomach uncomfortably. If you think about it logically, if something is basically “expanding” in your stomach to create fullness, this makes sense.

In the previously mentioned clinical study, the overall side effects reported by the placebo group vs those taking Plenity were almost identical. The most common side effects were fullness (…intended…), bloating, gas, or abdominal pain.

How much does Plenity cost?

Plenity costs $98 for a four-week supply. A discount of 15% can be applied to subscribers that purchase a 12-week supply.

Plenity may be covered by insurance, depending on your insurance provider. If insurance does not cover the Plenity subscription, then funds from a Flexible Spending Account or Medical Savings account should be able to be applied.

Found Reviews: What are customers saying on reddit and other sites?

Found customers give the solution applause for offering a sustainable method that teaches lifestyle changes. The coaching aspect of Found is a new approach to telehealth weight loss management. Subscribers reported reduced medication use over time and joy over lifestyle enhancements that bring a better quality of life with fewer restrictions. In extreme cases, some subscribers noted 30–40-pound weight loss results within the first four months.

Based on Reddit forums that we explored for more research, there are some stating that the texting interface wasn’t the easiest to navigate, but that their coach would respond when they reached out. Some stated that they felt the conversations weren’t with their coach and it felt a bit robotic, but that over time they were able to get more of a rhythm in their conversations.

Many of the medications prescribed by Found can be prescribed to you by your own doctor, but the combined features of the platform are the difference maker. The ability to try a medication to see if it works for you and work 1:1 with them to find the best solution over time is something you can’t find anywhere else. 

Source: Reddit

Source: Trustpilot

Note that we avoided using “invited” reviews from Trustpilot in order to find the most authentic feedback.

Plenity Reviews: Do customers say it works?

Plenity customers applaud the drug-free and stimulant-free capsules, and nearly 60% of users reported successful weight loss. Based on real users’ feedback, your mindset going into starting with Plenity is the biggest factor to successful weight loss. That’s generally the case with most weight loss journeys, so it’s not too far off, but does it work?

Many users did report some side effects of feelings of constipation or not feeling as “full” as they expected the medication to make them feel. But, many users are saying that with the right mindset and a dedication to continued use, they definitely lost weight over time and felt less hungry all the time. 

There were a few who reported that their side effects went away after 3+ weeks of consistency and they felt less anxious about the taboo term “dieting”, as they didn’t have to change their entire routine and diet, but simply had to add Plenity and focus on how they felt, rather than telling themselves “you can’t eat”.

Source: Reddit

The verdict: What is the best online weight management platform?

One of the most important things that we want to note in this review is to make sure you are communicating with your doctor and/or prescriber when taking a prescription weight loss journey. Medications that work well for one person aren’t guaranteed to work for the next, and each person’s chemical makeup is different, which can cause different reactions.

After careful analysis, Found comes out on top in determining the best online weight loss program. Found is the solution that has expertly integrated telehealth services with an affordable online weight loss medication program. Plenity offers a different approach, as their medication isn’t classified as a drug, and many people have found success in Plenity’s prescription. There are benefits to both programs, but if you are looking for the full experience, Found offers it all.

As a subscriber to Found, you benefit from a multidisciplinary approach to weight loss management that incorporates medication with a support system of providers, coaches, and online community members. So, you’re never alone.  This weight loss management approach will help you achieve a new, healthier lifestyle. Ultimately, that means you’ll achieve your weight loss goal and sustain that weight loss over time. 

Have you tried Found, Plenity, or any other Rx weight loss telemedicine services? We’d love to hear about your experience in the comments below!