OPTIFAST® Weight Loss Program

 OPTIFAST® is a meal replacement program offered through the Duke Lifestyle and Weight Management Center in conjunction with medical, nutritional, and lifestyle support. We provide expert-guided meal planning and shakes, soups, and bars that replace your meals and snacks. The food gives you a total of about 800 to 1000 calories per day and all the daily recommended nutrients you need to stay healthy while you lose weight. We offer 12- and 24-week programs. You’ll work with our weight management specialists to determine which plan meets your needs.

The OPTIFAST® program may be right for you if your body mass index (BMI) is 30 or above. We also work with people whose BMI is slightly lower and have conditions such as prediabetes, diabetes, sleep apnea, joint pain, or liver disease. To learn more and determine your eligibility, contact us or talk to your primary care provider, who can refer you to our team for an evaluation.

OPTIFAST® is not a diet for healthy people who want to lose a few pounds. It is also not for people under age 18 as teenage bodies and metabolisms are still changing. Duke offers weight loss and healthy lifestyle programs to adolescents.

A comprehensive medical evaluation will let our team know if you can safely participate. People who recently suffered a heart attack are not eligible for meal replacement. In addition, some people with kidney disease may not be able to participate because the program impacts how your body stores water. People who previously or are currently receiving treatment for eating disorders may also not be eligible.

Your initial comprehensive evaluation will include a physical exam and blood tests. Results help us personalize your OPTIFAST® program. 

During the program, your daily diet will be a combination of low-calorie, high protein, pre-portioned shakes, soups, and bars. Each includes 25 different vitamins to ensure you get the daily nutrients you need. You’ll start by consuming 5 to 6 products a day and taper to 3 products a day over the course of the program as you add nutritious food choices, like baked or grilled proteins, vegetables, and other healthy options.

You’ll participate in weekly one-on-one, in-person or virtual visits with a medical provider and a registered dietitian. These sessions give you the opportunity to talk about what to eat and when, what’s working, any challenges, lifestyle changes, and how we can help you reach your weight loss goals.

Virtual gatherings are held twice a month and led by a member of our team. During these meetings, you’ll get to talk with other OPTIFAST® participants about medical needs, nutrition, behavioral changes, and fitness. 

During the program you can watch on-demand learning modules that cover nutrition, medicine, adapting new lifestyle behaviors, and exercise.

Your providers can help you plan an appropriate exercise routine. If you exercise regularly, we recommend reducing the frequency and intensity of workouts during the first few weeks of the program as your body adjusts to your new diet. Temporarily changing your exercise routine will help us better monitor changes to your body and how you’re feeling. If you aren’t exercising regularly when you start the program, we help you plan a routine once you’ve acclimated your body to meal replacement. We recommend ways to include cardio, strength, and balance training in your routine.

Toward the end of the program (week 10 for our 12-week option and week 18 for the 24-week option), you’ll receive resources and expert guidance to help you transition back to regular foods. After completion of the program, you can also continue counseling with our medical, nutrition, or behavioral health providers to help with long-term weight management.