Weight loss programs are better than ever! You can really find quality, effective methods for maintaining a healthy weight once you know how to weed out fly-by-night companies. Two of the names making waves in weight loss right now are Calibrate and Found Rx (you'll also want to check out Form Health). Both do a great job of helping people to stop “compartmentalizing” weight loss. The key to meaningful, lasting weight loss is integrating better habits into every aspect of your life.
The big thing to know is that these programs aren't anything like the quick 30-day weight loss challenges that so many people fail at. These are serious, medically assisted programs that require as much dedication back as your team will be putting into you when you sign on. Which one is a perfect match for finding your fitness, recalibrating your body and seeing results? Let's break down Calibrate versus Found!
Quick Summary Comparison Table
| VS | FOUND | Calibrate |
|---|---|---|
| Holistic approach to weight loss | ✔ | ✔ |
| Prescription medication for those who qualify | ✔ | ✔ |
| Avg. Rating | 4.6/5 ⭐ | 4.6/5 ⭐ |
| Pricing | $99 per month with a 6 month commitment, or $149 per month | $1,620 per year or $135 per month ($31 per week) |
| How much weight can you lose? | 10% of body fat within the first 6 months (5% for the first 3 months) | 5% of body fat within three months, another 5% at the six month mark |
| Wellness coaching | ✔ (not a registered dietitian) | ✔ (not a registered dietitian) |
| Eligibility quiz | join found quiz | join calibrate quiz |
Overview of Calibrate
Calibrate is focused on helping you do a metabolic reset. That means it's geared for helping you to change how your body works instead of just changing the numbers on the scale. You'll spend your time in this one-year virtual program drilling down to the root causes of how and why your body holds on to weight. Everything is fully personalized to ensure that you're taking steps for your body instead of the “average” body.
Calibrate looks at your unique biology through the lenses of metabolism, hormone levels, cells and how your molecular messengers are working. However, the program isn't just about counting calories. This is really a life reset designed to help you do a weight reset. Yes, Calibrate actually pays attention to nutrition levels, your sleep life, your exercise patterns and your emotional wellness. While some of that may seem like it's “extra” compared to just counting calories, the truth is that a lack of holistic perspective on weight loss is why so many programs fail! Most programs ignore the fact that things like poor sleep and stress can cause us to gain weight.
Prescription Weight Loss Program
Calibrate starts you off with lab work to establish what all of your levels for key health indicators look like at the start. This is really what's missing from so many weight loss subscriptions. Even programs that assign you a coach are still “flying blind” if your coach doesn't have any panels to look at when helping you. Once your results are in with Calibrate, an actual doctor will suggest FDA-approved prescription medications based on your unique biological profile to help you get off on the right foot. It's natural to be wary of prescription weight loss medications. However, Calibrate strictly uses medications with FDA approval that are free of stimulants, not habit forming and clinically tested for safety and efficacy. You will have plenty of opportunities to talk with your Calibrate physician about any concerns you have about medications!
Coaching Program
Calibrate does a really good job of using a “slow and steady” approach to weight loss. You have a whole year to reach your goals without any sort of pressure to keep up with someone else's pace. The fact that the program provides realistic goals for how much weight you can expect to lose in monthly intervals really helps with setting up expectations without causing you to feel overwhelmed. Generally, you can expect to lose 10% of your body weight at six months. Most people lose 5% during the first three to five months.
The Calibrate team never leaves you alone in the wild to figure things out on your own. First, you're starting with a comprehensive virtual consultation with your Calibrate doctor. Your medical team at Calibrate is going to be checking in with you in regular intervals. They'll even be ordering new lab work for you to help you to check your progress using biochemical benchmarks. In addition, they'll be seeing how you feel, what you like about the program and where you're struggling to help you have the best experience possible. What's really nice is that Calibrate allows you to connect with your medical team using phone, video chat and a messaging app. The whole experience is just much more accessible than what people are used to when trying to get in a word with their regular doctors.
Your medical team is really just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the support you're getting. Every Calibrate client is assigned an accountability coach and coaching team. Your support people are checking in with you virtually about once every two weeks. Your coaching plan will include classes, recipes, chats and more. What's more, you're also getting a fully personalized wellness curriculum that has been put together just for you by a clinical counsel of weight loss experts. Everyone is working toward the goal of making sure you're successfully meeting your goals.
Pros:
- Features a realistic one-year plan.
- Medically supervised weight loss.
- Looks at nutrition, sleep, emotional health and exercise to help you make changes as a “whole person” instead of compartmentalizing weight loss.
- Tons of support through a medical team, coaching team and accountability coach.
- Members are provided with tons of resources to help them stay informed and empowered throughout the journey.
Cons:
- Cannot be billed through insurance.
- You'll pay for your metabolic health assessment ($249) regardless of whether or not you end up joining the program. However, it's folded into your cost if you do join!
Overview of Found
Like Calibrate, Found is focused on getting you to a point of safely losing 10% of your body weight within six months. It also uses prescription weight loss medications to help you get there. However, Found isn't a perfect mirror of Calibrate. What makes Found stand out is its use of three wellness pillars for guiding your path to weight loss.
First, Found looks at your hormone levels to see how imbalances could be making it more difficult to lose weight. Next, Found helps you discover genetic factors that could be influencing your weight. Finally, Found looks at what many nutritionists and health experts are beginning to consider the most important aspect of health today. Found actually offers tools to help you balance your gut to limit the amount of bad bacteria while increasing levels of good bacteria. Having a balanced gut with the right amount of good bacteria is pivotal for ensuring that your digestive tract is able to effectively break down and metabolize the foods that you eat. Many people find that they are able to lose weight easier once they address gut imbalances. A healthy gut can also help with everything from stabilizing your mood to boosting your immune system!
Prescription Weight Loss Program
Not everyone who enrolls in Found will qualify for prescription medication. This path is only approved for clients with a BMI (body mass index) of 30 or more. However, Found still has plenty on the table for members who aren't assigned medications to assist with weight loss. You'll start your Found journey with a consultation with a board-certified provider capable of evaluating you to decide how your path should be developed. You may be prescribed weight loss medication at this point. The medications offered through Found are designed for controlling hunger, decreasing appetite and stabilizing blood sugar.
Coaching Program (Wellness Path)
Found gives you your own personal health coach for your journey. Your coach will serve as a font of knowledge and motivation during your time with the program. Yes, your coach is there to motivate you. However, you're not just paying for a “hype man” with this program. Found coaches are there to actually help you build positive, sustainable habits for making better choices about what you eat, how you move, how much sleep you're getting and more.
While Found doesn't have a set timeline for finishing the program, it does provide some typical benchmarks. For instance, most participants can expect to be in the thick of making big lifestyle changes while reaching a goal of losing 5% of their body weight during the first two to three months. Most people will lose 10% of their body weight at six months. Months four through six are really all about focusing on being consistent while keeping the momentum going without hitting barriers and plateaus. Finally, people who stick with the program past six months will enjoy a maintenance period that allows them to go deeper into optimizing their health now that they are looking and feeling better than they have in a long time. This can be an important stage for stickling with coaching because it's easy to get lost in the wilderness after reaching your goals. Found offers support to set you up for long-term success after you've seen big changes.
Pros:
- Can be billed to insurance.
- No time commitments necessary.
Cons:
- You won't automatically be qualified for weight loss medications.
- It can feel at times that the program lacks structure because there is no set “end date” for meeting your goals.
What's the Main Difference Between Found and Calibrate?
Time is the main difference between Found and Calibrate. While both offer structure and support, Found has more of a freestyle approach compared to Calibrate. When you sign up with Calibrate, you know you are locking into a one-year plan with clear expectations. Found doesn't provide an end date. However, the truth is that most people who enroll in Found follow the same one-year trajectory as people who enroll in Calibrate.
What’s Better: Calibrate or Found?
It's not really a matter of one being better than the other. Calibrate can be a better option if you like the idea of enrolling in a one-year program with a clear end date. Calibrate is also a top pick if you're really committed to using prescription weight loss medication because you've tried every other method before. Calibrate is a little more liberal when it comes to providing prescriptions than Found. On the other hand, Found's pricing at $99 per month can help alleviate that pressure of paying a one-time lump sum.
Is Prescription (RX) Weight Loss Medication for Me?
This is really only something a doctor can answer for you! However, many people have success with weight loss medication when it comes to getting over those initial barriers that make it difficult to lose weight. The reason why Found and Calibrate integrate prescription weight loss medications into their plans is that many people have underlying metabolic and cellular factors at play that make losing weight difficult.
In some cases, medications that reduce appetite and cravings are essential for helping a person to make that initial progress that is going to fuel their weight loss journey. This can be so important for making it possible to actually establish new healthy habits. In some cases, weight loss medications actually help the body to burn fat.
Is It Safe?
Yes, prescription medications for weight loss are considered safe as long as you're taking them under the supervision of a medical professional. All of the medications prescribed through Found and Calibrate are FDA-approved drugs. However, that doesn't mean that you won't have side effects. While you'll be instructed to let your coach know if you have any side effects, it's not unheard of to experience things like nausea, constipation or diarrhea when taking these medications.
Does It Work?
It's not uncommon for people taking prescriptions weight loss medications to lose 7% to 10% of their body weight in just a few months. However, success all comes down to finding the right prescription weight loss medication for your body. It will also be necessary to make meaningful diet and lifestyle changes to ensure that weight stays off once you stop using medications.
Can Anyone Be Prescribed Weight Loss Drugs?
Generally, prescription medications for weight loss are only prescribed to someone with a BMI of 30 or greater. There are some exceptions. For instance, most doctors will prescribe these medications to someone with a BMI over 27 who also has a serious medical problem related to obesity. While that usually means high blood pressure or diabetes, you can talk with your medical provider about your eligibility based on your personal health picture.
Click to take Found's quiz | Click to take Calibrate's quiz
Should You Join Found or Join Calibrate? Final Verdict
Found and Calibrate are very similar. Both offer medical support, access to prescription weight loss medication, a personal coach and ongoing resources for optimizing your health journey. The fact that Found emphasizes gut health really helps to elevate this program for anyone who is interested in healing their body from the root because gut health simply doesn't get its due from most mainstream weight loss plans.
Ultimately, the big difference is that Calibrate is a better choice for someone who really finds benefit in signing on for a structured one-year journey. Calibrate also does a little better at integrating things like sleep and mental health into your journey from the beginning. However, it's perfectly fine to simply decide that you'll stick with Found for a full year if you want to recreate that 12-month journey. You can even discuss creating a one-year plan with your coach!
The bottom line is that either of these plans will put you in a better place three, six or 12 months from now as long as you stick with them. Being coached toward losing up to 10% of your body weight can truly change the way you operate in your own body. While it may be tempting to think that the prescription medications are what will be doing the hard work for you, the fact of the matter is that the medications offered through these programs are only catalysts that open up the playing field to let you finish the job using good practices, consistency and dedication.
