Real Appeal

I'm not sure I want to use Real Appeal. The web app is horrible. Support is mostly useless - probably due to lack of training and moral. No information about how the program works before you sign up. I don't want to support a company that doesn't insist on a better quality experience. A quick internet search leaves you depressed and feeling sorry for the non-management employees that work there. The only people that seem to care about the quality of their work and the customers are the coaches.

I am not sure what the people writing the negative reviews are expecting. I am over 60 years old and a female. I have lost 45 pounds in the last nine months by following the advice given on the Real Appeal site, which is the same advice given by every reputable weight loss program. No one and no program can provide an individual with the motivation to change diet and exercise habits. That is all on the individual, so any program will only work as well as the individual allows it.
I have tried other programs, but not seriously enough to stick with them. This time was different, and it certainly helped that money I was giving for insurance at work was paying for it.
I am half way to my goal and intend to stick it out and develop those better diet and exercise habits along the way.
Mary

Signed up through my job insurance and this crap is not at all worth billing the insurance $130 each week for people you Do NOT see in person... you see these so call coaches via video... it was ok at first; it was new when you have your 1 on 1 this so call coach has nothing for you all they do is listen to what you are saying. You don't get the scales, blender and CD's free you have paid for them from that $130 a week... the devil is a lie this is a scam like none other.

Previously Real Appeal was a great program but changes at the end of 2019 have devalued the program, the tools and effectiveness of the program. Food tracking is now useless as the new tool does not even have the same level of ingredients as the previous version. The user interface is more cumbersome to deal with to enter what you eat. It seems that the focus of the new APP, website and program is to look pretty vs be functional. Forget support even when you can get someone on the phone they have no ability to help you as it seems they have forgotten to give their support people tools to do anything short of reset passwords or sign someone new up to the program.

The new method for the "Coaches" has gone downhill as they are clearly measured on touches to customers and not on providing assistance. It has gone from a motivational program to nothing more than a RAH RAH session once a week with you on your own to do everything else. Amazon has better 1 star books.

I would give it 5 stars, but I have actually gained weight while on it, so I can't with good conscience give it 5 stars. But, it's free with my insurance so I can't complain. You get free stuff too, a bathroom scale, a kitchen scale, a blender, a resistance band, workout dvds and books with exercises and recipes. I already had a very good bathroom scale and I already have 2 kitchen scales, so I just stored the ones they sent me. But I can imagine how these tools can be life changing for someone just starting. Same with the blender. I already have a regular blender and I bought a smoothie type portable blender last year for when I was doing protein shakes. I actually lost over 10 pounds last year just with protein shakes and exercising twice a week. The problem is you hit a plateau at some point and you have to up your diet and up your exercise. This is when I joined Real Appeal. The best thing about the freebies are the workout dvds. They also give to you the same workout videos online in your library, so you can exercise before you get your welcome kit. The Cardio 1 is really easy but makes you sweat because you keep on moving. Since it's easy, makes it easy to keep doing it and not abandoning the exercise routine like some other plans out there. The exercise guy on the videos talks too much, but I am okay with it. My husband can't stand him. I am now exercising 7 days a week and I'm on week 9 of the program, mixing cardio with strength and flex and abs exercises plus I do yoga on my own on the weekends. I haven't changed my diet because I don't eat that much anyway and I am really stressed. Like others had said, the app is not that great. It freezes on my phone all the time. I gave up on inputting my food intake on week 2. The recipes they have on the recipe book are too bland and not that many anyway. I'm thinking on going back to protein shakes. The coaching sessions are live but the coach mostly just asks us questions and kinda acts like a therapist, as in: how did last week go? And how does that make you feel? And how do you think you can do better next week? I think it's good for accountability but it's not really helpful otherwise. Like I said at the beginning, I have gained weight and that is frustrating, but that's also my fault. And maybe it's muscle mass. My fitbit says my heart health is better and I have more energy than before I started the program. I am definitely more flexible and have more stamina.

After floating from diet plan to diet plan and losing only hope am very happy so far with Real Appeal. It puts the power in your hands and gives great tools to steer you straight. I was lucky with no weight problems for most of my life - naturally just a skinny sort until I wasn't. So I never learned to eat in moderation. This gives you tools to eat with a mindfulness. I haven't been starving myself which is what. Dreaded about dieting - that feeling of perpetual hunger. I don't have that at all. I'm eating plenty but not eating excessively and the pounds are coming off. Real Appeal also helped me to change my perspective on exercise to eliminate chore mentality and view it as ‘ me time' and to think about what I enjoy doing. I'm starting to see a difference. I look forward to continuing on snd am excited to look ahead to where I'll be when my program is over. I think when I'm through with the program I'll have all the necessary tools uo keep up the good work snd not slide back.

You truly get out of this program what you put in. If you want one on one support, you have that option. You can message your coach whenever and they get back to you fairly quickly. I knew basic nutrition prior to starting the program so some of the sessions were a bit tedious but they teach you a lot of lifestyle changes. I have been in the program for 6 months and have lost 50 pounds using what I have learned. Don't let negative reviews deter you. Different things work for different people. This worked for me after so many other weight loss programs had failed. And, it's free through my health insurance!

The app stops weighing options at 99 grams. Many foods not in database for upc scanner. Bad use of screen space. 9 clicks to add a food (compared to 5 with MyFitnessPal and others). They send you items you might not need or want (eg a portion plate, scale, etc). I received this these even when I asked ahead of time it to send stuff we don't need. There isn't any connection with other members yet. I'm in week 3. I've lost weight and appreciate the support. Coaches and group session leaders are extra positive (too much so?).

My coach just changed, I didn't mind the younger set, having a coach is kind of important, but the new coach they changed to isn't my cup of tea. I believe most of us are a little older, and I don't need lots of hair and long fingernails. I like the doctor, he's down to earth, but i don't think Samantha is a good choice for any kind of coach. We need to have people who we can realistically relate to as far as weight loss is concerned. Every week, we see super skinny and I would prefer to see someone who started out like we have and the changes over time. We really don't need this and its not a motivator at all.

When I signed up through my insurance company, I answered a few general health questions. I never followed up with anything else concerning Real Appeal. I kind of lost interest. Well lo and behold, I get a bill for 130 dollars from Real Appeal. For the life of me I couldn't figure out what the charge was for since I had never met with a coach or gotten any kind of supplies; so I called them. Only, to find out that they charged me 130 bucks to answer the general health questions when I first enrolled. Wow just wow. If I had known I was going to be charged I would of NEVER of done it... NEVER. I have since gone back to see if perhaps I missed something about the charge, but nope no mention of it anywhere. Proceed at your own risk.

I am at the 26 week mark of this program and I still have no idea what tools are available to help? The coaches are young and go by a weekly script. No real life experience. The videos are so fake and actually just make me mad. Samantha is like a cheerleader. Super skinny, never had a weight problem. In one of the most recent videos, she had to ‘act' bloated and full. Untucking her shirt and trying to stick out her tummy she was still skinny. I get absolutely nothing out of the videos. Actually I have not gotten anything out of the program. I have to use myfitness pal to log food and exercise. So what's the point? This program is free with my insurance and is quite expensive! Last week the coach sprung it on us that we now go to a monthly call with little instruction on how to set it up or what to expect. This program is really bad. Going to try WW new plan. It seems real.

Spelling and grammar errors on their brochure, cant register because they don't list our Insurance Company. Terrible customer service doesn't know how to help. Very disappointed!

They are great
My property taxes been reduced by $404.00
Definitely will recommend them to all of my friends.
Just wish they work in N. Y. too

I enjoyed the program, the coaches, and the weekly group meetings and felt valued and understood. Shortly after signing up, I got a kit that had everything I could need to start the process and be successful. Unfortunately, life got in the way during the first phase (6 months), but I kept with it and worked to just maintain during the stressful time, which in itself is a HUGE win for me considering past experience.

When I came to the end of Phase 1 however, I discovered that I was not as valued as I thought. I was not ready for Phase 2 which moves to monthly meetings with an option of 15 minute sessions with a coach if needed. I reached out to the new coach they assigned to me, had a meeting with them to discuss my concerns and felt heard. Then I got a message from the coach saying they were sorry I missed my one-on-one session and I needed to reschedule - who was I talking to on our call less than two hours before?

So I called support and expressed a desire to stay with weekly meetings even if that meant starting over. I was told that was not an option unless I wanted to wait until the year anniversary of when I originally joined and then rejoin; so take six months off and then we will be more than happy to help you. I feel a bit abandoned and like I was just a number and not someone they cared to see succeed. Left me sad.

I say all this just so you know what you are getting into. If you need to lose an amount you can lose in 6 months, and then move to maintenance, this may be just the thing for you. But if you are like me, and need a bit more help for longer, just know you will ultimately be left on your own.

So, this weight loss approach may be good for those that really don't understand the super basics of nutrition, including portion size, necessary calories, etc. Also, if you need a group to stay motivated with (although hopefully you also like a large group that you don't really interact with).

The ONLY good things for me are:
1. It's free (would have been a HUGE waste of my money if I had to pay for it.)
2. I get a kit that includes a weight scale and a food scale. Otherwise it's a huge waste of my time and my insurance companies dollars. In fact I only signed up to receive the kit that my insurance company is providing.

It seems like a bad infomercial. And when you ask specific questions, they give you garbage about how they give you the basics and you take that and apply it to yourself. The coach is there to facilitate group meetings, which by the way are large, and include mostly pre-recorded videos (infomercial type). There were 42 people in my last group session. Hard to really interact in a meaningful way with a group that large! This also doesn't seem helpful if you have only a small amount to lose... I am not over my BMI, but would like to be about 5 pounds lighter. This approach doesn't help individualize anything. And, more than anything, it's a huge waste of time!

The tracking app is horrible, in one breath the coach says it's great, the next she tells us she doesn't use it because there are better trackers out there. So much for supporting your own company! It only saves the last 5 foods for each meal so you constantly have to look things up again unless you eat the same exact thing each day and meal. My watch never synched correctly, and the completely stopped. There is no connection with the coach, what is her backstory? Does she have a successful weight loss story she could share? The videos are sappy and I agree with others who would like to see someone more real than a super thin actress, unless she has a weight loss success. I have been reading the info they send each day/week and it is worthless- a recent one was Find your Workout SuperHero- I could give more examples but I think you get the point. There are better programs out there - if you have to pay for a program your self go to WW or buy your own scale and food scale and use a free tracker