Reader Question – What’s the Deal with Awaken180?

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Reader Barabara asked:

”I’ve tried to look into the “science” Awaken 180 claims to rely on, but there’s not much to go on from their website. Similarly, I’ve tried to find out more about the founder, Paige Lopez, but only the basics seem to be available. Awaken 180 has quite a bit of traction in New England, and they have linked up with professional athletes, as well, which has broadened the appeal. Have you looked into Awaken 180, or would you be willing to do some digging? I would love to have some concrete feedback to help my clients assess all this, but I’m swinging in the dark. “

Thanks for asking Barbara, let’s get into this!

Awaken180 is yet another program that claims to create long-term sustainable weight loss. I would do a deep dive into the research that they use to back up those claims, but there doesn’t appear to be any.  (If there was, I’d be looking for, at the very least, these three things, none of which are offered anywhere on their website.)

Their website conflates thinness with energy, self-confidence, and fitness,  ignoring the fact that there are people of all sizes along the spectrum of each of these things. While they talk about improving each of these areas as a “goal” they are clear that “the ultimate goal” is weight loss.

According to their website, their founder Paige Lopez created the foundations of the program “after weeks of research, collaboration, trial, and error.” Sure a century of research show that the vast majority of people who attempt intentional weight loss regain their weight but, if Paige researched for whole weeks, surely she’s cracked the code.

They claim it’s “Doctor” and “Registered Dietitian” approved. The website shows only one doctor (and it’s unclear if she is or isn’t a paid spokesperson) with the quote “What I really like about Awaken180º Weightloss is the emphasis on healthy eating, the weekly coaching and the free lifetime support once you’ve achieved your weight loss goals. I truly believe Awaken180º can work for anyone.”

Note, again, that there is no actual science here. “I believe” is not remotely the same thing as “credible research demonstrates,” whether or not the person making the unsupported claim is a doctor.

The website alludes to weekly one-on-one coaching sessions but doesn’t make any mention of the qualifications of the coaches. It just says “Many members of our team have tried this program.”

The website suggested I contact them for more details, so I did. I got an email from JoJo (content warning for all the weight stigma and diet culture you would expect) that read:

Your weight loss is important, and we’re here for you! Our first step is to meet you during a virtual discovery consultation, which you can schedule by calling 844-3xxx, or schedule your consultation through this link.

[Then there were two before and after pictures that gave no information as to the time the people had been on the program]

Our goal is to help you reach your goal, and stay there for life. And we know that can only happen if we make your weight loss as easy as possible, with the structure and accountability you need to see real results. Best of all, your program will be individualized to fit your unique needs through:

• Weekly appointments with 1:1 coaching to support you and help you feel energized and confident

• Body composition analysis to help you see beyond the weight on the scale

• 80% of daily food for the duration of your weight loss phase to save you time

• Nutrition support, education, and custom recipes to remove the confusion and mystery in your new way of living a vibrant life

• Behavioral modification taped sessions and tutorials so that you get results that last

• Awaken180° Monthly Maintenance weigh-ins at no charge to keep you on track for life

Let’s set up your discovery consultation so you can get all your questions answered, talk about your specific goals, and discuss possible next steps. Just call or schedule your consultation using this link.

Please let me know if you have any questions!

I did, in fact, have questions. I was going to take one for the team and schedule a “virtual discovery consultation” but it turns out, you have to pay them $25 to pitch you on their program and I just couldn’t make myself give these people money.

Instead, I replied to JoJo saying:

Thanks so much for getting back to me. I checked out the link and I would rather not pay $25 for a consultation until I understand the research behind the program. Would you mind sending me the research showing the results of the program. Thanks a bunch!

I got the following response:

Good morning Ragen,

I've forwarded you a couple of emails detailing our program and its functionalities. Are there any specific questions you have that I can address for you today?

First of all, I didn’t ask about the program and its functionalities, I asked about research. Regardless, I didn’t receive any forwarded emails. I followed up with JoJo twice but never heard from them again. Apparently, my weight loss was not that important to them.

In the meantime, without any permission granted that I am aware of, I was added to a mailing list and began to get marketing emails making claims like

“The first thing you need to know? If a weight loss plan has failed for you in the past, it's not your fault. Most likely, unbalanced hormones have slowed down your metabolism, making weight loss and weight maintenance more challenging than it needs to be.

That's where Awaken180° differs from the rest. Through healthy lifestyle habits and dietary changes, our program balances your hormones so that you can finally see the success you've been looking for. And it's all individualized for YOU.“,

As you might imagine, they don’t cite any sources for any of these claims. I replied to these emails:

I would definitely love to see the science behind this program. If you could send over the research that validates these claims I would truly appreciate it!

~Ragen

Finally, I heard back from someone named Jasmin:

Hi Ragen! I can certainly help tell you a bit more about the science behind the program and how it all works, this would be best done over the phone, do you have time for a call this week?

In good health,

Jasmin

Now, this is a red flag because research is typically NOT best conveyed over the phone. This suggests to me that either there isn’t any research and they are hoping that they can substitute more unsupported claims without me noticing, and/or that they don’t want to commit their answers to written form. I don’t know because though I responded to Jasmin with dates and times I haven’t heard back. If I do I’ll publish an update.

For now, from what I’ve cobbled together from reading first-person accounts, it seems that it costs about $1,000 per month which includes their prepacked food (which appears to be predominantly powdered food that is reconstituted with water and consumed) though there seems to be an option to eat one’s own food, as well as weekly coaching.

It also seems to be a combination of caloric and carbohydrate restriction. While they don’t seem to say directly that they are ketogenic, their claim that exercise is not required for weight loss because “our program uses diet and nutrition to produce the results you want to see” strongly suggests that 1. they are relying on ketosis to create weight loss and 2. it is highly unlikely to work to create significant long-term weight loss.

At the end of the day, there is nothing to suggest that this isn’t the same as so many interventions in the century-long track record of near-complete failure to produce long-term significant weight loss (instead creating short-term loss followed by long-term gain, also known as weight cycling which is linked to a number of harms). There is absolutely no reason to believe that Awaken180 customers will fare any better.

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More research and resources:
https://haeshealthsheets.com/resources/

*Note on language: I use “fat” as a neutral descriptor as used by the fat activist community, I use “ob*se” and “overw*ight” to acknowledge that these are terms that were created to medicalize and pathologize fat bodies, with roots in racism and specifically anti-Blackness. Please read Sabrina Strings’ Fearing the Black Body – the Racial Origins of Fat Phobia and Da’Shaun Harrison’s Belly of the Beast: The Politics of Anti-Fatness as Anti-Blackness for more on this.