MyProgram App | FAQs
Thank you for downloading the OPTIFAST MyProgram app. We are committed to supporting you along your weight loss journey. To help you get started with using the app, below are some quick Frequently Asked Questions. For more information, you can also check out the Video Tutorial page.
Q: How do I set-up a profile in the app?
A: Upon download of the app, you will be prompted to 'create an account'. You will be required to enter your name, email address, month & year of birth, postcode, country, and password. You will then be emailed a verification email sent to your nominated email address. You are required to open that verification email and select 'Click Here to Confirm Your Account' button.
Then return to the app, and enter your nominated email and password. You should then be logged into the app.
The Program Set-up requires a series of questions to be answered on your height, weight, medical details, dietary preferences and allergies and your target goal weight to help us recommend a healthy program level for you.
Once all details are entered, we recommend a starting program "mini goal" for you. A mini-goal includes a level, duration, exercise and start date. However, you can change any of these by scrolling across the screen for levels, then clicking the small pencil icon to adjust the duration, exercise or start date. The weight loss guide displayed indicates the estimated kilograms you are predicted to lose while following this level for the nominated duration.
If you would like to choose your own levels for each mini-goal, you can turn off OPTIFAST recommended mini-goals with the toggle display on screen. Green is on, grey is off.
Once you have confirmed your mini-goal - Time to prepare yourself! Your mini-goal default is set to start in 24 hours so you have time to organise the products you need and purchase the food required. Go to the MyMeals screen (fork and knife) & scroll across to tomorrow to see your plan for the week ahead and check out the Shopping list screen to see what you need to purchase.
Feel free to amend your meal plan as you like to ensure you are planning ahead for meals you enjoy.
Q: How do I change my profile settings - dietary preferences, medical information, email address etc?
A: In the app, select the menu symbol in the top right-hand corner, this will display a list of options you can edit according to your preferences (click 'Dietary Requirements' to edit these, or click 'Medical Information' to edit your information).
To edit your personal details (ie name, email address etc) please contact us on 1800 671 628 and we can assist you.
PLEASE NOTE: If needing to edit your age, starting height or weight, this will cause an error to occur in the app as it changes the recommended mini-goals for you. If you need to change these details, we recommend selecting 'Reset my OPTIFAST Journey' at the bottom of this screen (see more below).
Q: Where can I change my goal/target & starting weight?
A: In the app, select the menu symbol in the top right-hand corner, on the top of this page, select the arrow near your name, this should display your 'Profile' information.
To change your Goal/Target weight - click 'Edit' in top right hand corner and your Target Weight should appear, simply click on the number and type in your preferred goal weight. This does not change your mini-goal.
To change your Starting weight - As changes to Starting weight re-sets the mini-goal logic in the app, you are not able to edit this without 'restarting your OPTIFAST journey'. This can be selected at the bottom of the Profile screen. Resetting your journey will allow you to correct/change your starting weigth and height by taking you back to the profile set-up screens. When you re-set your journey, you DO NOT lose your weight history, dietary information or medical information, but you will delete any past mini-goal levels, trophies and pendants.
Q: How do I turn push notifications on/off?
A: In the app, select the menu symbol in the top right-hand corner, this will display a list of options you can edit according to your preferences. To turn off push notifications, slide the toggle to grey 'off' position.
Q: How do I log out of the app?
A: In the app, select the menu symbol in the top right-hand corner, scroll down to the bottom of the screen, select 'Log-out'.
Q: How do I set up a new profile if I am already logged into the app?
A: You will need to logout of the app, re-open the app and select 'Create your account' on the first screen.
Q: What is a mini-goal
A: A mini-goal is a milestone that includes following a particular level for a specific period of time as defined by you. Mini-goals are used to break up a long weight loss journey into more bite-sized goals that are more managable to plan for than large weight loss targets that can seem overwhelming.
Q: How did you determine the recommended program level for me when I set-up my profile?
A: The recommended program level for you presented at profile set-up is based on your BMI and target weight. This initial recommendation is to help those unfamilar with the OPTIFAST program requiring some guidance. If you do not want to follow the OPTIFAST recommended level, please swipe the screen to the left to view the other levels available for you to choose for your program.
Q: What if I don’t want to set up a mini goal
A: In order to use the MyMeals tracking, you are required to set up a mini-goal. If you prefer to set up 1 large mini-goal, this is possible, just note that the maximum duration for a mini-goal is 12 weeks. If no mini-goal is set, the MyMeals function and MyProgress screen will not function correctly.
Q: What if I do not want OPTIFAST to recommend me a mini-goal?
A: When you are setting up your mini-goal, you can turn off mini-goal recommendations by ensuring the 'Recommend mini-goals for me' toggle is switched to grey (off).
Q: How can I edit my mini-goal?
A: Navigate to the Today screen, select the pencil icon in the mini-goal window and edit the items you wish to change that relate to the mini-goal. PLEASE NOTE: You can only edit a mini-goal ahead of time, if you are already in the middle of a mini-goal and want to edit it, you will need to delete the current mini-goal and create a new mini-goal.
Q: Why are my deleted mini-goals displayed?
A: This functionality of the app is currently being rectified and should be removed upon the first app update.
Q: Can I do my own modified OPTIFAST program?
A: Yes, the OPTIFAST program is flexible, so provided you have healthcare professional permission, you can set your own program level sequence as desired.
Q: What is the difference between the Today screen and MyMeals screen?
A: The Today screen acts as a summary of the 'jobs' needing to be ticked off still on the day. It indicates the calories eaten so far in the day, your mini-goal progress, an option to tick off your steps, water and oil intake and shows the next eating occasions meals.
The Today screen is also where you go to enter your weight once a week everytime you are due to track your weight.
The MyMeals screen is a combined meal suggestor and meal tracker- it contains your meal plans for the week ahead and is where you go to see your full days meals. It is also the screen to use each day to tick off the meals consumed to track your calorie intake. When ticked, the items should be automatically ticked on the Today screen also, not requiring you to double-tick off the items on the Today screen in addition.
Q: How are my meals tracked in MyMeals?
A: All meals and products that are pre-populated in MyMeals can be tracked via ticking the checkbox to the right-hand side of each item. As you tick each item, the 'Consumed' dial will increase its calorie total, and the 'Remaining' dial will decerase its calorie total. There is no need to 'submit', if the item is ticked, it is counted as consumed.
If your dial goes red, it indicates the calories in the meal plan or 'consumed' is above the recommended amount for that Level.
Q: Can I add extra food to the pre-populated MyMeals meal plans?
A: Yes, extra recipes, food or snacks can be added to MyMeals. To do this, select the day you want to edit, select '+Add' , you will have an option to add a 'OPTIFAST product' , 'Add a recipe' or 'Add a food item'. Adding an OPTIFAST product will allow you to select from the products displayed that are automatically filtered based on your dietary requirements. 'Add a recipe' will allow you to choose from pre-loaded recipes available on our database (~40 recipes). 'Add a food item' will allow you to search a larger database (>1,000 items) and add items you desire. Our in-build program filter will only allow you to select correct products and recipes from the first 2 database options, however if you select 'Add a food item' no filter is applied and you can select any food item you wish. Please ensure if you are using this database you choose items that meet your dietary requirements.
If you choose a meal or product that takes you over your Level's calorie allowance, you will recevie a pop-up to notify you.
Q: How do I delete products/meals from MyMeals
A: On MyMeals screen, select the item you want remove, then select 'Remove from plan'.
Q: Why can I not 'tick' my meals off in advance?
A: You are only able to tick off meals in MyMeals once you have started your mini-goal.
Q: Can I save my Custom Meals to be used again in MyMeals?
A: No, unfortunately the functionality required to save custom meals into the app is not available at this time
Q: What do I do if I cannot find a food or meal to add to MyMeals?
A: If you are unable to find a certain food, meal or snack in the databases provided, you can add another food item that contains a similar amount of calories to allow you to estimate your calorie intake. In the meantime, please feel free to let us know what item is not available and we can investigate adding the item into the database.
Q: I am not seeing any Fruit or Dairy serves display in my Recipe screen?
A: If you are following the Intensive Level of the program, no fruit or dairy is permitted on this level, therefore no items will display under these headers in the app. If you are on Active 2, Active 1 or Maintenance level, items should populate under these headings. If you are on one of the latter 3 levels, please contact us via our website to inform us of this issue.
Q: How can I filter for recipes suitable for my program level?
A: Select Recipe icon on bottom of app screen, select 'Filter'. You can then choose to filter recipes by:
- Program - Choose between different levels of the program to show appropriate recipes for that level
- Dietary requirements
- Allergies
Select your requirements, then select 'Apply' and the options should automatically update to reflect the altered filter under each section in the Recipes screen.
Q: Why is there some overlap of food items between 'Add a recipe' and 'Add a Food item' options?
A: The 2 buttons pull data from 2 different databases. The 'Add a recipe' option pulls recipes from a database of around 40 recipes that include a mixture of 'meals' that were used on the optifast.com.au site as well as common single items such as fruit, dairy and vegetable 'foods'. The 'Add a food item' pulls from a larger database (>1,000 foods) and allows users to choose from a wider option of items. There is no issue if you choose an item from one database or the other, as long as the item you are adding to your meal plan closely represents the serve size and calorie value of the item you have consumed to ensure correct tracking.
Q: What are the numbers displayed on MyMeals screen next to each item
A: The number to the left of each item on your MyMeals plan represents the calories contained in that meal/product. You can check the serve size/recipe directions of the meal by clicking on the item directly in the MyMeals screen, then selecting 'View recipe'. NOTE: For OPTIFAST product detailed information -please refer to the optifast.com.au product pages for the most up-to-date information.
Q: Why has my meal plan dial gone red on MyMeals screen?
A: If your MyMeals dials have gone red, this indicated that your meal plan or calories consumed is above the reocmmended calorie amount for that level.
Q: Why do recipes contain 'gluten free' versions by default?
A: If you do not require 'gluten free' varieties of ingredients, you can ignore the request they are gluten free in the ingredients list. 'Gluten free' options have been listed by default to allow a wider variety of recipes to be applicable for those with dietary intolerances.
Q: The shopping list is really long, can I condense it?
A: Unfortunately this is currently the only view option available, we are working on streamlining the shopping list for next app update.
Q: Why am I only prompted to weigh in once a week?
A: We recommend you weigh yourself once a week at about the same time of day as body weight fluctuates daily due to natural changes in hydration levels and hormones. Small fluctuations are normal however daily weighing can be demotivating as it is not a reliable reflection on what is happening to your body. Too much focus on the scales can also have negative effects on your mental health, so we highly recommend you only weigh yourself once a week. You can also use measurements such as waist, hip, thigh, and arm circumference to give an indication of your progress, even how your clothes are fitting. Although the weight may not be going down at first on the scales, you may still be losing fat stores.
UPDATE: The app now allows you to enter your weights from the past as well as on any day you like - To do this, click the menu icon in top right-hand corner, and select 'My Weight History' - Here you can track your weights from the past as well as more frequently than once a week if you would like.
Q: What happens if I miss my weigh in day?
A: The 'Weigh in' button on the Today screen is always selectable so you can enter your weight at any time. The weight value will then be populated in the 'My Weight History' section of the app (in the profile section) as well as displayed on the My Progress graph.
Q: Is there a way I can enter my OPTIFAST product preferences so I don’t need to change all the time?
A: No, unfortunately this functionality is not available in the app at this time.
Q: Can I purchase OPTIFAST VLCD products through the app?
A: No, unfortunately a purchase functionality within the app is not available, however if you go to the menu icon in top right-hand corner, there is a 'Buy OPTIFAST Products' link that will direct you to the optifast.com.au website where you can pruchase products through our pharmacy retailers to be delivered to you.
Q: Where can I find out the OPTIFAST product ingredients list and nutritional information?
A: Please refer to the optifast.com.au website for the most uptodate product information - for consistency and safety purposes, as the app can result in delayed updated with some users, all product information is stored on our website where is it immediately updatable and consistent across all viewers.
Q: Why aren't all the OPTIFAST products showing up on my meal plans?
A: If you have particular dietary requirements, some products will not be included on your MyMeals plans - to find out more about the allergy and intolerance information on the OPTIFAST product range, please visit optifast.com.au.
Q: How do I contact a Dietitian to ask a question?
A: In the app, select the menu symbol in the top right-hand corner, this will display a list of options. Navigate down the screen to 'Ask a Dietitian' , this link will take you to our contact us page on the optifast.com.au website - please select 'Ask a Dietitan' from the dropdown menu on the form and submit your question.
Alternatively, you can join our private support Facebook Group 'OPTIFAST Australia & New Zealand - Official Private Support Group' and submit your question via our facebook inbox.
In both instances, our Dietitian team should get back to you within 24-48 hours.
Q: Where can I find out more information on the program or the program levels in the app?
A: In the app, if you want to find out more about the Levels, you can navigate to the 'Today' screen, select the pencil icon in your mini-goal level display section. Once the mini-goal window displays, select 'Find out more'. This should provide further details on the level you are following. If you would like more detailed information on the OPTIFAST program and individual levels, please refer to the Optifast.com.au website.
Q: Where can I see my trophies?
A: Your trophies are located on the MyProgress screen under the progress graph.
Q: Can I print off my weight progress chart from the app?
A: Your Progress chart is not able to be printed direct from the app, however you can screen shot your Progress graph and print off the image if desired.
Q: Is there an Exercise Tracker in the app?
A: The app includes a rough step tracker that allows you to get a goal of achieving 2,000, 5,000 or 10,000 steps per day and ticking off if this is achieved daily. There is no compatability with external exercise devices (FitBits etc) as this stage.
Q: Can you scan in barcodes of products to add the Nutrition Information Panel in the Meal Tracker?
A: No, unfortunately the ability to scan barcodes is not possible at this time.
Q: Can I set up a reminder in the app to remind me to track my meals every day?
A: We do not have daily push notification reminders to enter meals, however this is a future feature option we are looking at.
Q: Will the app tell me what a ‘healthy’ weight is for me?
A: Yes, based on your height there is a general calculation that can be done that recommends a healthy weight range for each individual. This will be indicated by the app during your profile set-up but can be changed by you at any time to a goal weight you choose.