I'm currently doing the program and I would describe it as a habit based program, in that it is teaching good habits rather than a strict formula for eating.
It is a web based interface that each day gives you a lesson to read (or listen to, if you prefer), a workout plan for the day (or you can do your own workout) and a habit you should be working on (these typically last a few weeks and each day you just mark whether you practiced the habit).
Examples of eating habits:
- Eat slow
- Eat protein
- Eat to 80% full
- eat fruit
- eat veggies
- eat proper mix of macro nutrients
- etc
They also have a big social media component through Facebook support groups and almost weekly online sessions. I do not participate in any of those. Maybe they are great but I still can't handle social media for more than about 30 seconds a month.
I'm not sure what I think of it, as I did not realize I was getting into a mostly automated system. I was expecting a much more personal experience where they look at your current eating habits then tell you what to change. To be fair, you are assigned a coach and you can reach out to them with questions, but it's not really personalized. Question are supposed to be on the habit or workout currently being worked on, not some personalized program.
It turns out that over the years of reading on fitness and nutrition I've slowly adopted most of these habits. Having said that, the ones I ignored are the ones PN feel are most important/foundational: eating slowly and to 80% full. Now that I've been doing these for the past few months, I'd say they are very good habits and I see how they can help w body comp and better eating in general.
All in all, I think it's a good program but I'll wait the full year before passing final judgement.
Should you try it? If you are looking for a quick-fix, then no.
If you feel like your eating is out of hand (eat too much, bad food choices, yo-yo weight from quick-fix diets) then I think it could be a life changer.
I think it would help most people who want to improve their eatings long as:
- They are willing to dedicate a good 15 minutes a day to the reading and logging progress
- They are willing to make the small changes PN suggests, whether you believe they are important or not
- You are patient
Just so you know, my wife and I signed up at the same time and the format of this program did not work for personality at all. The reading everyday just wasn't her thing. If you are already actively participating in a forum and like reading fitness/food articles, it won't be a problem for you. She pulled out of the program after 3 months and they gave us our money back (pro-rated).
It's also worth noting that we already eat quite healthy and neither of us have any sort of weight problems. We were just trying to get to the next level of better nutrition and go from healthy with a bit of mid-40's fat to healthy and very little fat.
Hope that helps and happy to answer any more questions.