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Fella Health Review
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Overall Rating5/5
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Products & Services4/5
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Cost4/5
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Ease of Use4.5/5
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Customer Support & Reviews3/5
- Specifically designed for men
- Prescribes medication to promote weight loss
- Offers money-back guarantee after six months
Fella Health is an online weight loss program focusing on metabolic health that’s designed specifically for men. They have recognized that much of the weight loss industry has focused on women, and they have designed a solution to help address the unique needs of men. Their system is a process that starts with a metabolic assessment and includes coaching and medication. Fella Health works to change bad habits that lead to long-term weight loss.
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Fella Health Services
Fella Health is unique in the fact that it’s designed for men. The program won’t turn away a woman who wants to join, but the founders’ believed men were underserved by other weight loss programs and set out to change that.
You have to be 18 or older with a BMI of 25 or above to join Fella. The program plans to eventually expand nationwide, but it’s currently only available in Arizona, California, Illinois, New York, North Carolina, Texas, and Washington. If you currently live in one of those seven states and are interested in joining, you will first be asked to take an online quiz to see if you’re eligible. You’ll be asked general questions about your age, height, weight, goals, and habits.
If you’ve had blood work done in the past 12 months, you can submit that to Fella Health and it can count as your lab tests. If not, you’ll be asked to undergo lab testing which includes a metabolic and lipid panel work-up, an A1c and thyroid check, and a complete blood count to help determine your overall health. Depending on your medical history, you may be asked to undergo further testing.
After you’re signed up, you’ll have a 30-minute, face-to-face consultation with a clinician. Your conversation will focus on the causes of your weight gain and determine treatments to help you lose it. If the clinician determines medication is appropriate, you will be given a prescription to aid in your weight loss journey.
You’ll also be assigned a personal health coach, who you will have a one-on-one video chat session with every two weeks. Your health coach will also check in with you regularly to help you stay on track. And you can text or message your coach any time through the Fella app for advice or tweaks to your weight loss plan.
Body Mass Index Calculator
Medications Prescribed by Fella Health
Fella clinicians only prescribe FDA-approved medication that has been shown to help people lose weight. You may be given a GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) medicine. These types of medications have been used since 2005 to treat type 2 diabetes. In addition to lowering, improving and controlling blood sugar, these drugs have been proven to promote weight loss by regulating hormones and decreasing your appetite. Fella prescribes the following GLP-1s:
- Semaglutide
- This drug is sold under the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy. It’s a medication that is injected once a week. Semaglutide can be used ongoing and long-term.
- Liraglutide
- This drug is sold under the brand names Saxenda and Victoza and is injected daily.
- Tirzepatide
- This drug is sold under the brand name Mounjaro and is injected once a week.
In addition to GLP-1s, Fella clinicians also prescribe a class of drugs called non-GLP-1s:
- Phentermine/Topiramate
- This drug is sold under the brand name Qsymia. It helps reduce your appetite and makes you feel fuller faster. Phentermine is intended for short-term use.
- Naltrexone/Bupropion
- This drug is sold under the brand name Contrave. It reduces cravings and increases your energy.
- Metformin
- This drug is commonly prescribed for diabetes but can help decrease your appetite.
As with all drugs, there is a risk of side effects. The most common side effects with GLP-1 drugs are diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, but doctors say they tend to improve the longer you take the drug. GLP-1 drugs are not recommended for anyone who has a personal or family history of multiple endocrine neoplasia or medullary thyroid cancer.
Fella Health Results
Fella’s goal is to help you build healthy habits, achieve long-term results, and keep the weight off. The company claims with its program and medication help, you will see two to three times better results than with diet and exercise alone. Fella Health participants can lose 5% of their body weight by month 3, and up to 10% of their body weight by month 6.
The program is designed to create long-term results by tackling the different issues of weight gain. In the first month, you will go through your assessments and begin the program, which will likely include medication along with coaching. Month 2-3 is about building better habits. By now you should be accustomed to the medication and begin seeing some initial results. During this phase, you and your coach will continue to assess your progress and work on creating new habits. Months 4-6 are when you really start to see results from all of your efforts – better eating habits and medication. Month 7 is when you really begin to see progress and your new healthy habits become second nature. This is when you can really begin to reinforce the long-term aspects of your progress. By sticking to these healthy habits, you should see long-term results.
While most users of Semaglutide gain the weight back within the first year, Fella Health works to ensure that you create new habits so that this doesn’t happen.
Fella Health Customer Reviews
Fella Health has only been around since 2021, so there isn’t a lot of information out there on how happy or unhappy people are with the program. It’s also only available in a handful of states, making its customer pool small. Trustpilot and the Better Business Bureau are both trusted consumer websites, but you won’t find any reviews of Fella there.
The company does have a Facebook page, but there’s only one person who has posted on it. They do praise the program and how it’s helped them lose weight. But it’s hard to know how effective the company is with its weight loss promise, how well customers like the coaches and clinicians and how responsive it is to customer service issues or complaints.
Fella Health Cost
Fella Health has two different plans for you to choose from:
- Three-month commitment will cost you $39 a week or a lump sum payment of around $468
- Six-month plan costs $35 a week or a lump sum payment of around $840
Both plans come with a money-back guarantee. If you follow the program for six months and it doesn’t work, you’ll get your money back. You can use your FSA or HSA account to pay for your membership.
Lab tests and any medication you will be prescribed are not included in your membership cost. If you haven’t had blood work done in the past 12 months, Fella Health has a partner provider that will take care of it for $60. If you are prescribed medication, the amount you end up paying should end up being $30 or less after you meet your deductible.
Fella Health Company Background
Fella Health was founded in 2021 by Richie Cartwright and Luke Harries. Both have backgrounds in AI, but Cartwright says he struggled for years with stress and binge eating and wanted to find a way to help other men who experience the same problem. Fella Health is headquartered in San Francisco.
The Bottom Line on Fella Health
Fella Health has a definite appeal since it’s a weight loss company specifically geared toward helping men lose weight. The company follows a business model typical of other online weight loss programs and offers common drugs used in weight loss. Its cost falls in line with its competitors, but since it’s relatively new to the market and is only offered in seven states, there isn’t a lot of user data and real-world information on how well the program works to help you lose weight and keep it off for good.
Content on this site is for reference and information purposes only. Do not rely solely on this content, as it is not a substitute for advice from a licensed healthcare professional. Aging.com assumes no liability for inaccuracies. Consult with your doctor before beginning any medications or programs.
