How We Evaluate Online Weight-Care Programs

This guide is the reader-facing companion to our How We Review page. It explains, in plain language, the factors we look at and the guardrails we hold ourselves to. The goal is simple: assessments you can check.

The eight factors we compare

We apply the same set of factors to every program so comparisons stay fair:

1. Pricing transparency: how easily you can find the true, all-in cost.
2. Medical-provider involvement: whether a licensed clinician is genuinely responsible for care.
3. Medication sourcing disclosures: whether the program clearly states FDA-approved vs. compounded, and where products come from.
4. Eligibility process: how the program screens for who is and isn’t a candidate.
5. Ongoing support: the quality and availability of follow-up, not just onboarding.
6. Cancellation and refund terms: how cleanly you can leave.
7. Safety information: how clearly risks and contraindications are surfaced.
8. Customer-service accessibility: how reachable real help is.

These map directly to the comparison framework we are building, and to the 2026 comparison template.

How we describe each factor

We do not reduce programs to a single number or star rating, because a tidy score can hide more than it reveals. Instead, for each factor we describe what we found, in plain language, and link to the source. For example:

• for pricing transparency, whether the all-in cost is easy to find before payment, or only after;
• for medical-provider involvement, whether a licensed clinician is clearly responsible, or the process looks automated;
• for medication sourcing, whether the program states approved vs. compounded plainly, or leaves it vague.

This makes our reasoning checkable: you can follow the same links and judge for yourself.

How we gather information

• We read the program’s own public pages for pricing, terms, and disclosures.
• We consult official sources: such as the FDA and FTC, for regulatory context.
• We distinguish carefully between FDA-approved and compounded products and never present them as equivalent.
• We record the date we checked each detail, because these change.

What we verify before publishing

We aim to confirm prices, fees, and terms against primary sources, and to link to them. When a specific claim cannot be verified, we mark it clearly (you will see a “Not yet verified” label) rather than publish a number we cannot stand behind.

The lines we don’t cross

• No guaranteed-results language. Weight outcomes vary; we don’t imply otherwise.
• No fake experts, testimonials, or before/after imagery.
• No unsourced statistics.
• No claim that a compounded medication equals an approved one.
• Compensation never sets a conclusion. If affiliate links ever go live, they will be disclosed, and they will not change a rating. See our Affiliate Disclosure and Editorial Policy.

What would change a conclusion

Our assessments are not permanent. We revisit a program when its public terms change, when a primary source is updated, or when a reader points out something we missed. Because prices, eligibility, and sourcing shift over time, every published detail carries the date we checked it. If you are reading an older assessment, check that date against the provider’s current pages.

Corrections

If we get something wrong, we fix it visibly and note what changed. Accuracy over appearances. If you spot an error, please tell us, corrections are welcome and taken seriously.

Why the method matters

A recommendation is only as trustworthy as the process behind it. By keeping our factors consistent, our sources primary, and our incentives separate from our conclusions, we try to make Weight Care Index something you can actually rely on when comparing your options.