How do you run a group nutrition programme?
In short: Pick one clear goal and one type of client, run it for a fixed 6 to 12 weeks with a shared start date, and give each person their own targets inside a shared weekly structure of a session, a topic and a check-in. Screen people before they join, because some clients need one-to-one care, and set ground rules for the group chat before day one.
1 min 0 s videoCaptions onUpdated 29 September 2026
Who a group suits, and who it doesn't
Groups work well for goals that many people share and that don't need much individual adjustment: general weight management, eating well for training, family meals, menopause nutrition, or building habits after a diagnosis like prediabetes. People learn from each other's questions and keep going because others are watching.
The evidence is encouraging. A systematic review by Paul-Ebhohimhen and Avenell of trials comparing group and individual treatment for adult obesity found greater weight loss at 12 months with group-based programmes. The trials were small, so read it as "groups can work at least as well", not as proof they always do better.
Groups are the wrong format for active eating disorders, complex medical conditions such as kidney disease or tube feeding, pregnancy with complications, children without their families, and anyone whose plan needs weekly clinical changes. Those clients need one-to-one care, and a good intake form catches them before they pay.
Choose the format
| Decision | Options | My starting point |
|---|---|---|
| Intake | Closed cohort with one start date, or rolling entry | Closed cohort. Everyone is on the same week, which makes the content and chat simpler. |
| Length | 4 to 16 weeks | 8 weeks for habits, 12 for weight or a clinical goal |
| Size | 5 to 50 people | 8 to 15 if you want live discussion, larger if the sessions are mostly teaching |
| Contact | Live video, in person, or recorded plus chat | One live session a week, recorded for people who miss it |
| Individual part | None, one intake call, or check-ins | A short intake call each, and one mid-point review |
A 12-week structure
- Before week 1: intake form, screening, targets set for each person, welcome message with dates and ground rules.
- Weeks 1 to 2: foundations. Regular meals, protein at each meal, how to log or photograph food.
- Weeks 3 to 6: one topic a week, such as eating out, snacks, alcohol, label reading and batch cooking. Each session ends with one small action for the week.
- Week 6: individual mid-point review. Adjust targets for anyone whose weight or energy has gone the wrong way.
- Weeks 7 to 11: harder situations. Holidays, stress eating, plateaus, social pressure.
- Week 12: a plan for after the programme, and an offer to continue in a smaller group or one-to-one.
Give everyone the same topic but not the same numbers. Energy and protein targets should come from each person's own assessment, as in how to calculate macros for a client.
Privacy and ground rules
In a group, clients see each other's names and anything posted in the shared chat. Say so in the sign-up terms. Ask people to share only what they're comfortable with, and never post a member's weight, measurements or health details in the group yourself. Individual numbers belong in one-to-one messages.
Write three or four rules and post them on day one: no diet talk about other people's bodies, no selling, no medical advice between members, and what happens if someone breaks a rule. Moderating early is much easier than cleaning up a chat later.
Pricing a group
Price per person, from your time. Add up the hours for the whole programme, including prep, sessions, chat moderation and the individual calls, then divide your target return by the number of places you expect to sell. A 12-week group often costs each person less than a one-to-one package while earning you more per hour. The method is in how much to charge for nutrition coaching.
Set a minimum number of sign-ups for the group to run, and a date by which you decide.
How to do it in Foodzilla
In Foodzilla you can start a whole group on the same date with plans built for each person's own targets, and run the group chat and the programme's content next to it.
- 1Sell the programme as a store plan: go to Store & Payments, then Plans & Pricing, press Add New Plan and set the Subscription Type to Fixed-term. The full set-up is in how to sell nutrition coaching packages online.
- 2On the Clients list, tick everyone in the group and press Turn on Auto Plans (Professional plan and above). Choose a start date up to 60 days ahead, every week, and a run of up to 12 weeks. Each client gets plans built from their own targets and preferences, and anyone without a calorie goal is skipped, so set targets first.
- 3To give the group the same menu instead, choose my templates, in order, and add up to 6 meal plan templates.
- 4For the group chat, go to Messaging, open the Groups tab and press Create Group. Enter a Group Name, select the clients and press Create Group. Group chat is on the White Label and Team plans.
- 5For weekly lessons, go to Content Hub and press New post. Add the video, PDF or notes, and under access choose Plan Included and pick the programme's store plan, so only buyers see it. Clients get a notification when you publish. Content Hub is on the White Label and Team plans.
- 6Each week, check Needs attention on the Dashboard for members who have gone quiet, and message them one to one.
Good to know
- Run the first one smallRun a pilot with 6 to 10 people at a lower price and ask for feedback each fortnight. You will rewrite half the content, and that is the point.
- Record every sessionSomeone always misses a week. A recording posted the same day keeps them in step, and after two cohorts you have a library to reuse.