Intermittent fasting (IF) has gained immense popularity as a weight loss strategy. It involves cycling between periods of eating and voluntary fasting on a regular schedule. While you certainly don't need an app to start intermittent fasting, the right app can help you stay consistent, track progress, and stay motivated. With numerous options available, finding the best fasting app for weight loss can be overwhelming. This article provides a detailed review of some of the top-rated intermittent fasting apps, highlighting their features, pros, cons, and suitability for different users.
Understanding Intermittent Fasting and Weight Loss
Intermittent fasting involves strategically planning your meals so that you eat within a specific window of time and fast for the remaining hours of the day. During fasting, as your glycogen depletes, your body switches to ketosis, which is referred to as the body's "fat-burning" mode. It’s proven that this healthy lifestyle leads to fast weight loss. This metabolic shift allows your body to burn stored fat for energy, leading to effective weight loss. Studies show that eating all the time makes your body unable to take a break from digesting. When you fast, you just take a break from eating, it takes some of the load off your liver.
Key Features to Look For in a Fasting App
Before diving into specific apps, it's essential to consider the key features that can enhance your intermittent fasting experience.
- Timer: The most important feature would be a timer that reminds you when to eat and when to fast.
- Customizable Fasting Plans: The flexibility to adjust your eating schedule as needed is great for busy or unpredictable days.
- Progress Tracking: Visual cues, like charts and graphs, let you see your fasting streaks, trends, and even how your average fast length changes over time.
- Reminders and Notifications: Apps that let you set reminders and sync with a smart watch can be especially helpful for building early consistency.
- Educational Resources: Science-based tips and articles about fasting can be invaluable, especially for beginners.
- Community Support: Research has shown that accountability and social support lead to greater success when it comes to making behavior change.
- User-Friendly Interface: An inviting, intuitive interface will make the app easier for you to use and may increase compliance with your IF goals.
- Additional Tracking: If tracking your mood, hunger levels, or sleep quality is important to you, look for apps that offer journaling features.
Top Intermittent Fasting Apps for Weight Loss
1. Fastic: Personalized Fasting and Nutrition
Fastic tailors fasting and nutrition to fit YOUR lifestyle and goals. Fastic is your key to a healthier you, blending seamlessly with your preferences and aspirations. It makes intermittent fasting a sustainable journey towards weight loss. Fastic starts by asking you a series of questions about your health and wellness goals. Upgrading to the PLUS version offers a customizable plan, a helpful AI food scanner, recipes, and more.
- Pros: Personalized onboarding quiz, helpful premium tools like AI food scanner and recipe database, clean interface and motivating graphics.
- Cons: Free version is limited to basic tracking only.
- Cost: Free to access basic content; premium subscription available.
- Availability: iOS and Android.
2. Zero: Simple and Science-Backed
Zero is one of the most popular IF apps out there because it has all the timers, journals, and tools you need to get started. It describes itself as a science-backed app, created with peer-review studies in mind and with the help of its own scientific advisory board. The app also has a premium version that includes extra features.
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- Pros: Free version has timers, journal, and mood tracking, simple, straightforward design.
- Cons: Less personalization in free tier.
- Cost: Free to download the app and access basic content; premium subscription available.
- Availability: iOS and Android.
3. Simple: Beginner-Friendly with AI Support
Simple sends fasting time reminders and tips throughout the day to keep you on track. It asks a variety of questions before the sign-up process. The app syncs with Apple Health and Fitbit, and offers a range of goal plans, including weight loss, mindful eating, and stress reduction.
- Pros: Sends fasting reminders and tips, tracks meals, hydration, and activity, syncs with Apple Health and Fitbit.
- Cons: Fewer advanced features than others on our list.
- Cost: Free to download; premium plan available.
- Availability: iOS and Android.
4. BodyFast: Flexible Fasting with Motivation Tools
BodyFast lets you frequently switch the type of fast you’re doing to match your goals or adjust your meal schedule for the day or week. It offers a variety of fasting options, including unique ones like Stone Age and Aurora, along with weekly challenges and trophies to keep you motivated.
- Pros: Flexible fasting options and schedules, progress alerts to keep you on track, weekly challenges and trophies for motivation.
- Cons: Personalized coaching requires a paid upgrade.
- Cost: Free to download the app and access basic content; premium plan available.
- Availability: iOS and Android.
5. FastHabit: Simple and Customizable
FastHabit has a sleek interface, and it's also incredibly flexible. You can quickly change or restart your fasting times, view progress at a glance, and set reminders for the days and times you prefer.
- Pros: Simple, straightforward interface, includes space for personal notes and reflections.
- Cons: Premium version doesn't offer as many special features as other platforms.
- Cost: Free to download and access basic content; full access available for a one-time fee.
- Availability: iOS and Android.
6. Window: Location-Based Fasting Times
By using your location, this app provides accurate fasting start and end times based on sunrise and sunset in your area. You can also choose from a variety of fasting options, such as 16:8 or 18:6, or create a custom fast by inputting your personalized regimen.
- Pros: Variety of fasting options plus custom plans, lets you add notes and track mood, strong free version with a decent amount of features.
- Cons: Available only on iOS.
- Cost: Free to download and access basic content; premium version available.
- Availability: iOS.
7. Fastient: Journaling and Tracking
Fastient is well-loved for its journaling feature that allows users to keep track of things like mood, sleep, exercise, and other factors that influence one’s intermittent fasting journey. It also features a well-designed and easy-to-use fasting tracker, plus the option to set goals or add progress pictures.
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- Pros: Includes space for personal notes and reflections, journaling feature.
- Cons: Minimalist option, may not offer as many features as other platforms.
- Cost: Free to download and for basic features; premium version available.
- Availability: iOS.
8. DoFasting: All-in-One with Diet and Exercise Plans
DoFasting is an intermittent fasting app that goes beyond the normal fasting timer. This app also has diet and exercise plans to help you with your weight loss further. This will answer any questions about fasting and generate recipes and meal ideas.
- Pros: Promotes other healthy habits, such as exercise and sleep, includes lots of healthy recipes.
- Cons: Requires a paid plan.
- Cost: Free to download and for basic features; full access available for a monthly fee.
- Availability: iOS or Android.
9. Vora: Community Support
If you’re looking for support that comes from a community of like-minded people, Vora is the app for you. Gans recommends it for this reason, noting that it also has a handy mealtime tracking feature.
- Pros: Community support, handy mealtime tracking feature.
- Cons: Basic app with not many bells and whistles.
- Cost: Free to download and for basic features; full access available for a fee.
- Availability: iOS.
10. Life Fasting Tracker: Community and Resources
Life Fasting Tracker also has a premium version of the app with extra features. If you’re someone who wants access to solid resources free of charge and finds value in having a community with similar goals, Life Fasting Tracker is a great option.
- Pros: Community support, solid resources free of charge.
- Cons: May not have as many features as other platforms.
- Cost: Free to download; premium version available.
- Availability: iOS or Android.
11. FastEasy: Customized Plan
FastEasy removes any uncertainty. The app onboards you with a quiz to determine the best way to reach your goals-whether that’s losing weight, maintaining your weight, eating mindfully, or cultivating a more healthy lifestyle overall.
- Pros: Customized eating plan, meal and water tracking, fasting tips and timers, meal plans, and healthy recipes.
- Cons: Isn’t free.
- Cost: Free to download and seven-day free trial; full access available for a monthly fee.
- Availability: iOS or Android.
12. Fastin: Tracking Progress
Fastin is a simple, easy-to-use app that not only helps you track your fasting periods but has a number of different health trackers available as well. The app has a water tracker, step tracker (compatible with Apple Health), weight tracker, and more.
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- Pros: Water tracker, step tracker (compatible with Apple Health), weight tracker.
- Cons: Requires a paid plan.
- Cost: Free to download and for basic features; full access available for a monthly fee.
- Availability: iOS or Android.
Choosing the Right App for You
The right IF app can help you stay consistent, track progress, and stay motivated, but not every app fits every lifestyle. Before downloading, consider what you want to get out of the experience. Here’s how to narrow it down:
- Personal health goals: Before you download anything, think about what you’re really hoping to get out of IF.
- User interface: An inviting, intuitive interface will make the app easier for you to use and may increase compliance with your IF goals.
- Visual cues: Some people are all about the charts and graphs, since these let you see your fasting streaks, trends, and even how your average fast length changes over time.
- Cost: While many fasting apps have free features, the premium stuff, like personalized plans or deeper analytics, usually comes with a price tag.
Most of these apps offer free trials or basic versions, so you can give them a road test before committing to a full-month or year subscription.
Is Intermittent Fasting Right for You?
Before you jump in, familiarize yourself with the possible intermittent fasting side effects and know that “intermittent fasting is not right for everyone,” Prest explains. While many use it for reasons beyond weight loss, it can be triggering for some.
If you are considering intermittent fasting, Gans suggests consulting a registered dietitian to help determine whether the diet is appropriate for you and design a program that ensures you meet your body’s needs.