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There is no one path to healthy and sustainable weight loss. You can dive into a crash diet or handcuff yourself to a treadmill, but short-term results aren’t worth the health risks of reckless approaches to weight management. Weight loss happens through a caloric deficit — whether that be via nutrition or exercise — and there are plenty...
The post The 8 Best Weight Loss Programs of 2023 appeared first on BarBend.
There is no one path to healthy and sustainable weight loss. You can dive into a crash diet or handcuff yourself to a treadmill, but short-term results aren’t worth the health risks of reckless approaches to weight management. Weight loss happens through a caloric deficit — whether that be via nutrition or exercise — and there are plenty of thoughtful and effective programs amid the liquid diets and detoxes clogging your timeline. They require an open mind and a little bit of work, but the results amount to more than just losing some belly fat. These programs are here to help with both those aspects of your weight loss journey.”The best weight loss programs change the way you think about food and naturally lead you to develop better habits.
Before padlocking the pantry, ask yourself why you want to lose weight. If you’re missing your old abs or want to increase your agility, you’ll probably want a more fitness-oriented plan. If you’re hoping to fit back into an old pair of pants or squeeze between two buildings that are really close together, you’ll likely benefit more from a diet-focused plan. No matter your goals, the programs we’ve compiled will help you reach them in a realistic timeframe while imparting tools that can help you in the long term.
Best Weight Loss Programs of 2023
How We Tested the Best Weight Loss Programs
Whenever possible, BarBend’s team of fitness experts and personal trainers downloaded the apps, followed the steps, and hit their goals to ensure they were getting as much value as possible from the weight loss programs on this list. Our multi-point methodology evaluates factors like value, resources, and customer satisfaction, with an emphasis on the functionality, accuracy, compatibility, and availability of each plan’s accompanying app.
Best Weight Loss Program Overall: Weight Watchers
Weight Watchers
Weight Watchers
Weight Watchers uses a science-based points system to help users track more than just calorie intake so they can lose weight and develop better long-term habits. Plans start at just $10 a month.
Shop Weight Watchers
Specs
Pros
Cons
We’re with Oprah on this one — in a crowded field, Weight Watchers is the best overall weight loss program. Weight Watchers works to cultivate community as it teaches users how to keep tabs on their consumption habits — all without breaking the bank. Plans start at $10 a month and there are frequent flash sales. Also, it’s got science on its side — a 2013 study found that Weight Watchers users were more than eight times more likely to lose up to 10 percent of their body weight over six months than those trying to diet solo. (1)
The process begins with a quick quiz that determines your metabolism, weight loss goals, favorite foods, and familiarity with nutrition, among other factors. Within minutes, Weight Watchers will provide you with a food plan and weight loss timeline tailored to your individual goals, tastes, and fitness level. Many programs consider just calories, but Weight Watchers embraces food’s complexity by factoring the protein, fiber, fats, and added sugars that make up everything we ingest. Using this approach, Weight Watchers assigns everything you eat a point value.
Credit: Ground Picture / Shutterstock
How does this impact you? Well, each day you’re given a Points Budget. Nothing is off-limits in terms of what you can or can’t eat, but if you plan on indulging you’ll have to balance it with what Weight Watchers deems ZeroPoint foods, which have no impact on your Points Budget. If that sounds ominous, it’s not — there are more than 200 ZeroPoint options available, including fish, chicken, eggs, beans, and popcorn.
If you’re still struggling with your Points Budget, Weight Watchers allows you to score extra points by tracking your physical activity and exercise. You can also take advantage of Weight Watchers’ own line of meals and snacks if you want more structure and have extra cash on hand. Premium members can also attend coach-led group sessions both online and in person. Several customer reviews cite the Weight Watchers community as integral to their weight loss.
While reviewing the program’s “extremely easy to use” app, our tester noted how Weight Watchers works to make these healthy options more appealing by placing a massive library of more than 11,000 recipes right at your fingertips. The goal is that by identifying and becoming more familiar with these options, you’ll slowly but surely change your old eating habits to make more room for more nutrition, leading to sustainable weight loss.
Best Sustainable Weight Loss Program: Noom
Noom
Noom
Noom combines psychology and behavioral science with traditional weight loss features like meal and activity tracking, personal coaches, and online communities to help customers adopt a healthier lifestyle.
Shop Noom
Specs
Pros
Cons
It took seven years for Noom’s creators to create and refine their vision for a weight loss program that would eschew strict, shame-based dietary methods for a more thoughtful and humane approach built around psychology and human coaching. Noom tracks your meals and activity, but the program’s main goal is to change the way you think about food and your own relationship to it. Noom’s no crash diet. The goal is incremental change — one to two pounds a week — that lends itself to the cultivation of new habits that can help you keep the weight off for the long haul. “It is very different from other apps that I have tried,” says our tester. “It cares about your goals and weight loss, but more about why you eat what you do.”
After downloading the app, you’ll be asked how much weight you want to lose, which is common among weight loss programs. From there, you’ll field questions about your daily activity and fitness level, but also more psychological queries related to topics such as stress and body image. Your answers will result in a customized weight loss timeline and suggested daily calorie range.
We’re big fans of Noom’s sleek, user-friendly app, where you’ll see your daily calorie limit and log your meals and activities. Logging can be laborious, but the app works to ease the load with its growing food database. There are no restrictions to what you can log — Noom isn’t interested in policing your diet — but the app will categorize your entries by color.
Green foods, which include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and non-fat dairy, are the least calorie-dense. Yellow foods are moderately calorie-dense (think various meats, dried fruits, and starchier vegetables like corn), while red foods (think fried foods and alcohol) are the most calorie-dense. This format proved helpful for our tester, who over time began naturally gravitating to more “green” foods, which is exactly the kind of health-conscious habit Noom is working to cultivate.
Noom offers multiple payment options, but monthly and annual plans cost $70 and $209, respectively. That’s an investment, for sure, but Noom’s mission is to help you change the habits that led you to a weight loss program in the first place. What you gain from using the app is meant to stick with you even after you cancel your subscription.
Read our full Noom Weight Loss App Review.
Best Weight Loss Program for Coaching: Future
Future Online Personal Training
Future Online Personal Training
Future offers online personal training in every facet of fitness. Every client gets a certified fitness professional who will prescribe training programs, follow up daily to assess progress, make program adjustments as needed, and offer accountability.
Shop Future
Specs
Pros
Cons
The journey to weight loss can be lonely, but it doesn’t have to be. If you’re interested in hiring a personal trainer, but don’t have the money or your schedule isn’t conducive to one, Future is an option you should consider.
After answering a few questions about your personal preferences and goals, Future pairs you with a personal trainer who will work directly with you to design fitness routines and weight loss regimens you can do in your own home with the equipment you have on hand. Three different BarBend testers fired up the Future app and all of them were pleased with the experience, with each noting that the varied backgrounds of the coaches was a nice touch.
They also liked that a user’s journey begins with a FaceTime call with their assigned coach, which allowed the coaches to take a look at their home gyms so they could better customize their workouts. (No equipment? No problem. There are always bodyweight workouts.)
We found the app intuitive and well-designed. Connecting with a coach via chat was never an issue and individual exercises are presented via helpful audio and video demonstrations. “I really think the ease with which you can communicate with your trainer and how clean everything operates is what sets this app apart,” says one of our testers.
Credit: Prostock-studio / Shutterstock
It should be noted, however, that the workouts are pre-recorded and your trainer isn’t live with you as you exercise. This might feel impersonal to some, and our testers feel that distance could impact the sense of accountability we’re meant to get from the coaches. That said, the app will automatically send video of your movements to your coach if you’d like any notes on your form. You can also provide feedback after workouts, and our testers loved how their coaches incorporated that feedback when designing future workouts.
This level of personalization will cost you. Future will cost you $150 a month, which is less than you’ll pay for a personal trainer but a lot more than a non-personalized fitness app like Peloton, which begins at $12.99 a month. Also, while it’s not required, Future’s full potential can only be unlocked if you’ve got a smartwatch, which allows the coach to see your stats and progress.
Most Flexible Weight Loss Program: Weight Watchers
Weight Watchers
Weight Watchers
Weight Watchers uses a science-based points system to help users track more than just calorie intake so they can lose weight and develop better long-term habits. Plans start at just $10 a month.
Shop Weight Watchers
Specs
Pros
Cons
There are plenty of disciplined weight loss programs that draw a sharp line between what you can and can’t eat, but those kinds of diets deny many of life’s simple pleasures, from a slice of birthday cake to a celebratory cocktail. There are no rules about what you can or can’t eat while on Weight Watchers, which utilizes a science-based points-based system that helps you structure your meals and snacking with more intention.
That freedom is key to Weight Watchers’ flexibility. The program doesn’t want you to change your tastes so much as discover healthier ways to indulge them. When you sign up and share your weight loss goals, you’ll also let Weight Watchers know some of your favorite flavors, so it can recommend highlights from its library of more than 11,000 nutritious recipes. If you’re willing to slip on an apron, it’s unlikely you’ll find yourself eating the same three meals every day. In fact, its list of ZeroPoint foods, which have no impact on your Points Budget, include more than 200 options, such as fish, chicken, eggs, and non-starchy vegetables.
You’ll keep tabs on your points via the app, which our tester found “extremely easy to use.” We love how it can sync with Apple’s Health app, as well as smartwatches and fitness trackers like Fitbit. By doing so, you can easily track your activity and sleep habits. Syncing your device to the app allows the app to automatically factor exercise into your Points Budget, allowing you to score a few extra treats throughout the week. Points are awarded to users based on the intensity and duration of their physical activity, whether that’s walking, running, or rearranging the furniture in your living room (that’s a workout, too).
Weight Watchers’ flexibility extends to the kinds of programs it offers. If you’re struggling with diabetes, there’s a plan for you. There’s also a plan for those taking weight-loss medications like Ozempic and Byetta. Also, as our tester notes, Weight Watchers programs come in a variety of different formats,...
Click here to view the article.
The post The 8 Best Weight Loss Programs of 2023 appeared first on BarBend.
There is no one path to healthy and sustainable weight loss. You can dive into a crash diet or handcuff yourself to a treadmill, but short-term results aren’t worth the health risks of reckless approaches to weight management. Weight loss happens through a caloric deficit — whether that be via nutrition or exercise — and there are plenty of thoughtful and effective programs amid the liquid diets and detoxes clogging your timeline. They require an open mind and a little bit of work, but the results amount to more than just losing some belly fat. These programs are here to help with both those aspects of your weight loss journey.”The best weight loss programs change the way you think about food and naturally lead you to develop better habits.
Before padlocking the pantry, ask yourself why you want to lose weight. If you’re missing your old abs or want to increase your agility, you’ll probably want a more fitness-oriented plan. If you’re hoping to fit back into an old pair of pants or squeeze between two buildings that are really close together, you’ll likely benefit more from a diet-focused plan. No matter your goals, the programs we’ve compiled will help you reach them in a realistic timeframe while imparting tools that can help you in the long term.
Best Weight Loss Programs of 2023
- Best Weight Loss Program Overall: Weight Watchers
- Best Sustainable Weight Loss Program: Noom
- Best Weight Loss Program for Coaching: Future
- Most Flexible Weight Loss Program: Weight Watchers
- Best Traditional Weight Loss Program: Nutrisystem
- Best Budget Weight Loss Program: Weight Watchers
- Best Personalized Weight Loss Program: Noom
- Best Weight Loss Program for Meal Delivery: Nutrisystem
How We Tested the Best Weight Loss Programs
Whenever possible, BarBend’s team of fitness experts and personal trainers downloaded the apps, followed the steps, and hit their goals to ensure they were getting as much value as possible from the weight loss programs on this list. Our multi-point methodology evaluates factors like value, resources, and customer satisfaction, with an emphasis on the functionality, accuracy, compatibility, and availability of each plan’s accompanying app.
Best Weight Loss Program Overall: Weight Watchers
Weight Watchers
Weight Watchers
Weight Watchers uses a science-based points system to help users track more than just calorie intake so they can lose weight and develop better long-term habits. Plans start at just $10 a month.
Shop Weight Watchers
Specs
- Price: Starts at $10 a month
- Focus: Nutrition
- Meal Delivery: No
- Tech: Compatible with iOS and Android devices, as well as many smartwatches and fitness trackers
Pros
- Time-tested weight loss program with no food restrictions
- Science-based points system tracks more than just calories
- User-friendly app syncs with smartwatches to track physical activity
- Provides coach-led group sessions that assist with accountability
Cons
- Lack of restrictions may not provide enough structure for some users
- Tallying points can be tedious
We’re with Oprah on this one — in a crowded field, Weight Watchers is the best overall weight loss program. Weight Watchers works to cultivate community as it teaches users how to keep tabs on their consumption habits — all without breaking the bank. Plans start at $10 a month and there are frequent flash sales. Also, it’s got science on its side — a 2013 study found that Weight Watchers users were more than eight times more likely to lose up to 10 percent of their body weight over six months than those trying to diet solo. (1)
The process begins with a quick quiz that determines your metabolism, weight loss goals, favorite foods, and familiarity with nutrition, among other factors. Within minutes, Weight Watchers will provide you with a food plan and weight loss timeline tailored to your individual goals, tastes, and fitness level. Many programs consider just calories, but Weight Watchers embraces food’s complexity by factoring the protein, fiber, fats, and added sugars that make up everything we ingest. Using this approach, Weight Watchers assigns everything you eat a point value.
Credit: Ground Picture / Shutterstock
How does this impact you? Well, each day you’re given a Points Budget. Nothing is off-limits in terms of what you can or can’t eat, but if you plan on indulging you’ll have to balance it with what Weight Watchers deems ZeroPoint foods, which have no impact on your Points Budget. If that sounds ominous, it’s not — there are more than 200 ZeroPoint options available, including fish, chicken, eggs, beans, and popcorn.
If you’re still struggling with your Points Budget, Weight Watchers allows you to score extra points by tracking your physical activity and exercise. You can also take advantage of Weight Watchers’ own line of meals and snacks if you want more structure and have extra cash on hand. Premium members can also attend coach-led group sessions both online and in person. Several customer reviews cite the Weight Watchers community as integral to their weight loss.
While reviewing the program’s “extremely easy to use” app, our tester noted how Weight Watchers works to make these healthy options more appealing by placing a massive library of more than 11,000 recipes right at your fingertips. The goal is that by identifying and becoming more familiar with these options, you’ll slowly but surely change your old eating habits to make more room for more nutrition, leading to sustainable weight loss.
Best Sustainable Weight Loss Program: Noom
Noom
Noom
Noom combines psychology and behavioral science with traditional weight loss features like meal and activity tracking, personal coaches, and online communities to help customers adopt a healthier lifestyle.
Shop Noom
Specs
- Price: Starts at $70 a month
- Focus: Nutrition
- Meal Delivery: No
- Tech: Compatible with iOS and Android devices, as well as many smartwatches and fitness trackers
Pros
- Eschews strict diets for a psychology-based approach that emphasizes incremental weight loss and better habits long term
- Provides personalized weight loss timeline and suggested calorie range
- User-friendly app compatible with Android and iOS fitness trackers
- Instead of restricting foods, the app categorizes them for you by caloric density
Cons
- Psychological approach might not benefit those who desire a more rigid plan
- Logging food and exercise may be laborious for some users
It took seven years for Noom’s creators to create and refine their vision for a weight loss program that would eschew strict, shame-based dietary methods for a more thoughtful and humane approach built around psychology and human coaching. Noom tracks your meals and activity, but the program’s main goal is to change the way you think about food and your own relationship to it. Noom’s no crash diet. The goal is incremental change — one to two pounds a week — that lends itself to the cultivation of new habits that can help you keep the weight off for the long haul. “It is very different from other apps that I have tried,” says our tester. “It cares about your goals and weight loss, but more about why you eat what you do.”
After downloading the app, you’ll be asked how much weight you want to lose, which is common among weight loss programs. From there, you’ll field questions about your daily activity and fitness level, but also more psychological queries related to topics such as stress and body image. Your answers will result in a customized weight loss timeline and suggested daily calorie range.
We’re big fans of Noom’s sleek, user-friendly app, where you’ll see your daily calorie limit and log your meals and activities. Logging can be laborious, but the app works to ease the load with its growing food database. There are no restrictions to what you can log — Noom isn’t interested in policing your diet — but the app will categorize your entries by color.
Green foods, which include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and non-fat dairy, are the least calorie-dense. Yellow foods are moderately calorie-dense (think various meats, dried fruits, and starchier vegetables like corn), while red foods (think fried foods and alcohol) are the most calorie-dense. This format proved helpful for our tester, who over time began naturally gravitating to more “green” foods, which is exactly the kind of health-conscious habit Noom is working to cultivate.
Noom offers multiple payment options, but monthly and annual plans cost $70 and $209, respectively. That’s an investment, for sure, but Noom’s mission is to help you change the habits that led you to a weight loss program in the first place. What you gain from using the app is meant to stick with you even after you cancel your subscription.
Read our full Noom Weight Loss App Review.
Best Weight Loss Program for Coaching: Future
Future Online Personal Training
Future Online Personal Training
Future offers online personal training in every facet of fitness. Every client gets a certified fitness professional who will prescribe training programs, follow up daily to assess progress, make program adjustments as needed, and offer accountability.
Shop Future
Specs
- Price: Starts at $150 a month
- Focus: Fitness
- Meal Delivery: No
- Tech: Compatible with iOS and Android devices, as well as many smartwatches and fitness trackers
Pros
- Virtual personal trainer app provides accountability and workout plans
- Tailors workouts to your fitness goals and home gym set-up
- Intuitive, well-designed app makes it easy to connect with coaches
- Impressive array of trainers with diverse backgrounds
Cons
- Can feel impersonal since your trainer isn’t watching you exercise
- Though cheaper than a personal trainer, $150 a month is still a hefty investment
- You need a smartwatch to utilize some of Future’s best features
- App doesn’t have a nutrition component
The journey to weight loss can be lonely, but it doesn’t have to be. If you’re interested in hiring a personal trainer, but don’t have the money or your schedule isn’t conducive to one, Future is an option you should consider.
After answering a few questions about your personal preferences and goals, Future pairs you with a personal trainer who will work directly with you to design fitness routines and weight loss regimens you can do in your own home with the equipment you have on hand. Three different BarBend testers fired up the Future app and all of them were pleased with the experience, with each noting that the varied backgrounds of the coaches was a nice touch.
They also liked that a user’s journey begins with a FaceTime call with their assigned coach, which allowed the coaches to take a look at their home gyms so they could better customize their workouts. (No equipment? No problem. There are always bodyweight workouts.)
We found the app intuitive and well-designed. Connecting with a coach via chat was never an issue and individual exercises are presented via helpful audio and video demonstrations. “I really think the ease with which you can communicate with your trainer and how clean everything operates is what sets this app apart,” says one of our testers.
Credit: Prostock-studio / Shutterstock
It should be noted, however, that the workouts are pre-recorded and your trainer isn’t live with you as you exercise. This might feel impersonal to some, and our testers feel that distance could impact the sense of accountability we’re meant to get from the coaches. That said, the app will automatically send video of your movements to your coach if you’d like any notes on your form. You can also provide feedback after workouts, and our testers loved how their coaches incorporated that feedback when designing future workouts.
This level of personalization will cost you. Future will cost you $150 a month, which is less than you’ll pay for a personal trainer but a lot more than a non-personalized fitness app like Peloton, which begins at $12.99 a month. Also, while it’s not required, Future’s full potential can only be unlocked if you’ve got a smartwatch, which allows the coach to see your stats and progress.
Most Flexible Weight Loss Program: Weight Watchers
Weight Watchers
Weight Watchers
Weight Watchers uses a science-based points system to help users track more than just calorie intake so they can lose weight and develop better long-term habits. Plans start at just $10 a month.
Shop Weight Watchers
Specs
- Price: Starts at $10 a month
- Focus: Nutrition
- Meal Delivery: No
- Tech: Compatible with iOS and Android devices, as well as many smartwatches and fitness trackers
Pros
- Flexible weight loss program caters to many dietary needs and busy schedules
- No food restrictions
- Library of more than 11,000 healthy recipes incorporates cuisines from around the world
- Syncs with smartwatches and other devices to automatically incorporate physical activity into your weight loss tracking
- Plans tailored to those with diabetes and taking weight-loss medication like Ozempic
- Audio, large print, and braille options available
Cons
- Keeping tabs on your meals and activity can be laborious
- Too much freedom can be overwhelming for some trying to lose weight
There are plenty of disciplined weight loss programs that draw a sharp line between what you can and can’t eat, but those kinds of diets deny many of life’s simple pleasures, from a slice of birthday cake to a celebratory cocktail. There are no rules about what you can or can’t eat while on Weight Watchers, which utilizes a science-based points-based system that helps you structure your meals and snacking with more intention.
That freedom is key to Weight Watchers’ flexibility. The program doesn’t want you to change your tastes so much as discover healthier ways to indulge them. When you sign up and share your weight loss goals, you’ll also let Weight Watchers know some of your favorite flavors, so it can recommend highlights from its library of more than 11,000 nutritious recipes. If you’re willing to slip on an apron, it’s unlikely you’ll find yourself eating the same three meals every day. In fact, its list of ZeroPoint foods, which have no impact on your Points Budget, include more than 200 options, such as fish, chicken, eggs, and non-starchy vegetables.
You’ll keep tabs on your points via the app, which our tester found “extremely easy to use.” We love how it can sync with Apple’s Health app, as well as smartwatches and fitness trackers like Fitbit. By doing so, you can easily track your activity and sleep habits. Syncing your device to the app allows the app to automatically factor exercise into your Points Budget, allowing you to score a few extra treats throughout the week. Points are awarded to users based on the intensity and duration of their physical activity, whether that’s walking, running, or rearranging the furniture in your living room (that’s a workout, too).
Weight Watchers’ flexibility extends to the kinds of programs it offers. If you’re struggling with diabetes, there’s a plan for you. There’s also a plan for those taking weight-loss medications like Ozempic and Byetta. Also, as our tester notes, Weight Watchers programs come in a variety of different formats,...
Click here to view the article.
