By Rachael Davis

Copyright dailyrecord

Weight loss can become a complicated and frustrating issue for many people. That’s how 63-year-old Tom felt before being introduced to the concept of intermittent fasting by a co-worker in 2022. Tom became curious about how they’d managed to lose so much weight. “He started to talk to me about 16-8 plan,” the production supervisor from Arizona, US explains. “This is where you fast for 16 hours and have an eating window of eight hours a day.” At the time, Tom thought this was crazy and questioned how one could go that long without eating and becoming miserable, so he dismissed the idea completely. However, Tom became desperate to lose weight, so he decided to go online and do some research. Diving into the Simple app , he was ‘pretty impressed’ with the materials they had online which lead him to taking their initial online assessment. The Simple app is an AI coaching app designed to offer personalised daily workouts, science backed coaching and nutrition analysis, to help people shed excess weight and feel healthier. Simple says it is “reshaping the science behind weight loss, standing as an innovative alternative to the restrictive and ineffective diet industry”. Now, anyone wanting to try it can use the code REACH60 and save 60% on Simple Weight Loss Plans . Over the last three years, Tom has lost 55 pounds (25kg) using the Simple app . “I tried every fad weight loss diet that came out, Atkins diet, shots, pills, whatever the latest fad was, a lot of them were fairly expensive, and mostly I had very limited success.” he explains, as he admits he had hit a max of 275 pounds at one stage. “Every time the weight would come back on and I was right back where I started. This was a very frustrating circle,” he says. “My biggest hurdle in dieting is that I’m a carboholic. I grew up in the Midwest and every dinner included a dessert. There was always pies, cakes, cookies and ice cream so this was my big addiction and the toughest thing to break away from. That was likely the biggest factor in my gaining weight and not being able to lose weight.” Simple app users start by filling out a detailed survey, and are then offered tools such as food logging and an intermittent fasting tracker. There is also a NutriScanner, to help users understand meal nutrition, as well as daily workout plans and Avo, the in app coach and personal wellness assistant powered by AI. Tom used the 14-10 intermittent fasting plan with the Simple app . “The thing about Simple is it’s not really a diet, it’s fasting,” he says. “So it’s not about what you eat or how much you eat, although that does come into play but it’s more about the time that you spend eating. The best thing about the Simple App is just what the name applies – it’s simple. There’s no food exclusions, no portion weighing, no point tracking and no reading nutrition labels. “The app feedback and the scale will let you know if you’re making good choices or not and the app simply guides you along the way.” Not only did Tom see scale victories but he also had a number of personal health benefits from his weight loss journey. “Six months after starting with Simple, I had my six month visit with my primary care. Of course, we did blood work and there were significant drops in pretty much everything – my cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure,” he says. “At one time I was considered pre diabetic but now my A1C is down to 5.2. My doctor was pretty much amazed at the transformation, not just the weight loss, but in my blood work.” Tom also noted how the Simple App changed his psychology when it comes to eating. “It helps you to distinguish your eating patterns or if you are emotional eating.” He also thanks the app for giving him a ‘whole new lease of life’ at the age of 63. There are other weight loss guides out there, aside from Simple . There is the BodyFast App , which says it calculates each person’s “individual and optimal” fasting plan, based on weekly goals. It has motivational challenges, daily coaching, and more than 100 recipes. There are some free features, listed online as being things like 10 different fasting plans, a weight tracker, a water tracker and reminder, and ‘a handful’ of free recipes. There is a subscription too, with prices online. Elsewhere, the Hevy app is free and described online as being a “free weight lifting workout tracker”. Users can log workouts, get performance analytics and engage with the community of other people also working out. It allows those using it to also do advanced routine planning and has automatic rest timers too. Adding exercise notes is another feature and users can also create custom exercises for their sessions. Those who are using Simple shared their views on Trustpilot, with one person saying: “I love this app because it helps you stay accountable. It also helps that you can message your coach about anything! Whether it’s a simple question or if you’re looking for a healthy meal!” Another wrote: “Very user friendly. Keeps you track throughout the day.” Some shared hesitations, with one user saying: “App is confusing. Not user friendly.” Another wrote: “Hard to navigate system – can’t find how to access the screen to enter food and exercise.” Another happy user left a five star review, however, saying: “It is a great program, nicely setup. You can still eat good portions and still lose weight. Workouts are easy but work!”