The 5 Best Weight Loss Programs in 2026

Leaving your food to chance means you’re more likely to skip meals, grab something carb-based or order a takeaway when you get home after a long day. Taking the time each week, or evening, to plan ahead will help prepare you to make better food choices. This is where a cooking app comes in handy – it can help you plan ahead, provides recipe inspiration and arms you with a multitude of meal plans.

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The intrinsic motivation of a user who downloads the application needs to be tapped into and maintained. https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-weight/managing-your-weight/how-to-lose-weight-in-a-wheelchair/ Despite the theoretical and demonstrated efficiency, these applications will not be able to reach their full potential without overcoming the barrier of motivation and adherence. A largely successful feature seen in some popular applications such as BodySpace is the inclusion of a platform resembling social media within the application (33, 34). There is also an “inspirational” feature where users can follow others on the application whom they found motivational. The social media aspect also allowed users to share their progress as well as other content within the community.

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In comparison to the results of previous studies, the mHealth app intervention evaluated in the present study showed greater effects in the 5% reduction of body weight among subjects. Due to differences in the interventions and study populations, however, our results and the findings of previous studies should not be frankly compared. Indeed, further research is needed to validate and generalize the effectiveness of the mHealth app intervention evaluated in the present study. A common theme in most RCTs on using mobile applications for weight management is the high attrition rate due to participants discontinuing or decreasing use of the application. While monitoring physical activity is shown to be an easier process with the use of inbuilt motion sensors and pedometers, monitoring diet is much more difficult, accounting for a high proportion of the attrition (52). It is posited that the low adherence is largely due to the considerable effort required to self-monitor diet (14).

Intervention: Noom Coach

WeightWatchers has been around since 1963 and while the name has changed since—they go by WW now—the foundation remains the same and people find it really effective.

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Insofar as data from actual 42-year-old users might have been excluded from analysis, our findings were potentially impacted by data omission. Research by Torgan32 reports that 19 participants achieved an initial target of 5% body weight reduction after approximately 3.5 months of intervention consisting of a low-calorie diet and weekly diet and education sessions. In addition, there is no certainty as to whether body weight reduction is caused by the loss of body fat, muscle, or water weight. The percentage of achievement of 5% body weight reduction among obese mHealth app users was higher herein than values reported in previous studies that have focused on mobile device interventions. Likewise, in a study on obese U.S. adults in the general population who reported trying to lose body weight, Nicklas et al.25 finds that 40% of subjects who attempted body weight reduction lost over 5% of body weight.

Why Trust Everyday Health

High fiber diets have also been linked to better blood sugar management. New Wellos users can try the platform for 14 days before paying the subscription fee. (No judgment, we’ve all been there.) The MyFitnessPal app can tell you all of that. For an even better understanding of portion control, registered dietitian Allison Childress, PhD, recommends heading to the MyFitnessPal blog, which has an easy-to-understand portion size guide. This app makes it super easy to up your produce game thanks to its searchable archive of over 140 plant-based recipes, including 120 gluten-free options.

RD-Approved High Fiber Snacks for a Healthy Gut

Nicole Davis, GGR head of content and an experienced certified personal trainer, put BetterMe to the test, evaluating everything from ease of use to value to accountability. Although she gave the setup and ease of use a 4-star rating, she pointed out one potential drawback with the onboarding quiz. Ben Emminger is a NASM-Certified Nutrition Coach and NASM-Certified Sports Nutrition Coach with over eight years of writing experience within the fitness category. Based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he has remained active by cultivating his reviews on unimeal expertise in strength training, running, footwear, and recovery. Aligning the app’s features with what you want to achieve can help you make the right choice.

If you have any concerns about your general health, you should contact your local health care provider. Make sure you are fuelling your body appropriately and getting adequate recovery time and rest. Whether you’re making your own or buying a sandwich from a local supermarket, simply remove the top slice. Eat your open sandwich with a knife and fork to slow down the pace at which you eat and reduce the chance of overeating. Vitamin D is known as ‘the sunshine vitamin’, but you can become deficient especially if you spend a lot of time indoors, wear lots of SPF or have darker skin. Research suggests that those who supplement with vitamin D may have a lower waist to hip circumference, suggesting they are a healthier weight.

It analyzes your sleep from your bedside table, and when you wake, statistics about your sleep quality are immediately available for you. Whether you are new to meditation, intermediate or advanced, Headspace is your magic wand to putting you in a calmer, happier place. GH testers can’t rave enough about these easy-to-follow guided meditations. There are hundreds of mindfulness and breathing exercises to choose from, including ones geared toward improving anxiety to helping with focus and concentration with the soothing sounds of musician John Legend.

The whole program takes the stance that changing your mindset through evidence-based approaches, like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), is the key to sustained weight loss. The MyFitnessPal app is a comprehensive tracker that allows you to plan your meals in advance and tailor your eating to specific calorie or macro goals. Your Future experience can be customized based on your training experience level, available equipment, and personal goals. Plus, our tester notes that workout schedules can be customized to your available time — no need to alter your current regimen for the sake of hitting the gym. “I also score the equipment demands at 5 out of 5, since you don’t need to have a full garage gym for your workout routine — your coach can work with you to ensure you’re working toward your health goals,” adds our tester. Support your weight loss goals with these top digital platforms for food monitoring, activity tracking, and more.

AI-Powered Personal Training

It’s free to download, but certain features, such as micronutrient tracking and potential food allergy warnings, require a premium app subscription ($6.99 per month). This app is compatible with a number of devices, including blood sugar trackers, but Caine says these are upgraded features that will require a premium subscription. There’s never any confusion about which features are free and which are part of the premium membership, though, which is another thing Caine likes about the app.

What is the most effective program for losing weight?

A 2023 review found that weight loss apps are just as effective as traditional programs in helping individuals lose weight. This might be partly due to the types of resources many weight loss apps offer, including goal tracking, social support, and educational content. If you’re trying to lose weight or achieve another nutrition or fitness goal, a weight loss app may help. Research finds that consistently tracking calories and exercise is an effective strategy for weight management.

Best weight loss programs compared

• When choosing a weight loss app, it may be best to consider the premium membership fees from the start.
• The use of the application together with varying intensities of behavioral counseling was more effective as compared to having only a smartphone application or counseling per se.
• 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.
• It’s very easy to begin grazing on carb-heavy bread while you wait for your meal to arrive, plus you’ll likely eat all of your meal too – which of course adds to your overall calories.
• We also enlisted the help of registered dietitian nutritionist Perry Nix to help us write this list.
• They use visual streaks, progress cues, and adaptive insights to help users stay engaged—turning data into daily momentum.

Zero also offers the one meal a day (OMAD) fast and prolonged fast which lasts for up to 7 days. Additionally, people can participate in head-to-head, team, and group-based challenges, earning badges for weight loss. Created by dieticians and approved by physicians, Wellos is designed to support learning and long lasting habit changes. In Healthline’s internal review of diets, the Mediterranean diet and the plant-based diet scored the highest, with an overall rating of 4.8 and 4.9 out of 5, respectively. In terms of commercial diet programs, Calibrate had the highest rating, receiving a score of 4.2 out of 5.