A number of our picks take into account dietary restrictions, physical limitations, and allergies. Some include mentors and like-minded cohorts.
Top weight loss programs for women can offer structure and support that make it easier to lose weight. These programs also help people develop healthy eating habits and learn how to keep the weight off long-term.
1. Noom
Noom focuses on behavior change and new habits rather than eliminating foods or counting calories, which can be difficult to sustain long-term. A 2001 study of 29 long-term weight loss studies found that people who lose weight on reduced-calorie diets without behavioral changes regain the same weight over time.
During the program, you can connect with a coach via the app and receive daily guidance, motivation, and support. Your coach will help you develop healthy eating patterns and examine your mindset around food. You can also get support from other users and participate in group coaching sessions.
Lemond says Noom’s coaches aren’t registered dietitians, so you may want to check a reputable calorie-counting calculator to be sure they’re not suggesting an unhealthily low number of calories per day for you. The app also uses language that can feel derogatory to some, so it might not be the best fit for anyone struggling with disordered eating or anorexia.
Noom encourages you to eat a variety of foods and doesn’t label foods as good or bad. However, you do have to log your food and exercise daily to receive the most personalized advice.
3. BistroMD
BistroMD offers meal delivery plans that help you lose weight and keep it off with a healthy diet. The program provides high-quality, nutritious, gourmet meals that are prepared by a team of chefs and delivered to your door. The company also provides one-on-one dietician support. Prices are competitive and include free shipping.
Each meal comes fully cooked and ready to eat, so all you need to do is heat it up. The company offers a variety of meal plans, including the Signature plan, Menopause Friendly, Diabetic Friendly, Keto Flex and Gluten Free. All programs are based on science-backed nutrition to support healthy weight loss.
The meals are prepared with quality ingredients and are low in sodium. According to GGR writer Lauren Strong, the company strives to use local ingredients and source products from family-owned farms. The meals are also high in fiber, which can aid in digestion and promote overall health. They are also low in saturated fat and trans fat, and contain a lot of lean protein. The company’s meal plans are customizable, and they provide recipes that are individualized for each member.
4. SparkPeople
SparkPeople has a variety of tools that can help you meet your weight loss goals. They offer recipes, exercises, trackers and motivation to stick with your resolutions. Unlike some other programs, SparkPeople is free. However, they do have some paid aspects such as the SparkPeople mobile app and SparkPeople LIVE!
Members reported that many interactions provided encouragement or motivation. They cited benefits from reading testimonies about other members’ experiences (efforts, success), receiving recognition for successes, and keeping each other accountable with respect to diet and exercise behaviors. Members also described a sense of community, forged not by geographic proximity but by the common goal of losing weight.
The website has 1000’s of articles about nutrition, exercise and motivation from experts. They have forums and blogs where members can ask questions or read others’ answers. They have a Sparkpeopletv with exercise videos and a Sparkrecipes section where members can upload recipes. Members can earn Sparkgoodies for various activities such as logging in each day or reading articles. Sparkpeople also conducts various challenges and contests for members.
5. Shapeup
Shapeup is a structured behavioural weight management programme delivered in groups to encourage participants to support each other. It has been shown to be effective in promoting behaviour change and improving outcomes. It is widely used by public health bodies to address the obesity epidemic and has been found to be cost-effective.
The service evaluation of PfP Shape-Up, using the RE-AIM framework, was undertaken to explore its effectiveness in a real-world setting and examine how it could be improved. This service evaluation involved secondary analysis of data collected in the community by PfP leisure providers and included 141 participants.
Conclusion
In addition to assessing programme impacts, the RE-AIM framework was used as a guide to inform future implementation of the intervention. This would allow a deeper understanding of how the intervention is implemented in the field and what adaptations are needed to enhance reach, impact, and maintenance of behaviour changes. In particular, it would enable a more accurate assessment of the effects of removing the peer-led elements from the programme and replacing them with expert-led sessions.
