Simple is a weight loss smartphone app that claims to be powered by artificial intelligence (AI). The company claims that over 39% of overweight users lost more than 10% of their body weight in one year of using Simple.
But is Simple proven to work in clinical trials? What makes this program unique? How do real users rate and describe its effects? And is AI really necessary or beneficial for supporting weight loss?
In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as we review Simple's claims of effectiveness and share our concerns.
We'll feature unsponsored customer reviews of the brand, explain how Simple works and share our thoughts about why AI for weight loss may be overhyped.
Is Simple Proven to Work?
While Simple claims to be "science-backed," the company doesn't appear to have published any clinical trials proving that their program is effective.
As stated in the intro section of this article, Simple claims that nearly 40% of their overweight users lost significant body weight, but fails to cite or support this claim on their website.
A medical review published in the Frontiers in Endocrinology journal analyzed data on mobile apps for weight loss, and concluded the following:
"...there remains a lack of empirical support to demonstrate the effectiveness of these applications across populations and over time."
We cannot find any evidence to support the efficacy of Simple.
Real People Try Simple
A TikTok creator named Aubrey shared her experience with the Simple app including a walkthrough of how to use the app:
@aubreydoolem Reply to @manibanixx #greenscreen ♬ original sound - Aubrey
A YouTube creator named "Jed Fasting" has a more in-depth review of the app:
Does AI Improve Weight Loss?
AI is everywhere these days, and certainly has the potential to revolutionize health products and services.
But weight loss is not a category that we've come across much clinical evidence for the use of AI at this point in time.
Weight loss is a relatively simple process: calories in versus calories out.
There are already a number of calorie tracking apps available for free, and until a smartphone app publishes a peer-reviewed clinical trial showing use of their AI software is associated with weight loss, we don't recommend spending money on this type of product.
Some health problems are complex and perhaps benefit more from leveraging AI, like chronic health conditions, or optimizing hormonal balance.
It's worth noting that the Simple app can be accessed free, but has a premium feature that costs money.
Can AI Create a Healthy Meal Plan?
A nutritionist and popular YouTube creator named Abbey Sharp has a video examining whether or not AI can create a healthy meal plan:
Is Intermittent Fasting Legit?
Some of the programs recommended by the Simple app involve the practice of "intermittent fasting," or eating within a time-restricted window.
This practice has been clinically shown to be associated with weight loss.
A 2020 systematic review of intermittent fasting’s effects on weight loss was published in a leading Canadian medical journal. The researchers analyzed results from 41 clinical trials on the topic.
Intermittent fasting was found to be very effective for weight loss.
In the 27 trials which tracked weight, every group lost weight on average. The weight loss ranged from 0.8% of baseline weight to 13% of baseline weight from the beginning to the end of the trials, which lasted from 2 to 26 weeks.
Intermittent fasting is also clinically shown to have some positive secondary health outcomes, such as reduced blood pressure (on average) in individuals with high blood pressure, as we documented in our DoFasting review article.
For consumers planning to use the Simple app to support weight loss, we recommend considering their intermittent fasting plans, because of the clinical support for the underlying method.
Our Clean Weight Loss Picks
There are food-based nutrients which have been shown in medical studies to be effective for weight loss.
Dietary fiber was shown in a medical review published in The Journal of Nutrition to cause 16 pounds of weight loss in 6 months when combined with moderate caloric restriction (750 calories per day below baseline).
MBG Organic Fiber Potency+ is our top fiber pick because it's certified organic, provides 7 g of fiber per serving and costs under $1.85 per serving at the time of updating this article.
MCT oil was shown in a meta-study to cause more than one pound of weight loss over 10 weeks. This equates to potential annualized weight loss of 6 pounds per year with less than one tablespoon's worth of MCT oil per day.
Performance Lab MCT Oil is our top MCT oil pick because it's certified organic.
Ginger intake "significantly decreased body weight" according to a 2019 meta-study on ginger and weight loss that analyzed data from 14 clinical trials.
Pique La Ginger is our top ginger product, because it's an organic tea in convenient crystallized form, and all that's needed is to pour the powder into a glass and add hot water.
All three of the products mentioned in this section are entirely free of additive ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.
Simple Pros and Cons
Here are the pros and cons of the Simple app in our opinion:
Pros:
- Involves intermittent fasting
- Convenient
- Low-risk
- App has a free version
- Mostly positive online customer reviews
Cons:
- Doesn't appear to be clinically tested
- We're unconvinced about AI for weight loss
- We can't find any evidence this is better than any other AI app
