Feel Great System is a program for metabolic health and weight loss designed by a company called Unicity. The program includes an intermittent fasting plan and two dietary supplements.
But do the supplements contain ingredients proven to cause weight loss in research studies? Does intermittent fasting cause weight loss? Will the program cause side effects? And do the supplements contain any unhealthy additive ingredients?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Unicity’s supplements Balance and Unimate, to give our take on whether or not they're likely to cause weight loss.
We’ll also explain whether intermittent fasting causes weight loss, discuss the risk of side effects, and feature unsponsored Feel Great System customer reviews.
Unimate Ingredient Analysis
The ingredients in Unimate are shown above.
The brand claims that this supplement "supports weight management efforts."
Green mate leaf extract is the sole active ingredient, and is a concentrated version of a tea called Yerba mate tea, which is made from the leaves of a tree native to Paraguay.
A clinical trial published in the BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies journal found that after 12 weeks of supplementation, yerba mate caused 1% body weight loss.
The above-linked trial used yerba mate powder, while the format used in Unimate is a more concentrated extract, which suggests it may cause greater weight loss.
An animal study reported that yerba mate extract reduces weight gain when consuming a high-fat diet.
Our concern with this supplement is related to the dose of chlorogenic acid, which is a naturally-occurring chemical compound in yerba mate.
The manufacturer claims that this supplement contains “up to 375 times more chlorogenic acids” than other yerba mate drinks.
While chlorogenic acids are generally health-promoting and have an anti-obesity effect, such a high dose may confer health risks, and the manufacturer doesn’t appear to publish the chlorogenic acid dose so that consumers can assess its safety.
This supplement also contains several inactive ingredients that we recommend avoiding for health reasons.
Citric acid is a preservative and flavor enhancer shown in a series of medical case reports to cause whole-body inflammation in some individuals.
Natural flavors is a broad categorization that fails to describe the specific flavoring agents used.
Sucralose is an artificial sweetener that has been shown in clinical research to cause negative changes to insulin function in healthy adults, as we documented in our review of Huel ingredients.
Overall, we consider Unimate likely to be effective for weight loss due to the effectively dosed yerba mate extract.
We don’t currently recommend this supplement due to our concern over the chlorogenic acid content, and some of its additive ingredients.
Unicity Balance Ingredient Analysis
Unicity Balance contains a large number of active ingredients, some of which are shown above.
Fiber intake is associated with weight loss, but a 2,228 milligram (mg) dose is relatively low. That’s only 17% of the amount in one avocado according to the USDA.
Unicity 7x is a proprietary (prop) blend composed of plant-derived polysaccharides and gum arabic.
We cannot find any clinical studies suggesting that this combination is effective for weight loss, nor does the brand cite any on their product page at the time of updating this article.
Bios Cardio Matrix is another prop blend that contains phytosterols, which are shown in clinical research to reduce cholesterol levels.
Chrysanthemum flower extract was shown in an animal study to reduce obesity rates, but we can't find trials with human participants showing similar effects.
The remaining active ingredients are a blend of vitamins and minerals. As we explained in our Optavia reviews article on another weight loss program that included supplemental vitamins and minerals, we haven't come across any clinical evidence that vitamin and mineral blends cause weight loss.
Orange flavor, citric acid and sucralose are inactive ingredients in this formulation, and we explained in the previous Ingredient Analysis section why we don't recommend these ingredients for health reasons.
Overall, we consider Balance to be potentially effective for weight loss because it contains a number of research-backed ingredients. However, we can't identify any active ingredients we consider to be effectively dosed.
We don’t currently recommend this supplement due to the vitamin and mineral blend, and due to the use of citric acid, orange flavor and sucralose.
Does Intermittent Fasting Cause Weight Loss?
The core of the Feel Great System is an intermittent fasting plan, which suggests that participants eat two meals per day. The first meal is at noon and the second meal is between 5 PM and 7 PM.
Intermittent fasting is one of the most effective weight loss strategies, and also may have metabolic benefits.
A 2020 medical review analyzed data from 27 clinical trials on intermittent fasting for weight loss.
In every single intermittent fasting trial analyzed, participants lost weight, even though the intermittent fasting strategies varied. The amount of weight loss in the trials ranged from 0.8% of baseline body weight to 13% of baseline body weight.
In some trials, participants fasted for two days of the week. In others, participants fasted for 16 hours per day (which is similar to the Feel Great System’s approach).
Intermittent fasting may have health benefits beyond weight loss.
As we documented in our ProLon reviews article on another intermittent fasting program, the practice is clinically shown to improve insulin resistance and decrease blood pressure in individuals with high blood pressure.
We recommend that individuals speak with their doctor prior to starting an intermittent fasting program, as it may not be safe for some individuals with pre-existing conditions.
We consider the intermittent fasting plan to be the best part of the Feel Great System, and believe that people who follow this intermittent fasting program are likely to lose weight.
Real People Try Feel Great System
A TikTok user named Robin claims to have better bloodwork results after using Unicity supplements, and actually includes before-and-after images of the bloodwork results:
@robin_brd #gettinghealthy #unicity #feelgreat #diabetestype2 #cholesterol #intermittentfasting @delathefella @harborlane ♬ Come Check This (Quickie Edit) - FETISH
A TikTok user named Bruce White shared a video with before-and-after images documenting his weight loss from the Feel Great System.
It appears he may be a distributor of the program so readers should be wary of potential bias, but this still may be valuable for those considering the program:
@brucieb83 #greenscreen #weghtlossjourney #weghtloss #weightlosstransformation #insulinresistance #diabtes#nomeds#feelgreatsystem ♬ original sound - Bruce White
Is There a Risk of Side Effects?
Feel Good System doesn't appear to have been studied in any clinical trials, which makes it more challenging to determine the risk of side effects.
However, we can make an educated guess based on the ingredients in the supplements, and based on existing clinical research on intermittent fasting.
Unimate contains a similar caffeine dose as one cup of coffee according to the manufacturer. This is a relatively low dose, but caffeine may cause side effects like anxiety in sensitive individuals.
A medical review on intermittent fasting found that it may cause side effects such as hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), dizziness and weakness.
The worse physical condition someone is in, the more likely they are to experience side effects from intermittent fasting.
A blog post published by Unicity claims that some consumers may experience indigestion due to the increased fiber intake.
Overall, we do not consider the Feel Great System likely to cause side effects in otherwise healthy individuals, but those with pre-existing health conditions or in poor health should speak with a doctor prior to considering this program.
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.
Bulletproof MCT Oil is our top MCT oil product, because the only ingredient is MCT oil derived from coconuts. and it currently costs only $15.50 for over a month's worth of product.
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 or unsafe.
Feel Great System Pros and Cons
Here are the pros and cons of the Feel Great System in our opinion:
Pros:
- Intermittent fasting should cause weight loss
- Intermittent fasting can have metabolic benefits
- Unlikely to cause side effects
Cons:
- Doesn't appear clinically tested
- Unimate has very high chlorogenic acid dose
- Unimate contains citric acid, natural flavor and sucralose
- Fiber dose in Balance is relatively low
- Balance contains citric acid, orange flavor and sucralose
- We can't find evidence of superiority to other intermittent fasting programs
- Expensive
