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 actually contain ingredients proven to cause weight loss in clinical trials, or are they a waste of money? Does intermittent fasting cause weight loss? Will the program cause side effects? And do the supplements contain any questionable additive ingredients?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more as we review the ingredients in Unicity’s supplements called Balance and Unimate to give our take on whether they’re likely to be effective for weight loss and metabolic health.
We’ll also explain whether intermittent fasting causes weight loss, and share real, unsponsored user reviews of the Feel Great System.
Feel Great System Supplement Review - Unimate
Unimate contains one active ingredient: green mate leaf extract. This is a more concentrated version of a tea called Yerba mate tea, which is made from the leaves of a tree native to Paraguay.
Yerba mate is associated with weight loss.
A clinical trial published in the BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies journal found that after 12 weeks of supplementation, those taking yerba mate lost 1% of body weight.
The 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 found that yerba mate extract was associated with lower body weight gain when the rats consumed 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 additive ingredients that we recommend avoiding.
Citric acid is a preservative and flavor enhancer shown in a series of medical case reports to cause whole-body inflammation in a small subset of 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 this supplement to be likely effective for weight loss due to the effectively dosed yerba mate extract. We don’t recommend it due to our concern over the chlorogenic acid content and some of the additive ingredients.
Feel Great System Supplement Review - Balance
Balance is the second supplement that’s part of this program, and it contains a large number of active ingredients.
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 of plant-derived polysaccharides and gum arabic. We cannot find any medical research suggesting that this combination is effective for weight loss.
“Bios Cardio Matrix” is another prop blend. It contains phytosterols, which are shown in clinical research to reduce cholesterol levels.
It also contains Chrysanthemum flower extract, which was shown in an animal study to reduce obesity rates, and policosanol, which may also have anti-obesity effects, though we can’t identify any medical studies proving it’s effective at the 139.5 mg average ingredient dose in this blend.
The remaining active ingredients are a blend of vitamins and minerals. As we explained in our Optavia reviews article which covered another weight loss program that included supplemental vitamins and minerals, we consider it illogical to take added vitamins and minerals without evidence of a deficiency.
In some cases, taking supplemental vitamins and minerals may cause blood levels of those nutrients to rise to an unsafe range. This supplement provides 290% of the Daily Value (DV) of chromium as an example, and taking such a high amount daily may not be the best decision.
This supplement contains the additives citric acid and sucralose that we reviewed in the previous section and recommend avoiding.
Overall, we consider Balance to be potentially effective for weight loss because it contains a number of research-backed ingredients. We don’t recommend the supplement due to some of the additive ingredients, and because of the vitamin and mineral blend.
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 and 7 PM.
Intermittent fasting is one of the most effective weight loss strategies, and also has metabolic benefits.
A 2020 medical review analyzed data from 27 clinical trials on intermittent fasting for weight loss. In every single trial 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 has health benefits beyond weight loss. As we documented in our ProLon reviews article on another intermittent fasting program, the practice can improve insulin resistance and decrease blood pressure in patients with high blood pressure.
We recommend that people speak with their doctor prior to starting an intermittent fasting program, as it may not be safe for some patients 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.
Feel Great System User Review
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
Will the Feel Great System Cause Side Effects?
We can’t identify any clinical trials on the Feel Great System or either of the included dietary supplements, so we’ll have to make an educated guess on whether or not it causes side effects based on the ingredients in the supplements and clinical studies 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 patients.
A medical review on intermittent fasting found that it may cause side effects such as hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), dizziness and weakness. The worse condition someone is in, the more likely they are to experience side effects from intermittent fasting.
Overall we do not consider the Feel Great System likely to cause side effects in the average patient, 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).
Supergut Fiber Mix is our recommended fiber supplement, because it contains three different types of fiber powder and no questionable additive ingredients. Interested consumers can check out Supergut Fiber Mix at this link to the product page on the brand's official website, where it retails for under $2 per serving at a subscription rate.
MCT oil is quickly absorbed by the body and increases metabolic rate, which causes fat loss. A 2015 meta-study on MCT oil documented 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. There are no questionable additives. Interested consumers can check out Bulletproof MCT Oil at this link to the product page on the brand's official website, where it currently costs only $15.50 for over a month's worth of product.
Coffee is one of the few whole food ingredients associated with weight loss in clinical trials. A meta-analysis published in the Nutrients journal found that coffee intake was associated with reduced body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference.
VitaCup Organic Instant Coffee Sticks is our top coffee product for weight loss, due to its convenience. No preparation or machinery is needed. The sticks can be mixed into hot or cold water (or other beverages) and consumed. The only ingredient is organic instant coffee; no questionable additives.
Interested consumers can check out VitaCup Organic Instant Coffee Sticks at this link to the product page on the brand's official website, where they retail for $1 per serving at a subscription rate.
