Lifestyle
Losing weight can feel as daunting as climbing Mount Everest, especially when we’re surrounded by tempting treats like juicy burgers and oily crisps. But take it from someone who recently shed 23lbs in just 11 weeks: it’s better to tackle it sooner rather than later.
That’s where Simple, the weight loss app currently offering a 60 per cent discount with the code SIMPLEDEAL, comes into play.
This year has been a whirlwind for me, having been evicted from my old London flat, moving back in with my parents, starting a new job, and buying my own place all within a few months. Alongside this, the existential dread of turning 30 fuelled my comfort eating habits, leading to a weight gain of 10kg (or 22lbs) by August. At 6ft 1, weighing 115kg is considered overweight, despite some residual muscle from gym workouts.
My clothes were straining at the seams, with T-shirts bulging at the belly and jeans so tight I feared they might rip every time I sat down. Even my cat struggled to find a comfortable spot on my stomach at night. It was clear that changes needed to be made, so I enlisted the help of a personal trainer at my gym and started a diet and workout plan.
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It seems that seeking professional help does the trick as I managed to lose 23lbs (just over 10kg) in 11 weeks – and still going. This gives me a unique perspective to review Simple, having experienced its human equivalent.
Simple is usually priced at 29.99 but currently discounted to 17.99, reports the Mirror. It is an AI coaching app that utilises their artificial intelligence, Avo, to assist with diet and fitness.
The app is, quite fittingly, very straightforward – you take a quick 10-minute quiz after downloading and it suggests lifestyle changes. It also functions as a food diary and offers daily workouts if needed. But does it deliver? I tested the app to see if it could match the motivation provided by a human.
Laci Gilbert started using the Simple app in 2023 when she weighed 275lbs. She lost just over six stone a total of 86lb.
“[I] no longer look or feel like the same person I was a little over a year ago. I am a completely different person inside and out. My health has improved, my physical appearance has improved, my self esteem has improved. My entire life has improved. There is not one negative thing I can say about this journey, so far I’ve lost 116lbs, I’d like to lose 15-20 more.”
Sharing her experience, she continued: “The most important thing that has happened on this journey, I have beaten the odds of generational obesity-related illnesses.”
Intermittent fasting
Fasting isn’t for everyone – if you have an eating disorder or underlying health conditions please consult a doctor instead of using this. However, in my view, for those who need a bit of help, it truly is the magic solution for weight loss.
Our bodies weren’t designed for continuous feasting for hours on end and there are benefits beyond weight loss. On the advice of my personal trainer, I follow a 16:8 fasting routine. I break my fast at 10.30am and restart it at 6.30pm.
This fits perfectly with my work schedule as I find it impossible to write without food in my system. Plus, I always hit the gym before work. It might sound daunting, but fasting actually gives me a massive energy boost in the morning that lasts until at least mid-afternoon when I have my main meal.
The Simple journey starts with a quiz about your lifestyle – how active you are, what your goals are and when you want to achieve them. Once you’re in the app, it asks for your preferred fasting time: fast for 14 hours, eat for 10; fast for 12, eat for 12; or the 16:8 schedule recommended by my PT.
This immediately gave me confidence in the AI coach, as it suggested the 16:8 as the optimal one, while also offering other options for those who want to ease into it. Discipline is a skill anyone can learn, but to avoid burnout, you might want to take it slow. It’s like getting into a cold swimming pool: you can either ease yourself in one toe at a time, or dive right in.
Fasting is one of the daily tasks featured on your homepage, making it a breeze to remember. Plus, the app sends notifications of when to start and stop fasting.
On the Explore tab, you’ll find a wealth of articles on the effects of intermittent fasting and tips for managing it until you’re in the swing of things – at which point, if my experience is anything to go by, you’ll barely notice it. However, it would enhance the experience if they cited their sources – after all, science speaks volumes.
This being the main focus of the app, I believe it accomplishes the task almost flawlessly. It shows you what to do, offers advice, and guides you throughout. But wait, the best part of the app is still to come….
Food Tracking and Avo
I often find myself rolling my eyes at certain AI ‘enhancements,’ especially since many of them seem to make things worse. But Avo truly is the shining star of this app due to its simplicity.
Food tracking can be a chore – I use MyFitnessPal and the constant logging feels like homework after a few weeks. This is made worse by the fact that I struggle to concentrate on any task I find even slightly dull.
However, Simple has streamlined the process by allowing you to snap a photo of your meal to log it automatically.
For breakfast, I tucked into a bowl of strawberries (80g) paired with a pot of Fage 5% Greek yoghurt (160g). The app accurately identified the strawberries but mistook the yoghurt for cream.
However, making corrections was a breeze on the next screen and it even provided a nutrition score to help improve future meals (I scored ‘Good’, just one level below ‘Optimal’). The app perfectly recognised that I was having a protein shake and the correct amount of liquid from just a snap of my full shaker, which I found quite impressive. But Avo doesn’t stop there, it also boasts a ‘meal enhancement’ feature.
So, for lunch, I laid out my ingredients – duck breast, kale, halloumi, cucumber and courgette – and asked Avo to ‘enhance’ the meal. After a brief 30-second ponder, it came up with a seven-step recipe using the displayed ingredients.
It used the full sizes rather than my actual portions, so for more accuracy, I’d suggest following the instructions without the size measurements it includes – but its ability to recognise everything was exceptional, and will be a real game-changer if you struggle with meal planning.
And if you’re not happy with the nutritional value of your meal, it can recommend groceries to grab during your next shop and the health benefits of each. By spending some time with this, you could easily create a personalised meal plan.
This is quite similar to how a personal trainer operates. Of course, there are a few differences: PTs can adapt quickly, taking into account mood and schedules, and they also know what food tastes like. However, the app is an excellent starting point for those whose nutritional knowledge begins and ends with ‘five a day’.
For a food lover like me, the top feature is Avo’s ability to analyse a menu and select the best options. I chose Dirty Bones in London’s Soho, where finding a weight-loss friendly meal is like searching for copper in a goldmine – it’s not what the restaurant is known for.
With just one photo of the menu, it filters the choices to give you the options most likely to fit your fitness goals – and breaks it down by subheading too. In the small plates section, it filtered out Mac N Cheese and suggested options like Chicken Tenders and Popcorn Frickles.
You do need to use some common sense, as it picked the Mac Daddy Burger – which comes with the saturated fat king Mac N Cheese – among some healthier burger options. But it’s a solution for being overwhelmed by choice.
Is Simple worth it?
In short, yes. Simple’s range of features are very similar to what you’d get with a personal trainer: someone to hold you accountable, provide you with meal plans and recipes, and offer advice and encouragement.
The app does have its limitations, being a robot, which makes it more suitable for beginners or those unsure of where to start. If you need more advanced help or your weight loss is stalling, that’s when you should consider reaching out to a personal trainer.
However, the food logging and recipe features alone make it worth the cost. Even though I plan on keeping my personal trainer into the New Year, Simple will add some variety to my routine. I can’t recommend this app enough.
If you’re looking for something different, I tried Noom a few years back and found it very user-friendly, although it doesn’t have all the extra features that Simple offers.
