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Prime Fasting App Review: Your Weight Loss Warrior?
Want to give intermittent fasting a go but don’t know where to start? The Prime app may be able to help you.
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With our busy work, home, and social lives, trying to stick to a healthy diet can often take a backseat. Enter intermittent fasting (IF), a time-restricted method of eating that smoothly fits into even the most hectic of schedules. This approach makes it easier to lower your calorie intake naturally and offers many health benefits alongside losing weight.
To harness the rising popularity of IF, many brands have launched intermittent fasting apps to support this diet and help users reach their health and wellness goals. Prime: Intermittent Fasting is one such tool that claims to do just that.
But with so little information available online, I felt compelled to take a deeper dive into the app’s workings to determine whether or not I could recommend it to my patients as an effective intermittent fasting aid.
What Is the Prime Intermittent Fasting App?
- Fasting, water intake, and weight tracker
- Daily recommendations
- Statistics and insights
- Healthy recipes
- Personal coach option
Prime: Intermittent Fasting is an app designed specifically to guide women on their fasting journeys. The app provides a range of features to help you reach your health and fitness goals by experiencing the benefits of intermittent fasting, from losing weight to boosting immunity.
You’ll be able to select the best time-restricted eating protocol for you and then monitor your fasting intervals, weight loss, and daily bodily stats with the app’s progress-tracking features. Prime also provides insights that help women learn more about intermittent fasting. For instance, you can learn how to build muscle while using this dieting method.
Along with its free tracking features, you can upgrade to the premium version. This provides a fasting app tailored exclusively to you, including personalized daily recommendations and insights to help you stay motivated throughout your fasting journey.
You’ll also have the option to get a personalized coach, as well as healthy recipes, 24/7 support, and club chat with other Prime community members.
Why I Decided to Try Out the Prime Intermittent Fasting App
Sticking to any diet can be difficult, requiring you to battle hunger pangs, late-night cravings, and tempting treats that may be in your way. Intermittent fasting can be particularly challenging for beginners who aren’t used to going such long periods without eating.
A recurring theme in my profession is exploring solutions to tackle various health issues, especially for my patients who want to get rid of their excess weight in a healthy way.
Fasting apps are a great way of supporting you on your intermittent fasting journey, providing timers, trackers, and tips to help you achieve your goals. However, I didn’t want to recommend an app to my patients until I was able to deem it user-friendly and good value for money.
While browsing online, I came across Prime. This intermittent fasting app currently doesn’t have many reviews, and those that it does have provide pretty mixed ratings. Curious, I decided to check it out for myself, looking at its key features, pros, and cons before making a final judgment on its effectiveness.
How Does the Prime App Work?
After downloading Prime for free from the App Store, I was asked to answer a series of questions about my lifestyle, goals, and general wellness.
I noticed that the app encourages users to follow the 16:8 method rather than a prolonged fasting protocol. This is where you can consume healthy fasting foods and calorie-containing beverages during an 8-hour window and then fast for the next 16 hours.
The manufacturers claim this is the best and most sustainable method for women to follow. Although I couldn’t find any specific gender-based evidence, I did come across studies highlighting the effectiveness of the 16:8 protocol for burning fat while maintaining muscle mass.
However, the intermittent fasting app does offer a range of other protocols to fit your personal needs, preferences, and daily schedule, including a 24-hour plan.
The main feature of Prime: Intermittent Fasting is the timer, which provides regular reminders for when you should begin and end your fast. While reading reviews, I also found that many customers praise the app for its healthy food and meal recommendations.
Prime advises users to consume a balanced diet that includes a range of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins without restricting “bad foods.” This helps to keep you fuller for longer while eating fewer calories, which is essential for losing weight.
Being able to eat your favorite treats in moderation helps to cut out those afternoon sugar cravings and late-night binges that so many of my patients struggle with when trying to drop a dress size.
Key Features of the Prime Fasting App
While browsing the Prime Intermittent Fasting app, several features caught my attention:
#1 Fasting and weight tracker
Although its main focus is the 16:8 schedule, Prime provides a range of fasting protocols for any dietary needs or preferences, be it combined with the keto, paleo, or gluten-free diet.
You can then track your fast with the in-app timer, which notifies you when your eating period starts and finishes. However, some customer reviews I read suggested that this timer didn’t always work and would need to be stopped and started manually.
I also found a simple weight tracker, where you can see your progress in a handy graph that indicates whether you’re moving in the right direction.
#2 Daily recommendations
Although exclusive to the premium membership, a feature I know my patients would find especially useful is the app’s personalized recommendations. Based on your chosen fasting schedule, progress, and preferences, you’ll receive recommendations for healthy meals that Prime thinks you’ll enjoy.
In addition, this intermittent fasting app also provides informative daily insights that will make your journey easier and keep you motivated. For instance, it may send you facts about energy bars not being as healthy as you may think due to their high levels of trans fats and fructose corn syrup.
#3 Statistics and insights
Along with tracking your fasting schedule, Prime also allows you to monitor changes within your body. For example, you can check for signs that you are in the fat-burning state of ketosis, which will help you to lose weight.
You’ll also be able to see if your fasting protocol has successfully induced autophagy, where your body breaks down and recycles old cells. This occurs when the body is deprived of nutrients, like during fasting, and allows your cells to operate more efficiently.
One element of the intermittent fasting app I particularly like is its ability to integrate with the Apple Health app that comes with iOS devices. This allows you to keep tabs on body status and statistics such as how long you’ve exercised, step count, body mass index, water intake, mindful minutes, and many more.
#4 Personal coach
Whether you’re an intermittent fasting beginner or simply need some advice to see you through your next fasting window, you’ll be able to get all of the help you need from your personal coach.
Available in the Prime app’s premium version, your coach will be on hand 24/7 to make recommendations for your food and water intake and answer any burning questions you may have. This is ideal for my patients who can’t necessarily afford to pay for personalized advice and meal plans from a registered dietician.
Prime Intermittent Fasting vs. the Alternatives
Suitable for all dietary requirements
Ideal for both amateur and experienced intermittent fasters
Training routines don’t require a gym membership
Provides daily motivational boosts
Offers expert tips and guidance
Personalized fasting plans
More than 10 fasting plans to choose from
Easy to use
Scientifically-backed
Offers more than 100 tasty recipes
Lots of educational material available alongside tracking
Offers a range of different fasting programs to suit all needs
Suitable for beginners
Workouts are short yet effective
Provides reminders and push notifications for your fasting schedule
Helps to build healthy habits
Provides motivation to aid weight loss
Syncs with other health and fitness apps or devices
Community support
Live chat support available 24/7
No free trial
Free app contains ads
Lack of flexibility in changing your weekly fasting schedule
No free trial
Lack of clarity over subscriptions
Limited information on the official website
Basic app features
Not many recipes available
Only catered toward women
Prime Intermittent Fasting Benefits
The Prime app’s key features offer several benefits for users in terms of consistency, motivation, and weight reduction. I’ve explained these advantages in more detail below:
#1 It will help you build healthy habits
With research suggesting that it can take up to 254 days to build a new habit, it’s clear that consistency is key. I like the fact that Prime helps its users stay consistent by helping them stick to their fasting windows each day, as well as providing meal planning features that encourage regular, healthy eating habits.
By offering handy personalized tips and tricks each day, I also feel that the app is effective for those wanting to integrate intermittent fasting into their daily routines, but aren’t sure where to start.
#2 Tracking progress will keep you motivated
Another thing I appreciate about Prime: Intermittent Fasting is that it isn’t just limited to a fasting timer. Along with monitoring your daily eating window, it also allows you to log everything from your weight to daily water intake, which is represented visually within the app. Plus, it makes tracking much more convenient by connecting with your favorite wearable device or wellness app.
Being able to see changes over time will keep you motivated to keep working as you move closer toward your goals, meaning you’re less likely to break your fast early or give up altogether.
#3 Following the plan will aid your weight loss
Many of my patients have hectic work and home lives, and the type of diet that works for one of them is unlikely to work for another. Therefore, what’s great about Prime: Intermittent Fasting app is that you can choose a fasting schedule that best suits your needs and that you’re most likely to stick with to lose weight.
This is because regular fasting reduces the number of calories you consume, forcing your body to switch from using glucose for energy to ketones, which are derived from fat. Known as the state of ketosis, this allows your body to begin burning fat.
Prime Intermittent Fasting Downsides
Despite its benefits, I did discover some drawbacks to the Prime: Intermittent Fasting app, which is important to note if you’re considering using the app.
#1 Available features are quite basic
While browsing the app’s features, I thought that they could be a little more in-depth considering the price tag. Beyond the fasting window tracker, which some customers complain doesn’t work unless you manually open the app, the rest of the app is easy to use but leaves a lot to be desired.
For instance, I’d like to see a macronutrient tracking feature included, where users can log their meals and see the number of calories, carbs, proteins, and fats in what they’re eating. This would teach them about what’s in the foods they eat, making healthy eating more sustainable for them in the future.
#2 Small selection of recipes
Although Prime: Intermittent Fasting advocates a balanced diet, there isn’t a huge variety of meals available for inspiration. Despite being able to receive personalized recommendations with the app’s premium upgrade, I found each of the recipes I looked at to be pretty basic, with no measurements or real instructions.
You may enjoy these new recipes at first, but as you progress on your intermittent fasting journey, you’re likely to become bored with this small selection. As a result, you could lose that all-important motivation needed to reach your goals.
#3 Unclear what makes it only for women
One of the things that stood out to me the most about Prime is that it is heavily marketed towards women. However, as an intermittent fasting app, I’m unsure as to why this is, as this diet also offers many benefits for men.
The app also advocates the 16:8 diet as being superior for its female users. I haven’t been able to find any evidence suggesting that one particular fasting schedule is better suited to women versus men than another. In fact, studies indicate that the weight loss benefits of an extremely effective fasting protocol, like alternate-day fasting, don’t vary based on sex at all.
How Much Does the Prime Intermittent Fasting App Cost?
The Prime: Intermittent Fasting app is initially free to download, but you’ll need to purchase a premium subscription to unlock all of the features it has to offer. For instance, premium allows you to access personalized daily recommendations, recipes, and insights, along with 24/7 support and club chat with other members.
According to current information, I found that premium costs $19.99 per month or $49.99 per year.
If you find that it isn’t working for you, you can get your money back after giving the program a go for at least 14 days, as long as you cancel through the app or app store’s settings within 30 days.
How I Evaluated the Prime Fasting App
To help me decide whether or not I could recommend Prime: Intermittent Fasting to my patients, I tested it in 4 distinct categories. Here are the criteria I followed while conducting this review, and what I found:
Quality 3.5/5
In terms of app quality, I didn’t encounter any bugs or glitches when using Prime, but many customers have complained that their fasting timer doesn’t work. Reviewers stated that they have to manually stop and start the timer, which is a huge inconvenience.
Thanks to its progress tracking and range of support features, I feel that the intermittent fasting app is a good introduction for beginners. However, the features are quite limited even after purchasing the premium subscription, and the brand could offer more functionality for those with a higher level of fasting experience.
Effectiveness 4/5
Like many other intermittent fasting apps, some customers find Prime to be effective in reducing mindless snacking, whereas others feel that the features are too basic to help them on their fasting journey.
Connecting the app to a wearable tracking device or other health app on your phone can open up more features that may aid your journey, from monitoring your step count to your body mass index. However, most of Prime’s points for efficacy come from its personalized features, including customizable fasting schedules, recommendations, recipes, and coaching.
Price 4/5
Compared to some other paid fasting apps, Prime is a relatively affordable option at $19.99 per month. However, for this price, I’d like to see a wider range of features that go beyond simply helping intermittent fasting beginners. For example, more in-depth recipes could be included, along with a calorie tracker to teach users more about nutrition.
Brand reputation 3/5
While searching online, I struggled to find many reviews or information about the Prime brand. Their website is a little scarce and simply directs you to the App Store. My opinion is that the company should be more transparent since it currently seems scammy.
User Reviews for Prime Fasting App
The few reviews on the App Store are divided, with some customers complaining that the app is limited and didn’t work for them.
Despite this, those who have had a positive experience with Prime leave rave reviews, detailing how the intermittent fasting app has helped them to cut out late-night snacking, build healthy eating habits, and shift those pounds for good.
A Word From Our RD
Intermittent fasting is a diet involving alternating fasting and eating windows. There are many different types of fasting, from time-restricted to alternating days, and the best protocol will vary from person to person.
This dieting method offers a range of benefits, including increasing insulin sensitivity for those with type 2 diabetes, improving heart function, and even fighting cancer cells. However, perhaps the most well-known advantage of fasting is shedding pounds. A review of 27 trials found that the protocol helped overweight patients safely lose up to 13% of their baseline weight.
Using an intermittent fasting app is a great way of tracking your eating windows and monitoring your progress. You can also learn more about fasting by reading an intermittent fasting book, which will guide you through and help you properly stick to this diet. However, if you’re struggling to adhere to this approach, try using a fasting supplement to curb those cravings.
FAQs
If we consider the price for downloading it, the Prime: Intermittent Fasting app falls into the free fasting apps category; however, you’ll need to pay to use it. Nonetheless, the app offers paid premium features that include personalized recommendations and your own coach, who will be dedicated to answering your burning questions.
There is very little information online regarding the Prime brand and their app. However, the research our team members conducted on Prime, along with the customer reviews that they read, seemed to indicate that the intermittent fasting app is indeed legit.
You can cancel your premium membership via the Prime Intermittent Fasting app settings. Alternatively, you can visit the Apple app store and cancel it through your account settings.
Download Prime: Intermittent Fasting by visiting their official website, which will direct you to the App Store. You can then purchase a premium membership within the app.
Conclusion: Is Prime Worth It?
The Prime Intermittent Fasting app is ideal for both women and men looking to kickstart their intermittent fasting journey and build it into their daily routine. It offers features such as a fasting timer, weight monitor, water tracker, personalized recommendations, along with personal and community support.
However, I wouldn’t recommend this app for those with more fasting experience, as it offers pretty basic features. I’d also advise against long-term use, as the limited meal recommendations can get boring, meaning you’re less likely to stick to the diet and see lasting results.
Therefore, I’d suggest checking out some of the other best fasting apps before making a purchase.
Despite its health benefits, an intermittent fasting diet isn’t suitable for everyone, such as children under 18, people pregnant or breastfeeding, or those with an existing medical condition. Before starting any new diet, you should always consult a medical professional.