DoFasting Reviews: Will it help you lose weight?

Many doctors and dieticians swear by intermittent fasting’s research-supported health benefits, including weight loss, mental sharpness, optimized hormones, lowered inflammation, and enhanced longevity.1 The idea of going long hours or even days in between meals may seem impossible, but intermittent fasting can be pretty flexible. There are many different ways to structure an eating and fasting pattern.

Our testing team was impressed by DoFasting’s polished interface, useful features, and informative articles. It's a very solid choice for those who are new to intermittent fasting. For experienced fasters, its cost — and the fact that it lacks any free features or trial period — make it hard to recommend over some of its competitors. However, it’s still a well-built app that can inspire a consistent fasting routine, potentially helping people lose weight and improve their health. And it’s the only fasting app with useful supplemental products. We just wish its pricing structure were different.

At Innerbody Research, we extensively test each health service we review, including DoFasting. All told, our team has spent over 295 hours researching fasting science and the various platforms, like DoFasting, that try to help people get the most out of this lifestyle. We have a number of team members who are experienced fasters, as well as some who had never tried fasting before our review process began.

We used the DoFasting app extensively to get a sense of how it works, what its strengths and weaknesses are, and ultimately who would benefit the most from it. We also investigated DoFasting’s top competition to see if any of those companies offer more bang for your buck or just a different enough experience to appeal to someone who might not take to DoFasting.

Additionally, like all health-related content on this website, this review was thoroughly vetted by one or more members of our Medical Review Board for accuracy. We’ll keep our eyes on DoFasting as the company continues to fine-tune its app and supplemental products, so we can keep this review up-to-date.

Over the past two decades, Innerbody Research has helped tens of millions of readers make more informed decisions about staying healthy and living healthier lifestyles.

DoFasting is one of many intermittent fasting weight loss programs built around a smartphone app, so we set out to see how it compares to other options.

After six weeks of following a 16:8 fasting schedule, our testers found they felt more focused, slept better, and had shed an average of 1.5lbs. per week. We identified several major criteria to evaluate DoFasting’s app and its supplements:

• Usefulness
• Cost
• Safety
• Customer Support

Usefulness was, by far, our most important consideration, and it held more weight in our final determinations than anything else.

Usefulness

The prominent feature of the DoFasting app is the fasting tracker. You can choose a fasting method that fits your lifestyle or follow the app’s advice and go with what it recommends. And, if you so choose, the app will send daily reminders about your fast. Being able to rely on these notifications helps keep you from clock-watching and wondering when your fast might end so that you can keep your focus elsewhere — a key component to fasting success.

The other app features are intuitive, but utilizing all of them is cumbersome. Logging weight, steps, food, and water is a quick process. You can also integrate the step counter with Apple and Android systems to log that data point for you.

One of DoFasting’s best features for anyone using fasting along with an exercise routine is the workout library. The app guides you through every exercise with a video tutorial and keeps track of time for you. DoFasting’s recipe database is also extremely helpful, especially for new fasters. And when you find something you like, you can add it to a favorites list for quick access. Another benefit for those relatively new to fasting is the app’s article database, though this is still a work in progress as the DoFasting writers continue to generate valuable content.

One thing we’d like to see is a better way for these features to tie together. For example, there’s a valuable fasting article in the Articles section that talks about how to break a fast properly for optimal health, and there’s a big button at the bottom of that page to take you to the Meals section. But it just brings you to the meals homepage instead of a collection of meals that would be good fast breakers. With time, these aspects of the user interface may improve.

Of course, that’s just the app. DoFasting’s supplements have a certain degree of usefulness, as well. But we don’t think it’s a very high degree of usefulness, at least not compared to other options on the market. For example, the Essential Fiber Complex contains 2,000mg of glucomannan, while some of the successful studies we’ve read used doses of 3,000mg2 and 3,990mg spread out across three daily meals.3 And its apple cider vinegar gummies, while certainly a more palatable way of getting some of ACV’s benefits, are dosed lower than many competitors like Bragg.

While you may be able to get a better glucomannan or ACV supplement elsewhere, it is worth noting that DoFasting is the only fasting app in its class to offer supplements like these. The company also sells a useful smart scale that connects to your smartphone and delivers crucial data points to the DoFasting app, like body fat percentage and even hydration. Unfortunately, as with the supplements, you can find similar products for less and input much of that data into your Apple or Android fitness tracking app.

Cost

Cost is where DoFasting suffers. The least you’ll pay monthly to use it is $11.50, and the next most expensive comparable app costs a little under $10/month. However, that other app — and many like it — provide you with DoFasting’s central feature, the fasting timer and tracker, for free. Many of those apps also provide articles on fasting and healthy dieting, as well as data points gleaned from your fasting experience and integration with mobile fitness trackers from Apple and Android.

Here’s a helpful chart to make sense of how DoFasting fits into the fasting app landscape:

As you can see, DoFasting’s least expensive plan is still a little more expensive per month than other companies. And since so many of those companies offer their most basic — and most useful feature — before you even have to subscribe, they each have a cost advantage over DoFasting.

Safety

Intermittent fasting has several health benefits, but it can result in some side effects, such as hunger, nausea, headaches, or fatigue. DoFasting’s supplements may help alleviate some of these side effects by curbing hunger pangs, but it’s incumbent upon fasters to take certain steps toward having the best possible experience. Fortunately, this is one area in which we think DoFasting shines.

At the end of each fasting session, the app asks you how you’re feeling, with options like tired, anxious, and very hungry. Depending on your answer, the app automatically directs you to relevant content from its collection of fasting articles or generates a simple pop-up with a tip for combatting any issues you’ve faced. And the app's organization of its fasting articles makes it easier to find helpful information, as compared to competitors’ apps.

Because intermittent fasting involves extended periods spent not eating, this particular diet is not ideal for everyone. Intermittent fasting may not be a safe option if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, have Type 1 diabetes, have a history of eating disorders, or have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). We recommend talking to your doctor first before committing to intermittent fasting.

Customer support

DoFasting doesn’t offer especially good customer support. In its defense, most of the fasting apps we’ve investigated have similar issues, offering an email address for contact and nothing more — no phone number or chat support. When we did reach out to DoFasting with a specific question, we were told that its customer support staff couldn’t help us and that our request would be forwarded to a nutritionist. This is despite the fact that our question was related to product selection.

Of course, if your question is more about nutrition or fasting itself, DoFasting suffers from not offering any personalized coaching. Fastic has a system that can get you in touch with a personal health coach who can guide you through your fasting journey.

Intermittent fasting (IF) is sometimes thought of as a weight loss tool. But the fasting community is much more concerned with overall health than just weight loss. Fat loss just happens to be a common byproduct of this particular approach.

The idea is simple: you pick a point in the day at which you stop eating, and you don’t consume any meaningful calories for at least 12 hours. We say meaningful calories because there is technically caloric content in things like black coffee and tea, but not enough to be considered fast-breaking.

Twelve hours of fasting is generally considered a minimum, and it’s something many people already do. If you eat dinner at 6 p.m. and have breakfast at 7 a.m., you’ve fasted. That’s why they call it breakfast. But most intermittent fasting diets try to recommend fasting for at least 16 hours, and there are several approaches to how you time your meals, what you eat, and exactly when you eat it.

Some popular approaches to IF include:

• 5:2 fasting: This approach involves eating five days a week and fasting for two non-consecutive days.
• Daily time-restricted fasting: This method entails eating within a certain period of the day and fasting for the remaining hours. The most popular daily time-restricted fasting is the 16:8 method, in which you fast for 16 hours and eat during an eight-hour window.
• OMAD fasting: OMAD stands for One Meal A Day. It can be particularly difficult to get a day’s worth of nutrients in a single meal, so we advise against this option for most people.

There are a number of health benefits associated with IF, including:

• Increased mental sharpness
• Improved blood pressure and resting heart rate
• Decreased risk for obesity and obesity-related diseases
• Reduced inflammation
• Enhanced longevity4

Many people assume that the weight loss aspects of IF are a result of reduced caloric intake, but this is only partially true. Many people end up consuming fewer overall calories when practicing IF because there’s simply less time to eat. But IF affects other aspects of your health while you’re fasting, including cellular maintenance and metabolic rhythms.5

As mentioned earlier, intermittent fasting is not suitable for everyone, especially if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, have Type 1 diabetes, have gastroesophageal reflux disease, or have a history of eating disorders.6 We recommend consulting your doctor before committing to IF or any other new eating regimen.

DoFasting is a health and wellness company that provides a subscription-based app for intermittent fasting and several weight loss supplements. The DoFasting app helps you monitor your fasting and lose weight with various features:

• A fasting tracker that indicates your hours of fasting and your eating window
• Water, food, step, and weight tracker
• A library of workouts
• Over 5,000 healthy recipes that you can tailor to your meal preferences
• Articles about intermittent fasting

The app aims to help you lose weight by providing healthy recipes to cook, workouts to get you moving, and a custom fasting method that fits your lifestyle. The DoFasting supplements work in conjunction with the app to provide some needed nutrients and help suppress hunger, making your fasting regimen more tolerable and effective.

Who should and shouldn’t use DoFasting?

DoFasting is worth considering if you’re interested in intermittent fasting and seeking exercise and meal ideas. It’s designed to help people who aren’t experienced fasters. DoFasting allows for flexibility because you can choose your fasting method, what you eat, and how you work out.

However, DoFasting isn’t a suitable choice — nor would any fasting program be a suitable choice — for those who are pregnant or breastfeeding, those with a history of eating disorders, people with diabetes, and people with certain digestive conditions like GERD or gastritis.

The app’s collection of articles and post-fasting guidance system makes it a smart choice for those new to fasting. The time wheel that fills up as your fast moves along is dotted with mile markers you can click to learn about what each new phase of a single fast does inside your body.

DoFasting is also a smart choice for those who want to pair their fasting experience with a solid workout and nutrition routine but don’t know where to start. The app’s workout library includes timed sessions for each exercise that display proper form and target specific areas of the body or aspects of health. And the extensive selection of recipes with nuanced dietary filters is ideal for those who might not know how to maximize their nutrition during a shortened eating window.

If you’re an experienced faster, you might not find the app quite as helpful. There will certainly be some information to glean from it, even if you’ve fasted regularly for years. But most long-time fasters already know how to responsibly break a fast, and they’ve likely learned various techniques for extending their fasts, battling hunger, and getting the most out of their experience.

The most useful feature for experienced fasters is the fasting timer. The experienced fasters on our team all report that they can sometimes overextend their fasts, which can limit eating windows to the point of caloric or nutrient deficiency if they stick to hard limits on when they start their fasts. That makes a fasting timer with smartphone notifications incredibly useful. But other companies offer that feature for free, making them superior options to DoFasting for experienced fasters.

If you’re looking for a more structured weight loss plan, DoFasting may not be the best option. It is also not ideal if you prefer having social support as part of your weight loss program. The company does not have any coaches, guides, or dieticians to aid individuals with motivation or accountability.

The more months you pay for, the cheaper the DoFasting app is.

A subscription provides access to all the app’s features, including:

• Customizable fasting options
• A fasting and eating window tracker
• A weight, water, step, and calorie tracker
• Over 5,000 healthy recipes
• A library of workouts for all levels
• Some educational articles about wellness and intermittent fasting

After you purchase a subscription, the app prompts you to choose the type of fast you want to employ. Fasts are categorized based on the level of difficulty. For example, a beginner's fast is 12:12, in which you fast for 12 hours and have a 12-hour eating window. A more advanced fast would be 5:2, in which you fast for two non-consecutive days each week.

Once you choose your fasting type, the app begins tracking your eating window. The fasting tracker is helpful, especially if you use the app’s reminders.

You can also customize numerous parts of the app: your fasting method, food preferences or dietary restrictions, the type of workouts you want to do, and whether or not you want to track water, calories, or steps. The best and most extensive app features are the workout and healthy recipe libraries.

Overall, the app is straightforward to use, enables you to keep track of a lot of data, and is chock-full of resources to eat healthily and exercise.

Canceling your DoFasting subscription

The cancellation process depends upon how you purchased the app — on DoFasting’s website, on Google Play, or with an iOS device. In some cases, you’ll have to go through your phone’s subscription settings to cancel, while in others, you can do so through the company. We recommend reviewing the company’s cancellation instructions, which could be more straightforward.

DoFasting is also incredibly strict about refunds and does not seem willing to grant them. The company will only consider a refund if you contact customer support within 14 days of your purchase. You must provide proof of payment along with detailed information and visual proof showing how the product was faulty.

When taken daily, DoFasting’s supplements may increase your energy, help lower bad cholesterol levels, nourish healthy gut bacteria, suppress hunger, and kickstart the fat-burning process. There are superior options to these, however, and many that cost less, as well. Still, it’s worth examining what each has to offer.

The Essential Fiber Complex

The Essential Fiber Complex Box is the company’s flagship weight loss supplement. It’s designed to promote feelings of satiety, allowing you to prolong your fast while avoiding hunger pangs. It also helps regulate cholesterol and maintain a healthy colon. The Essential Fiber Complex Box is non-GMO, gluten-free, sugar-free, and vegan.

The Essential Fiber Complex Box contains two plant-based fibers: cellulose and glucomannan. Both cellulose and glucomannan purportedly prolong feelings of satiety and therefore could aid in promoting weight loss, but further investigation is needed to determine the ingredients’ efficacy. A few studies have shown that taking these supplements has no effect on weight loss or hunger/fullness.7 However, this meta-analysis found evidence of weight loss among study participants with overweight and obesity specifically.8

There are many fiber-based weight loss supplements on the market, including fat burners that combine glucomannan and capsaicin, which have been shown to promote weight loss in several studies.9 And these supplements typically cost less than DoFasting’s, making it more economical and perhaps more effective to look elsewhere for a weight loss supplement to combine with the DoFasting app. Weight loss supplements may be inappropriate for several population groups; we suggest that you always consult a qualified healthcare provider for personalized guidance before beginning a new supplement or weight loss routine.

Apple Cider Vinegar Gummies

Research suggests that apple cider vinegar has many benefits, including lowering blood sugar and promoting a healthy digestive system.10 DoFasting’s Apple Cider Vinegar Gummies integrate these benefits with vitamins B6, B12, iodine, and folic acid. These gummies are gluten-free, non-GMO, vegan, and free of artificial colors and flavors. However, they do contain tree nuts (coconut, specifically).

The gummies are a great alternative to drinking apple cider vinegar because — in liquid form — apple cider vinegar may erode tooth enamel and even damage the esophagus. It is possible to water down apple cider vinegar, but the taste is still too strong for some people.

When we last looked into DoFasting’s gummies, they cost $63.99 for three bottles with a subscription. That works out to a little over $20/month. But at the time of this writing, DoFasting’s gummies were out of stock, and the company would not divulge when they would return or the price point to expect when they do.

There are other apple cider vinegar supplements on the market. Most notable is Bragg’s ACV Supplement in capsule form. At $19.99 for one bottle, Bragg’s price is comparable to DoFasting’s. But Bragg’s capsules contain about three times more ACV than DoFasting gummies contain, and Bragg’s utilizes vitamin D3, zinc, and sodium instead of the complex found in DoFasting’s gummies. And since electrolytes play such an important role in fasting, that sodium content actually makes Bragg’s capsules a better choice during a fast.11

DoFasting Smart Scale

While not a supplement, DoFasting’s Smart Scale can serve as a useful tool in tracking your progress as you fast for extended periods. In addition to measuring your weight, the scale can deduce several other factors about you by combining weight and electrical measurements with data you input about age and height.

All told, the scale can assess:

• Weight
• Ideal weight
• Body mass index
• Basal metabolic rate
• Total body fat
• Body fat percentage
• Visceral fat
• Skeletal muscle mass
• Bone mass
• Water content
• Protein levels
• Body type
• Metabolic age

Keep in mind that many of these measurements are loose inferences drawn from a combination of data you input and bioelectrical impedance analysis that measures electrical conductivity of your body. Things like hydration and electrolyte levels can throw these measurements off, and scales like this aren’t scientifically calibrated to be diagnostic in any way. You’d be wise to consider its readings as guideposts rather than determining factors for your health.

The big problem with this scale is that it costs $100. It’s convenient that it integrates smoothly with the DoFasting app, but there are similar scales on the market that take all of the same measurements with the same degree of relative accuracy for under $50. They may not connect with the DoFasting app, but most can connect with fitness tracking apps by Apple and Android, and those can then connect with DoFasting’s app. It’s an extra step to take, but it can save you money.

Bygone products

DoFasting used to offer a couple of other products, as well, mainly targeting ketogenic dieters. Pairing intermittent fasting with the keto diet is relatively popular, as ketosis can be a result of fasting. But the keto diet has also recently fallen out of favor in several health and wellness circles, mostly due to conflicting research reports about its safety.12

DoFasting’s bygone keto products included a drink that combined MCT oil, collagen, and electrolytes, as well as another drink that introduced exogenous ketones that some studies indicate can jumpstart and improve a ketogenic diet.13

DoFasting also used to offer bundles as a way to save some money. One bundle put together the fiber complex and ACV gummies, and the other added the exogenous ketone booster to the package.

Whether any of these products will return in the future is unclear, but for now, there’s no sign of them on the DoFasting website.

To get started with DoFasting, go to the company’s website or download the app on your phone. The sign-up process takes less than five minutes, and you can expect the following.

Step 1: Questionnaire

The brief questionnaire asks for basic information like height, weight, and gender; how familiar you are with intermittent fasting; when you’re hungriest; what your ideal weight is; and whether or not you are breastfeeding, pregnant, or diabetic.

After you answer the questions, DoFasting presents you with a timeline so you can see how quickly you can reach your ideal weight.

Step 2: Sign up and pay

You then must enter your email to see the pricing options. You can sign up for an autorenewal subscription in increments of three months, six months, or 12 months. While you enter payment details, a timer counts down.

Step 3: Start your plan

After you purchase a plan, you will experience some extreme upselling. DoFasting pushes its exclusive membership-only supplements, but you can buy these later on after you purchase a subscription.

You’re then prompted to create a login and download the app. You can begin fasting right away; however, you should follow the suggested preparation tips first.

The DoFasting app is straightforward and easy to use with several features, including:

• The fasting/eating tracker
• A library of workouts
• Over 5,000 healthy recipes
• Some informative articles
• A place for you to log your daily weight, calories, water intake, and steps

The fasting/eating tracker is the prominent feature. You have to manually begin and end your fast and eating window, but that’s easy to remember because you can set a notification. After each fast, the app asks how you’re feeling, and hopefully, fasting becomes easier over time.

Based on the questions you answered during the sign-up process, DoFasting calculates how many calories you should eat per day if weight loss is your goal. If you choose to count calories, you may be better off using another app because there isn’t a barcode scanner. So if you eat any packaged items, you need to input all nutrition information manually. But you can easily add individual ingredients — like an egg or an apple — or DoFasting’s recipes.

DoFasting’s educational content collection has grown over the years from around 20 articles to several dozen. The database is divided up into subcategories but isn’t searchable, which is frustrating.

By far, the app’s best features are its recipe and workout libraries. The app has over 5,000 recipes, and you can filter your search by dish type, preparation time, or calories. You can also save your favorite recipes for later.

The workout library provides an array of options to choose from based on the type of workout, skill level, the time you have, and what body part you want to focus on. The app guides you through the entire workout from start to finish with video tutorials, and it also has a built-in timer. Additionally, you have options to move to the next workout, pause, or skip the rest.

Privacy considerations

DoFasting is transparent with how it handles personal data when you visit the website or use its mobile app. The company’s privacy policy is easily accessible on its website.

DoFasting collects personal data from its users to provide goods and services. The company collects non-personally identifiable information, such as your IP address, geographical location, browser type, OS, device type, etc., through the use of cookies and other technology. You can manage cookie collection and disclosure of personal data through links on the website, but if you block cookies, you may be unable to use all of the website’s features.

The company may disclose personal data to any of its subsidiaries, insurers, or professional advisers as reasonably necessary for maintaining insurance coverage or in court proceedings.

These are all relatively normal practices for any app-based company, though we wish DoFasting and its competitors would make opting out of certain data-sharing practices a little easier.

Intermittent fasting apps are prevalent. DoFasting is unique with its fasting focus and other weight-loss offerings, including healthy recipes, exercises, and supplements — something other fasting apps do not provide, at least not all in one place. Let’s see how DoFasting compares to some of its biggest competitors.

Fastic

Fastic boasts the world’s largest fasting community, with over 27 million app subscribers. Similar to DoFasting, Fastic is fasting-focused with a holistic weight loss approach. You can download the free version that includes a water and step log and a well-designed fasting tracker. It’s a stripped-down approach that makes it the best choice for experienced fasters who want a free app they can use to monitor basic fasting stats without a lot of hassle or complications.

The paid version, Fastic Plus, includes a recipe book, daily and weekly challenges, access to Fastic social media channels, expert guidance, educational content, and healthy habit tips. It’s nearly as expensive as DoFasting, costing $120 for a year, and there’s no free trial of the Fastic Plus feature set. For new fasters or those that need a refresher, this is still one of the more expensive choices, and no version includes a meal tracker. But if a community and social support are something you desire, then Fastic may be worth the price.

Zero

Zero’s free app includes a fast timer, a journal, educational content, and weight-loss statistics. The company’s paid version, Zero Plus, costs $69.99 a year. Zero Plus includes everything that the free version does, as well as advanced statistical tracking and the ability to submit questions to the company’s expert panel. Zero Plus also has a free, one-week trial period.

Zero Plus is only about half as expensive as DoFasting’s yearly cost, which runs $138 (two six-month subscriptions at $69 each). And Zero Plus is more robust in terms of its fasting-oriented offerings. You’ll better understand how intermittent fasting works, and you’ll have greater flexibility with IF customization. With that said, DoFasting’s app includes two key features that Zero doesn’t: thousands of healthy recipes and a phenomenal workout library. And DoFasting features are much easier to find. Zero’s user interface buries valuable resources like its meal tracker.

Ultimately, Zero is a fine, free tracker with a few extra features, and Zero Plus is a less expensive upgrade that rivals DoFasting in a few areas, but not all.

BodyFast

If you want access to personalized coaching, you can take advantage of BodyFast’s 14-day money-back guarantee. The free version of the app has about as many features as Fastic, but the interface isn’t quite as well polished. When you upgrade, you’ll unlock weekly challenges, daily coaching, various fasting plans, and a few other perks. But it’s the personalized coaching that makes a big difference, especially for those new to fasting.

By default, BodyFast’s timer runs automatically, which is frustrating if you start and end your fasts at varying times throughout the week. You’ll have to go in and manually change things every day, whereas other apps like Fastic and DoFasting notify you about when your fast is supposed to start, and you open the app to initiate the timer. You can also make manual adjustments in those apps if you miss a notification.

The best thing about BodyFast is its price, which is among the lowest, even if you don’t opt for a year’s subscription. A three-month subscription ends up costing about $112 over the course of a year, requiring you to come up with less money up-front.

Simple

Simple offers its full set of features for the lowest price of these fasting apps. It’s not a bad choice for experienced fasters, but it doesn’t provide much motivation for fasters of any level. The interface is not intuitive, and it lacks the basic, wheel-based fasting tracker other apps use, instead employing a timer with a timeline beneath it.

Ultimately, Simple is a fine choice if you want something bare bones (as the name would suggest) and intend to use its free version as a basic timer. It also offers a lot of useful articles if you want to explore a vast library of free information. It just lacks the deep features or visual appeal you get from its competitors.