The FASTer Way to Fat Loss (FWTFL) program is a heavily promoted weight loss program, touting itself as science-backed and “clinically proven” for fat loss. With the inclusion of structured workouts, macro tracking, and community support, it has the bones of being a decent program for fat loss… if you’re into those kinds of things.
As a Registered Dietitian, I have gotten asked about this program quite a few times. I decided to look past the marketing and investigate if this program actually aligns with evidence-based nutrition, whether it’s truly safe for long-term health, and if it will ultimately help or harm anyone struggling with their weight, relationships with food, and especially those who may struggle with binge eating.
What Is the FASTer Way to Fat Loss?
The FASTer Way to Fat Loss is a 21-day restart program which utilizes intermittent fasting, carb cycling, macro tracking, and daily workouts. It claims to be “clinically proven” and “metabolism-boosting” (whatever that means) with coaching support and an app for tracking.
Exploring The FASTer Way to Fat Loss Program
The marketing materials are geared towards fat loss rather than weight loss, which can give one a false sense of security that the ‘fat loss coach’ really knows what they’re talking about. The problem is, there are usually the same-old tactics lurking around the corner i.e. low-carb, time restricted eating, and an expectation to work out most (if not all) days of the week.
But, I’m being a tad cynical.
Let’s dive in more to see how this program stacks up.
1. Intermittent Fasting
The first modality this program uses is intermittent fasting. If by some miracle you don’t know what intermittent fasting is, the most common iteration is the 16:8 model. Meaning, fast for 16 hours straight (this can include time asleep) then an 8 hour window where eating is allowed. Those who practice intermittent fasting alone, independent of the FASTer way program, may opt for a different ratio of fasting:eating time.
The 16:8 model of eating can work for some, but not all. Fasting itself does not put someone into ‘fat burning mode’. Rather, it is just a somewhat (but really not that) creative way to achieve calorie restriction because… well, one isn’t eating as often. Research suggests that intermittent fasting works for weight loss purely through calorie restriction, but is no more effective than traditional calorie restriction that has no fasting / feasting windows.
A meta-analysis (a study of studies) reviewing 99 randomized controlled trials (gold standard type of experimental trial) showed that IF worked a little better with an alternate-day fasting model compared to your standard calorie-restricted eating. Meaning, rather than following the time restricted eating model of 16:8 (or something else like that), fasting for 24 hours every other day seemed to be a little more effective than just trying to eat fewer calories every day without a specific time restraint.
Now, I don’t know about you, but the “common-sense red flag” is being waved right now. Even though the science technically shows that fasting for 24 hours every other day works slightly better for weight loss than calorie-restricted eating, I don’t know a single person in this entire world who would be willing to do that for the rest of their lives.
But, circling back to FASTer way, they aren’t recommending the alternate day fasting model. Which is wise, I think. But, they are recommending the 16:8 model of fasting which is not shown to be any more effective than your traditional calorie restriction. The only reason this would magically work better is if it helps the individual better with maintaining a calorie deficit. It has nothing to do with the clock, and more about which mechanism helps a client most with being compliant with their deficit.
Intermittent fasting is not ideal for anyone struggling with disordered eating, hormone imbalances, pregnancy and/or breastfeeding, or who live an active lifestyle. From a clinical nutrition standpoint, skipping meals can make your blood sugar tank. This may have negative effects such as brain fog, lightheadedness, and/or increased food cravings. It’s also common to see rebound overeating during eating windows to compensate for the fasting. Someone may end up ultimately having more calories than they were before starting intermittent fasting due to such high cravings for food, which defeats the purpose of why they started.
2. Carb Cycling
The second modality that the FASTer way to Fat Loss program uses is carb cycling. Carb cycling is promising in theory. When we think about low-carb diets, they are almost always effective for short-term weight loss. However, they’re a disaster for long-term weight loss (therefore not recommended to begin with). They don’t work long-term because of being unsustainable for many reasons.
Well, what if someone wasn’t expected to eat low-carb forever? What if they had breaks and could go back to their typical carb intake? Carb cycling attempts to reconcile the benefits of a low-carb diet while reducing the downsides of it. Eat low-carb some days, normal or even high amounts other days, then ideally lose weight without the rebound effects because low-carb-fatigue has been avoided.
But does it work? Well, the research on carb-cycling is nearly non-existent. As far as we can tell, designing protocols based on a person’s preferences and lifestyle is always going to make more sense. There was some research on carb-cycling for athletes, but it didn’t create any compelling long term results. In the context of weight loss and metabolic health, there are only two studies I found that amount to a grand total of 46 people studied between the two. The sample sizes of these studies are abysmal as they were preliminary studies, and the results weren’t great. I suspect the results weren’t enough to warrant further research with larger sample sizes, which is why we don’t have any more to go off of.
Carb-cycling may be adding unnecessary rules, complication, and rigidity despite its best efforts to not be rigid. If it is no more or possibly even less effective than a standard, balanced diet then it is probably not worth the headache.
As with any diet regimen, this could lead to fatigue, poor workout recovery depending on the type of training on the type of carb day(s), and of course a disordered relationship with food due to the hypervigilance required.
3. Macro Tracking
The FASTer Way to Fat Loss also utilizes macro tracking. Meaning, individuals need to track the food they eat in order to understand the macronutrient composition of their food (protein, carbs, and fats). This can certainly be an effective way to increase awareness, but the app’s precision and constant tracking of food may increase food anxiety.
Requiring someone to measure every gram of food they eat and write it down (or type it into a phone) is asking a lot of people. For many, it’s too much. The tracking of food may be necessary for reaching specific goals (especially if following a carb-cycling pattern), but it comes at the cost of tedious tracking that most aren’t willing to take on or sustain long term.
5. FASTer Way to Fat Loss Workouts
The FASTer Way to Fat Loss program incorporates two days of 30-minute, High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and 3 days of strength training with 2 rest days each week. If fat loss is the goal, this is a reasonable way to go about it. HIIT workouts are suggested to be more effective than Moderate Intensity Continuous Training (MICT) for fat loss, and incorporating the strength training is a smart way to help preserve any lean mass at risk of being lost, and potentially build on that lean mass as well (as long as progressive overload is being achieved. In other words, you’re lifting hella heavy).
These workouts aren’t personalized to the individual as far as I can tell, which can expose someone to risk of injury if they aren’t properly instructed on how to do the movements. This is especially problematic if someone needs modifications for their exercises.
It’s always good to encourage exercise. My concern comes when we are asking a client for too much too fast. This can lead to injury or more likely, burnout. If someone eventually quits because it was unsustainable and they didn’t enjoy it, then this isn’t a very effective program.
This is just speculation and an educated guess around what might happen. I am not saying this will happen to everyone who does the FASTer Way to Fat Loss program. The workouts are only about 30 minutes and seem to be doable from home, so that would certainly help with preventing burnout.
6. “Certified” Coaches
Most concerningly, the FASTer Way to Fat Loss program offers training certifications for their coaches which includes (and I’m pulling this directly from their website):
- GLP-1 Coaching Certification,
- Peptide Training — Weight Loss & Beyond,
- Hormone Specialist Training,
- Advanced Macro Training, and
- a “Science-Backed” Digital Program.
YIKES.
BIG yikes.
I can’t think of a worse thing than training a bunch of random people with no medical degrees to advise others on GLP-1 use, meal planning, hormones, and more.
I’m just going to leave this quote from a Thread here:
“We need to bring back intellectual elitism. Sorry, but a virologist will always know more about vaccines than a yoga mommy blogger with a ChatGPT subscription.”
I’ll add:
- An endocrinologist will always know more about hormones than an online fat loss coach
- A dietitian will always know more about meal planning and macros than an online fat loss coach
- A physician will always know more about GLP-1’s and peptides than an online fat loss coach
FASTer Way to Fat Loss Claims
Reviewing the information we’ve gathered above, let’s assess some of the FASTer Way to Fat Loss claims.
1. “Clinically Proven”
Claiming your program is “clinically proven” without having clinical trials to prove your program is a bold move. I know where they’re going with this: they mean ’the methods we use are clinically proven’, but that is different from the literal program being clinically proven.
In order for that to be true, you’d need to run clinical trials measuring results for folks who do follow this program. The only data available is from the company’s own app analytics, not from peer-reviewed, controlled trials. This leaves room for discrepancies, exaggerations, and falsehoods. Now, I don’t know that FASTer Way to Fat Loss IS falsifying their results, I’m just saying it is remarkably easier when there is no clinical trial (and that trial’s report is not being peer reviewed).
It is quite expensive to run a clinical trial and requires a lot of moving pieces, so I don’t blame the company for not having done one. Especially if the social proof and marketing is effective enough to advance the businesses profit margins. However, maybe don’t say “clinically-proven” if it is not.
2. “Work With Your Hormones”
The program claims to work with your hormones, not against them. At first glance, one would feel comforted by that. But me being me, my first thought is: “Which hormones? What will you change to work with them? Are you continuously measuring them?”
If we are sticking with the vague-agenda then sure, regular physical activity and a healthy, balanced diet will support your body including many of your hormones. That doesn’t make the program special in any way, though.
On the other hand, if someone has an actual medical condition that is impacting their hormones, I don’t see how this program is equipped to handle that.
3. Fat Loss vs Weight Loss
The program claims to be specifically targeting fat loss and not general weight loss (which I’m assuming is meant to assure the customer they will not be losing lean mass). The exercise methodology certainly does support fat loss and muscle preservation as it incorporates resistance training. My only caveat to that is if the nutrition program is creating too large of a calorie deficit. That could change my answer, but I do not have enough information on the program’s recommendations to each individual person in order to make that call.
4. Results That Last
FASTer way suggests their initial 21 days isn’t the end of someone’s results. Based on a few Reddit threads though, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Many complain about the price, the Multi-Level-Marketing (MLM) vibes, and one user even reported,
“I couldn’t maintain that lifestyle. I travel for work and don’t have the ability to cook my meals. I was starving myself and miserable as well as hurting from the work outs.”
Will FASTer Way to Weight Loss Help Me Lose Weight?
The program may help you achieve a deficit, which is needed for weight loss. However, be wary of doing anything that you cannot sustain long term as any weight lost is likely to return.
A program that is entirely focused on weight and body size rather than quality of life and personal values is likely to lead to burnout.
Is FASTer Way to Fat Loss Healthy?
Short answer: not for most people, and definitely not for anyone with a complicated relationship with food.
The program is built entirely around the idea that faster is better (I dare you to try to argue that with me. With a name like FASTer Way to Fat Loss, you can’t.). But sustainable fat loss has never worked that way, and it isn’t going to start now just because there’s an app and a certification badge with blonde hair attached to it.
Stacking restrictive cycles on top of each other — fasting windows, low-carb days, macro targets — is a recipe for all-or-nothing thinking. You’re either “on plan” or you’re not. And when people inevitably eat outside their fasting window or go over on carbs during a “low” day, I’d bet money the guilt shows up right on schedule. This is a program that treats food as something to be managed and subconsciously feared rather than trusted, enjoyed, or valued.
Here’s the thing: guilt and hypervigilance around food are the opposite of what actually helps people long-term. Mindful eating, metabolic repair, nervous system regulation around food does NOT happen when your body is bracing for the next restriction day.
Who Should Avoid This Program
This program is especially risky for:
- Anyone with a history of disordered eating, chronic dieting, or a rocky relationship with their body. Unfortunately, those are the people who will be most attracted to this program.
- Women navigating hormonal shifts like thyroid conditions, PCOS/PMOS, perimenopause, etc., since fasting and carb cycling can amplify existing symptoms instead of easing them. These conditions require an OB-GYN and/or endocrinologist as well as a Registered Dietitian.
- Anyone pregnant or breastfeeding
- Athletes or busy, active parents who need steady, reliable energy rather than a day-to-day high-pressure game of “what can I eat today”?
- Anyone who values flexibility and food freedom over rigid rules
If you fall into any of these categories, the “clinically proven” label doesn’t protect you from the actual physiological and psychological toll this kind of structure can take.
The FASTer Way vs Evidence-Based Fat Loss
Here’s what actually moves the needle for fat loss, backed by decades of real research rather than app analytics:
- A small, consistent calorie deficit paired with balanced nutrition, movement, and rest
- You don’t need fasting windows or carb manipulation. Your body doesn’t need a clock or a color-coded calendar to lose fat. Now, if those things help you with achieving the above, go for it. But it’s not required.
- Prioritizing fiber, lean protein, hydration, stress management, and sleep
None of this is as flashy as “21-day restart” or “clinically proven metabolism-boosting protocol.” It’s slower. It’s also less Instagrammable (bummer, I know). But it’s also the version that doesn’t leave you white-knuckling your way through a fasting window at 2pm, starving and short-tempered, and wondering what the hell is wrong with you.
Dietitian Review: The Final Verdict
As a dietitian, I cannot recommend the FASTer Way to Fat Loss as a safe or sustainable approach.
- It combines several trendy tactics (fasting, carb cycling, macro tracking) into one program that looks science-based but doesn’t have clinical evidence behind the program itself, only cherry-picked pieces of it
- The rigidity and “fast results” promise is exactly the kind of setup that backfires: restrict-binge cycles, food anxiety, disordered eating, and burnout down the line
- Any weight lost is likely coming from the calorie deficit, full stop. Not from some proprietary formula of fasting windows or carb cycling
- Nutrition shouldn’t feel like punishment, and a program built around speed and control instead of nourishment is a common-sense red flag
If you’ve done a program like this before and it left you exhausted, hungry, and no closer to peace with food, I can’t say I’m surprised. On the other hand, I’m sure there are folks out there who thrived on the structure of this. These things can go both ways.
But if you’re like the former and tired of the all-or-nothing cycle + want an approach built around trust instead of restriction, that’s exactly what we work on inside Nourished & Free.
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