Our Verdict
Metabolic Renewal is a weight loss program designed for women that claims to optimize one’s metabolism by working with, rather than against, the natural hormonal changes that occur throughout the menstrual cycle.
FEATURED PARTNER OFFER 
Partner Offers feature brands who paid Forbes Health to appear at the top of our list. While this may influence where their products or services appear on our site, it in no way affects our ratings, which are based on thorough research, solid methodologies and expert advice. Our partners cannot pay us to guarantee favorable reviews of their products or services
Enjoy 1 Free Month Of Membership At Sign Up
Lumen Metabolism Tracker
- World’s first hand-held, portable device to accurately measure metabolism
- Scientifically proven to meet the gold standard of metabolism measurement (RER)
- See how your metabolism is affected by your nutrition, physical activity and sleep
- Achieve sustainable weight loss with daily personalized meal plans
- $299 plus $19/mo, includes one free month of membership
Key Features
- The program offers 12 weeks of workouts divided into four different phases
- 12-week metabolic meal plan with recipes, shopping lists and customization options
- Spreadsheet with built-in calculations to assist with tracking results
- Metabolic Renewal Roadmap for guidance on how to navigate body changes
Jade Teta, N.D., an integrative physician who specializes in naturopathic medicine as well as a long-time personal trainer, created Metabolic Renewal after his mother unexpectedly gained weight that she struggled to lose through diet and exercise alone, according to the company website. This inspired him to create a comprehensive, hormone-focused wellness plan for her that eventually grew into Metabolic Renewal.
“[Dr. Teta] realized he needed a different approach,” says Montana Dambly, vice president of growth marketing at Metabolic Living. Dr. Teta built the program specifically for women to fix the hormonal imbalances he believes “lead to weight gain, trouble sleeping, mood issues, lower energy and excess hunger and cravings,” notes Dambly.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
|
|
Metabolic Renewal at a Glance
- Metabolic Renewal is a weight-loss program designed specifically for women and their hormonal cycles that integrates mindset, diet, daily movement and workouts.
- The full price for the online-only version of Metabolic Renewal is $97.99, while you’ll pay $97.99 plus shipping and handling for the DVD plus online version.
- While scientific references are listed on the company’s website, most of the references are dated, and certain program components, particularly around optimizing the female metabolism, aren’t research-backed.
How Metabolic Renewal Works
Getting started with Metabolic Renewal requires taking a quiz, which sorts you into one of seven hormone types. Metabolic Renewal purports that each of the hormone types—which it claims can change throughout life based on factors like age, stress and exercise—affects metabolism in a unique way and presents distinct challenges. For instance, Metabolic Renewal claims that women with the hormone type of Ovarian Shutdown Metabolism have low levels of estrogen and progesterone, which contributes to carb sensitivity and makes regular exercise especially important. For those with the Ovarian Burnout Metabolism hormone type, on the other hand, the program is focused on balancing both key chemical signals and keeping cortisol levels low.
To determine your hormone type, the quiz asks about your:
- Age
- Height
- Current and ideal weight
- Experience during your menstrual cycle
- Barriers preventing you from exercising
- Use of medications that contain hormones, such as birth control
- Biggest reason sticking to a healthy diet is a challenge
- Any female-related issues, such as polyps, endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), menopause or a hysterectomy
- Other important issues you’d like to solve alongside losing weight and toning muscles
- Description of body shape
- Whether you’ve ready to begin the work
From there, Metabolic Renewal provides tools (such as a roadmap guiding you through how to adapt as your body changes and detailed meal and exercise plans) that you can use to determine how to eat and exercise based on your hormone type. The program lasts for 12 weeks, and it integrates nutrition, exercise and lifestyle.
Three times a week for the duration of the program, users will do 15-minute workouts that combine strength, cardio and conditioning. Additionally, Metabolic Renewal provides a 12-week meal plan with a weekly schedule, recipes, shopping lists and options for customization. Additionally, according to Dambly, the program guides women on how to lower their stress levels.
Users can keep track of their progress along the way with the Female Transformation Tracker, which helps you note health aspects like any shifts in premenstrual syndrome (PMS) or menopause symptoms, changes in your body weight and shape and improvements in your overall health.
FEATURED PARTNER OFFER
Partner Offers feature brands who paid Forbes Health to appear at the top of our list. While this may influence where their products or services appear on our site, it in no way affects our ratings, which are based on thorough research, solid methodologies and expert advice. Our partners cannot pay us to guarantee favorable reviews of their products or services
Noom Sustainable Weight Loss Program
- Prioritizes a balanced relationship with food
- Uses a quiz to create a custom plan and estimated timeline
- Weight, food and exercise logging tool to manage your health
- $70/mo or $209/year with alternate options available
- Over 45 million downloads and 45k+ 5-star reviews
On Noom's Website
Metabolic Renewal: The Cost
The regular, full price for Metabolic Renewal—either the online-only or the DVD plus online version—is $97.99, though discounts may be available. If you opt to get the DVDs and printed materials shipped to you, you’ll also need to cover the cost of shipping and handling.
When you purchase Metabolic Renewal, you’ll receive:
- 15-minute Intelligent Workouts
- 12-week Metabolic Meals Plan
- Female Transformation Tracker
- Potential bonus materials
Unlike many weight loss programs that may charge a monthly subscription or per-meal fee, Metabolic Renewal only charges a one-time cost for all program materials.
Metabolic Renewal: What Experts Say
There are pros and cons to weight loss programs like Metabolic Renewal, notes Lydia Alexander, M.D., the president-elect of the Obesity Medicine Association and a board-certified physician in internal medicine, obesity medicine and lifestyle medicine. “There are things that are said here that are going to work because you’re omitting stuff that is known to be detrimental,” says Dr. Alexander, referring to Metabolic Renewal’s guidance to limit processed foods and sweets.
Track Your Metabolism Daily
Take control of your health with Lumen and effectively monitor your metabolism, boost fat-burning capabilities and achieve sustainable weight loss.
But while Metabolic Renewal’s dietary pattern recommendations “look pretty good,” per Dr. Alexander, some aspects of the program lack a scientific basis. Particularly when it comes to the program’s basis around women’s hormonal cycles, Dr. Alexander said there is “not a ton of amazing research out there to validate whether this is effective or not.”
Additionally, Dr. Alexander suggests that results derived from the program may not be easy to maintain over the long term because “there doesn’t seem to be a robust follow-up” in terms of what to do next and how to transition post-diet. “You can adapt some of the strategies you’re given, but you don’t have the guidance you need. And this is where people struggle the most and want the most assistance,” she notes.
Metabolic Renewal: The Experience
Metabolic Renewal has a ”bad” rating on Trustpilot, with only 1.7 out of 5 stars based on 42 reviews. Only 10% of reviewers gave the product either a 5- or 4-star rating, while 88% gave it 1 star. Common complaints include being upcharged, overcharged or unrightfully charged for products, difficulties receiving refunds and poor customer service.
Similar complaints appear on the Better Business Bureau (BBB) website about its parent company, Natural Health Sherpa, which currently has a rating of 3.69 out of 5 stars based on 166 customer reviews. However, some reviewers praise the program’s exercise routines and a handful reported weight loss success.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How do you renew your metabolism?
You can’t “renew” your metabolism, per se, and many of the commonly touted ways to boost metabolism aren’t backed by science. That said, there are things you can do to achieve and maintain a healthier weight, such as eating proper portions of whole foods, regularly engaging in physical activity and getting enough sleep.
What is the concept of Metabolic Renewal?
The concept of Metabolic Renewal claims to optimize your metabolism, making it more efficient and effective, thus helping you lose weight.
Is hormone-type weight loss legit?
There isn’t much scientific evidence backing the efficacy of a hormone-focused approach to weight loss. At this point, no diet has been found to change hormone levels in such a way as to notably promote weight loss.
