Fasting is not for everyone

When Metabo will not make a fasting plan

Before any plan, the app asks a few safety questions. If any of these apply, it does not build one:

• Pregnant or breastfeeding
• A history of disordered eating
• Type 1 diabetes
• Taking insulin or sulfonylureas
• Taking a prescription weight-loss medicine
• Under 18
• Underweight, or told to gain weight

Fasting with any of these needs a clinician who knows your history to decide whether it is appropriate at all. That is not a call an app should make. You can still use Metabo to log food and track your body.

When to check with your doctor first

If you share any of these, your plan comes with a clear note to show it to your doctor before you start, and the coach takes extra care:

• Prediabetes or type 2 diabetes
• High blood pressure
• A thyroid condition
• PCOS
• A heart, kidney or liver condition
• Acidity, ulcers or another stomach condition
• Any regular medicine, including blood pressure, thyroid, cholesterol, blood-thinning or mood medicines

Long fasts need a clinician first

Daily schedules run from 12:12 to 23:1. Fasts of 24 hours or more are run under supervision in clinical practice, because electrolytes, medicines and how the fast is broken all need planning. In Metabo they do not start from one tap: you first confirm that a clinician has reviewed your medicines for a fast that long, and that someone knows and you have a plan to break it gradually. Metabo cannot check either, so only confirm what is true.

Stop and get help if

• You feel faint, confused, have chest pain or a racing heart.
• You notice fasting is turning into a struggle with food, guilt or bingeing.
• You have symptoms that worry you, for any reason.

Breaking a fast early is always fine. The app records it as ended early, not as a failure.

What Metabo is, and is not

Metabo is a wellness app for building an eating rhythm. It is not a medical device, it does not diagnose or treat any condition, and it does not read or interpret lab results.