Nutrisystem introduces a flexible digital weight loss application for do-it-yourself dieters, the emerging post-structured meal plan community looking for instant coaching and advice to maintain their weight loss goals.

The NuMi appl by Nutrisystem provides immediate reinforcement for self-tracking weight loss programs. In a typical setting, dieters wait up to a week for feedback from a dietician, whereas NuMi provides instant information and becomes a digital intervention in place of a coach.

?In today's day and age, with an on-the-go, highly multi-tasked lifestyle, we needed to create a weight loss program that accommodates someone who may not be able to get to the gym every day or doesn't have time to plan every meal,? said Aditi Gokhale, senior vice president and general manager of digital at Nutrisystem, Fort Washington, PA.

?NuMi is the only online weight loss program that provides truly individualized calorie goals from the start,? she said ?No user, even with the same weight and height, will receive the same goals. Every single thing that you are eating is truly specific to your calorie goals for that day.?

?Nutrisystem feels that mobile is an extremely important space for the dieting industry to be in. We want to continue to grow with the mobile space.?

New you
The app operates off a behavior modification system?an interactive solution which measures the failure and success of an individual?s weight loss journey.

Users can calculate the impact of their choices immediately, and attain guidance on-demand as they stray from or exceed weight loss goals. The system focuses on real life encounters instead of particular food groups, ingredients or nutrients, which Nutrisystem claims are depersonalizing factors of traditional dieting.

NuMi lets users input calorie goals and lifestyle choices which are computed to offer customized activity suggestions based on a user?s amount of free time and locale. It also offers 12,000 recommendations for healthy eating habits at home, as well as meal choices at over 300 restaurants and chains.

While the app is free to download, it requires a paid Nustrisystem subscription to access the service. Enrollment includes live-chat capabilities, where users can work with a real member of the NuMi squad to find motivation or voice their diet concerns.

Digital delicacies
Digital health technology can help motivate individuals to lose weight in a healthy fashion bybolstering virtual support and accountability to create a more independent approach to dieting.

Market trends and the state of the economy show a rise in the popularity online and mobile tool alternatives promising to offer the same weight loss assistance as physical services such as Weight Watchers.

Marketdata Enterprises research uncovered that this market segment, the DIY dieters, was up 82 percent in 2012.

As the move to online and mobile weight loss solutions increases, dieters who want the freedom to diet by their own means without being stuck to rigid food lists and limitations are being accommodated.

While free services such as the MyFitnessPal app let users keep track of caloric intake and exercise, their following is built off communal support, where individuals share personal success stories and tips with others around the world.

Nutrisystem?s responsive dieting technique has come at a time when75 percent of Americans are expected to be overweight or obese by 2015, according to IBISWorld. This coupled with a growing disposable income and deteriorating health is expected to push the market for weight loss services to grow over the next year.