Please note: This review reflects information we gathered on the date it was researched and may now be out of date. Providers frequently change their pricing, plans, medications, and policies. Any ratings, reviews, and customer feedback are gathered from publicly available online sources and may have since changed or no longer be accurate. Always do your own research and confirm the latest details directly with the provider before making any decision.
New Balance Review
Around 45% of the weight lost on semaglutide in STEP 1 was lean tissue. Walking is how you fight that, so shoes are one of the few things in our queue that genuinely help.
New Balance
Six Widths, 2A To 6EThe genuine reason to choose this brand: six width fittings in men's — 2A extra narrow, B narrow, D standard, 2E wide, 4E extra wide and 6E XX-wide. For wide feet, bunions, oedema, neuropathy or a foot needing depth for an orthotic, width is the difference between wearable and not, and almost no competitor stocks that range.
If you have diabetes, read this first. Medicare Part B covers one pair of therapeutic shoes plus up to three pairs of inserts per calendar year at 80% for beneficiaries with diabetes and a qualifying foot complication — but only via a certifying physician, a prescribing specialist and a Medicare-enrolled supplier. Buying retail online cannot access it.
Returns run 45 days for a full refund — longer than most apparel retailers — but require unworn condition with original tags, tried on indoors only and no scuffed soles. Free shipping and free returns are membership benefits rather than the default, so join before ordering.
Affiliate disclosure: GLP1Drugs.org earns a commission if you buy through the links on this page. Note plainly: the most valuable advice here — check the Medicare benefit first if you have diabetes — points away from buying through us. The site blocked our automated access, so policy details come from archived and secondary sources and are flagged as such. Verified 8 August 2026.
Visit New BalanceOur Top Recommended Provider: CoreAge Rx
After reviewing dozens of GLP-1 telehealth providers, CoreAge Rx is the one we recommend most. CoreAge Rx is one of our partners — read on for why we recommend them:
Flat-Rate Pricing
Same cost at every dose level — no price jumps as you titrate up.
Verified Pharmacies
US-licensed physicians and NABP-verified 503A compounding pharmacies you can trust.
Everything Included
Medication, supplies, free shipping, and ongoing clinical support — no hidden fees.
Active Community of Members
Ask questions, share progress, and get answers from other patients on the same journey — alongside ongoing clinical support from your care team.
~45%
Of STEP 1 Loss Was Lean Tissue
6
Width Fittings, 2A To 6E
80%
Medicare Covers, Not Via Retail
45
Day Returns, Unworn Only
What Actually Matters When Buying These
Six things, only two of which are about the shoes.
Exercise Is The Real Adjunct, Not A Supplement
In the STEP 1 body-composition substudy roughly 45% of the weight lost on semaglutide was lean tissue. Resistance training and walking are the interventions with actual evidence for protecting it. Shoes are instrumental to that
Six Widths Is A Genuine Clinical Advantage
New Balance offers 2A extra narrow, B narrow, D standard, 2E wide, 4E extra wide and 6E XX-wide in men's. Very few brands go that far, and for a wide or swollen foot it is the difference between wearable and not
Your Feet Will Change Size
Substantial weight loss reduces foot volume and can thin the plantar fat pad. Shoes bought at the start of treatment often end up loose, and a loose running shoe causes blisters and instability rather than just looking wrong
If You Have Diabetes, Read The Medicare Part
Medicare Part B covers one pair of therapeutic shoes plus up to three pairs of inserts per calendar year at 80% for people with diabetes and a qualifying foot complication. You cannot claim it buying retail online
Returns Are 45 Days But Unworn Only
The window is longer than most clothing retailers. The catch is condition: unworn, original tags and packaging, tried on indoors only with no scuffed soles — so you cannot road-test the fit and send them back
Free Shipping Is A Membership Benefit
New Balance's own site states that members get free shipping and free returns. That is a benefit of joining rather than the default, so factor postage in if you do not sign up
Two Ways To Get Shoes, And They Are Not Equivalent
If you have diabetes with a qualifying complication, the channel you buy through decides whether you pay 100% or 20%.
| Buying retail (incl. this link) | Medicare therapeutic shoe route | |
|---|---|---|
| You pay | Full price | 20% coinsurance after the Part B deductible |
| Who qualifies | Anyone | Diabetes plus neuropathy, deformity, poor circulation, prior ulcer or amputation |
| What is needed | A card | Physician certification, specialist prescription and fitting, Medicare-enrolled supplier |
| Covers | Whatever you choose | One pair per calendar year, plus up to three pairs of inserts |
| Fitting | Your own guess, or a shop | Professionally fitted, which is the point |
This is not an argument against New Balance — its wide fittings are exactly what diabetic feet often need, and plenty of therapeutic footwear suppliers stock mainstream brands. It is an argument about sequence: ask your clinician first, buy retail second. Our side-effects guide covers exercising through the nausea and fatigue of dose escalation, and our provider rankings cover getting proper clinical oversight in the first place.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- ✓Six width options in men's — 2A extra narrow, B narrow, D standard, 2E wide, 4E extra wide and 6E XX-wide — which very few footwear brands match
- ✓That width range is genuinely clinically useful for wide feet, bunions, oedema, neuropathy and post-surgical swelling, not just a comfort preference
- ✓A 45-day return window for a full refund to your original payment method, which is longer than most apparel retailers offer
- ✓Free shipping and free returns for members, with membership giving early access and promotions
- ✓An established global brand with wide physical retail distribution, so you can try shoes on before ordering
- ✓Walking and running shoes support the single best-evidenced adjunct to GLP-1 treatment: keeping physical activity and resistance work going while you lose weight
- ✓A dedicated wide-shoes section on the site rather than widths buried as an afterthought
- ✓Extensive third-party availability means price comparison and in-person fitting are both realistic
- ✓Kids' ranges include wide fittings and a school-shoe category, useful if you are buying for a family rather than yourself
Cons
- ✕Returns require unworn condition with original tags, tried on indoors only and no scuffed soles — so you cannot genuinely test a running shoe and return it
- ✕Free shipping and free returns are membership benefits rather than the default for every shopper
- ✕The extreme widths are stocked in far fewer styles: by one recent count, 6E across only a handful of men's models against dozens in standard D
- ✕If you have diabetes and a qualifying foot complication, buying retail forfeits a Medicare benefit worth 80% of an approved therapeutic pair
- ✕The Medicare route requires a prescribing clinician and a Medicare-enrolled supplier, so it cannot be combined with an online retail purchase
- ✕Both product landing pages supplied to affiliates point at v12-generation models, which are likely superseded given the brief was last updated in August 2024
- ✕The site blocked our automated access entirely, so we could not verify the return policy or width availability at source and relied on archived and secondary sources
- ✕Athletic shoe pricing is not cheap, and buying at the start of treatment risks needing a smaller size before the shoes wear out
- ✕No independent Trustpilot or BBB record was retrievable for us to assess service and returns handling
Our Verdict
4.0 / 5 — one of the few things in our affiliate queue that supports what actually works, and the width range is a real clinical advantage.
Most of what gets marketed to people on GLP-1 medication is a supplement with a story attached. This is not that. The single biggest unsolved problem in this treatment is that a large share of the weight lost is lean tissue — around 45% in the STEP 1 body-composition substudy — and the interventions that protect it are protein and physical activity, not powders. Footwear is instrumental to the second one, because pain is the main reason people stop walking. So athletic shoes have a better claim to being useful here than almost anything else we review, provided nobody pretends the shoes are the intervention.
New Balance's specific advantage is width. Offering 2A, B, D, 2E, 4E and 6E in men's is unusual — most athletic brands give you one fitting, or a standard and a wide — and for a genuinely wide forefoot, bunions, oedema, or a diabetic foot needing depth for an insole, the correct width matters far more than the brand or the cushioning technology. Getting it wrong causes rubbing and callus, and in a neuropathic foot that cannot feel pressure, that pathway ends somewhere serious. Add a 45-day return window, longer than most apparel retailers, and free returns for members, and the retail proposition is sound. Two honest limits: the widest fittings come in far fewer styles, and returns must be unworn with unscuffed soles, so you get a carpet test rather than a road test.
The reason this is 4.0 rather than higher is one thing we would rather you did before clicking our link. If you have diabetes together with peripheral neuropathy, foot deformity, poor circulation, a prior ulcer or an amputation, Medicare Part B may cover one pair of therapeutic shoes and up to three pairs of inserts each calendar year at 80% — but only through a physician who certifies necessity, a specialist who prescribes and fits, and a Medicare-enrolled supplier. An online retail purchase cannot access that, and a professional fitting is worth having anyway for a foot at risk. Ask your clinician first. We also could not load the New Balance site at all — it blocked automated access — so the return and width details here come from archived captures and secondary sources rather than verified at source, and both product pages the affiliate programme supplied point at v12-generation models that have probably been superseded.
Visit New BalanceFrequently Asked Questions
Why do shoes matter more than usual on a GLP-1?
Because of what you lose alongside the fat. In the body-composition substudy of STEP 1, roughly 45% of the weight lost on semaglutide 2.4mg was lean tissue rather than fat. That is not a scandal — it is broadly what happens in any substantial weight loss — but it is the most important practical problem in GLP-1 treatment, because muscle is what carries you through the rest of your life, and losing it makes regain easier and function worse. There are exactly two interventions with real evidence for protecting lean mass during weight loss: adequate protein intake, and resistance training plus general physical activity. Neither is a supplement, and neither is sold on a landing page. Footwear is genuinely instrumental to the second one. If your knees or feet hurt, you will not walk; if you will not walk, you lose more muscle than you needed to. So of everything in our affiliate queue, athletic shoes have one of the better claims to being useful rather than adjacent. What we would add is the obvious caveat: the shoes are not the intervention. Walking most days and lifting something heavy twice a week is the intervention. Buy whatever lets you do that comfortably, from whoever sells it.
Will my shoe size change as I lose weight?
Quite possibly, and it is a genuinely under-discussed consequence. Feet change with body weight in more than one way. Total foot volume decreases as adipose tissue and any fluid retention reduce, so width and girth often go down before length does. The plantar fat pad — the cushioning under the heel and ball of the foot — can thin with substantial weight loss, which changes how a shoe feels underfoot even in the same nominal size. And if you previously had oedema, resolving it can drop you a width fitting or more. The practical consequences are specific. A running shoe that has become loose is not merely cosmetically wrong: excess movement inside the shoe causes blisters, black toenails and ankle instability, which is exactly what stops people exercising. Conversely, a thinning fat pad can make a previously comfortable shoe feel harsh, which is a reason to look at cushioning rather than to conclude you need a smaller size. Our suggestion: if you are early in treatment, buy one pair that fits now rather than stocking up, prefer laces over slip-ons so you can take up slack, and reassess fit every few months rather than assuming your size is fixed. Measure both feet, late in the day, standing.
What is the Medicare therapeutic shoe benefit and could I use it?
It is the most valuable thing on this page if it applies to you, and buying shoes retail is precisely how people miss it. Medicare Part B covers one pair of therapeutic shoes per calendar year — either depth-inlay or custom-moulded — plus up to three pairs of inserts, for beneficiaries who have diabetes and at least one qualifying foot complication. Qualifying conditions include peripheral neuropathy, foot deformity, poor circulation, a history of foot ulceration, or a partial or complete foot amputation. After the Part B deductible you pay 20% coinsurance, so Medicare covers 80% of the approved amount. This matters here because a large share of people taking GLP-1 medicines have type 2 diabetes, and diabetic foot complications are exactly the population that needs extra width and depth. The catch is procedural and absolute: the benefit requires your treating physician to certify medical necessity, and a podiatrist or other qualified specialist to prescribe and fit the footwear, supplied by a Medicare-enrolled supplier. You cannot obtain it by adding shoes to an online basket, however medically appropriate the shoes are. So if you have diabetes with any of those complications, speak to your clinician before buying retail. You may be paying full price for something you are entitled to have largely covered.
Are the width options actually useful or just marketing?
Genuinely useful, and it is the strongest single reason to consider this brand over most competitors. New Balance offers, in men's sizing, 2A extra narrow, B narrow, D standard, 2E wide, 4E extra wide and 6E XX-wide. Most athletic brands offer one width, or at best a standard and a wide. Six fittings is unusual, and for certain feet it is the whole ballgame: a genuinely wide forefoot, bunions, hammer toes, swelling from oedema or lymphoedema, diabetic feet needing extra depth for an insole, or a foot that has changed shape after surgery. Cramming any of those into a standard D shoe causes rubbing, callus and — in a neuropathic foot that cannot feel the pressure — potentially ulceration. Two honest caveats. First, availability tapers sharply at the extremes: by one recent count, 6E was available in only a handful of men's models against dozens in standard D, so the widest fittings mean a much smaller choice of style. Second, width is not the same as depth or volume, and a foot needing accommodation for a custom orthotic may need a shoe specified for that rather than simply a wider one. If your feet are complicated, get measured and fitted in person rather than guessing a width online.
What is the return policy?
Forty-five days for a full refund, with a condition requirement that matters more than the window. New Balance accepts returns within 45 days for a refund to your original payment method, which is longer than most clothing and footwear retailers — Tillys, which we also reviewed, allows 30. Free return shipping is available to members. The restriction is condition: items must be in new and unworn state with original tags and packaging, and shoes are expected to have been tried on indoors only, without scuffed soles or wear marks. That is entirely standard for footwear and we would not call it unfair, but understand what it means practically: you cannot take a running shoe out for a few miles to find out whether it suits your gait and then send it back. You get a carpet test. For anyone whose feet are changing size, or who is unsure between two widths, the sensible approach is to buy in a physical shop where you can be measured and try several fittings side by side, or order two widths at once knowing you will return the unworn one within the window. One sourcing note: the New Balance site blocked our automated access entirely, so this policy summary comes from archived and secondary sources rather than from the live page. Confirm it before relying on it.
Should I buy running shoes or walking shoes?
Whichever gets you moving most days, and for most people starting out that is walking. The evidence base for protecting muscle and function during weight loss points at resistance training plus regular activity, not specifically at running, and running carries more injury risk when you are heavier, deconditioned, or both. A large share of people who buy running shoes at the start of a weight-loss effort stop within weeks because something hurts. Walking every day beats running twice and then stopping. Practically: cushioned neutral shoes in the correct width suit walking and easy running for most people; if you have flat feet, high arches, previous injuries, or diabetic feet, get assessed rather than choosing by review score. If your knees hurt, that is often a reason to build up slowly and add resistance work rather than to buy different shoes. And do not neglect the strength half of the equation — bodyweight work, resistance bands or gym machines twice a week does more for lean mass than any amount of footwear. Our side-effects guide covers exercising while managing nausea and fatigue during dose escalation, which is the real obstacle for most people in the first couple of months.
Are there catches on the shipping and pricing?
One structural catch worth knowing: free shipping and free returns are membership benefits rather than universal. New Balance's own site describes members as enjoying 'free shipping, free returns, early access to select products, and special promotions'. So if you buy as a guest you should expect to pay postage both ways, which on a returned pair of shoes is not trivial. Joining appears to be the intended route and costs nothing that we could see, so sign up before ordering rather than after. On pricing generally, athletic footwear from a major brand is not cheap, and there is an additional consideration specific to this audience: buying several pairs while your feet are still changing size risks owning shoes that no longer fit before they wear out. Two further notes on the affiliate side, in the interest of transparency. Both specific product pages supplied to us point at v12-generation models — the 880v12 and 1080v12 — and given the brief was last updated in August 2024, those generations have likely been superseded, so expect to navigate to a current version. And the site blocked our automated access, which is why several figures in this review are attributed to archived captures and secondary sources rather than verified at source.
Who should buy here and who should look elsewhere?
Buy here if you need a width other than standard. That is the clearest recommendation in this review: if you have wide feet, swelling, bunions, or you need depth for an orthotic, New Balance's 2A-to-6E range gives you options most brands simply do not stock, and getting the width right matters far more than getting the brand right. Get measured in a shop, buy the pair that fits now rather than three pairs for a body you have not got yet, join the membership before ordering so shipping and returns are free, and use the 45-day window while the shoes are still unworn if you are unsure. Look elsewhere first in two situations. If you have diabetes with neuropathy, deformity, poor circulation, prior ulceration or an amputation, talk to your clinician about the Medicare therapeutic shoe benefit before spending your own money — Part B may cover 80% of an approved pair plus inserts through a prescribing supplier, and a retail purchase cannot access that. And if your feet are complicated in any way, a proper fitting at a specialist retailer or podiatrist beats any online size chart, including this brand's.
Diabetes? Ask About The Medicare Benefit First
Part B may cover 80% of a fitted therapeutic pair plus inserts if you have a qualifying foot complication — but only through a prescribing clinician and enrolled supplier, never through a retail basket.
Visit New BalanceCompare Other GLP-1 Providers
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Read Review →Medical Disclaimer: This page is informational and is not medical advice. New Balance sells footwear and apparel; it is not a healthcare provider. Body-composition figures are from published trials in specific populations and are averages, not predictions for any individual. People with diabetes, peripheral neuropathy, peripheral arterial disease, foot deformity, a history of foot ulceration or amputation should have footwear assessed and fitted by a qualified clinician; ill-fitting shoes in a neuropathic foot can cause unnoticed injury and ulceration, and any new area of redness, blistering, callus, warmth or breakdown of the skin on the foot needs prompt medical review. Do not use shoe fit as a substitute for diabetic foot care or annual foot checks. Descriptions of Medicare coverage are general and simplified; eligibility, coverage and payment depend on your individual circumstances, your plan and current rules, and should be confirmed with Medicare, your plan and your clinician. Consult a licensed clinician before starting or changing any exercise programme, particularly during GLP-1 dose escalation when nausea, fatigue and reduced intake are common.
Date reviewed: 8 August 2026. The newbalance.com site returned HTTP 403 to every automated request we made, across multiple browser engines and configurations, so we were unable to verify its policies or product availability at source. Accordingly: the statement that members receive 'free shipping, free returns, early access to select products, and special promotions', and the presence of dedicated wide-shoe and kids' wide ranges, are quoted from an archived capture of the New Balance homepage dated 2 June 2026. The 45-day return window for a refund to the original payment method, the requirement that items be unworn with original tags and packaging and tried on indoors only without scuffed soles, and the availability of free return shipping to members, are drawn from secondary published summaries of the company's return policy rather than from the live page; confirm current terms directly with New Balance before relying on them. The width designations 2A extra narrow, B narrow, D standard, 2E wide, 4E extra wide and 6E XX-wide, and the observation that style availability tapers at the widest fittings, likewise come from published sizing references rather than a live site check. The affiliate link and both supplied product landing pages redirected correctly to New Balance product URLs for the Fresh Foam X 880v12 and Fresh Foam X 1080v12 before returning 403 to our client, indicating the links function for ordinary visitors; those v12 generations may have been superseded, as the affiliate brief was last updated in August 2024. Medicare information reflects Part B therapeutic shoe coverage as published: one pair of depth-inlay or custom-moulded therapeutic shoes plus up to three pairs of inserts per calendar year, for beneficiaries with diabetes and at least one qualifying complication such as peripheral neuropathy, foot deformity, poor circulation, prior foot ulceration or partial or complete foot amputation, requiring certification of medical necessity by the treating physician and prescription and fitting by a podiatrist or other qualified specialist, with 20% coinsurance after the Part B deductible. The STEP 1 body-composition substudy finding that approximately 45% of weight lost was lean tissue is as published. No Trustpilot aggregate rating or BBB profile was retrievable for us.
Affiliate Disclosure: This site may receive compensation from affiliate partners. This does not influence our editorial content or review ratings.