What are Weight Loss Apps
An app is a software program (application) that can be downloaded onto your PC, laptop or more usually your mobile phone.
Weight loss apps provide a quick and easy way to track your lifestyle habits, such as calorie intake and exercise.
Most people don’t think of google when they think of apps. But google is just an application that we use to find information.
The kind of information that we need to help us with weight loss is often just as easily found on Google as it is on dedicated programs (or apps).
For instance, you can use Google search to find the number of calories in a given type of food.
Such as:
How many calories in lettuce? –
Or branded food such as:
How many calories in a Big Mac Meal?–
In both cases the drop-down box gives you various weight or portion size variations.
(But seriously – who only eats 100grams of a Big Mac!)
In the same way you can track your carbs such as:
How many carbs in Ice Cream? –
Again the drop-down boxes give a number of different options.
And your Protein:
How much protein in a Hot Dog? –
And your fats:
How much fat in Bacon? –
Calories expended through exercise can also be searched.
Such as:
How many calories burned by swimming? –
In this case several different websites are listed such as THIS ONE
Or see how many calories are burned walking – HERE
Or find out how many calories you burn each day doing nothing –
https://www.verywellfit.com/how-many-calories-do-i-burn-every-day-3495464
More dedicated apps include:
My Fitness Pal
This app works as a weight loss journal where you can log your daily food and exercise.
It includes a bar code scanner for packaged foods. (Paid option)
It tells you the composition of your daily foods such as carbs, fats etc,
It syncs with other fitness apps.
But –
It can be time consuming and fiddly.
The paid option is required for more detailed analysis.
It contains user generated information that may not be accurate.
Lose It
Lose It! is a user-friendly weight loss app that is very similar to ‘my fitness pal’ (although the paid version is cheaper). Lose it focuses on calorie counting and weight tracking and also syncs with other apps.
Fat Secret
Fat Secret is again like the previous apps mentioned but with the added ingredient of a community chat element. People with a social support group tend to be more successful at weight loss so this is a big deal. The paid for program also allows you to connect with other health professionals.
Cronometer
This app also contains most of the features in the previous apps – such as a food data base and a barcode scanner – but also has a focus on eating for optimal health, It helps you meet your nutrient needs by tracking up to 82 micronutrients. The pro version allows you to connect with your health professional, and of course gives access to more features.
Fooducate
With ‘Fooducate’ you can scan a food barcode and receive detailed information about that food – including ingredients and nutrients. It also tells you about hidden ingredients that may be hidden in the product – such as trans fats and fructose corn syrup. It will give you healthier options for some foods. Many of the features are in the paid for version.
My Net Diary
My Net Diary has a user-friendly calorie counter and barcode scanner, It’s main feature is that it is specifically designed for people with diabetes and prediabetes. It details total carbs, net carbs, and carb counts to make it easier to keep tabs on your carb intake.
Other features include:
Blood glucose tracking, including custom pre- and post- meal target ranges
Reminders to test blood sugar levels
Insulin and medication tracking
A1C tracking – which is a measure of blood sugar control over 3 months.
Exercise tracking
Weight tracking
Most of these features require the paid option.
Strides App
Strides is a lifestyle tracker. It doesn’t count calories or track exercise but helps you set up daily routines and track specific habits – such as water drinking or going to bed early. It is not available for Android and most options require a subscription.
More Articles:
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Are Calories Bad
Bad Sleeping Habits
Funny Weight Loss Memes
Facts About The Liver And Weight Gain
Return to Home Page:
My Weight Loss Journal
NOTE:
Calorie counting is a very successful way to lose weight but it can have it’s drawbacks. If you feel that you are becoming too obsessive about your calories, or if you mental health is being affected by this method of weight loss please stop counting calories and see a health advisor. There are many other ways to lose weight if you need to, without counting calories.