Weight loss apps are health and wellness programs that you can download to your mobile device, and the best weight loss apps should encourage positive lifestyle changes like increased physical activity and healthy eating. These lifestyle changes, in return, aid in weight loss and helps some users control their weight for a long time by tracking their lifestyle habits such as their physical activity and their everyday calorie intake. Some of these apps come with bonus features such as barcode scanners and support forums that motivate you to achieve your weight loss goal.
Weight loss apps are beneficial since self-monitoring of your lifestyle has shown positive results in aiding weight loss because of increased awareness of your progress and daily food habits. However, many weight loss apps have come up and are still coming up that aid in weight loss, and only some are credible. After careful research, we have reviewed some of the best weight loss apps in the current market and have included their major advantages and disadvantages.
Best Weight Loss Apps for Both iOS and Android Devices
Our Top Pick
Noom Coach differs from other apps for losing weight because it examines an individual's full lifestyle weighing factors like weight, age, height, target goals, activity level, medical history, etc. With this information, the Noom app works with a health and nutrition expert to craft a diet plan to help users achieve their goals. The app does not restrict specific food types but provides structured courses that help dieters focus on their nutrition and workouts while slowly adopting healthy habits.
The Noom app has features such as a calorie tracker, food diary or log, and activity trackers with every tool combining with the health plan to support the user achieve their weight loss goals. However, Noom is on the higher side when it comes to price because plans start from $59 per month and go up to $199 per year, which is cheaper after a 14-day free trial. It is compatible with Android, iPhone, iPod Touch, Apple Health, and iPad, and according to reviews, the Noom users kept the weight off for more than a year.
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MyFitnessPal is one of the best free weight loss apps on the market that allows you to track your food intake and breaks down all the main nutrients like carbs, fiber, calories, sugar, cholesterol, and fat. The weight loss app also calculates your daily calorie budget. MyFitnessPal also enables you to keep track of what you eat throughout the day from a nutrition database with over 11 million foods, including restaurant foods.
After your food intake input, the MYFitnessPal app breaks down the nutrients and calories you have consumed on that day. The app can generate different reports that show you an overview of the total carbohydrate, fat, and protein consumption. MyFitnessPal features a barcode scanner that makes it easy to input the nutritional information of some foods and can also help you track your physical activity from various cardio exercises. Some other features include body measurements, in-app community nutrient tracker, calorie counting, water tracker, reminders, weight log, and progress charts.
The app allows individuals to connect with other users and share success stories and tips through the message board. This is best for tracking portions with an easy-to-understand portion size guide and can be downloaded for free. However, you will have to pay $9.99 per month to access premium features or $49.99 per year.
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The WW app, formerly known as Weight Watchers, has made a name globally for having one of the best weight-loss diets for both men and women. WW usually has in-person meetings, which are available in the United States. Also, there's an entirely digital program you can use in the WW app, weekly workshops, a reward system, an activity tracker, and 24/7 coaching. The app enables you to track your food intake and weight and features a barcode scanner that makes it easy to enter any food you purchase in your local grocery store.
The WW app also features a Connect, a WW members-only social network that helps users communicate and has a WWBros for male members to keep in touch. It also comprises a broad collection of 8000 WW-approved free recipes that you can search for depending on your dietary needs and mealtime. The WW pricing is not fixed, and it fluctuates, but the basic access to the app is $3.22 weekly, while for a personal trainer plus the app, it will cost you $12.69 per week.
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Diet Coach is one of the best weight loss apps that is suitable for motivation. It has reminders of your goal, inspirational quotes, a visual weight tracker, gives out rewards and points, and has some handy weight loss and healthy habits tips. My Diet Coach has the above four features in the free version: the food diary, BMI calculator, and calorie counter being standard features. In contrast, the pro version includes a weight chart, a points system, and a food craving panic button.
Using this app to track your weight, you can customize the avatar to look almost similar to yourself and change their clothes. Also, with the touch of a button with the challenges you are facing, the app will provide you with inspiring pictures and motivational tips to help you pull through. You can also use the app to set reminders to prepare vegetables or drink your water at particular times.
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The Nike Training Club weight loss app is the best free weight loss app for individuals who want to improve their flexibility and endurance during their workouts and improve their performance and build muscles. The weight loss app features workouts that help a user easily target muscle groups choose a workout type. The duration you want is ideal for different exercise ability levels. The exercises range from strength training, running, or HIIT sessions to lower intensity sessions such as Yoga that last between 15 and 45 minutes.
The Nike Training Club weight loss app comes with an inbuilt timer and follow-along videos that a user can use based on the workout recommendations offered by the app. However, you cannot keep track of calories using this Nike Training Club app. Still, it includes nutrition guides from Nike Master Trainers with information such as recovery tips and various recipes. Also, the app has four to six-week plans that are also led by the Nike Master Trainers that help users shed pounds and build muscle.
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What to Consider When Choosing the Best Weight Loss App
1. Free Trial Version
The best weight loss apps should offer a free trial version for users to the first test and familiarize themselves with the app. This is because some apps can help and cause frustration and increase your stress levels by using difficult technology and a bad design, making it important for you to try them first before committing. Free trial versions usually range from three days and some up to a month, and the duration should be enough for you to test the app's functionality and reliability.
2. Syncing with Other Apps
A fitness app that syncs with other health and fitness apps is the best choice because it allows wearable activity monitoring devices. By syncing with other apps, your tracking process is smoother and guarantees you enjoy the app long-term.
3. Customization
Weight loss is personal, and therefore, the best weight loss apps should be customizable to accommodate different weight loss journies and any health conditions. A weight-loss app tailored to each individual will consider any health conditions and consider that users might have different tastes and different cultures. Also, the best apps in the market will have customization because it allows a variety of food no matter where you reside. After all, if a weight loss app is not customizable, even food-wise, it might not be beneficial to users from other locations.
4. Self-Monitoring Capabilities
The best weight loss apps usually feature self-monitoring capabilities where the user can use the app to track various things over time about their weight loss journey. An app can help track current weight, physical activity, sleep, cardiometabolic indicators, mental health indicators, and nutrition in carbohydrates, fats, proteins, fiber, and even water. Tracking all the above parameters will help users assess their fitness journey and reduce or add.
5. Goal Setting
Losing weight entails a lot of setting goals, and the best weight loss app should be able to assist you with keeping all your goals together, whether customized or not. Some of these goals to lose weight include water intake goals, physical activity goals, calorie balance goals, and generally your weight goals. On top of goal setting, it would help if the weight loss app included healthy eating support that includes meal plans, calorie balance goals, healthy eating guidelines, nutritional information for particular foods.
When you choose an app that allows you to set goals, you might end up achieving more goals faster, so it's important to look for a fitness app that will show you your progress reports over some time to ensure maximum motivation.
6. Social Support
The best weight loss apps should have a social platform where users from different locations can communicate. Although this feature is unnecessary, it can be a good bonus to motivate some users by seeing how others are doing their weight loss journey. Social support should also include the app teaching you more about healthy eating benefits and encouraging regular exercises.
7. Motivation Strategies and Personalized Feedback
Some things you should check if a weight loss app includes are motivational strategies, and they include things such as prompts and rewards. Also, some apps include personalized feedback with nutrition coaches through virtual meetings or notifications. Reminders are also an important feature because they will help you stay on track, and some apps provide reminders and personalized feedback once you input your information.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the best weight loss app?
According to our above reviews, all the mentioned weight loss apps are great, but the best will be the
2. Do weight loss apps work?
Weight loss apps aren't directly responsible for helping people lose weight, but they play a major role in helping the process. According to some studies, users who used weight loss apps to track their weight, exercise, and calorie intake lost more weight than those who self-monitored. These apps, together with diet and exercise, are useful tools in helping one lose weight.
However, these apps can be dangerous to individuals who might get obsessed with tracking the numbers or calories. The weight loss apps can trigger such people because weight loss and weight gain are more than just food and exercise. All in all, the more effort in your fitness journey, the better results you will get, and using weight loss tracking tools may be extra helpful to get to the goals faster and keep you motivated.
