Health experts and users say the eight best weight loss apps are here. To serve her diverse patients, she demonstrates cultural sensitivity and knowledge of customary food practices. She applies the tenets of lifestyle medicine to reduce the risk of chronic disease and improve health outcomes for her patients. Fitness apps are generally safe to use, but if you’re new to exercise or considering starting a new program on a fitness app, consult with your doctor first to ensure the plan you’re considering is a safe option for you. Always exercise caution and start slowly when attempting a new type of workout in an unsupervised format to prevent unwanted strains, pains and injuries. A comprehensive workout planner and tracker with a large exercise library.
BetterMe: Best Overall Workout App
You should be able to track your weight and what you eat, but you may not need to track every bite. According to research, the most successful dieters are likely to be those who most frequently record what they have for dinner (not calorie counts), when they exercise, and their weight when using an app. While the weight each individual lost varied from modest to dramatic, the results are compelling. One 2017 US survey of 1,600 people showed that those who had downloaded health apps reported being in “good or excellent health.” In other words, people who stand to benefit from health apps aren’t downloading them. The few mass-market app evaluations have generally been positive.
Cronometer: The App for Micronutrient Tracking
They’ll help you hit your nutrition goals, get the most out of your workouts, and even keep you hydrated. However, people with a history of disordered eating may be triggered by counting calories or macronutrients. If you have experience disordered eating habits, it’s best to work with a registered dietitian to find a plan that works for you. Some fitness or weight loss apps focus on physical activity, which is also a large proponent in losing weight. However, simply tracking physical activity or following workout plans is not necessarily the end-all-be-all to losing weight. Jim White, R.D.N., A.C.S.M., exercise physiologist and the owner of Jim White Fitness & Nutrition Studios, says he believes weight loss apps will only work if they teach you sustainable habits.
How to choose the best weight loss app
If you’re on the hunt for an effective tool to help you achieve your fitness goals, it could be just a click away on your smartphone. A wide range of workout and fitness apps make it simple to work up a sweat, build strength and stay motivated in any place at any time. The go-to app for runners and cyclists, Strava offers comprehensive tracking features in its free version. Premium features ($11.99/month) include route planning, training plans, and advanced analytics. Plus, check off any equipment you don’t have access to so you get customized exercise recommendations. Some apps, like Peloton Digital, charge higher fees but provide extensive content.
Lose fat
For many, logging calories and exercise can be beneficial for their weight loss journey. But, if you have a history of disordered eating or a strained relationship with food, weight loss apps can do more harm than good. It’s best to speak with a registered dietitian and/or your healthcare unimeal review provider to find the best plan for you.
Other Health Apps We Researched
His focus is on internet, digital media, AI and technology companies. His articles have appeared online in Forbes, Fortune, MSN, Yahoo, Fox Business and AllBusiness.com. Richard is the author of several books on startups and entrepreneurship as well as the co-author of Poker for Dummies and a Wall Street Journal-bestselling book on small business. He is the co-author of a 1,500-page book published by Bloomberg on mergers and acquisitions of privately held companies. He was also a corporate and M&A partner at the international law firm of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe.
How an Apple Watch Can Elevate Your Fitness Tracking
- Plus, you can track all kinds of activities and Kate says it syncs with Apple Health and other fitness trackers so you don’t have to manually input your physical activity.
- You may feel excited to start your journey to better health, but it can all seem tedious and confusing after a few weeks of tracking calories, macros, and workouts.
- All of the weight loss apps on our list provide good options to help people gain better awareness of their eating and other habits, which may help support weight loss.
- Many of these apps also offer insights into your nutrition, exercise habits, and overall wellness, helping you make data-driven decisions.
- Those features include food and exercise tracking, meal planning options, graphical charts to map your progress, daily analysis of eating habits, and even access to a large and active online community.
- The included pie charts outlining daily macro intake can be helpful in understanding just what you’re taking in each day.
Take a gander at customer reviews to see if the food logging protocols are simple and convenient. If you’ll need to manually enter all meals instead of, say, scanning a barcode or choosing from a preset roster of dishes, odds are that this practice will grow tiresome over time. Naturally, a free app is likely to earn a 5-out-of-5 rating for value, and that is definitely the case with MyFitnessPal. However, we do note that the free service does contain ads, so expect some scrolling and pop-ups as you begin to log your daily meals. A premium version is available ($79.99 annually) but the free version has virtually everything needed to warrant weight loss support. If you’re turning to an app service to help you lose weight fast, we believe WeightWatchers to be the top candidate.
Best Weight Loss App Overall: WeightWatchers
Thanks to all the members recording road and trail workouts, the app is a global route and trail resource. Save your favorite routes or input your preferences and the app will recommend options nearby. Once you’ve picked your route, upload it to your phone or GPS device for easier navigation.
On the other hand, apps like Lifesum https://finance.yahoo.com/news/unimeal-reviews-2025-honest-user-053000369.html and Fooducate are useful when nutritionists need detailed breakdowns of foods’ nutritional content. The best nutrition apps sync with your wearable devices or other fitness apps. This integration ensures that your activity data, calorie burn, and nutrition logs work together to help you crush your goals. A large, reliable food database is key for accurately tracking meals. The more foods and brands the app recognizes, the less time you’ll spend manually entering nutrition data.
Best Weight Loss App for Beginners: Lose It!
WeightWatchers members get access to the WW app as part of their benefits, or you can purchase a digital-only membership. This provides access to all of the app’s features but doesn’t allow digital-only users to attend workshops and coaching sessions. Our top pick is Noom; it offers a unique perspective into your overall lifestyle, not just your diet, and gives actionable insights anyone can benefit from.
Integration with fitness trackers and other applications
We also considered whether the app ran smoothly or if it was glitchy and constantly rebooting. However, there were quite a few times where nutritional information was off, even for scanned-in items, although errors were minor. Note, though, that “Lose It doesn’t track your vitamin and mineral intake, so it’s not ideal for those at risk for micronutrient deficiencies,” according to Perry.
Accountability leads to greater success when it comes to weight loss and weight management. While a pen-and-paper food diary used to be the standard for food logging and calorie tracking, weight loss apps have taken over. On a related note, we considered whether the app had additional features outside of weight tracking. Is there access to community forums or coaches who could help you when you feel stuck?
For a fitness-focused pick, we recommend MyFitnessPal; it views your diet through the lens of being active and offers suggestions based on foods that can improve your fitness. To come up with this list of the best health apps, we personally tested each app over a period of several weeks. We went through the entire process, from downloading and setting up the app to entering our personal information then actually using the app in our day-to-day lives. Strava’s tracking app allows you to track 30 different sports and, with a subscription, provides a wide variety of statistics to analyze your workouts. Sleep Cycle is a solid option for anyone looking to improve their sleep habits and health using a data-based approach. There is a minimal free version and a few reports that the app is not very user-friendly.