10 Best Free Weight Loss Apps
Your weight loss journey can be a daunting task without calculated objectives and making every calorie count. Fortunately, there are a few steps you can take to beat the odds and develop healthy recipe habits and consistent physical activity in the long run. The new year is a perfect time to create a resolution, stick with it, and get those results.
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10 Free Weight Loss Apps To Try in the New Year
By focusing on incremental change, you can get help from apps offering food databases with nutrition facts for millions of foods. Break up your big goal into realistic steps and monitor your progress, all without shelling out a bunch of cash. Use one of the 10 free health apps listed below and stay on track to tackle losing weight in a healthy and realistic fashion.
1. Fooducate
No matter which weight loss programs you intend to follow, Fooducate is an excellent companion. This app includes a scanner that recognizes over 250,000 products and helps you to track your sleep, mood and hunger levels to determine how the foods you eat are affecting your body.
Pros
Can join the community of members to ask for or give advice
Tracks the quality of the calories you eat, not just the quantity
Can personalize account for age, weight, height, gender and activity level
Option to import exercise data from another app
Cons
No easy way to search for product nutritional information
Limited database of food items
2. WW
When it comes to weight-loss plans, WW, formerly and more commonly known as Weight Watchers, ranks among the top. WW members can download their weight-tracker app on either iTunes or Google Play to look up thousands of on-plan recipes, set weight-loss goals and monitor progress. Though you do need a premium membership to get most of the benefits of the app, you can get a free trial before committing to see if it is the right program for you.
Pros
Can share progress with the WW community
Badges awarded for reaching goals
Syncs with Apple Health for step monitoring
Cons
Requires a Weight Watchers paid premium subscription to get most of the app features
Only free option available is the free version available to new customers
3. ShopWell
ShopWell is one of the best diet apps on the market for weight management. It can give you feedback on over 400,000 products instantly and recommend healthy substitutes for unhealthy choices. Additional features include a location finder for food items in your grocery store and a mobile shop that allows you to order recommended foods right from the app.
Pros
Alerts for food allergies, such as gluten, peanuts and soy
Compatible with Apple Health Kit
Cons
Doesn’t come with recipes
Not really a standalone product
4. MyFitnessPal
MyFitnessPal mobile app makes counting calories fast and easy. Users can goal set their daily calorie intake and then log in to record all meals and exercises. The app reveals how many calories you’re consuming to keep you aware of what you’re eating which makes tracking your weight more feasible.
Pros
Standard features of MyFitnessPal are free to use
Huge database of food
Can log food items from your favorite restaurants
Community feature encourages accountability
Cons
Requires a $19.99 payment every month (or $79.99 annually) to upgrade and unlock all features
Has potentially inaccurate user-generated nutritional information
5. Nike Training Club: Fitness
Individuals with exercise goals on their New Year’s resolution list will find the Nike Training Club: Fitness app is one of the best workout apps. Experienced Nike trainers and athletes offer free guidance and have put together hundreds of workouts.
Users can take advantage of the personalized training plan that will adapt to your weekly progress. You can add activities like playing basketball or taking a spin class with that awesome new gym membership.
Pros
The app contains workouts for all levels
Opportunity to work out with celebrities
Have access to strength training, cardio, yoga workouts and more that are instructed via audio and demo videos for free
Cons
Users report bug issues
6. Lose It!
Simply tell Lose It! your goal weight, and the app automatically figures out how many calories you should be consuming per day. You’ll need to log in daily to track your meals, exercises and weight. EmbodyDNA feature provides additional insights about how your body responds to certain foods and exercises which enhances your ability to reach your weight loss goals.
Pros
Barcode scanner makes reporting foods easier
Customizable meal planning feature
Cons
Only Lose It! basic is free which has limited features.
You have to upgrade to the premium version to unlock all of the features.
7. Nudge
Nudge works with your favorite health and exercise apps but allows you to manually enter how many hours you slept, how many glasses of water you consumed and what exercises you completed. You’ll get a health score after 30 days and be able to connect to a real coach who will give you the motivation you need to meet your goals.
Pros
Ability to join clubs of like-minded individuals
Seamless syncing with wearables
Cons
Can add sleep hours but not subtract them
No way to contact support from within the app
8. Cronometer
Calorie Counter by Cronometer is a free app that helps you track your calories and food intake. You can get the macro tracker and calorie counter for free, which is a good basic jump-off point to start your weight loss journey.
Pros
You are provided the basic Calorie Counter by Cronometer for free.
The comprehensive macro tracker in the app is also provided for free.
Cons
To unlock all the features and benefits of Cronometer you must upgrade to the Gold Version which is a paid subscription.
9. Lifesum
Lifesum allows you to sync with other health and fitness apps at your disposal such as Fitbit, Runkeeper, Apple Health and more. You can track your steps and exercise in real time which helps keep you motivated to stay active and shed those pounds.
Pros
Lifesum is free to download and use with limited features.
Compatible with several other health apps or digital fitness programs you may already use.
Cons
To get all the features of Lifesum, you must sign up for an auto-renewing subscription for either 1-month, 3-months or annual payments.
10. MyNetDiary
One of the better things about MyNetDiary is that the free version is completely capable of helping you lose weight without having to upgrade your membership. It was ranked the number one calorie counter app by Forbes Health last year so it comes highly recommended.
Pros
The app includes a generous amount of free features without having to upgrade to a premium subscription.
MyNetDiary is ad-free.
Cons
For the full app experience, you have to subscribe to MyNetDiary Premium, which starts $8.99 a month.
Final Take To GO
No matter your weight loss goals, there is a free weight loss app that can help you reach the finish line. Be aware that many of these apps have free versions or trials so you don’t have to pay to lose a few pounds. A great way to start the new year is to become a healthier version of you, so don’t hesitate to find the best free weight loss app for you.
Alicia Bodine contributed to the reporting for this article.
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 10 Best Free Weight Loss Apps
