“Weight loss apps can help people become aware of what they’re actually eating, as well as the number of calories they consume, which is helpful because we generally underestimate the number of calories in some foods,” says Deena Adimoolam, MD, an endocrinologist in Fair Lawn, New Jersey. You can also use them to get more know-how about nutrition labels and what macronutrients they contain if you’re trying to follow a specific diet. Of course, there are downsides to weight loss apps, too. Research on their efficacy is mixed. For instance, a previous study suggested that while apps may be useful for a certain type of vigilant dieter, the average overweight person will probably not lose weight on them. Another previous article outlining research on young adults came to a similar conclusion. What many apps don’t do, another study, published in July 2019 in JMIR mHealth uHealth concluded, is provide users with behavioral change techniques, which is necessary to help people keep weight off in the long term. That said, in a study that looked at nearly 24,000 app users who have body weights considered obese or overweight, those who were obese lost 5 percent of their body weight within 62 days of using the app, according to the Journal of Obesity & Metabolic Syndrome in December 2021. (Overweight folks lost that amount of weight in 65 days, on average.) Users who logged their weight and exercise and food intake lost that weight even faster. Plus, a review looking at randomized controlled trials, which was published in June 2020 in Frontiers in Endocrinology, concluded that an app may indeed be a tool for weight loss — but, the authors clarify, it is just one tool. An app won’t be everything you need to reach your goals. Still, monitoring food intake has been shown to be effective for some people. A study in the August 2017 issue of the Journal of Diabetes Research found that people with diabetes who consistently tracked their food lost an average of 10 pounds over one year. (This was compared with those who rarely or inconsistently charted their nutrition, who didn’t successfully shed pounds.) It’s also important to note that the nutrition info on the food database in some of these apps, even the really reputable ones, can vary, noted a study published in October 2021 the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. So, it’s important to keep your expectations in check, as the apps may not be consistent across the board. App engagement is an important factor in success. A separate study, published in JMIR Mhealth Uhealth in November 2021, looked at Noom app users (which appears on this list, below), and found that people who are more active on the apps — reading supplementary articles, logging meals, recording steps and exercise, sending a message to a coach (if available), and recording weight — were more likely to lose more weight compared to less app-dedicated folks. And while food tracking can help you gain a greater awareness about every bite you put in your mouth, it may fail when the excitement drops off, says Tiffany Wright, PhD, aka “The Skinny Coach,” a weight loss expert in Los Angeles. So, if you’re someone who’s interested in using an app to support your weight loss, choosing one suited to your needs and likes is all the more important. The biggest problem is that people stop using the apps, says Dr. Wright. It’s okay to download a bunch of the apps (most are free) and sift through them to find the one that feels the most user-friendly to you. When you like the features, you’re more willing to stick with it, rather than the one your friend loves. It can be tough to find accountability on an app, so look for those that feature a community of fellow dieters, offer daily reminders that pop up on your phone (make sure to adjust the settings accordingly), or have personalized professional support (via registered dietitians, for instance). That said, if you find that you’re eating to a certain calorie target and charting food and exercise to the best of your abilities but you’re stuck in a plateau, you may need help from a weight loss professional, says Dr. Srinath. If you’re interested in seeing what a weight loss app can do for you, there are some stellar places to start.
App Store rating: 4.7Google Play rating: 4.6
Free, with in-app purchases The best apps for weight loss let you chart your food intake and document exercise, says Srinath. These may sound like bare-bones goals, but Srinath says that Lose It! excels in this regard. It’s easy to use and sets a daily calorie budget for you, and you can track food using their bar code scanner or by snapping a photo of your plate, making it easy to use. Lose It! also allows you to connect certain fitness trackers so you can integrate everything in one place. The company says that users have lost more than 78 million pounds total. Impressive!
MyFitnessPal
App Store rating: 4.7Google Play rating: 4.5
Free, with in-app purchases If you’re trying to cut back on carbs, MyFitnessPal makes it easy. “I like apps with built-in nutrition information, like MyFitnessPal, especially for my patients who have diabetes or who are interested in following a specific diet plan,” says Dr. Adimoolam. With its bar code scanner, you don’t have to search for the specific food you’re eating, which really speeds the food tracking process. You’ll also like how at the top, all your nutrition stats are congregated in a clean way, displaying your goal calories, how much you’ve eaten, how much you’ve burned through exercise, and how many you have left. A word of caution: A study published in January 2019 in Nutrition on MyFitnessPal found that, while 80 percent of participants surveyed praised the ease-of-use within the app, the authors found that there were discrepancies in nutrient measurements as much of the data is user-generated. This means some of that data may be inaccurate. To get around this issue, they suggest connecting with a registered dietitian for guidance on how best to use this (and any other nutrition app) in order to meet your goals.
Cronometer
App Store rating: 4.8Google Play rating: 4.5
Free, with in-app purchases If you’re following a specific diet — keto, paleo, or the like — this is the app for you. It allows you to log your food and monitor 82 nutrients to stay on track while also avoiding nutrient deficiencies. If you’re following a form of intermittent fasting, there’s also a timer to track your eating and fasting times. The app contains a bar code scanner so you can easily add packaged foods, a database for logging meals from restaurants, and a recipe logger so you can save your favorite meal ideas all in one place. Cronometer will sync up with your Apple Watch, Apple Health App, or Fitbit. You’ll be able to access some functions for free; otherwise, it costs $6.99 a month.
MyMacros+
App Store rating: 4.7Google Play rating: 4.5
$2.99, with in-app purchases With five million food items in the database, MyMacros+ makes watching your food intake seamless. If you’re tracking your macros (protein, carbohydrates, and fat) as a way to stay fit, you’ll be able to set a macro goal and use the macro calculator to stay on course. Handy graphs lay out your progress in a simple, visual way.
Fooducate
App Store rating: 4.7Google Play rating: 4.4
Free, with in-app purchases Crunching the info on the nutrition label to determine if a food is healthy can be tough, and Fooducate does the work for you. The app has a database of 250,000 foods — all you have to do is scan the bar code and you’ll see what grade the food gets (A, being the highest, to D, being the lowest), plus an explanation of the grade and suggested alternatives. “I like this app because it recognizes common packaged products and allows you to do more than just analyze your diet. You can track your hunger levels to figure out how certain foods specifically affect your body,” says Wright.
MyPlate Calorie Counter
App Store rating: 4.7Google Play rating: 4.6
Free, with in-app purchases This app has all the requisites: food tracking (including two million items, a bar code scanner, and recipe ideas), along with workout logging and follow-along workouts if you need guidance. Where it’s different is how easy it is to track your macros — grams and percentages are front and center, so you know where you stand at all times. Plus, if you’re someone who thrives on community support, you can access this feature when you’ve had a tough day.
FitOn
App Store rating 4.9Google Play rating 4.8
Free, with in-app purchases When you want a library of on-demand workouts, this is the app you need. All workouts are completely free to access, and you’ll find workouts from celebrity trainers — and you can sweat with celebs themselves, like actress Gabrielle Union. Customized workout plans can help you reach your goal — and watching a live leaderboard might just help light a fire under you to really push.
Strava: Run, Ride, Swim
App Store rating: 4.8Google Play rating: 4.5
Free, with in-app purchases Not only can you track your activity (running, biking, swimming) in terms of duration, pace, and distance, and analyze your progress, but this app also connects you to a community of fit-minded folks. Gain motivation by virtually participating with or competing against friends, check out what other people are doing, and discover routes you never knew existed.
StepsApp Pedometer
App Store rating: 4.8Google Play rating: 4.6
Free, with in-app purchases Wright recommends using a pedometer (it counts your steps). These apps have useful visuals that help you see what you’ve accomplished in that day, week, or month, says Wright. For instance, you can see your step count nicely laid out on a monthly calendar, so you know when you tend to walk less and could benefit from ramping up your activity level. Even better: You’ll get a list of your personal records, meaning you may just start competing against yourself to see how many steps you can take.
7 Minute Workout
App Store rating: 4.8Google Play rating: 4.5
Free, with in-app purchases There are a lot of seven-minute-workout apps out there, but this one is extremely easy to use. (If you’re not familiar with the seven-minute workout challenge, it involves 12 high-intensity body-weight exercises performed for 30 seconds each with about six seconds of rest in between.) You can purchase additional seven-minute workouts through the app, too. “The theory is that you don’t need a lot of time to get in a great workout. And it can be performed in your living room,” says Srinath. Need more proof that it works? The American College of Sports Medicine published a study in an issue of its Health & Fitness Journal concluding that this type of circuit training can be a “fast and efficient way to lose excess body weight and body fat.” What’s more, a review and meta-analysis published online in January 2019 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine revealed that while interval training and moderate-intensity continuous training, or MOD (think a long jog or bike ride where you’re moderately pushing yourself), both resulted in weight loss, interval training ended up reducing participants’ body fat by 28.5 percent more than MOD.
Nike Training Club
App Store rating: 4.9Google Play rating 4.5
Free This is best for the person who really does want to improve endurance and flexibility, build muscle, and better their performance. But don’t let that stop you if you’re new to exercise. The featured workouts, which you can easily sort by target muscle groups, workout type (strength, endurance, yoga), or duration, are suitable for various ability levels.
Noom
App Store rating: 4.7Google Play rating: 4.4
Free, with in-app purchases One of the fastest-rising weight loss apps in terms of popularity, Noom has the requisite calorie and activity trackers but dives into your psyche more than others. The app connects you with a personal coach, and with #PsychTricks, it focuses heavily on the behind-the-scenes psychological and emotional reasons you may be overeating. A study published in November 2016 in Scientific Reports on nearly 36,000 Noom users found that 78 percent reported they lost weight while using the app. Unsurprisingly, dieters who used the app more were more likely to lose weight, and those who kept a stricter schedule recording their weight were less likely to yo-yo.
WW
App Store rating: 4.8Google Play rating: 4.5
Free, with in-app purchases Formerly Weight Watchers, WW is known as one of the best weight loss diets, according to U.S. News & World Report, and it doesn’t disappoint when it comes to men. Not only does WW make it easy to chart points, it also has a robust restaurant database and a bank of 4,000 WW recipes. What’s more, you can use Connect, the WW members-only social network, including the #WWBros, an easy way for male members to stay in touch.
Strides: Habit Tracker
App Store rating: 4.8
Free, with in-app purchases Available only on iOS, Strides stands out in that you can track your weight along with the habits that have been shown to factor into that weight — sleep, exercise, hydration, junk food consumption — that you want to change or improve on. (The free version of the app allows you to work on seven habits at a time.) Chart your progress via calendars, line charts, and bar graphs for a visual that makes it easy to check in with yourself. The way the app’s filter is set up, it tells you what task to take on next (like a morning walk) to “build the perfect day.”
Centr, by Chris Hemsworth
App Store rating 4.7Google Play rating 4.6
Free, with in-app purchases With the purchase of a program, you’ll get access to six-week programs that require no or little equipment. Exercises, which range from HIIT and boxing to yoga, strength, and MMA, take 20 to 40 minutes. What’s more, dietitian-approved meal and snack ideas, plus shopping lists and options to fit various diet preferences make eating healthy easier. There’s also a dedication to prioritizing mental health with guided meditations, sleep activities, and stress-management tips for general wellbeing. Experts include Chris Hemsworth’s personal trainer Luke Zocchi, a nutrition coach, holistic psychotherapist, and a Michelin-trained chef.
Lifesum
App Store rating: 4.7Google Play rating: 4.4
Free, with in-app purchases You’ll identify your diet (low-sugar, keto, fasting, high-protein, paleo, or another diet) and enter your food to track both calories and macronutrients (protein, carbs, fat) all with the goal of losing weight. For quick weight loss, try their three-week program, which features preplanned meals and shopping lists starting at $3.75 per month. This one has some scientific backing: In a study published in May 2019 in JMIR mHealth uHealth, which evaluated and used the top seven diet apps on iOS (Apple) and Android, Lifesum was awarded the highest score in terms of usability.
Lose Weight in 30 Days
App Store rating: 4.8Google Play rating: 4.8
Free, with in-app purchases This is a subscription-based program. So while it’s free to download, you pay $9.99 per month or $59.99 per year. The highly ranked program is focused on 30 days of workouts, but it also offers a meal plan. Because it provides guidance on workouts that you want to check off every day (instead of you deciding what you’re going to do and then putting it into the app), it can help you stick to a full month of activity. Info can be synchronized with Google Fit or Apple Health, making it easy to keep all your data in one place.
Sweat
App Store rating: 4.6Google Play rating: 4.3
Free, with in-app purchases This program is fitness-based, but also includes recipes and meal plans, and offers connection through the Sweat community to offer social support in your weight loss journey. Geared toward women who are looking to get strong and lose weight, the app offers 10 programs, including home options, weightlifting, and postpartum workouts. The way the workouts are structured makes it incredibly easy to follow; they’re also designed to progress in difficulty, so they’re suitable for beginners but challenging enough to keep you interested for the long haul. Though you can download the app itself for free, Sweat is a monthly or yearly subscription-based program. (It costs $19.99 per month or $119.94 annually.)
