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This year, you may have had to pivot your personal goals to make them achievable from the comfort of your home. The nature of 2020 meant no gyms, minimal access to outside resources, and a whole lot of time. However, because of this shift to at-home accessibility, more people than ever have been turning to apps to help them in their weight loss journey without a physical gym or nutritionist to guide them. If you’re looking to lose weight going into the new year but aren’t quite sure where to start, these are the 4 best apps for weight loss with proven results.
MyFitnessPal
MyFitnessPal is a free food tracking app which helps you to monitor not only your calorie intake, but your macronutrients as well. Based on your weight loss goals, you can scan and input the foods you eat within each day as well as the quantities, and the app will estimate how long it will take you to reach your ideal number. The food database on MyFitnessPal is huge, so just about any food you should choose to scan or input can be easily tracked. The app also provides you with healthy recipes under a number of categories such as “Immune Support,” “Pantry Staples,” “Pre-Workout,” and “High-Protein,” which can be instantly put into your food diary after you make them.
This app has garnered rave reviews since launching in 2005, with many people using MyFitnessPal in tandem with exercise to help them lose weight and keep it off. If you don’t have money to shell out, but want to be aware of your food intake, this app is perfect for reaching your fitness goals and creating a more mindful connection with food.
Fitbit
While the Fitbit app must be accompanied by the tracker to be effective, this platform will provide you with some metrics for your movement which will be useful for long term weight loss, and offer you a greater understanding of your activity. Fitbit will track your steps, exercise minutes, and calories burned throughout the day in order to give you an accurate estimate of your energy output which will inform how much you should be eating. Combined with the fact that you can enjoy a little healthy competition to see which of your friends is able to rack up the most steps, Fitbit offers a boost of motivation along with data to help you lose weight.
Weight Watchers
This tried and true weight loss platform applies numerical values to various foods, and working with your goals and body statistics, determines a set number of points to be consumed each day which will lead to weight loss. Instead of being calorie focused, Weight Watchers leans more into the quality of food you’re eating, with healthier foods having a lower point value.
Weight Watchers app allows you to track the foods and points you’ve accumulated throughout the day, suggests healthy recipes to follow based off of the ingredients you already have in your fridge, allows you to plan out a week of meals in advance, and provides a weekly check-in to ensure that you’re staying on track with your weight loss journey. If you opt for a coaching option, it prices out at $8.65/week, and the lowest digital plan costs only $3.19/week which is far less than the gym membership you haven’t been able to use all year!
Freeletics
If you’re looking for an app to guide you through workouts at home, Freeletics is the one for you. The app is free to download, with in-app pricing ranging from $11.99 for one month, or $74.99 for the year. However, the purchase comes with a significant bang for your buck, offering you access to personalized training plans, a nutrition plan, and you can adjust your settings to include only the equipment you already have at home.
Home workouts can be tough to find the motivation for when it’s just you and your living room, but looking to an app to provide you with a detailed plan can give you the final push you need to stick to a healthy routine and finally feel confident in your body.
