But will it make you fat? Why not ask your smartphone
If you need to lose a few pounds, watching what you eat sounds like common-sense advice.
But
it's easy to lose track when you're totting up calorie counts in your
head and telling yourself that one more biscuit won't make much
difference.
Luckily, there's no need for complicated calorie
counting books, or expensive, time-consuming meetings - you just need to
find the App that's right for you. Pick the one that best fits your
needs and goals, and keep yourself on the straight and narrow. We're
feeling leaner already…
1. MyFitnessPal
Free
MyFitnessPal
is by far our favourite diet app - we can hardly believe it's free.
When you add your personal stats (height, age, sex, weight, target
weight and so on) the app will work out how many calories you can
consume each day to hit your target in the timeframe you specify.
You
record what you eat each day and input your activity. The app then tots
ups what you've consumed and expended to count your net calories. It
also plots your weight loss in a handy graph and lets you add friends
too, making the whole thing more fun.
Free
"Superfoods"
has become a real buzz word in recent years. We know we should be
eating them, that they can reputedly speed metabolism and aid weight
loss, but how many of us know all the varieties, what they're supposed
to do, how much to eat and how to incorporate them into our diet?
This
handy app makes things easy with a series of mini articles, like
"Groundbreaking superfood antioxidants" and "Best super greens", plus a
handy guide to all the individual superfoods and their specific
benefits.
This app sets out the facts and leaves you equipped
with all the knowledge you need to make the most out of the superfoods
revolution.
Free
This
great app builds a personalised menu for you, taking into consideration
how many calories you should be eating each day to reach your goal.
After you've spent a few minutes entering your vital stats it'll show
you how much you should ideally weigh and work out a long-term goal for
you.
You then tell it what foods you like to eat and when and I'll
build a menu for you and even makes a shopping list for you! If you're
so inclined you can even share your progress, meal plan etc. via social
media, straight from Nutrino.
Free
This
one is aimed women, and it's all about motivating you to keep committed
to losing weight. It allows you to set personalised reminders - for
example, "prepare a healthy lunch" or "drink water" - and will help you
combat exercise laziness and food temptation with motivational photos
and slogans.
If
you're looking for an app that acts as a supportive, well-wishing
friend, rather than a calorie counter you'll love this. We like the way
you set your own weight loss target, and that it reminds you of the
reason you're losing weight.
£1.49 (US$1.99)
Sometimes
you just need your weight in black and white, and here's where
Weightbot comes in. It lets you record your weight every day (if you
like) and plot your progress on a crystal clear graph, so you can see
exactly how you're doing.
We also really like the fact that it
calculates your all-important body mass index for you too - something
many of the others don't. If you're serious about losing weight and want
to keep a proper eye on your progress, this is worth £1.49 for the
brilliant fuss-free interface.
Free
If
you need inspiration for your low-fat diet, the Low Fat Recipes app is
for you. It's like a brilliant free cookbook, which also gives you
complete nutritional information. There's a staggering array of choice
with options for every dietary requirement, from gluten free and
diabetes-friendly though to gourmet and budget.
We particularly
like how easy it is to browse depending on what you have in the kitchen
fridge - search for "chicken" and you'll see a whole range of ideas for
the joints sitting in your fridge. Star dishes you like the look of so
you can quickly find them. With this app, you may not need another
cookbook.
Free
The WeightWatcher plan is one of the most popular diets out there, and it's also one of the few to have proven short and long-term effectiveness. This free app will watch you while you're watching.
The
extensive library of foods - over 30,000 - includes restaurant meals
and gives a WeightWatchers point value for each entry, as well as
calculating your daily point allowance and how many points you have
remaining.
While this app really is indispensible if you're
following WeightWatchers, it's not much good otherwise, as many of the
features can only be used if you have an online subscription, which you
pay for.
