This is Kit Eaton
for the New York Times.
Losing a little weight
is something
we all try at one time
or another.
For my body and
lifestyle, the app Breeze
which is free for iPhones
really does work.
In an essence it's a step
and activity counter
based
on the oft-quoted idea
that you should walk
around 10.000 steps
in a day
to help keep your weight
down and you in shape.
Breeze basically monitors
whether you
are walking enough
and gently prompts you
with
cheerful reminders
if you've done well
or if you still need
to walk a little
bit extra to achieve
your daily goal.
It's simple,
highly motivational
and I find its gentle
prompts
really do keep me
on target.
The app only works on an
iPhone 5S
and more recent ones.
But if you're looking
for a slightly
more full-featured
weight-loss app
you should check out
Lose it!
which is free
for IOS and Android
Lose it! tries to be
a one-stop-shop
for smart phone users
who are trying to lose
weight
effectively counting
as a calorie counter,
a dietary advice database
and a fitness
and activity tracker.
To do this it requires
a little
bit of input from you.
Mainly in the form
of tagging how many
calories you're eating
in a particular meal.
The app tries to help
with this task
via a vast database
of calories
and particular meals
and a bar code scanner
for when you're
cooking your own food.
But while core features
of the app are free,
to get access
to all of them,
such as an analytic
section
to help you find out
where all your calories
are coming from,
you have to pay up
to $40 per year.
So a great alternative
to this app,
albeit one
that's slightly simpler,
is myfitnesspal's
calorie counter.
This app is completely
free for IOS and
Android and has many
of the same features
as the previous app,
including the ability
to connect
to third party fitness
tracking devices,
If it has a slightly
plain interface.
But don't let
that put you off.
And above all remember
that to use
any of these apps
you really get
the most out of them
when you're committed
to losing weight
and getting
a little bit fitter.