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.