8 top apps for losing weight
Obesity rates have been steadily rising around the world for decades. Globally, obesity among adults has more than doubled since 1990, reaching 1 billion people in 2022 — that’s one in eight people in the world, according to the World Health Organization.
In the U.S., the situation is even more severe, with 40% of American adults classified as obese. However, new data shows that the U.S. may have reached peak obesity in 2020 — with the timing unsurprisingly coinciding with the rise of Ozempic and other popular weight loss drugs.
But, these drugs are out of reach for many people due to their high price and limited supply. Some people have turned to tech instead, specifically mobile apps, for help on their weight loss journey. The global exercise and weight loss apps market size reached an estimated $838 million in 2023.
Here are some of the most popular weight loss mobile apps.
Weight Watchers
WeightWatchers claims to be the number one doctor-recommended weight loss program. Since debuting in the ‘60s, the program is now available on smartphones. It is designed to help users develop sustainable healthy eating habits via a company’s famous points program — which combines a food’s nutritional data into one easy-to-use point value.
Simple
Simple, an AI-powered weight loss coach, has helped its users lose a collective 13 million pounds. The app includes features like personalized daily plans, menu scanning that helps users select healthier options when eating out, meal tracking and feedback, and a 24/7 chatbot.
Noom
Noom is a psychology-based digital healthcare platform. It helps users reach their goal weight with clear, science-backed plans. The app includes food logging, recipes, meal plans, and thousands of interactive lessons. Noom users can lose an average of 15.5 pounds over 16 weeks, according to the company.
Lasta
Lasta is an all-in-one weight loss app. The tool provides users with personalized fitness plans featuring yoga and pilates classes and meal plans. It also lets users track their food and calorie intake. Lasta has over 600,000 active users, according to the company.
Lose It!
Lose It! is an app that dubs itself as a “calorie counting, nutrition tracking, and intermittent fasting tool” that aims to help users break bad nutritional habits. Users set goals and then track what they eat while meeting a calorie budget. The app has helped users lose over 140 million pounds.
Cal AI
Cal AI is an AI-powered app that makes counting calories easier than ever. All users have to do is take a picture of their food the app’s algorithms will be able to calculate the calories, protein, carbs, and fat in their meal. The app claims to be 90% accurate when predicting the nutritional value of food.
BetterMe
BetterMe is another app that offers personalized fitness and diet guidance. However, unlike other apps, it also lets users check in and receive evaluations by certified coaches.
MyFitnessPal
MyFitnessPal is one of the most popular health & fitness apps on the Apple App Store, with over 2 million ratings. The simple app helps users track their nutrition, water, fitness, and weight loss goals and then lets them learn from their habits in order to make healthier and smarter choices.
