Three months ago, I had a vertical sleeve gastrectomy performed. Since February 23, I've lost 80 pounds. Along my journey, I've found several apps that are really helpful during a weight loss/dieting/fitness lifestyle change. My phone is always with me, so it only makes sense to use it to make my life easier. Since I've sifted through HUNDREDS of fitness apps, I decided to compile a list of 11 of the apps that I have found most useful during this time in my life. If you're trying to improve your health in any way, check out these apps.
1. Wokamon
Who else here LOVED Tamagotchi when they were little? There was nothing better than having your own little "creature" to take care of. The app Wokamon combines fitness with cuteness by allowing you to use your steps to raise your "monster." The more you walk, the faster your little creature can grow. This may be the extra motivation you need to get up and get moving throughout your day. For an added fun benefit, you can add your friends on the app and have a weekly competition on who walks the most!
2. Plant Nanny
Plant Nanny follows along the same lines as Wokamon. The difference is that, instead of steps, you drink water to raise your plant. The more water you drink in the day, the healthier your plants will be. One handy feature of this app is the fact that it will send you reminders to drink water if it has been a while since you drank anything. Ask any fitness guru, and they will tell you that one of the keys to success in dieting is drinking plenty of water. What better way to do this than Plant Nanny?
3. Pinterest
Everyone knows what Pinterest is. It may seem like a strange addition to this list, but what better place to get healthy recipes, dieting tips, or easy beginner workouts? If you think about it, Pinterest is pretty close to being a personal trainer in your pocket. You can find anything you need to be successful on this app.
4. Map My Walk/Run/Fitness
Map My Run/Walk/Fitness are all GPS enabled apps that allow you to chart exactly where you run/walk/exercise. This can come in handy when trying to calculate distance and speed. If you want to take a jog around your neighborhood but aren't sure how long that jog will be, use the "map my" apps to help you accurately plan your jog.
5. Sworkit
Sworkit is made for those people who have no time or money to go to the gym. This app turns your cell phone into a gym with exercises that use your body weight alone. No need for barbells or fancy gym equipment. You can customize your workout or choose one of the presets that come on the app. Exercise at your own convenience. Cool, right?
6. C25K
The Couch to 5K running program is a very popular running program for beginners. It starts with running one minute at a time and gradually works up to running for 30 minutes straight. If you're in decent shape (not severely overweight) this app will be a great fit for you and will aid you in getting back to better shape. If you are severely overweight, my honest opinion is that you need to lose some more before trying to run. We don't want to kill our knees by running too soon.
7. Spotify
Another seemingly weird addition to this list, but who wants to work out with no music? Use Spotify to design your workout playlist, and crank it up as loud as it will go for motivation.
8. Health
As you're exercising, you're going to want to keep an eye on how much activity you're doing. You can use the health app already on your phone to track your steps, how many flights of stairs you've taken, and so much more. And how much more convenient can you get than already having it on your phone?
9. MY Weight
Now obviously all of this exercising is going to help you drop the pounds. I personally LOVE the MY Weight app. You just log your weight, and the app will give you your BMI, how much you have lost, how much weight you have until you reach your goal, etc. I use this app every day to record my weight.
10. My Fitness Pal
MyFitnessPal is another app that I use daily. In my opinion, this is the most important dieting/fitness app that you can download. You can do pretty much everything on this app. You can record your weight, you can keep track of water, log your food, log your exercise, and sync it to your different fitness devices. I can honestly say that this app has played a huge part in the success I've experienced so far.
11. FaceFilm
Now this one really doesn't have that much to do with fitness or dieting. I really think this app is meant to combine two faces and show you what they look like morphed together. However, I found a really cool second use for this app. If you upload your before and after photos, it will slowly show you your transformation. How cool, right? Because after you've shed all of your extra weight, it's so fun to see the comparison between photos. So I definitely recommend this app to help you see the difference when you may not feel like there is one.
Losing weight isn't easy. If it was, there wouldn't be an obesity epidemic in America. So if you're trying to lose weight or get in better shape, use these 11 apps to help you out along the journey. It still won't be easy, but it'll be more manageable.
