The Best Fitness Apps To Keep You On Track After Weight Loss Surgery
Let’s be honest… there are a LOT of fitness apps available for download. It can be a little overwhelming if you’re figuring out where to start, so in this article we’re going to explore the different kinds of fitness apps on the market as well as give our favorite pick for each type.
Calorie tracking apps
Getting a food logging app is absolutely the first priority during anyone’s weight loss journey. Being able to accurately track what you’ve consumed is crucial for success. There are dozens of food logging apps out there and use whatever app you find easiest to use. Considering you’ll be using it every day, a decent food logging app should be easy to navigate and enter meals into. It should also track your calorie budget in real time so you know how many calories you’ve consumed in the day.
Our Pick - MyFitnessPal
We recommend MyFitnessPal (MFP) for several reasons. While there is a premium subscription feature, the free version has all the core features you’ll need. Its food diary is crowd sourced, meaning that if someone else has logged an item, you can search it and it’ll pop up for you. There’s also a barcode scanner for packaged foods! You’ll rarely need to make a manual entry. We also like this app because it syncs seamlessly with dozens of fitness watches and other apps, in case you want to, say track your steps right in the app. MyFitnessPal also allows you to friend other people with the app. Losing weight with friends and family has been shown to be a very effective strategy! Finally, the app will also track macro- and micro-nutrients in your food. You can track anything from carbohydrates to iron, but we like it best for keeping tabs on your protein intake! You can set your own protein goal in the app and quickly see after a week or two if you’re hitting your benchmark. If you could only get one app off this list for your weight-loss journey, we’d recommend MFP without hesitation.
Baritastic App
In addition to MyFitnessPal, consider using Baritastic to enhance your weight loss journey. Baritastic is specifically designed to support individuals who have undergone weight loss surgery or are preparing for it. The app offers features tailored to the needs of this demographic, such as tracking post-op guidelines, managing vitamins and supplements, and accessing resources for a successful surgical journey. Baritastic provides a personalized experience with reminders for medication, water intake, and protein goals. It also offers a supportive community of individuals who understand the unique challenges of weight loss surgery.
By combining the benefits of MyFitnessPal and Baritastic, you can create a comprehensive approach to tracking your diet, exercise, and overall health. MyFitnessPal helps you manage your nutrition and fitness goals, while Baritastic provides specialized support for those on a weight loss surgery journey. These two apps together offer a powerful toolkit to help you achieve your weight loss goals effectively.
Step counter
With calorie counting set, your next priority should be tracking your activity. If food tracking measures the “in” of your ‘Calories in/Calories out’ ratio, the activity tracker will give you a good idea of what your “out” is. If you’re on a budget, we recommend using the built-in step tracker in your smartphone. These devices have gotten much more accurate over the years; just make sure you keep your phone on you throughout the day!
Our Pick - Fitbit
To really get an accurate measurement of your calories burned in a day, we recommend getting a wearable activity tracker. Fitbit is currently the most popular manufacturer of these devices. Worn on your wrist, Fitbit devices transmit your activity data right to a companion app on your phone. The cheaper models just track your steps and give an estimate of calories burned in the day, while the more expensive versions come with extra features like heart rate monitors. While the devices can cost anywhere between $30-300, the app is free and very user friendly which is why it’s our top pick in this category.
Workout and meal plan suggestion app
Current diet and workout routine feeling stale? Never fret, this is a common refrain from many people. Fortunately, there are several apps dedicated toward creating engaging and unique workouts and meal plans. Take out the guesswork of what comprises a good exercise routine and simply follow a pre-made workout at the appropriate intensity level. The same can also be said for preparing healthy meals. If the goal is to have a high protein dinner with low overall calories there will be healthy suggestions. This is a fantastic option for beginners who don’t have much experience creating their own healthy meals or workout routines.
Our Pick - BetterMe
BetterMe is the fastest growing community of apps geared toward adopting healthy lifestyles for its followers. Even more important than its goal to promote health, BetterMe wants users to be happy. Broken into three categories, fitness, diet, and yoga, BetterMe is made for the average person. The workouts are quick and accessible not intimidating. The meal plans are varied and interesting, as the average user wants to eat healthy, but wants more flavor! Try BetterMe to have some fun while getting in shape.
Meditation apps
Over the past decade more research has been found demonstrating just how damaging stress is to mental and physical health. As a result, health professionals have advocated meditation to patients. Meditation has been proven to reduce stress, alleviate anxiety and improve sleep quality. Because high stress is correlated with weight gain, downloading a meditation app is a wise choice.
Our Pick - Calm
Calm is designed to be a holistic approach to body and mind wellness. With easy to follow meditation guides, lessons and audio files to listen to Calm makes meditation accessible for everyone. Calm also provides detailed lessons on body movements to relieve stress and joint pain. Finally, there are a number of media options such as relaxing sounds to fall asleep to, music to study along with, and images and videos to relax.