Slimming applications
Dealing with a nutritionist, how realistic it is to build, armed with a gadget and weight loss apps.
Fitness gurus around the world do not tire of repeating: there is no need for extreme and radical diets, lose weight gradually, starting with one simple - counting calories. If you understand how much you are making in a single day, you will be able to reduce the portion and then build it up. And there are a million apps to help you out. KP turned to nutritionist Svetlana KORCHAGINA to explain all the pros and cons of losing weight online.
- The main principle of calorie counting apps is to accurately record everything you eat and drink. After all, most drinks are the same high calorie foods. It is difficult for beginners to determine the serving size and weight, so I recommend buying a kitchen scale. But over time, you will be able to determine the weight of the lunch with the naked eye.
But back to the apps that our expert considered the best.
Lifesum
Where to download: Google Play, App Store - free.
Benefits: Lifesum is the thinnest line today. The developers of the application have gone beyond the banal summation of calories and offer you, based on your physiological data, your age and your weight, to choose a specific nutritional plan. Of course, it is formed taking into account the BJUs (proteins, fats, carbohydrates). If lunch is already on your plate and you are not planning on changing it, the app will calculate what is the optimal portion size to eat so that the excess does not descend on your sides. Additionally, Lifesum supports HealthKit and can exchange data with well-known fitness apps if desired. Easy to use, over 10,000 dishes and products to choose from.
Cons: The human body is not a machine and an app is not a nutritionist. And no matter how good a meal plan is, it's still a one-size-fits-all plan. And that doesn't take into account your hormone levels, cholesterol levels, physical activity, and mental activity. But as a disciplined calculator, that's good enough!
MyFitnessPal
Where to download: Google Play, App Store - free.
Pros: The most popular calorie counter in the world, maybe because the developers already got confused and added 6 million products and products to the database. You point the screen to the barcode - and you don't have to manually fill in the product. In addition, MyFitnessPal has a convenient and intuitive interface, BJU calculator, automatic storage of frequently used foods, synchronization with HealthKit. And then there is a section with 350 exercises. True, these exercises do not include strength exercises, for example, work on simulators, so often users simply set an analogue of calories burned in jogging or aerobics.
Cons: The app still needs internet to work, otherwise the selected product will not appear in the search. Well, the inaccuracy of the data on the BZHU. For example, you found a tuna sandwich on the list. You can do this with whole grain bread, cheese, tomatoes, and lettuce. And the basic sample consists of white bread, mayonnaise, eggs. As a result, the calorie content of the dishes will vary.
FatSecret
Where to download: Google Play, App Store - free.
Pros: In fact, FatSecret is similar to MyFitnessPal and has an intuitive interface, a handy barcode reader, and the ability to keep a food diary. But here you can compare statistics from different weeks to check if there is any progress in weight loss. In FatSecret you can also set the current weight and the past weight in the table. In addition to BJU, the program takes into account the amount of sugar, fiber, sodium, cholesterol. It is also able to mark the calorie expenditure if you obstruct some type of physical activity. But it should be understood that these are only approximate values.
Cons: Users have long been asking developers to cook more meals in the app (now 4), after all, a lot in splits, six meals a day, and develop manual product entry. It is not practical to scroll through all the proposed grams to the desired mark. Take a lot of time.
YAZIO
Where to download: Google Play, App Store - free.
Pros: Firstly, the app is very beautiful, it feels like the designers have done their best. Second, each product comes with a photograph, and as a result, YAZIO looks like a glossy magazine. At the same time, the program has all the necessary functions for calculating calories - a ready-made product table with all the macros, adding your own products and creating a list of favorites, a barcode reader, sports and activity tracking, weight recording.
Cons: You cannot add your own recipes for ready meals, you will have to enter by ingredients. YAZIO offers a paid Pro version for 199 rubles per year, which will allow you to track nutrients (sugar, fiber and salt), keep track of the percentage of body fat, blood pressure, blood sugar and measure your chest, waist and hips. But users complain that the settings are unnecessary and sometimes the cost of the subscription is billed twice. Also, if you accidentally delete an app from your phone, you will have to pay for a premium account again.
"Calorie counter"
Where to download: Google Play, App Store - free.
Pros: If you need a simple and understandable program where there is nothing superfluous, then the "Calorie Counter" is an ideal option. In addition, the app works fine without the internet. At the same time, it perfectly manages the main functions: a set of ready-made products with calculated macros, the possibility of adding recipes, a list of basic sports loads, an individual calculation of BZHU calories.
Cons: With its minimalism, the app sometimes looks like a school wall newspaper: there are no tables with hip circumference calculation. Well, it doesn't claim to be more than a calorie counter.