For as long as we humans have been subject of carry on surplus lb , we ’ve been trying to drop off them withridiculous dietsandcruel and strange methods .   It sucks ! A lot ! But unlike the bare - tired masses that came before , we ’ve got~technology~on our side . But how should you tackle it for the bighearted payoff ? Here ’s what you need to do it .

Fitbit Flex

Price:$100Why you require it : To get your fanny movingFitbits , Jawbones , Apple Watches , they ’re everywhere right now . And while you may come down firmly on the side of the anti - wearable movement for style understanding or otherwise , the truth is this : but having one on your eubstance has been shown tomake people more dynamic . Plus , when paired with a number of the apps further down on this tilt , they can make it much , much easier to bang what it takes to reach your goal weight . The Fitbit Flex is a solid starter option – it ’s low profile ( no trashy displays ! ) , lightweight , tracks a gross ton of data ( steps , distance , calories burned , stationary time , sleep , etc . ) , and is relatively affordable .

Fooducate

iOS : FreeAndroid : FreeWhy you require it : To teach yourself to eat on betterThere ’s a reason this app has realize extolment from the ilk of the US Surgeon General , dietician , doctors , and even Apple – it ’s one of the leisurely ways to not only keep tabs on what you ’re putting into your body , but also learn what you necessitate to run through ( and how much ) to get to your goal weight . It ’s packed with convenient features , but one of the best component is you do n’t even have to type in what you ’re eat most of the time since there ’s a build - in barcode scanner .

SITU smart food nutrition scale

Price:$119Why you need it : Because you suck at portion control , and how nutritious is this jumbo pretzel hot frank , really?If you really want to take control over the crap you put in your body , and start eat less ( or simply better ) , you should consider getting a scale like the SITU . Working in tandem with your iPhone or iPad , it valuate a food item in both calories and nutrients – so you could see the precise enumeration of kilocalorie , sugar , salt , protein , vitamin , and mineral of whatever you place on it . realize just how nutrient – or unfeignedly godawful – whatever you ’re about to chow down on is for you may be just the nudge you ask to stop yourself .

Lose It!

iOS : FreeAndroid : FreeWhy you need it : You have a goal , but want to get it done in your own timeWhile Lose it ! and Fooducate partake in a lot of exchangeable features ( full-bodied repast tracking and calorie counting , etc . ) , the former is uniquely helpful when it comes to creating a individualised weight unit - loss plan . punch in your elevation / free weight / age / sex , infix a goal weight , and then adjudicate just how speedily you want to shed those love hold . Then it ’ll generate a " daily kilocalorie budget " to put you on lead to get there by a specific date .

Withings Smart Body Analyzer

Price:$150Why you ask it : So you could track more than just your weightHopping on a musical scale when you ’re trying to lose weight is a masochistic move , but it ’s been proven that people who get over their system of weights on a day-after-day basisare far more likely to meet their free weight - red ink goal . And while this Wi - Fi - enabled sassy musical scale will mechanically lumber your system of weights stats every clock time you step on it ( in a consecrated smartphone app ) , it ’s a perdition of a fate more than just a deadening bathroom scale . It can also measure your BMI , fat mass , heart charge per unit , and even give you an idea of the air character in your home .

SimpleSteps

iOS : FreeAndroid : FreeWhy you involve it : To rise better long - full term eating habits , and because baby stone’s throw are n’t just for babiesLots of the great unwashed trying to drop the belly are convinced it requires a striking duty period in their modus vivendi – salads for every meal and round - the - clock whirl classes . And sure , that ’s one way to do it , but it ’s also by far the knockout . SimpleSteps ' school of thought is to ditch full - blown diets for mildly stick in " habits " that are more potential to take hold for the longer condition .

Once you launch the app , you ’ll be asked a series of questions about your diet – how frequently do you corrode crimson kernel ? Do most of your meals contain one - third vegetables ? How much water do you tope per day ? Based on how you respond it will suggest some unexampled riding habit to start working on . Once you ’ve decide on your first habit ( for instance , " wipe out anything except blood-red meat " ) , it will ask you to hold in every day for the next few days and recognise whether you adhered . Once you ’ve successfully followed it for three mean solar day , it introduces another habit , and so away and so on , and the next thing you know you ’re essentially Gwyneth Paltrow .

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Using apps for healthy dieting

Dirima/Shutterstock

Joe McGauleyis a senior writer for Thrillist . He was a beefy child .

man wearing fitbit flex

Fitbit

screenshot of Fooducate

Screenshot via Fooducate/Shutterstock

situ food scale

SituScale.com

screenshot of Lose It app

Screenshot via Lose It/Shutterstock

withings body analyzer

Withings

screenshot of SimpleSteps app

Screenshot via SimpleSteps/Shutterstock