Apps to help with weight loss

Calorie Counter PRO by MyNetDiary

Selected by Apple as the best health app of 2011 in Australia App Store Rewind, MyNetDiary has been around since 2008. Easy and comprehensive, developers 4Technologies Corporation claim: "It actually works, helping you lose weight and keep it off." With 430,000 foods in its database and a barcode scanner, MyNetDiary PRO is comprehensive and easy to use, and it works offline without Internet connection. Best of all, the database has many Australian foods and brands, including Vegemite foods, Lamingtons, ANZAC Biscuits, Woolworths and IGA products and more.

Time To Burn It by Rebel Sports

Nothing will turn you off that snack-sized Mars Bar or late-night Tim Tim faster than an instant calculation of how much exercise is required to burn those calories. A quick glance at Rebel Sports's Time To Burn It app will tell you, for instance, that in order to burn off a regular packet of Maltesers, you will need to hit the treadmill hard for 25 minutes.

Swap It by the Australian government

Part of the Australian government’s $41 million campaign to fight obesity this year and next, the Swap It app has been designed to get people thinking about healthier choices. You might want to know what the impact is of substituting a piece of fruit for a planned chocolate snack, for example, or whether it’s worthwhile getting off the bus one stop early to squeeze in more exercise. The app also allows you to track your progress as you "swap," create shopping lists, set reminders for swaps and even earn reward badges as you reach goals. As an added bonus, it’s available for free on the app store.

iMapMyRun by MapMyFITNESS

A clever little fitness app that uses your iPhone's GPS to provide pace, time, distance and speed tracking while you're active, iMapMyRun is both for those who enjoy a dedicated daily run, and those who indulge in occasional exercise. If you’re serious about logging some exercise time, you can save your runs, walks, or bike rides to a training log – along with accompanying maps and a record of calories burned – so you can compare and improve your results the next day. Otherwise, it’s the ideal app to record your favourite routes and log your results, with your workout data automatically uploaded to the MapMyFITNESS website for future reference.

iPump Fat Burn by PumpOne

If you only need a few sample exercises to get you started on your weight loss journey, this app is for you. Offering comprehensive, full-body work outs, this weight loss app allows you to listen to music, view demos by video and keep a work-out log as you go. It’s ideal for those who want to shape up through regular exercise regimens in the comfort of their own living room, as reviewer Amy Mowbray confirms: "I used this at the gym today and it was great, although you don't need a gym to perform the exercises. This app will save people lots of money because they won't spend $60 per hour for a personal trainer, as this app is just as effective, if not better!"

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