What is Lose It?

The competition to MyFitnessPal, this app is a weight loss-focused dietary tool that you can take everywhere on your cell phone, tablet, or electronic device. Lose It! may be one of the best diet app programs as it offers an on-the-go calorie tracker, step counter, workout log, and food database.

While it is primarily used by those trying to lose weight, Lose It! is also able to provide the calorie counting tools needed for those interested in gaining mass and size but I’ll talk more about that below.

There are two versions of Lose It!: the free version and the premium version, which costs $39.99 per year (as of the publication of this article).

Free vs. Premium

Free VerSion of Lose It! Includes:

• Weight tracker
• Step counter
• Calories expended via exercise
• Snap It! (recognizes food via taking a picture of it)
• Barcode scanner
• Updates and reminder
• Social media

Premium Version of Lose It! Includes:

• Everything found in the free version as well as the following:
• More detailed nutritional information
• Goal setting help
• Personal coaching
• Body fat levels and recommendations
• Blood glucose levels
• Water intake recommendations
• Sleep tracking
• Additional support groups
• Additional fitness applications

Is the Basic Version Enough?

I believe that for most people, the free version is going to be enough to help achieve the basics of weight loss or muscle building. Calorie and macronutrient counting is considered the most frustrating part of a diet but it’s also the most vital part. The free version of Lose It! features a meal tracker and calorie counter that rivals (but is not necessarily better than) MyFitnessPal so it’s going to deliver the foundation of what you need.

Strengths of the Diet App

Ease of Use

One of the most noted comments about Lose It! was the ease at which it could be used by young and old alike. With the learning curve of the older generations and the lower patience levels of the younger generations, apps with complicated set-ups just cannot compete in the fitness industry.

Luckily, Lose It! is extremely user-friendly, utilizing several types of graph and chart breakdowns to illustrate your goals and progress.

Customizable Caloric Targets

Based on your age, gender, weight, fitness goals, and other factors, Lose It! will provide a realistic and achievable daily caloric number to reach each day. It will also provide recommendations for meals based on this number. One of the features that I think really stands out is the healthy restaurant finder. If you’re heading out to eat, it can help you find diet-friendly restaurants in your area based on GPS coordinates.

As I mentioned above, Lose It! is primarily for those looking to shed excess weight; however, it can also be used for those who want to build muscle and size. It offers caloric and macronutrient breakdowns for maximizing muscle growth and size.

Have Fun Completing Challenges

By-the-numbers calorie counting can become boring really fast. A great feature about Lose It! that I like is how the app provides a little fun for the stale process of dieting. Lose It! pushes you to complete different challenges and collect points turning weight loss more into a game than a chore.

Things to Improve

Food Database Selection

Lose It! is one of the best diet app programs out there but one area that it needs to improve is in its food database. Compared to MyFitnessPal, Lose It! is nagging behind especially when it comes to diet-friendly restaurants. Many users complain about their inability to find seemingly common items and when it comes to specialty items, it’s a lost cause.

Terminology of the App

Another issue that you may come across while using Lose It! is the app’s terminology and use of abbreviations. Some users have described using the app as needing to know fitness industry lingo while others became confused by the excessive use of abbreviations.

Best Diet App? My Recommendation

While Lose It! may not be on the same level as MyFitnessPal, it’s not too far off and should be considered one of the best diet app programs. If you’re willing to Google a few terms and you don’t mind abbreviations, then Lose It! is going to be a reliable, fun, and easy-to-use tool to track your fitness program. Best of all, it’s free!

With that said, I believe that an investment in an app provides an extra element of seriousness and commitment to your goals. Considering the app only costs $40 for one year, that’s less than the cost of one cup of sugary coffee a month. Put simply: Try the free version of the app for a week or two. If you enjoy the layout and user-friendliness, and you have the $40, then make the investment in the premium version.