3 Free Apps I Used To Lose 55 Pounds in 4 Months

Before I take a bite of anything I reach for this app. Myfitnesspal is a free calorie counter, diet and exercise journal, with a built-in bar code scanner that helps me keep track of what I shovel into my mouth.

If I'm eating something on the go, grabbing something out of the pantry, or pulling up to a drive-thru, I open up myfitnesspal and search the food I'm about to consume from its database of over 1,000,000 food items. I've rarely come across an item that this app didn't already have in its library of nutrition facts.

First, I enter in the basics: My weight, my height, my age, and of course, my weight loss goals. From then on, myfitnesspal suggests how many calories I'm allowed to eat throughout the day in order to stay on track. Along the way this app encourages me with a daily timeline of my impressive accomplishments. I've also found that its online forum is full of some very helpful community members that assist in answering any questions I may have.

It's one thing to keep your daily calorie intake at a healthy level, but it's also very important to eat the right kinds of foods! That's where this app comes in handy.

Again, another app with a bar code scanner, but this time I use it for when I am doing my weekly grocery shopping. As I go down the aisles at my neighborhood store I zap an item that I might want to eat, and that's when Fooducate goes to work by calculating the nutritional content of the food item. Once the food is scanned, Fooducate grades it on a scale of A+ to D-. Following that, it gives me alternatives in the same category that would be a healthier option.

It's shocking to see how even the healthiest looking foods with all of their green packaging and boastful quotes like "low sodium" or "good source of protein" can actually be quite bad for me. Fooducate breaks through the hype with solid facts about what might be lurking beyond the flashy packaging.

If you can't afford a nutritionist, Fooducate is the one app you need to eat healthy.

Walking is by far the easiest workout you can do to shed some weight. Simply put one foot in front of the other and you are on your way to a healthier you! In the beginning of the summer I chose to ditch the car and just start walking to work instead, but to be honest, walking is kind of a bore. That's why I downloaded this other free app to keep me motivated during my travels.

Once I log in to Nike+ via my Facebook account and begin my travels I am greeted with real-time cheers from my social network friends. This unique form of encouragement begins when the app posts updates to my timeline sharing my progress that in return allows my buddies to cheer me on. I also have a friendly female voice coach that whispers into my ear the distances I've gone, how long I've been walking and my average pace.

After I finish my walk the app shows me a map that displays where I went, how hard I pushed myself, and of course, how many calories I burned in the process. This feature is super handy for when I want to challenge myself to beat my previous pace, or attempt to find alternative paths to conquer in my next go-around. I even get recorded celebrity pep talks from people like Lance Armstrong that congratulate me whenever I achieve a milestone!

With this amazing motivational app I was just recently able to run my first 5k ever without stopping for a breather. Something I know I never would have been able to do without it.