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The 15 best apps to help you get skinny, fast

Text: Anna McClelland

Click through for the 15 best weight loss and exercise apps

Noom Weight Loss Coach, free (plus premium options)<p><span style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 29px;">A University of Sydney study into health apps' accuracy and scientific merit found this app to be the most likely to change behaviour and assist weight loss. A 16-week program designed by physicians, <a target="_blank" href="https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/noom-healthy-weight-loss-coach/id634598719?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4">Noom</a> tracks your food, weight, exercise, blood pressure and blood glucose, plus gives you personalised feedback from a real-life coach. Noom has over 15-million users worldwide, and also offers a Diabetes Prevention Program. The real deal. </span></p>
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Control My Weight, $8.99<p><span style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 29px;">The second-best app in the same University of Sydney study (it ranked co-second with Calorie Counter Pro - see next slide), <a target="_blank" href="https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/controlmyweight-calorie-counter/id578546778?mt=8">Control My Weight</a> boasts Australia's most accurate food database and takes the headache out of searching for specific foods: instead of having to scroll through lists of unverified calorie results, it presents one accurate result per ingredient. You can save recipes for quicker counting and track fat, sodium, cholesterol, fibre and calcium as well as calories and carbs.</span></p>
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Calorie Counter Pro, $5.99<p><span style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 29px;">A 2013 study published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine rated this the<a target="_blank" href="https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/calorie-counter-pro-by-mynetdiary/id352247139?mt=8"> top mobile diet app</a>. Even though it's American, it has an extensive database of Australian brands and includes a built-in barcode scanner so you can be sure of specific results. It tracks nutrients and carbohydrates as well as calories, plus offers recipe and exercise plans.</span></p>
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Nike+ Training Club, free<p><span style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 29px;"><a target="_blank" href="https://itunes.apple.com/en/app/nike-training-club/id301521403?mt=8">Nike</a> has just released a new version of its uber-popular training app, with over 100 new workouts designed by Nike Trainers and an Adaptive Training function that adjusts to individual progress and training schedules. You can also now book into real-life NTC Live sessions via the app.</span></p>
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Runtastic Six Pack Abs Workout, free<p><span style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 29px;">Download <a target="_blank" href="https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/runtastic-six-pack-abs-workout/id685857245?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4">this app </a>and suddenly, you'll have 50 different video tutorials coaching you to that flat stomach you've always wanted, but never been able to get. The app gives you a 10-week program to follow, with adjustable levels of difficulty plus the option to create custom workouts tailored to your weight loss goals, schedule and target areas.</span></p>
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Carrot Fit, $4.99<p><span style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 29px;">If you need to be bullied into exercising, try<a target="_blank" href="https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/carrot-fit-7-minute-workout/id769155678?mt=8"> Carrot Fit</a>: a sadistic - yet hilarious - take on the seven-minute workout. There's also a built-in weight tracker.</span></p>
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Charity Miles, free<p><span style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 29px;">'Move with Purpose' is the motto of <a target="_blank" href="https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/charity-miles/id505253234?mt=8">Charity Miles</a>, which lets you fundraise for your charity of choice every time you exercise. Corporate sponsors including Johnson & Johnson and Chobani donate US$0.25 for every mile (approx. 1.6km) you run, walk or cycle - it may sound small, but so far the app has raised over $2 million for the 30+ participating charities. We can't think of a better incentive to get out the door.</span></p>
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Couch to 5K, $2.99<p><span style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 29px;">For anyone who loves the idea of running but just isn't any good at it, this is the app to buy: by the end of the <a target="_blank" href="https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/couch-to-5k-running-app-training/id448474423?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4">nine-week program</a>, in which you walk/run three times a week for a max of 30 minutes, you'll be able to run continuously for five kilometres. There's then a 5k-10km version of the app to download.</span></p>
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Zombies, Run! $2.99<p><span style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 29px;">A Couch to 5km-style training<a target="_blank" href="https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/zombies-run!-5k-training/id566596422?mt=8"> app </a>that motivates you to run by making it seem like you're being chased by zombies. Random? Yes. Does it work? Apparently. The 8-week program combines instructions on when to walk and run within a horror story written by award-winning novelist Naomi Alderman.</span></p>
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Sweat With Kayla, $19.99/month<p><span style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 29px;">See why PT Kayla Itsines has 5.3 million Instagram followers with her equally <a target="_blank" href="https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/sweat-with-kayla/id1049234587?mt=8">popular app</a>. It's full of her famed 28-minute workouts (requiring minimal or no equipment), plus healthy recipes (many vego or vegan), shopping lists and over 300 pages of nutritional and fitness information. You're encouraged to track your progress via side-by-side before and after photos, which the app can store privately or share to Facebook (shudder).</span></p>
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My Fitness Pal Calorie Counter, free<p><span style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 29px;">One of the most popular calorie counting apps, <a target="_blank" href="https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/calorie-counter-diet-tracker/id341232718?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4">My Fitness Pal </a>has the largest food database (but perhaps not the easiest to search) plus a barcode scanner that recognises over four million barcodes. It's super-fast to log your food intake and exercise as it remembers common items and allows you to add multiple foods at once. There's also an in-built step tracker.</span></p>
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Map My Fitness, free<p><span style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 29px;">A multi-purpose version of Map My Run, <a target="_blank" href="https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/map-my-fitness-gps-workout/id298903147?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4">Map My Fitness</a> lets you log over 600 types of workout, from running to cross-training to yoga. You can still map your running or walking route via GPS and can also log your food intake.</span></p>
 
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7-minute Workout Challenge, $4.49<p><span style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 29px;">This <a target="_blank" href="https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/7-minute-workout-challenge/id680170305?mt=8">seven-minute, high-intensity training plan</a> has been published in a research journal and went viral after the New York Times featured it.  The app gives you 12 exercises to be performed for 30 seconds with 10 second rest intervals daily, no equipment required. Read: the ultimate hotel room workout.</span></p>
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Spotify, free<p><span style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 29px;">Why is <a target="_blank" href="https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/spotify-music/id324684580?mt=8">Spotify </a>on a list of weight loss and workout apps, we hear you ask? Because it's relatively new Running feature is brilliant for anyone who likes to work out to music. Not only are there custom Running Original playlists, it will play songs with beats that match your running tempo. Genius.</span></p>
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That Sugar App, free<p><span style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 29px;">Designed to reveal just how much sugar is lurking in commonly perceived 'health' foods, this <a target="_blank" href="https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/that-sugar-app/id1016777022?mt=8">app </a>tracks in teaspoon form just how much of the stuff you're eating. It has an inbuilt barcode scanner or you can manually enter sugar amounts used in your own cooking. You can also set up a 'sugar challenge' to help reduce your intake.</span></p>
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There's nothing like carrying a PT in your pocket to help you reach that dream dress size quicker

Hands up who's lost all motivation to exercise and has taken to the Nutella jar with wild abandon? Not just us? Good. What isn't quite so good is how quickly you notice the effects of no exercise and all comfort food on your mood, waist line and fitness levels. Sigh.

But because we all know summer bodies are made in winter, we've rounded up the 15 best apps to get you exercising and eating well all. year. around. Ready, set, install.

Entertainment

Tech

Coach

weight loss apps

exercise apps

training apps

running apps

calorie counter

my fitness pal

noom weight loss coach

nike+ training club

carrot fit

zombies

run

couch to 5km

control my weight

calorie counter pro

charity miles

map my fitness

map my run

spotify

runtastic six-pack ab challenge

7-minute workout

sweat with kayla

that sugar app

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