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4 Ways Science Can Explain Weight Loss Apps

With so many weight loss apps, help is as close as your fingertips. But you still have to do the work.

ByAllison Futterman
(Credit:asiandelight/Shutterstock) null

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More than 86 million Americans used a weight loss app in 2022. With an enormous variety of choices, there's an app for every type of consumer. Among the most common features found on these apps are diet plans, water consumption tracking, goal setting, fitness tracking, food diaries, recipes and a supportive environment.

Not all apps offer every option, which is why potential users should seek out the app best suited for them. With emerging evidence that these apps can be helpful, let's take a look at the science behind them.

Read More: Forget Dieting. Here’s What Really Works to Lose Weight

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which focuses on the relationship between thoughts and behaviors, can be an effective approach to losing weight. CBT has long been a part of traditional psychotherapy, and weight loss apps are getting in on the action. Some apps utilize core elements of CBT to aid ...

  • Allison Futterman

    Allison Futterman is a Charlotte, N.C.-based writer whose science, history, and medical/health writing has appeared on a variety of platforms and in regional and national publications. These include Charlotte, People, Our State, and Philanthropy magazines, among others. She has a BA in communications and an MS in criminal justice.

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