Adherence
Smartphone calorie-tracking apps may be effective for weight loss only in patients who are already ready and motivated to self-monitor their calories.
If you are highly motivated and willing to log every meal daily, a calorie-tracking app can be a powerful tool for weight loss. However, if you find logging tedious or are too busy, the app will likely not help you lose weight. Consider your readiness for self-monitoring before relying on an app.
Smartphone apps for weight loss may be useful for persons who are ready to self-monitor calories, but introducing a smartphone app is unlikely to produce substantial weight change for most patients.
Why this rating
Based on qualitative interviews and behavioral data from the same RCT; not a powered subgroup analysis.
Source
Effectiveness of a Smartphone Application for Weight Loss Compared With Usual Care in Overweight Primary Care Patients
Brian Yoshio Laing et al. · Annals of Internal Medicine · 2014
DOI 10.7326/m13-3005
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