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| Lose It! | |
|---|---|
| Name | Lose It! |
| Developer | FitNow, Inc. |
| Released | 2008 |
| Operating system | iOS, Android, Web |
| License | Proprietary freemium |
Lose It! is a consumer-facing mobile application and web service for calorie counting, weight management, and nutrition tracking developed by FitNow, Inc. It provides tools for food logging, exercise tracking, goal setting, and social sharing aimed at individuals seeking weight loss, weight maintenance, or fitness improvements. The app competes in the digital health and wellness market alongside products from MyFitnessPal, Noom, Weight Watchers, Apple Inc., and Google LLC by blending behavioral tracking, database-driven nutrient estimation, and third‑party device integration.
FitNow, Inc. launched the app in 2008 during a period of rapid expansion in smartphone applications following the success of the iPhone and the rise of the App Store. The product evolved through incremental feature releases influenced by research from institutions such as Harvard University, Stanford University, and industry trends traced to platforms like Fitbit and Jawbone. Corporate milestones include venture funding rounds, partnerships with entities like Aetna and UnitedHealth Group, and periodic redesigns to support integration APIs used by Samsung Electronics and Garmin. The company navigated regulatory and commercial environments shaped by decisions from agencies such as the Federal Trade Commission and policy discussions involving Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Core functionality centers on a searchable food database, barcode scanning, portion estimation, and macronutrient breakdown similar to features in Cronometer and SparkPeople. The app provides personalized calorie budgets, goal tracking, and progress charts comparable to metrics used by Fitbit devices and dashboards from Withings. Additional features include meal planning templates, recipe import tools paralleling services like Paprika, workout logging aligned with practices from CrossFit communities, and social groups akin to those on Facebook. Premium tiers add advanced reports, macronutrient targets, and integrations with wearable platforms such as Apple Watch, Google Fit, and Samsung Health.
FitNow operates a freemium subscription model offering a free tier with basic logging and a paid premium subscription providing enhanced analytics, custom meal planning, and priority support, comparable to monetization strategies used by Spotify and Netflix. Revenue streams include in-app purchases, subscription fees, enterprise licensing for corporate wellness programs sold to insurers like Aetna, and promotional partnerships with retailers and food manufacturers such as Whole Foods Market and Kellogg Company. Strategic alliances and platform integrations with Amazon Web Services and payment processors like Stripe support scalability and commerce features.
Technology and health publications including Wired, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Guardian have covered the app, often noting its user interface, database breadth, and behavioral tracking efficacy relative to competitors such as MyFitnessPal and Noom. Academic evaluations in journals affiliated with Johns Hopkins University and University of Pennsylvania examined self-monitoring outcomes associated with digital calorie trackers, reporting mixed results on long-term weight loss sustainability. Consumer review platforms like CNET, PCMag, and Consumer Reports have highlighted usability strengths while critiquing database accuracy and subscription pricing.
The company’s privacy notices and terms address personally identifiable information, health-related data, and third‑party sharing practices within regulatory frameworks influenced by laws and standards such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and discussions around the General Data Protection Regulation. Security practices described by the firm include encrypted transmission, cloud hosting on providers like Amazon Web Services, and OAuth-based authentication used by platforms including Google and Facebook. Concerns raised by advocacy groups such as Electronic Frontier Foundation and reporting by outlets like ProPublica prompted scrutiny over data sharing with advertisers and partners.
FitNow developed integrations with wearable and health platforms to sync step counts, workouts, and biometrics from Fitbit, Apple Health, Samsung Health, Garmin, and Google Fit. Corporate wellness and insurance collaborations involved organizations such as Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, and employer programs coordinated with firms like Virgin Pulse. Food industry and retail partnerships for barcode databases and promotions included vendors and chains such as Kellogg Company and Whole Foods Market, while cloud and infrastructure collaborations utilized services from Amazon Web Services and analytics tools associated with Google Cloud Platform.
- MyFitnessPal - Noom - Fitbit - Apple Watch - Google Fit - Health (iOS) - Weight Watchers - Cronometer - Digital health - Wearable technology
Category:Mobile applications Category:Health software