For those who struggle with their weight, one of the more challenging things to deal with beyond, of course, the lifestyle changes that have to accompany any attempts at weight reduction, is our inability to see our own progress. Because weight loss is often very slow and incremental, many get frustrated with a perceived lack of results and then give up. A new application called Progress wants to solve that problem, and does so with a simple solution.
According the app’s creators, they too, were familiar with the problem at hand. Going to the gym just didn’t seem like it was paying off, and the result was a loss of motivation to continue, they tell TechCrunch. What was needed was a way to actually visualize how the body changed from the beginning of a weight loss journey over time.
Of course, one way people try to document changes like this is by taking photos of themselves. But these photos aren’t always truthful. People change poses, their posture is different, the lighting is harsher or softer, and other factors may come into play as well. These variations between photos can make you look better or worse, over time, but hide the true changes underway.

With Progress, a new app designed for iPhone, you take a selfie every day to see how your body is changing. But what makes this an improved experience over the DIY method is that the app will show you a faint version of the previous day’s photo so you can stay perfectly aligned in between days.
In addition, the app integrates with Apple’s HealthKit to combine weight tracking, too. That is, if you use a smart scale that’s HealthKit-enabled, this data is automatically sent to the app so you don’t have to enter in manually.

After you use the app for 15 days, Progress lets you create a short time-lapse video showing how your body changed from day one to today. If you choose, you can share this video with friends, or you can just keep it for yourself as a reminder to keep up your hard work.
Progress competes with a number of other weight loss trackers on the App Store, like SnapTrack, Fitness Progress Photos, Selfit, Fitstream, Transformation Suite Progress, and many more. But unlike some in the space, which are focused on the weightlifting community or users’ broader health, Progress is only about being able to visualize a body’s transformation. And it does so in a well-designed, but also super quick and easy way.
The app is a free download on iTunes, but will eventually offer “pro” features via in-app purchase.
