Key Takeaways

Fitness apps might be undermining people’s attempts to become healthier

Users expressed shame, disappointment, frustration and futility about the apps

User-driven goals set by the apps might be unrealistic and demoralizing

FRIDAY, Oct. 24, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Fitness and calorie counting apps are meant to boost people’s spirits, helping them become healthier by tracking their progress.

But many find them to be a complete downer and an utter detriment, a new study says.

Some experience a sense of shame, disappointment, frustration and futility when using these apps, undermining their attempts to improve their health, researchers reported Oct. 22 in the British Journal of Health Psychology .

“We found a lot of blame and shame, with people feeling they were not do

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