When you want to lose weight and/or get fit, there are many ways to go about it. Believe it or not, you can do it without forking over thousands of dollars for equipment and memberships! I'm going to share with you my favorite FREE fitness apps and some very budget-friendly products I'm loving these days on my own weight loss journey!

Disclaimer: I'm not a medical professional - PLEASE discuss any diet or fitness plans with your doctor! Safety first guys!!. Also, this post contains some affiliate links - you don't pay more but we receive a small commission from purchases made after clicking. 

First, watch my video for all the deets!! Then get the links and my personal weight loss and weight / fitness maintenance schedules below!

My Favorite FREE Apps for Fitness & Weight Loss:
i.e. the apps I'm currently using and loving!! Available for iPhone and Android!

• Fastic App: super easy way to manage your intermittent fasting, track water intake, & more!
• MyFitnessPal: great way to track calories in and out - has a HUGE database of food, drinks, and activities!
• MapMyWalk: tracks your walks/runs and calories burned, creates a map of your route, and notifies you after finishing each mile with your average time. 
• VeryFitPro: the app needed when using this awesome fitbit alternative smart watch. It tracks your steps,  your sleep, takes your heart rate. It has a sedentary alarm you can have it remind you at whatever intervals to get up and get moving (so motivating!!). You can connect to your phone to read emails and texts on your watch and get notified of phone call, and use it as a remote to have your phone take photos. Very cool!!! I'm LOVING this $20 watch (so cheap!!) and got one for my husband as well! This app and the other apps above all sync with Google Fit, so for example, your steps will sync from your watch to this app, to Google Fit, and on to MyFitnessPal. But that's cuz I'm android, there will be another roundabout way for iPhone users.

My Weight Loss Routine:

• 16/8 Intermittent Fasting (every day).
• consuming under 1200 calories per day (high protein, low carb), usually breaking the fast with BioTrust Metabogreens & Coffee blend, and an Orgain protein shake for a snack later in the day
• once a week "refeeding" day to boost the metabolism, hitting my regular caloric needs of 1800 calories.
• cardio 3-5 days a week, averaging minimum of 10k steps per day per week, with some minor to moderate weight training.
• weighing myself 2-3x a week with this Renpho smart scale, which has its own app that syncs with Google Fit.

My Weight Maintenance Routine:

• 12/12 - 16/8 Intermittent Fasting (every day).
• consuming my daily requirements of about 1800 calories.
• exercising 3-5 days a week, averaging minimum of 10k steps per day per week.
• weighing myself once a week with this Renpho smart scale, which has its own app that syncs with Google Fit.

Related Posts:

• Book review and my results after 1 month on "Always Eat After 7PM" diet
• Great Exercise Gear for Every Budget: from Kettlebells to Ellipticals

If you read my last blog post, I was knee deep in researching brands who offer an invisible clear aligner system for straightening your teeth at home. There are many out there, but ultimately I decided to go with Candid (who agreed to provide my treatment free in exchange for sharing my experience with you guys)!

Disclaimer: I'm not being paid but am being provided complimentary treatment by Candid in exchange for promotion. But don't worry, all thoughts and opinions are 100% unbiased! As always, I tell it like it is!! There are also affiliate links in this post, you don't pay more but we receive a small commission from purchases made after clicking.

I'll walk you through why I chose Candid, why I want to straighten my teeth at home, and the process of using their Starter Kit in my video below (or keep reading for everything in text & photos), but the video is more fun, I promise ;)

Why I chose Candid:

• They're thousands cheaper than Invisalign (who doesn't offer a virtual option), AND you can get $70 off your Starter Kit with code USJAPANFAM!
• I can do this from home, while minding 3 kids during a pandemic!
• They have really great reviews.
• They use only orthodontists (whereas some brands only use dentists, or a mixture of dentists and orthodontists).
• They have some Candid studios available if you want to get a free in-person assessment rather than do the DIY kit at home. ​
• They include teeth whitening, so after you get them straight you can get them nice and white, too!

Why I'm straightening my teeth:
My teeth are not currently a hot hot mess. I had braces when I was a teen, however I failed to continue wearing my retainer, and my teeth have been gradually moving since. My dentist recently confirmed it's normal with age for teeth to move gradually forward, and yes, my bottom teeth especially are getting crowded and bothering me. My mother's got so bad by around 60 that she had to have a tooth pulled and wore braces to straighten them out. Her dentist warned her that if she didn't, she'd start experiencing pretty major tooth damage and decay!! Knowing what happened to my mom, I was anxious to go ahead and get my teeth straightened out again, and keep them straight this time!!

Using the Candid Starter Kit:

I ordered the Candid Starter Kit online and it arrived within a few days. The package is fun, very Apple-esque in a big pretty white box. They have very detailed instructions and video tutorials for how to take your EIGHT photos and FIVE dental impressions. I felt a bit of pressure to get these right, otherwise they'll get rejected and you'll have to start over. The reason is that they'll base everything off of these - your whole treatment plan and printing your aligners. They need to see every tooth, gum line, bite from different angles, ALL OF IT!

They send a "cheek stretcher" to help you get the photos of your teeth just right, and you simply use your phone camera with a flash, upload to their website, and boom. Done. Easy peasy, though kind of horrifying seeing your teeth like that. You have to keep the cheek stretcher til you finish treatment, I'm guessing you'll have to do finished photos with it, but if I'm being honest, we'll probably play some pretty funny games with them for some future videos!!

The impressions were harder to get done but I'm fairly confident, or hopeful??, that I got some good ones. The issue is that you have to mix in your hands 2 tubs of putty and once you start mixing you have only 60 seconds before they start hardening!! So, about 30 seconds of mixing, then the next 30 seconds rolling out to a 4" line (they give you a measuring tool), putting it into the impression mold, marking it with a tooth pick where your front teeth will go, getting it into your mouth and holding it in there for 3.5 minutes. 3 times for top, 2 times for bottom. Kinda fun, kinda gross, kinda nerve wracking!! But that's it - they give you a pre-labeled no-stamp-required box and you ship them back to Ohio!

Stay tuned to my blog / social / YouTube channel as I'll be posting updates regarding if my Starter Kit was accepted or I have to redo it, starting my aligners, how they feel, etc etc!! I'm eager to hear what the orthodontist I'm assigned has to say about my treatment - I've heard most do the 22 hours a day plan but some have a nighttime only plan, and treatment usually lasts 4-6 months or so. Eeeeek!!! Wish me luck, and throw any tips, comments, or questions below!!!

Learn more about Candid here and get $70 off your Starter Kit with code USJAPANFAM!

Whether fully remote or in-person, straightening your teeth with clear invisible aligners is easier than ever these days!! Treatment can take as little as 4 months, most accept HSA / FSA, and some insurance plans will even cover or reimburse you fees!

An initial impression and/or 3D images are taken and a professional comes up with your treatment plan. Typically each aligner set is worn for 2 weeks - you take it out only to eat or brush teeth, though some offer nighttime-only treatment plans. You'll be mailed a new set of aligners every couple of weeks, and gradually, your teeth will move into straight positioning! After treatment ends,  you'll need to use nighttime retainers to avoid teeth moving again.

I've seen some concerns about the safety of mail-order aligners, mostly in regard to the possibility of developing gum disease, cavities, or misaligned bite by going unmonitored by an in-person orthodontist. It doesn't seem these are likely, but can happen, so you'll want to be extra diligent about brushing twice a day, flossing daily, and getting regular in-person dental cleanings and exams, making sure they're aware that you are undergoing remote orthodontic treatment. Also, make sure that whatever company you go with, they're monitoring your bite's progression properly.

Below I'll outline the basic fees and what sets the most popular clear aligner companies apart below! Companies are listed in alphabetical order. Some of the biggest differences include whether they use dentists and/or orthodontists, what accessories they include, and whether they have in-person studios available.

​**Handy infographic comparison chart at bottom of post**

Disclaimer: This is just my personal research since I'm hoping to straighten my own teeth, and I wanted to share my findings with y'all! Prices and options may vary, contact companies directly to confirm. Affiliate links included below, you don't pay more but we'll receive a small commission from purchases made after clicking. Since publishing, I decided to proceed with Candid, who will be providing me with their full system in exchange for promotion. Stay tuned to see how it goes!!

AlignerCo

• Treatment Cost: $1,145 includes impression kit, aligners, and first set of post-treatment retainers. Alternatively: Affirm payment plan of $86/month for 12 months ($1,032) or Partial.ly $275 down and $95/month for 11 months ($1,320 total).
• Impression kit and treatment plan by dentist.
• $75 for impression kit only (if not ready to commit to treatment).
• Accepts HSA, FSA

Byte

• Start Up Cost: $95 remote impression kit, reviewed by an orthodontist who customizes your treatment plan (full refund if not a candidate).
• Treatment Cost: $1,895 (or payment plan $349 down and $83/month, 7.76 APR = $2,763 total)​
• Accept HSA, FSA, and CareCredit​
• $699 for Exclusive HyperByte (High Frequency Vibration / HFV) system that cuts treatment plan time in half.
• Choose all-day or night only treatment plan.
• Teeth whitening included.
• First set of post-treatment retainers included (ByteProtection plan for $649 - $779 provides retainers every 6 months for 5 years)​, otherwise $129 per set.
• $10 cash back with Rakuten

Candid

• Start Up Cost: $95 start up kit - you take photos and impressions and an orthodontist will contact you with treatment plan; full refund if not a candidate. (DEAL: $25 starter kit with code USJAPANFAM); OR get a free scan at a Candid Studio.
• Treatment Cost: $2,400 (DEAL: $300 off "buy it now" aligner kits)
• Payment plans as low as $399 down, $99/month for 24 months = total of $2,775.
• Accept HSA/FSA.
• $10 cash back with Rakuten (sign up here)
• Their doctors are all orthodontists - experts in clear aligner treatment, with an average of 20 years experience.

Invisalign

• No online / remote option! You'll see your Invisalign-trained orthodontist face to face every 6-8 weeks.

NewSmile

• Treatment Cost: $1,595 includes impress kit, treatment preview, aligners, retainers (worth $149), and whitening (worth $39). Refund if determined not a candidate. Holiday Sale: save $400. 
• $139 for impression kit and preview only.
• Daytime or nighttime-only plans.
• Accepts HSA, FSA

Smile Direct Club

• Start Up Cost: $65 for remote impression kit (or free 3D scan if you visit a "SmileShop"); reviewed by dentist or orthodontist; fully refundable if determined not a candidate.
• February Special: $29 Remote Impression Kit (free after rebate)
• Treatment Cost: $1,950 single pay or $250 deposit + $89/mo. for 24 months ($2386 total)
• A licensed dentist will assess your smile
• Return aligners within 30 days for a full refund.
• $99 for a set of upper/lower retainers after treatment is complete.
• 2 options: nighttime (10 hours / night) or 22 hour daytime wear.
• Accept HSA, FSA, and CareCredit
• Premium teeth whitening included
• DEAL: 15% off accessories (teeth whitener, TILE case so you don't lose retainers / aligners, UV cleaning machine, water flosser, toothpaste).

So what do you think!? Have you had braces or used a clear aligner system before? Do you want to?? Share your thoughts or experiences in a comment below!