Weight Watchers Online: New iPad App Joins Crowded Field

(CBS) Watching your weight? There's an app for that.

Actually, there are quite a few, including a new one from Weight Watchers. Its new Kitchen Companion app, launched on Dec. 18, provides ideas for what to cook and how to cook it, with info about ingredients and foods as well as cooking techniques, according to the company.

A slimmed-down version of the app is available as a free download. A full-figured version, which includes access to thousands of low-cal recipes, is available to subscribers to Weight Watchers Online and users of etools, which are made available to people who pay for traditional in-person meetings.

Members pay $10 to $15 per week to attend meetings, or $65 for a three-month online subscription.

The new app has lots of company. Free and low-cost weight-loss apps are available for iPhones, Blackberries, and Androids, the New York Times reported last year.

When it comes to weight loss, Americans can certainly use the help. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 34 percent of Americans age 20 and older are obese - along with 18 percent of Americans age 12 to 19.