Can an iPhone help you lose weight?
This week my husband and I were blessed with the opportunity to get iPhones. It is amazing everything that they can do; an iPhone truly is a mini computer. It is also amazing how many applications are out there for the iPhone. The commercial is really true—whatever you are interested in, there’s an app for that. And the best part is that a lot of the apps are free!
One free app that my husband and I discovered is called “Lose It.” This app gives you a daily calorie budget (based on height, weight, age, gender, activity level, etc.) and helps you to track your calorie intake from food and calorie burn from exercise in order to reach your goals whether that be to maintain your weight or lose weight.
It is an easy way to keep a food journal, something that I have always encouraged my clients to do. Keeping a food journal is a great way to make you more aware of everything you are eating and why you are eating it. It has also been shown to be one of the most effective tools for losing weight. In fact, scientists at several clinical research centers across the U.S. found that dieters who kept a food journal lost twice as much weight as those who didn’t, even when they were on the same eating and exercise plans.
If you would like to start your own food journal, I recommend including the following:
· The date
· What foods/drinks you eat/drink at each meal or snack
· Your portion size of each food or drink item that you consumed
· Your hunger level before eating on a scale of 1 to 5 (where 1 is no hunger and 5 is starving)
· Why you made the choice to eat this food (i.e., boredom, a social situation, because you were low on time, you had a craving, you were health conscience)
· How you felt about what you ate (i.e., satisfied, guilty, ashamed, proud, smart)
Whether you are keeping your journal on an iPhone or on paper, you will gain even more benefit if you are working with a registered dietitian as you are keeping your food journal. I provide either an electronic or hand-written food journal to all of my clients, and my clients say that one of the biggest keys to their success is the accountability that I provide them since they share their food journals with me at each appointment. They also enjoy the benefit of receiving personalized feedback after I review their journals each time. Also, I use my clients’ journals to develop a personalized plan just for them based on their individual likes and schedules. If you would like to get started on a food journal and personalized plan today, go to the contact page to reach me.
