We all know that over ½ of Americans are overweight. We all know that this steadily climbing statistic is a combination of sedentary lifestyles and increased portion sizes. People don’t realize that portion sizes are out of control. We go out to dinner and eat what’s on our plate. We go home and serve ourselves the same size meal as the restaurant. Our sense of portion size continues to inflate. We snack out of the bag rather than serving it in dish. We order the larger size simply because it’s a better deal. Ever growing portion sizes is a major contributor to a weight gain epidemic, and most people don’t even realize it because these large sizes have become the norm. I say that it’s time to take control of your diet.
There are many online tools out there to help you track what you’ve eaten, but a few weeks ago, I started using an app that gives you a strong reality check on portion control. The LIVESTRONG app allows you to track your calorie intake and calorie burn on the go. This may sound like an advertisement for this app, and it is. I’ve been using it for about a month, and it has really changed how I eat. What is so great about this app is that it is accessible. As soon as you eat breakfast or a snack, you add it to your daily plate and you know exactly where you are in calorie consumption for the day. When you keep a food journal or enter everything you eaten online at the end of the day, you only have the opportunity for analysis. When you can track your calorie consumption as you go, you can make real-time decisions on what you should or shouldn’t be eating. As the days go by, you are also educating yourself and creating a new normal on portion sizes.
The app takes in a few details about you – height, weight, weight goal – and then determines how many calories you should be consuming every day to meet your goal. That goal could be simply to maintain your current weight. This app helps with that. Your day starts out with your calorie goal and as you enter foods that you’ve eaten, your calories remaining number goes down. If you enter exercise, your calories remaining number goes up.
Sounds easy, right? The catch is that you need to truly understand what 1 cup looks like or how much is 4oz and, most importantly, you need to be HONEST. There isn’t any point in using this app if you don’t put in everything that you eat and drink honestly. Check out this link on webmd to start learning what food servings look like. It may surprise you that 3oz of chicken, or 1 serving of chicken, is only the size of a deck of playing cards. Your first couple of days might be a shock, but you’ll learn what changes you need to make to meet your calorie goal. And when you do, the extra weight will disappear before you know it.
The LIVESTRONG app has a free version, which is what I use. You can also sync your app entries to an online account for even further details regarding your calorie intake, fitness activities, and weight loss.
Many people who are overweight think that they are in a normal weight range and many who are classified as obese think they are just overweight. Here is a tool that might open your eyes as to which category you fall in.
Are there any other apps out there that you use to help meet your weight loss goals?
* All pictures are from the LIVESTRONG website.
Living the Green Life 