Month: May 2013

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Weight Loss Exercise

Top 4 Smartphone Apps for Tracking Calories and Exercise


It’s a pretty well-known fact by now that counting calories is probably the most systematic and effective way for most people to lose weight. However, for those who are constantly busy and on-the-go, using a computer to track calories online or writing down what they have eaten in a book and manually calculating calories may not be possible.

No worries though; you have the option of downloading useful apps to help you track your calories using your smartphone. Finding something that you’ll be able to update easily at any time increases the chances that you’ll actually use it.

Here are some of the apps you can try looking for.

1) Lose It!

This app doesn’t just let you key in what you’ve eaten so you know how many calories you’ve eaten, it also lets you track your exercise as well. You can also scan the barcodes of most foods to instantly pull information regarding that food item from a massive online database, helping to save you time. This app is available for the iPhone and Android.

2) My Fitness Pal


This nutrition and fitness app will help you set a proper weight loss goal, and then let you track the calories you eat so that you will not overeat. You can also track your exercise using this app. There’s an online version of My Fitness Pal available too, so you can also opt to key in your calories there if you want to. A great tool to have when on a diet, and it is available for Apple and Android.

3) Calorie Tracker by Livestrong

The Livestrong brand is one of the top names in weight loss, fitness, and nutrition, so it’s not a surprise that they have an app to complement their online calorie tracker. However, the app itself is not free, costing $2.99 to purchase. Nevertheless, if you love all things Livestrong, then it is certainly worth it to purchase this calorie-tracking app, which is available for Apple, Blackberry, and Windows Mobile.

4) CountEat. Calories

This app costs 99 cents and is slightly different than the other three apps above in that it allows you to estimate the calorie count of your entire meal, rather than count exactly the number of calories for each item you’ve eaten. This can save you some time, especially if you are busy. However, this app does not help you track exercise.

There are other apps as well that can help you in your weight loss journey, either by helping you track your calories or improve your knowledge of nutrition and fitness. Just browse around and see which ones suit your needs the best.


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Categories
Weight Loss Exercise

2 Huge Factors That Can Cause Weight To Fluctuate On The Scale


If you often weigh yourself when trying to lose weight, you may have noticed that your weight fluctuates on a daily basis. In fact, your weight in the morning may be completely different from your weight at night. However, it’s usually when there is a gain between one day and another that often makes us sad and frustrated. That doesn’t necessarily mean that your weight loss efforts are wasted. There are several factors that cause weight to fluctuate on the scale.

Water Weight

bathroom-scaleIf you go on a fad diet that involves lots of liquids and a very low calorie diet, you may see very good results initially where you lose many pounds within a single day. This is because what you have lost is not fat, but water. When you eat a regular diet again, water weight is usually gained back.

Several other factors cause one to retain water including dehydration, increased consumption of sodium, as well as menstruation (for women). You can prevent water retention by drinking lots of water and restricting your intake of salt.

Muscle Weight

Often exercise is a big part of a weight loss program, and if it is a big part of yours, chances you will sometimes see a gain in weight displayed on the scale. This is especially true if you frequently incorporate weight training as part of your exercise program. This gain in weight is not because you’ve been slacking off on your diet and putting on fat; instead, it’s possible that you have been putting on muscle.

Muscle is denser than fat, so even if you gain a bit of muscle you will probably see a bigger number on the scale. Don’t worry if this is the case. If you are concerned, use a measuring tape as a supplementary way to track your weight loss progress. If you are losing inches, even though your scale says you’ve gained weight, then it’s probably muscle that you’ve gained!

There may be other factors that lead to weight fluctuations, but these are the main two. So the next time your scale seems to be yo-yoing back and forth, don’t stress about it. If you can’t help stressing about it, then instead of weighing yourself every day, weigh yourself every week to get a more stable picture of how you are doing with your weight loss. In the end, your weekly weight is what matters, and not your daily weight.


Categories
Weight Loss Exercise

How A Weight Loss Club Can Help You Stick To Your Weight Loss Goals


Joining a weight loss diet plan (such as Weight Watchers) is a great motivator for anyone who wants to lose weight. By joining a weight loss diet plan, you can meet people with the same goals as you and interact with them as you lose weight together. There are many weight loss diet plans available and each of them may employ different methods to help their members lose weight.

How A weight loss diet plan Can Help You

trackingThere are various kinds and levels of weight loss diet plans. Some clubs may teach you how to plan your diet and workout, while some may actually prepare the food suitable for your weight loss goals. Here are some ways that a weight loss diet plan can help you lose weight:

Many weight loss diet plans provide counseling in case you need more guidance and support to stick to your weight loss goals.

weight loss diet plans often put you on a strict diet plan that you have to follow. They also make sure that you stay with the plan by monitoring your progress.

They teach you how to exercise right. Many clubs have exercise programs that you can follow, and even personal trainers to guide you.

You get to meet other members and make friends who have the same goals as you. By doing this, you can share your progress and motivate each other to not give up. You can also get support from those who are in the same shoes as you.

Also, by seeing other members achieve their goals you will be inspired to lose weight. You may even achieve more than you set out to do if your club brings out the competitor in you.

Some clubs give you food diaries and diet charts for you to record your progress. This way, you can keep track of your achievements and setbacks, and the experts can then analyze your reports and guide you as needed.

If you are not comfortable talking to your family and friends about your weight, a weight loss diet plan is perfect for you as you can be honest about your problems and struggles.

As you have read, joining a weight loss diet plan can provide you with a lot of help for your weight loss efforts. Not only will you have expert guidance and counseling, you can also meet new friends who are in the same situation as you. With the expert help and new friends from your club, you will always have enough support to stick with your weight loss goals.


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