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Weight Loss Exercise

Top 4 iPhone 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 iPhone apps for tracking 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.

IPhone Apps for Tracking Calories and Exercise

IPhone Apps for Tracking Calories1) 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. Keep these iPhone apps for tracking calories and then just browse around and see which ones suit your needs the best.


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Weight Loss Exercise

What Is Water Weight?


Going on a weight loss journey can seem overwhelming for the total beginner, with the amount of usually foreign jargon suddenly having to become an important part of life. One of the most used terms with regards to weight loss is probably water weight. But really, what is this water weight everybody keeps talking about? Well, you’re about to find out.

You probably already know this, but our body is made up of mostly water. All our bodily cells contain stored water, which helps keep things moving smoothly. However, when we take in too much of certain substances such as salt, or if we are dehydrated, our body retains even more water, and the weight of this extra water is called water weight.

Water Weight and Weight Loss

Often when people talk about weight loss, they think it’s naturally fat loss. But actually, weight loss is very subjective. When you see the scales moving backward, it could be fat, muscle or water that you are losing.

Most of the time, the first couple of pounds that you lose is usually water weight. This is why in the first week you often lose a large amount of weight compared to the following weeks. When the water is gone, that’s usually when the body chooses between muscle and fat to burn, depending on how many calories you take in. If you take in too few calories, your body will burn muscle instead of fat since muscle provides more calories than fat.

That’s not to say that you will certainly lose water weight at first; if your diet is still high in sodium and alcohol and if you don’t replenish your body with water adequately, then your body will still cling on to your water weight.

How to Lose Water Weight

There are several things you can do if you want to lose that excess water weight. First of all, be sure to drink enough water – that is, more than eight glasses a day if you can manage it. Also, restrict the amount of salt, sugar, and alcohol that you take in on a daily basis. Do note that if you are a woman, it is possible that your body will hold on to up to five pounds of water weight when you are having your menses. So during this period, don’t stress out if you suddenly put on a lot of weight; just keep to your healthy diet, and when your menses are over the weight will slip off again.

Understanding what water weight is can hopefully keep you motivated if you find that your weight is fluctuating in between weighing sessions.


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Weight Loss Exercise

What Calories Really Are and How Understanding Them Will Help You Lose Weight


If you’ve been on a diet before, then you’ve probably heard people talk about calories. So what are calories? Why are they so important in weight loss? Without knowing these crucial terms, it’s hard to understand the science behind weight loss.

So What Are Calories?

When defined in nutrition, calories are a measure of the energy in food. The more calories a particular food has, the more energy it contains. Energy is good, right? In the right amounts, it is. Unfortunately, many of us eat too many calories on a daily basis, and that’s what makes us overweight in the first place. Excess calories in the body turn into fat, and that’s why you should only eat as much as your body needs.

How Calories Fit Into Weight Loss

So, what role do calories play in weight loss? It’s simple. When you take in or consume fewer calories than your body needs, you lose weight. When you eat too many calories compared to what your body needs, then you gain weight. Your body needs calories to expend as it carries out its basic functions (circulation, excretion, digestion, and so on) as well as to allow you to carry out other activities throughout your day. This is also where exercise fits in; since exercising helps your body burn more calories, it helps you lose weight as well.

In simple words, to lose weight, you need to create a calorie deficit so that your body burns fat to make up for the missing calories. This means you either need to eat less, exercise more, or do a combination of the two (the third option works best).

As a general rule, a calorie deficit of 500 calories a day usually helps you lose one pound of weight in a week. If the calorie deficit is 1000 calories, you lose two pounds. Medical professionals recommend maintaining weight loss in the healthy zone, which is around one to two pounds a week, and not more. However, if you are very obese, you may find yourself losing much more weight in the initial few weeks after you lower your calorie count.

Hopefully this post has helped you understand the link between calories and weight loss better. In a nutshell, maintain a caloric deficit, and you will lose weight. How do you maintain this deficit? It’s easy; make healthier low-calorie food choices, cut out unnecessary empty calories from sugary items and alcohol, start being more active throughout the day, and maintain a positive attitude and strong willpower. It won’t be easy, but it’ll be worth it!


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