Losing Weight with your Smartphone

I've tried eating more healthy before, but ît never really seemed to have any impact on my weight. I did some online searches to get help and tips, but none of it really suited me.

Being a technology fanatic, I decided to search for applications that could help me. There are plenty of apps out there, free or paid for both exercise and weight loss. I didn't want to pay for an app that might or might not work, so I was checking only free apps. I'm not promoting any specific app as they all have advantages and disadvantages, but I want to share what I used. Personal preferences and tastes differ, so you might find another which is more helpful to you, but I tested a few and ended up with an app called Noom.

I like Noom because it is very visual and easy to use. Basically what it does is replace those old fashioned food logs and then superpowered it. Most apps have the same basics; you create a profile entering your weight, height and goal weight. The app calculates your BMI for you so you no longer have to do that yourself. You then update the app with your meals as well as your weigth and exercise.

The unique feature in Noom is that depending on your current weight, goal weight and desired speed of weightloss (it asks you how fast you want to go), it gives you a calorie budget - i.e. the amount of calories you should eat per day in order to reach your goal. You then enter your meals and exercise as you go along. You can choose to enter the exact amount of calories in your meals, but I didn't want to start counting every calorie and decided that an approximate measure was good enough. For example if you enter that you had yoghurt, you can choose measures like cups (even 1/2 cup etc), tablespoon or even tennisball for certain products. The app then calculates the calories based on this.

As with any app it is not perfect. While I find it to have one of the most extensive cataolgues, there are always items lacking from the list, but you are always able to find a decent equivalent. The food is also arranged by categories; red, green and yellow. It explains what proportion your should ideally have of each category in order to have a well-balanced diet. Please bear in mind that if you let Noom calculate the calories based on amount, it usually gives a rather high estimate (eg. a cracker for 150 cal when in reality it is 101 cal). The good thing is that when you enter the physical exercise you did that day, your calorie budget increases proportionally. It even has forums where people can exchange ideas and experiences.

This app has been magical to me. I didn't follow it by the letter, but I logged everything very seriously and it helped me realize my weak points. I can't stress enough that you must log very seriously and honestly in order for it to work. I even logged the sugar in my coffee. This will show you even the hidden calories in your daily life.

Being aware of what you eat is the first step to weight loss. With this information, you can improve and create a more balanced diet.