I lost 6kg in 5 months using a Fitness App.

Post date: 2 Nov 2018

Ever been away on holiday, and come back a few kilos heavier, having suspended your normal fitness regime, and having eaten a little too much local cuisine?

I found myself in this situation this year, needing to trim down again and get back on the health train.

I have been asked about fitness apps a few times by clients, so decided this was an excellent opportunity to try one. What I found was very interesting, and surprising. It actually worked for me, and very well too.

The app I have been using has provision to enter my exercise and food, and it calculated the difference between my calorie intake and expenditure, so I knew if I was achieving a deficit or not.

Here is what I found:

Positives:

• Made me very aware of how much food I was eating.
  • The amount of snacks that you don’t always keep track off
  • Quantities – how big the plate of food is
• It changed the foods I chose
  • Less calorie dense
  • Smaller quantities on my plate
  • Less junk i.e. not so healthy snacks
• It made me think about my motivation for eating.
  • Am I really hungry, bored, distracted, needing comfort…?
• It made me ensure I did my exercise (particularly if I had eaten extra)
• Calculated the deficit each day which provided a motivating reward
• Plenty of tips and tricks to make your life easier using such apps.

Negatives:

· It’s a lot of work

· It requires commitment

· Only works if you are:

o 100% honest with yourself

o Committed to enter everything you eat and drink and your exercise

o Accurate about all your entries (which means you probably have to weigh some foods)

· You have to read product labels to check the app's default calorie counts, which means you cannot just use the default values

· Have to enter missing foods

· Really need to carry around your phone all day

· Can be counter-productive if you don’t like being monitored or told what to do.

· Can make you feel guilty

In summary

I am not actually recommending to anyone that they embark on this type of exercise. I am also not advocating that fitness apps are a good way to go for losing weight. I just want to share my experience because so many asked if these fitness apps can help them!

In my practice as a Personal Trainer, I use evidence based regimes to help you lose weight in a healthy and effective way. That involves a simpler analysis and discussion of eating habits, some ways to improve your diet and exercise, and some tools to help you get there and lots of followup support.

In my opinion, such fitness apps may work for some people in the short term, especially if you are a “details oriented” and slightly obsessive person. For the rest of us, and for the long term, talk to me about my evidence based and time proven strategies to reach your health and fitness goals.