DAOFitLife #19: Food tracking apps

DAOFitLifers,

One of the biggest problems I hear busy people like me complain about is, "I don't have time to work out/go to the gym/get outside for a run."

And...that's OK! Believe it or not, not much of that matters for actual weight loss, if that is your goal. Read this article if you don't believe me from Vox:

The science is in: exercise won’t help you lose much weight

So...what's the point of exercising, then? Toning, of course. Mental health. Strong bones and heart. Good stuff. But the primary driver of actual weight loss is simple, it's all about CICO. Great, another acronym. But it's really simple, and I have written a primer on how you can estimate your basic needed calorie intake.

Ugh, counting calories? Sound like torture. On the contrary, for me, it's freeing because I have information to make informed decisions. If I really want that cookie, or that burger, as long as it's in my caloric "budget" I don't have to abide by some list of off-limits foods that I can only splurge on once in a while.

Think of it this way. Say you have 2,000 dollars to spend on a wardrobe. You could buy 10 fashionable outfits for about that much from a "fast fashion" store, or you could get one really nice outfit from a high-end designer. Or, you could compromise and get a few outfits and then a very fashionable more expensive accessory.

Whole foods, fruits, and vegetables are like your "wardrobe," and all the sweets, treats, and snacks are like "accessories." As long as you know your budget, and stick to it, you can be in the black.

Now there are a lot of apps that help you do this so you don't have to do any actual math, and I summarize them in my latest article:

If you start with a baseline of understanding the mechanics of mindful eating, you actually don't have to worry about how much time you don't have. It is possible to find the time if you are strategic enough - and I will cover that in my next issue. Stay tuned!