There's an App for That...

So, I may be just one vox clemantis in [this] deserto, but I've been making progress. I have always heard about people food journalling and I have tried it a few times in the past - usually weak, half-hearted attempts that last a day or two - but have (unsurprisingly) had little success with it. Turns out, I was just using the wrong tools.

See, I would seldom have my paper/notebook/steno pad that I was intending to use as a food journal handy whenever I actually ate. But once I got to it, I would have to start calculating calories and googling foods for nutritional information so I could estimate the calorie content. The result was that it seemed more trouble than it was worth.

I've now gone high-tech, however. I'm using an app on my phone now which I can use to track excercise, water intake, and foods. It automatically looks up nutritional information on what I've eaten and, if it's unable to find it, I can create a "custom entry" which, in two weeks, I've had to do only three times. It has most nutritional information from restaurants and packaged foods already entered, it's simple as pie to use, and - most importantly - since it's on my phone, it's always at hand.

I know it's old news to those of you who have journalled for years, but it's new to me and, awesomely, is working. It's making me more mindful of what I eat, giving me targeted calories for each day, and encouraging me to work out consistently. Mind you, it's early days yet, but in the 3 weeks that I've used it, I've lost a little over 5 lbs. and I'm feeling good about it. Needless to say, I feel like I'm starting 2011 off right. :)