In Fat to Fit, Part I - Decision and Fat to Fit, Part II - Commitment, I described what led me to decide to become healthy and the commitments I made to get there. I've had some help; here are three tools that have proven invaluable in implementing my decision.
The first is LoseIt (LoseIt), an app on my iPhone, iPad, and Mac that I find essential. I record my input and output, what I eat and how I exercise. It tracks calories consumed and burned and progress toward my goals plus other metrics too numerous to mention here. Its great value is in holding me accountable and helping me stay motivated. There is a LoseIt community and I now have 42 friends from all over the country that I’ve never met. We’re in it together encouraging, praising, and gently pushing each other. We engage in various challenges to keep interest high and we exchange ideas and tips for both eating and exercise. We share our experience, strength, and hope. The psychological research, by the way, strongly demonstrates that it is easier to achieve individual goals in a supportive community. If you are serious about getting healthy and losing weight, I urge you to give LoseIt a try. It’s free but there is also a premium membership option that I find really helpful.
The second tool is Fitbit (fitbit), a wireless device that tracks daily activity and health indicators. I use it to keep track of steps taken (my goal is 10,000 per day), miles walked, floors climbed, and calories burned. It’s quite small and fits on your belt or clothing. At night I wear it in a wristband to track my sleep - a perennial problem of mine - and it monitors time in bed, time asleep, and sleep efficiency. It’s a motivator as well, e.g., gently urging me on when I’m close to my daily goals. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve walked the dogs a little longer or parked a little farther away from the store to pick up some extra steps. Each time it’s not much but it all adds up. It costs $99 but you can get it for less on Amazon or eBay. It syncs with my computer and with LoseIt so things aren’t counted twice and I don’t have to do extra data entry.
I also use RunKeeper (RunKeeper), an app that records my outdoor exercise activity via GPS and also syncs with LoseIt and my computer. I have it on my iPhone and it tells me how long I’ve walked, distance, pace, and speed. It plays music from my iTunes library that I’ve selected. I’ve set goals for the number of miles I want to walk and the pace I’d like to keep. It reminds me when I haven’t walked for a few days and congratulates me on setting and achieving intermittent goals. Like LoseIt and Fitbit, it also generates reports about my activity that I can periodically review to see how I’m doing. I use it for walking but it can obviously be used for running and a host of other activities including skiing, cycling, swimming, and hiking. It’s free but there is also a premium membership option that I don’t use - yet.
In Part IV I’ll discuss three obstacles I’ve faced in my journey. I'll conclude with Lessons Learned in Part V.
The second tool is Fitbit (fitbit), a wireless device that tracks daily activity and health indicators. I use it to keep track of steps taken (my goal is 10,000 per day), miles walked, floors climbed, and calories burned. It’s quite small and fits on your belt or clothing. At night I wear it in a wristband to track my sleep - a perennial problem of mine - and it monitors time in bed, time asleep, and sleep efficiency. It’s a motivator as well, e.g., gently urging me on when I’m close to my daily goals. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve walked the dogs a little longer or parked a little farther away from the store to pick up some extra steps. Each time it’s not much but it all adds up. It costs $99 but you can get it for less on Amazon or eBay. It syncs with my computer and with LoseIt so things aren’t counted twice and I don’t have to do extra data entry.I also use RunKeeper (RunKeeper), an app that records my outdoor exercise activity via GPS and also syncs with LoseIt and my computer. I have it on my iPhone and it tells me how long I’ve walked, distance, pace, and speed. It plays music from my iTunes library that I’ve selected. I’ve set goals for the number of miles I want to walk and the pace I’d like to keep. It reminds me when I haven’t walked for a few days and congratulates me on setting and achieving intermittent goals. Like LoseIt and Fitbit, it also generates reports about my activity that I can periodically review to see how I’m doing. I use it for walking but it can obviously be used for running and a host of other activities including skiing, cycling, swimming, and hiking. It’s free but there is also a premium membership option that I don’t use - yet. 
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