Barb Dearing frequently writes on the topics of health and weight loss. For this article, she researched diet tracker software at the DietPower web site.
A good diet tracker can easily make all of the difference in your weight loss program. Let's check in with Jade and Kathy, two friends who both decide to start a diet on the same day. One chooses to use a diet tracking system and one doesn't.
Jade, who is getting married next month, wants to lose ten pounds before her wedding. She decides to follow a low-carb, calorie reduced diet to reach her goal. Her best friend, Kathy, who will be the maid of honor, also wants to lose ten pounds before the wedding. Kathy, wanting to support her best friend, agrees to follow the same diet as Jade.
Both girls have the same weight loss goals and are following the same diet, but Jade, who is busy with wedding plans and last minute details, decides to "guess-ti-mate" her daily calorie intake. After all, she has dieted before and she has a pretty good idea how much she can eat and still lose weight. She also has a fundamental understanding of the nutritional content of most foods. So Jade makes her eating decisions on the fly, trying to mentally follow her diet throughout the course of her busy days.
Kathy, on the other hand, knows that she cannot trust her own instincts when it comes to dieting. She has learned through dismal experience that she often eats larger portions than she is willing to admit, and frequently discounts the true calorie content of most foods.
Because she so desperately wants to look good for Jade's wedding, Kathy decides to add a safety net to her diet. Knowing she isn't always honest with herself, Kathy starts keeping a diet journal. She weighs and measures everything she eats, making sure she is eating the correct portion amounts. Using a pocket calorie guide, Kathy also researches the caloric values of her food, and records the total calorie count of each meal in her diet journal.
When tempted at work by the open bag of Oreos, Kathy turns away and gets back to work. She knows that if she eats one, she will have to record it in her journal and she doesn't want to blow the day's calorie count with a cookie. She no longer eats "just a bite" of her boyfriend's dessert, or nibbles on chips while opening the mail. Her conscience just won't let her get away with dismissing these calories.
A short month later, Jade's wedding day arrives and Jade, while certainly a beautiful bride, is disappointed that her dress had to be let out at the last minute. Jade was stunned to learn that she had actually gained three pounds during her month of dieting.
Kathy, on the other hand, is the belle of the ball. Having followed her diet to a T, she exceeded her original weight loss goal and lost a total of twelve pounds while dieting. Having learned the secret to successful dieting, Kathy is determined to continue tracking her portions and calories, but decides she needs an easier way to do it. After doing a little investigation, Kathy chooses a diet tracker software program and uses it to maintain her newfound figure. She finds it easier than researching the calorie content of her foods, and is pleased that the software also helps her track her daily nutritional requirements.
The happy ending? A few months later, still at her target weight, Kathy gets engaged and invites Jade to be her maid-of-honor. Still wanting to lose ten pounds, Jade decides to follow her friend's suggestion and uses a diet tracker to reach her weight loss goal before the wedding!
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