The math formula for weight loss isn’t hard to understand.
There’s calorie input and calorie output — what you eat and what you burn. When the energy input is less than the output, you lose weight.
But as simple as it looks on paper, putting that formula into practice can be maddeningly complicated.
Fortunately, the past few years have given rise to a new crop of gadgets and software aimed at giving diets and workout routines a high-tech boost. And far from their being electronic snake oil, nutrition researchers say many of these devices employ proven techniques to help consumers make better lifestyle choices.
One of the bigger obstacles to weight loss, according to Penny Gordon-Larsen, associate professor in nutrition at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, is that people aren’t often aware of their calorie inputs and outputs.
“When you ask the general public, most of them can’t tell you what they’re eating,” Gordon-Larsen said. “You need people to understand how much (work) they’re doing.”
That lack of awareness is something several devices, such as the Jawbone Up wristband and the Fitbit Ultra are looking to change. With the help of an iPhone app or website, the low-profile gadgets track stats from steps to sleep patterns and allow dieters to document their meals.
Just like the old-school pedometers that preceded them, devices like these can work because they allow people to self-regulate their own behavior, said Deborah Tate, an associate professor of health behavior and nutrition at UNC-Chapel Hill. It’s a strategy that’s effective even with other health conditions.
“If you have diabetes and your blood sugar is high or low, you’re going to make a change,” Tate said.
Without such data, whether it’s jotted down on paper or collected in an app, Tate said it can be difficult to adjust a weight-loss strategy when things aren’t working.
“You can’t go back and change anything,” she said. “You can just wish it weren’t so.”
Tate has studied the use of a similar device called the Bodybugg, which tracks steps, calories burned and calories consumed. She said many types of monitoring can increase success rates, even for products like the Wi-Fi Body Scale, which measures weight and body mass index and automatically tracks them on a computer or smartphone.
“We know from many studies that more monitoring is strongly related to being successful,” Tate said.
Many of these devices don’t stop with just self-analysis. The Up and Fitbit give users the option of sharing their results on social networks and enlisting friends for challenges and support.
Nike+ also leverages a range of devices, from special sensors to armbands to smartphone apps, alongside a social network that celebrates jogging. RunKeeper takes a similar tack without requiring additional hardware, offering a free mobile app and site where users can log and share routes and progress.
Fitocracy looks to go one step further, allowing users to enter their exercise regimens in return for points and achievements they can compare with friends.
Tate and Gordon-Larsen say point out that no matter how slick the device, they still require sticking to a regimen, accurately and consistently supplying data, and paying attention to trends in your lifestyles.
TRACK YOUR EXERCISE SUCCESS
Bodybugg: Tracks steps, calories burned and consumed. $179-$250,
RunKeeper: No gadgets for sale, just a mobile app, and site that allows runners to log and share routes and progress. Free,
Fitocracy: Web-based; record personal workouts and see how they compare to others. Free,
Jawbone Up: A wristband and iPhone app that tracks steps, distance, calories burned, pace, intensity level, active vs. inactive time, GPS routes and sleep patterns. Vibrates to remind you to move after periods of inactivity. Battery life: 10 days. $100,
Fitbit Ultra: Measures your motion patterns to tell you calories burned, steps taken, distance traveled and sleep quality. Also measures your vertical climb up stairs and hills. 2.1 by 0.75 inches, 0.4 ounces. Battery life of 5 to 7 days.
Wi-Fi Body Scale: Measures weight and body mass, and allows you to track and share the information with doctors, nutritionists or weight-loss partners. $169,
Nike+: Sensors, armbands and smartphone apps like a sports watch with GPS for $199 that lets you keep track of laps or an app for your phone that for $1.99 maps your runs, tracks your progress and brings you mid-run cheers every time your friends like or comment on your run status.
