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So what would you want in a service that wants to help you lose weight? Would it be useful if just before you eat, you SMS out what you are about to eat and ge

So what would you want in a service that wants to help you lose weight? Would it be useful if just before you eat, you SMS out what you are about to eat and get an estimated calory count back instantly via SMS?

byoung2 15y ago
So what would you want in a service that wants to help you lose weight? I had this conversation with my doctor. He said my BMI was too high, and that I should lose weight. I countered that BMI was not an accurate gauge of obesity, because it failed to take into account body composition and muscle mass (it just uses height and weight). I am 6 feet tall and weigh 240 pounds...but then so are many professional football players. I think we need a better measurement than BMI, that would take into account height, weight, waist/hip ratio, age, and body fat % to give a more accurate picture. Seeing how this measurement changes over time would be a better gauge of health, and not just losing weight. In some cases, gaining muscle would cause you to gain weight, but it would be healthier for you. Conversely, losing weight by shedding muscle would lower your BMI, but be less healthy. So I guess tools that would be more helpful would be tools that give a better picture of how healthy I am, and not just my weight. So if my weight goes up, but my muscle mass went up and fat went down, that would be a good thing. And tools that would help me track how small changes over time add up would be helpful. For example, I can't go to the gym for an hour 3 days a week, but I can walk a half mile to lunch and back each day for a total of 5 miles a week. Can you tell me how much weight I'd lose doing that for a year? Or how many calories I'd avoid if I switched from sugar to Splenda for 2 cups of coffee every day for 6 months? That might be the motivation I need to make small changes that don't seem significant, but can add up. EDIT: So apparently walking 1 mile each business day at lunch at a brisk pace for a year is good for about 30,000 calories or 10 pounds, and switching from sugar to Splenda is good for another 25,000 calories, or another 7 pounds. I think that is a good start for an app...showing people how these small changes can add up.

byoung2 15y ago

So what would you want in a service that wants to help you lose weight? I had this conversation with my doctor. He said my BMI was too high, and that I should lose weight. I countered that BMI was not an accurate gauge of obesity, because it failed to take into account body composition and muscle mass (it just uses height and weight). I am 6 feet tall and weigh 240 pounds...but then so are many professional football players. I think we need a better measurement than BMI, that would take into account height, weight, waist/hip ratio, age, and body fat % to give a more accurate picture. Seeing how this measurement changes over time would be a better gauge of health, and not just losing weight. In some cases, gaining muscle would cause you to gain weight, but it would be healthier for you. Conversely, losing weight by shedding muscle would lower your BMI, but be less healthy. So I guess tools that would be more helpful would be tools that give a better picture of how healthy I am, and not just my weight. So if my weight goes up, but my muscle mass went up and fat went down, that would be a good thing. And tools that would help me track how small changes over time add up would be helpful. For example, I can't go to the gym for an hour 3 days a week, but I can walk a half mile to lunch and back each day for a total of 5 miles a week. Can you tell me how much weight I'd lose doing that for a year? Or how many calories I'd avoid if I switched from sugar to Splenda for 2 cups of coffee every day for 6 months? That might be the motivation I need to make small changes that don't seem significant, but can add up. EDIT: So apparently walking 1 mile each business day at lunch at a brisk pace for a year is good for about 30,000 calories or 10 pounds, and switching from sugar to Splenda is good for another 25,000 calories, or another 7 pounds. I think that is a good start for an app...showing people how these small changes can add up.