Power Your Diet with Science

WHERE DO I START?

It’s so overwhelming when we first start trying to lose weight. Exercise, food, how many calories do I eat, where do I track this stuff? It doesn’t HAVE to be hard. It can be really easy.

CRON-O-Meter is free to use and you can log in instantly. Adding your foods is super easy and extremely comprehensive.  And if you are like me and eat a lot of the same foods, you can copy and paste the information into other days.

• Foods: Log everything you eat and get a comprehensive view of your nutrition.
• Exercises: Log how much time you spend in physical activities, and we’ll keep track of how many extra calories you’ve burned.
• Biometrics: Record measurements like your weight, body temperature, blood pressure, and cholesterol to track trends over time.

What is really cool about this program and what sets it apart from other tracking sites, is the break down and analysis. Maybe I’m just a super nerd but I LOVED seeing the break down of calories and where they are coming from (fat, protein, carbs, alcohol). If you are doing a special diet this is especially important because it can guide you through it. For example, are you doing Atkins? Or Low Carb? Then you want to know how much carbohydrates you’re consuming and what foods they are coming from.  (Remember my rude awakening during the Slow Carb Diet about how much carbohydrates were in fruit?? Grrrr!)

The nutrition report is comprehensive (and pretty!). You can choose daily reports or do weekly averages (way cool).

When entering the food, you also have the option for entering in recipes. This is especially useful if you have some favorites that you make a lot. One of the downsides to apps like MyFitnessPal was that this feature isn’t there. I can add foods but it’s a huge pain in the butt. Cron-o-Meter was so much easier!

Ask The Oracle

I LOVE this feature! You can do a search to find the best sources for things. For example, say I am deficient in iron (which I am). I can search for iron rich foods that I should be eating more of. Apparently I should be eating lentils, spinach and clams!

“The results can be ranked in three different ways: Highest amount Per Calorie, highest amount per Gram, and by The Oracle. The last option ranks foods according to a wide variety of factors. Ranking by nutrient density per calorie isn’t always a great way to find good foods to add to your diet to shore up a nutrient deficiency.”

Very cool. I love feeling smarter about food. 🙂 This is available with an upgraded membership–which starts at just $5.99. So not much damage to the wallet there!

How Much Weight Do I Want To Lose?

This is often the hard part for people just starting out. I had no idea the actual NUMBERS and stuff when I first started out. I just decided to eat less than 2,000 calories a day. But using this program helps you with that.

” Setting a weight goal will calculate the target calories you need to reach your goal based on your current vitals. For example, say your sedentary body requires 2500 calories per day to maintain your current weight. If your goal is to slowly lose weight at around one pound per week, you will need to target a net daily average calories of around 2000 calories per day.”

Awesome. Figure it out FOR me, computer!!

If I want to lose 1/2 a pound a week, I need to eat 1693 calories a day. Doesn’t sound too bad. I’m not sure yet if I can achieve that. I’m usually between 1800-2200 depending on if I exercise that day. But I’m willing to give it a try.

Sign Up Now

If you’re interested in trying this excellent program to get started on your weight loss goals, check it out! Just click on the link in my bar.

And thank you to my new sponsor. I love sharing new weight loss ideas with my readers!

QUESTION: What features are important to you in weight loss tracking programs?