Weight Loss and MyFitnessPal App Review

As many of my friends and family know, I have been working on a lifestyle change of sorts since April of this year, 2015.  I have lost approximately 30 pounds.  While my weight loss has slowed in the past few months, I have maintained a steady weight loss of approximately 2-3 pounds per month (my goal is currently 1 pound per week).

I started out this life at a scrawny 6 pounds, 5 ounces.  I was a skinny kid up until I was about 5 years old.  That's when I started what would be a lifelong struggle with being overweight.  Being overweight/obese can very much be an obstacle, however you want to look at it.  My weight has been up and down most of my life.  And for the majority of the time, I freely admit to being in the wrong mindset regarding goals to reach a healthy weight.

For anyone who wants to get serious about being at a healthy weight, it is wise to consider to put yourself in the right mindset first. You have to want it, and you have to want it for the right reasons.  To just jump in feet first without realizing what you're getting into and what you might be setting yourself up for may have very unsatisfactory results.

Some friends referred me to a free app called MyFitnessPal.  I downloaded it to my phone back in April.  You put in your current height, weight, and the amount of weight per week you wish to lose.  This information is calculated and the app determines how many calories you can take in a day to reach your desired goal.  It allows the user to input food items for meals and snacks, and it even has a function that scans the barcode of food items and even supplements (vitamins, fish oil capsules, etc.).  You can also enter exercise information or download apps that communicate this information to MyFitnessPal, which calculates this information into calories burned and subtracts it from your caloric total for the day.  For example, I use an app called Pacer (the icon looks like a shoe), which is basically a pedometer, and it interacts with MyFitnessPal quite well.  I'd like to point out that the latest MyFitnessPal upgrade now allows you to choose from your overall food list, especially frequent items, for all meals, not just for the meal you typically eat said food item.  That comes in handy for someone like me who doesn't just eat eggs and cereal for breakfast, but at any given time of the day.

Dieting, fasting, and avoiding most foods are not long-term methods of weight loss.  There is nothing wrong with eating what you want.  Moderation works.  Making yourself accountable for what you eat and your activity levels works.  You have to find what works for you and make sure these are changes you can live with for the rest of your life.

Here is a rundown of my rating(s) of MyFitnessPal app on a scale of 1-10, 10 being the best:

User-friendliness:  9.5
Interoperability (with other apps): 9
Accuracy:  9.8
Functionality:  9.6
Overall score:  9.5

MyFitnessPal is a considerably user-friendly app that allows users to track their eating and exercise habits.  It is considerably interoperable with other applications that are designed to work with it.  For the most part, the food, drink, and exercise caloric information are accurate; however, the user should be aware that some of these entries are entered by other users and must be cross-referenced to ensure accuracy, or else scan or use entries with a green "verified" check mark.  Overall, this is a highly recommended app for those interested in losing or maintaining weight through tracking food consumption and exercise activities.

Until next time!

A Moment of Reflection

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. (2 Corinthians 4:16 NIV)

I take a moment out of the wildness and wackiness of my typical world to pause and reflect on the life of a dear friend who departed from this life five days ago.  I attended her visitation this evening.  I only found out about her death just last night.

I met Doris 10 years ago when I was working at an automotive interiors plant.  She told me stories of her son (who is about my age) and daughter, and of her life in general.  I wasn't a smoker, but I often found myself outside with the smoking crowd just to get out of the building for a while on breaks, and also because Doris and the other people who sat outside often had more amusing stories and jokes to tell than the ones who usually stayed inside (for some reason - I never quite figured that one out; maybe they just took more walks on the wild side, who knows).  Doris tried to look out for me.  She would often give me good advice (although I was often too stupid and naive to listen and take her advice on things) and let me know when I was being stupid, which is definitely what a guy-crazy 20-something needs who continuously makes idiotic mistakes when it comes to guys (I still need  guidance along those lines as a single 30-something, but anyway).  She also helped me be aware of my strong points, as well.  She always told me I was too smart and too good with computers to stay in a place like that, even though I assumed at the time I would retire from the factory.  We worked together for roughly 5 years before we were laid off together among approximately 118 other employees.

I have made several friends and acquaintances through the years, and I have worked with hundreds of people since I began my journey into the workforce 17 years ago.  I worked with at least 900 people at that first job at the factory. Honestly, you don't get close to a lot of people except here and there in the workforce.  Doris helped me see things differently.  After the layoff, we would run into each here and there.  I didn't keep in touch as I should have, to be honest.  But I did see her at her workplace (a local convenience store) or at the local Walmart.

We always think there's going to be time, don't we?  One day, you see someone, healthy and their usual self, and sometimes they pass suddenly, whether by an accident of some sort or an illness.  It's going to happen, no matter what we say or do.  Do we think people are just always going to be there, like they're invincible or something?  Do we let time just get away from us?

In the long run, yes, we do have to prioritize our lives.  I keep telling myself I'm go to do better, that I'm going to make better use of my time. And yet, I still let it get away from me.

I said goodbye to a friend tonight.  I pray that her (grown) children find peace and comfort in the days ahead.  I was very lucky to have known their mother.

Goodbye and rest in peace, my friend.
 

Poetry and Other Literary Endeavors

As I have mentioned previously, I enjoy writing.  Poetry is my favorite pursuit; however, I also have short stories and a few novels in the works.  While work and college currently take up a lot of my time, I do manage to get a poem completed and a few lines or pages of my novels here and there.

I wanted to take a moment to link and discuss my three poetry anthologies that I have on Amazon:

Phaser's Poetry Anthologies on Amazon

There are three listed, but allow me to take a moment to explain.  While I have self-published three anthologies, Echo of a Heartbeat is out of print, and while it was a worthy start, in all honesty, it isn't my best collection of work.  I wrote many of the poems in that anthology as early as age 12, not that it detracts from my work, but there were poems that were most likely not ready for print.

My second anthology, Times Throughout, is a culmination of what I consider to be the best poems featured in Echo of a Heartbeat, as well as poetry I wrote shortly before publication.  I think Times is a book that is great at representing the past and present of where I was going with my poetry at the time.

Nebula:  And Other Poems was a bit of a walk on the wild side for me.  It was fun designing the cover, which was an extreme distortion of my own eye.  I added, took away, and distressed several layers to create the finished product.  I designed all of the covers for my books, but I think this was my favorite one.  Many of the poems were published in various places around the internet, so I gathered them up, added a few more, and thus Nebula was born.

I have a fourth anthology in the works.  I have roughly 14 poems ready for it, but I plan to add many more.  None of these will be published beforehand, on the internet or otherwise, so these will be brand new for my readers.  I'm excited, and I hope that all 2 of the people who read my poetry will enjoy, ha ha.  Seriously, though, I do hope that everyone will enjoy the new book when it's ready.  I hope to get it out there and published soon.

Until next time!