Lose Weight with My Fitness Pal

Support is one of the key pieces of the weight loss puzzle. Whether you have a walking buddy, a diet buddy or just someone to cheer you on, having a support system in place can make a difference in your commitment to lose weight.

A recent study published in the Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare shows that utilizing a mobile app, such as the one available from My Fitness Pal, may improve the dieter's mood and weight loss results.

I have tried a number of diets and I know that the ones that work best are the ones that have a built-in support system. However, I hate group-oriented activities, which is why Weight Watchers or the like haven't worked for me. My participation wanes significantly after one or two meetings, which means I'm not getting the full benefit of my membership.

I also am not a fan of traditional fitness activities. which makes losing weight (especially a significant amount of weight) even harder. Well, fortunately, I discovered My Fitness Pal on my Android smartphone. I found the app accidentally when I was looking for a calorie-counting app, and it is literally one of the best inventions I have ever used.

The app is free and it has a coinciding website in case you don't have a smartphone on hand. You can keep track of your calories and even get credit for when you do mundane physical activities like cleaning or cooking. It takes fitness to a whole new level, and results are right at your fingertips. You can add recipes and even use the cool barcode scanner app on your phone to scan the UPC barcode of most store-bought products. The only trick to it, though, is making sure you enter in every single piece of food or drop of drink that passes your lips.

I highly encourage you to check out the app or the website and start tracking your progress today. Get your friends to join, and feel free to follow me - my username is taradgoodyear.