The majority of us never leave home without our mobile phones, it’s become such an important gadget in our lives, it’s hard to live without it. Your phone can now be used for a lot more than just making calls, you can take pictures, connect on social media sites, plus track and aid your weight loss activity.
Yep that’s right, it really is a smart phone! You can download apps to your phone for almost anything, and there is no shortage of weight loss apps available to you. There’s a high chance you already have some sort of weight loss related app installed on your phone already.
But does it really work, can mobile apps really help you lose weight, or are they just more time wasting gadgets? To get the answer to that question, let’s hear what the result was from a study carried out at Northwestern Medicine.
The following was quoted from Northwestern.edu
How Mobile Apps Assist Weight Loss
Using a mobile app that tracks eating and activity helped people lose an average of 15 pounds and keep it off for at least a year, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study.
But the technology only aided weight loss when its users also attended regular classes about nutrition and exercise. The app alone didn’t help.
“The app is important because it helps people regulate their behavior, which is really hard to do,” said Bonnie Spring, lead investigator of the study and a professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “Most of us have no idea how many calories we consume and how much physical activity we get. The app gives you feedback on this and helps you make smart decisions in the moment.”
“The ‘widget’ is critical but it is not magical by itself,” Spring added. “People need all the tools at their disposal.”
The study was published Dec. 10 in Archives of Internal Medicine.
This is the first study to show that technology added to an existing program of weight loss classes can produce sustained weight loss. Spring believes the weight loss app is the first proven to be effective in a published randomized clinical trial. Commercially available apps are not usually evidence based or tested for effectiveness in rigorously designed research, she noted.
In addition, the Northwestern technology is based on validated behavior change techniques including self-monitoring, goal setting, feedback and social support. Read the full article here.
So the answer is obvious, mobile apps can help you lose weight. Well, not on their own, but they are a great way to keep in check. An app that I use quite often is MyFitnessPal, I love this app and use it to work out the nutritional value of my recipes, and the best part, it’s free.
What about you, do you use an app that supports your weight loss efforts, and how good is it? Please share below so we can all benefit from your experience.
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