Trying to lose weight while using a scale is a very daunting task. A scale is not a viable measure of progress when you are attempting to lose weight. A weight loss tracker is infinitely better in tracking the progress you are making. Weight loss trackers are available all over the Internet, and using one can help you understand the relation between calories and weight loss. The final indicator of weight loss is the bottom line on the scale, but the process of getting there is the key. Leave those scales in the closet!
Why Use A Weight Loss Tracker Instead of A Scale?
Scales are inherently flawed because of our bodily functions. Water retention, fluid level fluctuation, and even taking a trip to the bathroom can cause changes in a scale reading. The daily ups and downs of a scale can play absolute hell with your emotions while on a diet. Anyone that has been on a diet and used a scale knows the horror of climbing aboard and seeing that you gained five pounds after working out all week. This disappointment can lead to giving up, and is totally unnecessary.
A weight loss tracker is much better because it takes away the fluctuation and instead shows what you are actually doing as far as caloric intake. Calories are the key to weight loss for most people, and a good weight loss tracker will tell the dieter exactly how many calories they are burning and taking in each day. That is a great game plan for success!
How Does a Weight Loss Tracker Work?
The human body needs a specific amount of calories to keep up with certain bodily functions. Depending on your metabolism, these calories are variable. A good weight loss tracker will help you identify your metabolic rate, and then show you how to keep up with the daily calories needed to maximize your weight loss. This is done by targeting how many calories your body needs to function, and then not going over that amount. Giving your body extra calories will contribute to weight gain, which in turn will ruin your diet.
Many people who are dieting go on a caloric plungefest. That is, they start cutting calories at a dramatic rate and try to starve themselves silly. This is one of the reasons that diets do not work. Your body actually needs calories. It needs to have the sustenance to function and calories are a large part of that. If you cut out calories drastically, you may compromise the bodies ability to function and cause horrific problems. That said, a weight loss tracker can also keep you safe in your dieting life. By showing you exactly how many calories you need, and how many you are taking in, you will know if you are in your very own “sweet spot” for losing weight safely.
Finding a Great Weight Loss Tracker
This is actually a simple matter of punching in the phrase “weight loss tracker” into your search engine. There are a ton of great ones online. If you want to find a good one, make sure that they have these three things:
- An excellent metabolic rate calculator. This will tell you how many calories you burn in an average day. If they do not have this, they are not going to be safe or accurate.
- An online entry point for your daily calorie intake. Again, this is the baseline for what you eat each day.
- Encouragement and details about how to use the weight loss tracker effectively.
Once you locate a weight loss tracker that has these features, be sure to use them every single day. The key to a weight loss tracker is to be consistent and pay close attention to where you are having problems with calories. Often, this will be the weekends, or times when you are bored. We tend to eat more calories when we are sitting still, or out on the town. Make sure to figure your exercise into the caloric equation.