When times get tough your weight loss surgeon in Dallas is just a phone call away, but what about the weight loss help available on your phone?
It is hard to tell sometimes whether advances in technology are going to help us or hurt us, particularly in regards to weight loss. For one thing, the rise of telephones, machinery and computers have reduced the need to move around continuously, leaving many of us sitting in desk chairs at work all day instead of on our feet and using our hands.
On the other hand, technology is now so advanced that it is possible to use gadgets to our advantage. A quick search on your smart phone can give you the nutritional content for any restaurant, and the internet is loaded with workout tips and videos that you can use to move around more.
While it will always depend on how you are using the device at hand, technology is already becoming a leading weight loss tool and this trend is likely to grow in years to come.
Diet Goggles: Are you seeing this?
A team of researchers in Japan came up with the newest gadget to take weight loss advocates by storm—diet goggles. These goggles work on the principle that our eyes are often bigger than our stomachs, meaning that the more food we think we are eating the more likely we are to be full.
The goggles essentially amplify the food that you eat, but they don’t just have a magnifying glass in them. Computer imaging software makes it possible to enhance the image of the food without distorting the person’s hand or the plate. That way the food will look proportionately larger as you are eating it.
During a trial study, researchers found that amplifying the food to be 50% larger caused participants to eat 10% less than those who snacked without the goggles. What is even more, some participants were asked to snack with goggles that were reversed, causing the food to appear a third smaller than a traditional cookie. When this happened, participants ate about 15 percent more than the control group.
The camera adds 10 pounds, but could the cell phone take it away?
While fancy doodads like diet goggles may still be a few years from regular use, smart phones make enhanced weight loss possible now. Smart phone applications make it possible to enter meals, activity and weight loss goals easily, and the phone will do all the calculating for you. This takes away so much of the math involved with eating properly, and tracking your progress is as easy as sending a text.
A lot of applications run off of social networking websites which gives you the benefit of instant support. You can add how many calories you eat during the day and how much exercise you completed and your friends will do the same. This is a great use of technology for those who need more accountability as they are trying to lose weight.
After weight loss surgery you have the benefit of not being hungry for as much food as you would like to eat, but that doesn’t always fix the mental desire for food. Phone apps and fun gadgets are often gimmicky, but if they can help you maintain your weight loss then they might be worth a whirl.
