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MyNetDiary provides exceptionally easy and fast food logging - on the Web, the iPhone, iPad, Android, Samsung bada and BlackBerry. Check out MyNetDiary at http://www.mynetdiary.com.

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3 January 12
Is Your Weight Goal SMART? Happy New Year, Everyone!  A New Year means a New Year’s Resolution for many of us. If you struggle with meeting the same weight goal year after year, then it is time to rethink how you set your goal. Start the New Year off on the right foot by setting a SMART weight goal. That is, set a weight goal that is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant/Realistic, and Time-Bound. Specific, Measurable, and Time-BoundSince MyNetDiary is a calories tracker that requires a specific target weight and target date to work, the “Specific” and “Time-Bound” parts of a SMART goal are addressed. The “Measurable” part is also covered since body weight is easily measured by a scale. Where people get into trouble is the “Attainable” and “Relevant/Realistic” parts of their goal.Attainable Goals First of all, your weight loss goal has to be possible to achieve. Losing 10 lbs in 10 days is not an attainable goal for most people. It takes a deficit of 3500 calories to lose 1 lb of body weight yet the body still requires an amount of fuel to sustain basic metabolic functions (BMR). That is, you can’t create too large of a calories deficit without compromising your body’s ability to sustain basal metabolic functions. An average weekly rate of weight loss that is safe for most people is 1-2 lbs/week. However, if you are very close to your goal weight, and/or are not burning calories from exercise, then a lower rate of weight loss might be more appropriate for you. Perhaps a 1-2 lbs weight loss per month is a better goal. I typically recommend that a target weight and date be adjusted so that the target calories do not dip below one’s BMR. You can see your estimated BMR in the Details tab of MyNetDiary web or in My Plan in MyNetDiary mobile apps.Relevant/Realistic Even if it is technically possible to lose the weight you have set for yourself, the target weight still needs to be realistic and relevant given your life. For instance, if you work long hours in a sedentary occupation and have a long sedentary commute, then you are going to find it very difficult to make time to burn a lot of calories through exercise. In that case, it is not smart to create a goal that requires you to burn 1000 calories every day from exercise to meet the needed calories deficit to reach your stated target weight by your target date.  Instead, choose a goal that requires a lower calories deficit. For instance, a 125-250 calories deficit per day results in a 1-2 lb weight loss per month. This calories deficit is possible with a simple 30 minute walk per day (even if the 30 minutes is accrued in 10 minute chunks of time).Another example of an unrealistic goal is the complete switch from dining out to consuming foods made from scratch.  If you are a busy person who currently relies on dining out, then you are going to have to set multiple goals to make the time to shop, cook, and organize your new eating life. A more realistic short term goal is to reduce the frequency of dining out for specific meals. For instance, instead of dining out for lunch 5 days a week, plan to dine out only 1-2 days a week and bring lunch from home on the other days.Short Term vs. Long Term Goals Have a short-term weight goal as well as a long term goal, but enter your short term goal in MyNetDiary.  I recommend that you use a step-by-step approach to goal setting. If you have a lot of weight to lose, then start by setting a goal to lose 10% of your body weight (0.10 x body weight). Once you reach that goal, CONGRATULATE yourself since that weight loss is a critical milestone. Even if you never lose a single pound thereafter, you will reap permanent health benefits from losing that amount of weight if you can keep it off.For longer term goals, the time frame could be years. Be patient. The goal is to lose weight and keep it off, not just to lose it. For instance, if I needed to lose 150 lbs, I would expect that this goal would take me about 1½ - 3 years if I lose an average of 1-2 lbs/week. I would set a series of shorter-term SMART goals in order to achieve that ultimate long term weight goal.Good luck with your new SMART weight goals for 2012! Have questions or comments about this post? Please feel free to comment on MyNetDiary’s Forum or Facebook page. I would love to hear from you!Best,Kathy Isacks, MPS, RDConsulting Dietitian for MyNetDiaryMore ResourcesPaul Meyer. What Would You Do If You Knew You Couldn’t Fail? Creating S.M.A.R.T. Goals.  Excerpt from “Attitude is Everything” 1/2/12.Katherine Isacks, MPS, RD. MyNetDiary Blog. Setting a Healthy Target Weight. 12/14/10.Disclaimer: Please note that we cannot provide personalized advice and that the information provided does not constitute medical advice. If you are seeking medical advice, please visit a medical professional.

Is Your Weight Goal SMART?

Happy New Year, Everyone!  A New Year means a New Year’s Resolution for many of us. If you struggle with meeting the same weight goal year after year, then it is time to rethink how you set your goal. Start the New Year off on the right foot by setting a SMART weight goal. That is, set a weight goal that is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant/Realistic, and Time-Bound.

Specific, Measurable, and Time-Bound

Since MyNetDiary is a calories tracker that requires a specific target weight and target date to work, the “Specific” and “Time-Bound” parts of a SMART goal are addressed. The “Measurable” part is also covered since body weight is easily measured by a scale. Where people get into trouble is the “Attainable” and “Relevant/Realistic” parts of their goal.

Attainable Goals

First of all, your weight loss goal has to be possible to achieve. Losing 10 lbs in 10 days is not an attainable goal for most people. It takes a deficit of 3500 calories to lose 1 lb of body weight yet the body still requires an amount of fuel to sustain basic metabolic functions (BMR). That is, you can’t create too large of a calories deficit without compromising your body’s ability to sustain basal metabolic functions.

An average weekly rate of weight loss that is safe for most people is 1-2 lbs/week. However, if you are very close to your goal weight, and/or are not burning calories from exercise, then a lower rate of weight loss might be more appropriate for you. Perhaps a 1-2 lbs weight loss per month is a better goal. I typically recommend that a target weight and date be adjusted so that the target calories do not dip below one’s BMR. You can see your estimated BMR in the Details tab of MyNetDiary web or in My Plan in MyNetDiary mobile apps.

Relevant/Realistic

Even if it is technically possible to lose the weight you have set for yourself, the target weight still needs to be realistic and relevant given your life. For instance, if you work long hours in a sedentary occupation and have a long sedentary commute, then you are going to find it very difficult to make time to burn a lot of calories through exercise. In that case, it is not smart to create a goal that requires you to burn 1000 calories every day from exercise to meet the needed calories deficit to reach your stated target weight by your target date.  Instead, choose a goal that requires a lower calories deficit. For instance, a 125-250 calories deficit per day results in a 1-2 lb weight loss per month. This calories deficit is possible with a simple 30 minute walk per day (even if the 30 minutes is accrued in 10 minute chunks of time).

Another example of an unrealistic goal is the complete switch from dining out to consuming foods made from scratch.  If you are a busy person who currently relies on dining out, then you are going to have to set multiple goals to make the time to shop, cook, and organize your new eating life. A more realistic short term goal is to reduce the frequency of dining out for specific meals. For instance, instead of dining out for lunch 5 days a week, plan to dine out only 1-2 days a week and bring lunch from home on the other days.

Short Term vs. Long Term Goals

Have a short-term weight goal as well as a long term goal, but enter your short term goal in MyNetDiary.  I recommend that you use a step-by-step approach to goal setting. If you have a lot of weight to lose, then start by setting a goal to lose 10% of your body weight (0.10 x body weight). Once you reach that goal, CONGRATULATE yourself since that weight loss is a critical milestone. Even if you never lose a single pound thereafter, you will reap permanent health benefits from losing that amount of weight if you can keep it off.

For longer term goals, the time frame could be years. Be patient. The goal is to lose weight and keep it off, not just to lose it. For instance, if I needed to lose 150 lbs, I would expect that this goal would take me about 1½ - 3 years if I lose an average of 1-2 lbs/week. I would set a series of shorter-term SMART goals in order to achieve that ultimate long term weight goal.

Good luck with your new SMART weight goals for 2012! Have questions or comments about this post? Please feel free to comment on MyNetDiary’s Forum or Facebook page. I would love to hear from you!

Best,
Kathy Isacks, MPS, RD
Consulting Dietitian for MyNetDiary

More Resources

Paul Meyer. What Would You Do If You Knew You Couldn’t Fail? Creating S.M.A.R.T. Goals.  Excerpt from “Attitude is Everything” 1/2/12.

Katherine Isacks, MPS, RD. MyNetDiary Blog. Setting a Healthy Target Weight. 12/14/10.

Disclaimer: Please note that we cannot provide personalized advice and that the information provided does not constitute medical advice. If you are seeking medical advice, please visit a medical professional.
9 December 10
Holiday Gifts for the Healthy-Minded While there is no shortage of holiday gift-giving guides out now, we thought we would add one that is aimed at those who are working diligently to lose weight (or may start as part of their New Year’s resolution). This sampling of gift ideas is suitable for any budget, but before you grab and wrap a gift to give to your friends or family, let’s take a moment to review some simple rules of etiquette to save yourself (and the gift recipient) from embarrassment. Gift Giving Etiquette Keep in mind that even though people who are working to lose weight value the support and inspiration they get from their friends and family, the struggle to be successful and reach a goal is a personal one, so not every gift related to weight loss should be given to someone publicly. Make sure you understand the gift recipient’s feelings toward their weight loss journey before giving them a “How to Diet” manual, box of low-sodium rice crackers and a measuring tape in front of their in-laws on Christmas morning. It could make more sense to give a gift when it’s just the two of you. Also, give a gift that can be used immediately and will help them stay inspired. Don’t give someone a “carrot on a stick” - such as a pair of size “0” jeans to your wife with a card that reads, “I can’t wait for the day you can squeeze into these! –XOXO” That just won’t end well.   Gifts Ideas (in no particular order): Withings Scale ($150) – The Withings Scale is the first Wi-Fi body scale that measures more than weight. It measures BMI, fat mass, lean mass, and it can send your information to your iPhone or Android device. It can also accommodate up to eight different users. Edible Arrangements (Holiday arrangements start at $47) – Delicious and somewhat healthy, Edible Arrangements are fruit-centric bouquets (with some chocolate!) that can be delivered to almost any door in the U.S., and they are much more sensible for you than a basket of salami, Swiss cheese and petit fours. Polar Heart Rate Monitor ($69.95 and up) – A great tool for knowing the intensity of your workouts, a heart rate monitor can alert you when you are in your cardio “zone” and make your exercise time more efficient. Wii Fit Plus Bundle ($99) – Perfect for anyone who already has a Nintendo Wii, the Wii Fit Plus Bundle comes with the Balance Board and the Wii Fit Plus “game,” which features a virtual trainer, customizable workout routines and fit credits earned by exercising. Shell Food Scale ($65) – A sleek digital food scale by Joseph Joseph that features a lift-off measuring bowl convenient for measuring liquids and dry foods in grams, pounds, ounces, fluid ounces and milliliters. Also nifty is the “add and weigh” function that allows multiple ingredients to be weighed in the same bowl during recipe preparation. invisibleSHIELD Screen Protectors (price depends on unit) – From Android devices to the iPhone 4 and iPad, Zagg offers top-notch protection for your mobile device so you won’t have to worry about damaging or dirtying your screen when you log your caramel popcorn snack on MyNetDiary’s mobile apps while standing in the middle of a room crowded with kids this holiday season.TIP: check for discount codes on Zagg’s Facebook page. MyNetDiary Gift Cards (as low as $5 a month) – Treat your loved one, coworker or client to continued MyNetDiary service by purchasing a gift card. Available in 1-month, 3-month, 6-month and 12-month increments.

Holiday Gifts for the Healthy-Minded

While there is no shortage of holiday gift-giving guides out now, we thought we would add one that is aimed at those who are working diligently to lose weight (or may start as part of their New Year’s resolution). This sampling of gift ideas is suitable for any budget, but before you grab and wrap a gift to give to your friends or family, let’s take a moment to review some simple rules of etiquette to save yourself (and the gift recipient) from embarrassment.

Gift Giving Etiquette

Keep in mind that even though people who are working to lose weight value the support and inspiration they get from their friends and family, the struggle to be successful and reach a goal is a personal one, so not every gift related to weight loss should be given to someone publicly. Make sure you understand the gift recipient’s feelings toward their weight loss journey before giving them a “How to Diet” manual, box of low-sodium rice crackers and a measuring tape in front of their in-laws on Christmas morning. It could make more sense to give a gift when it’s just the two of you.

Also, give a gift that can be used immediately and will help them stay inspired. Don’t give someone a “carrot on a stick” - such as a pair of size “0” jeans to your wife with a card that reads, “I can’t wait for the day you can squeeze into these! –XOXO” That just won’t end well.  

Gifts Ideas (in no particular order):

Withings Scale ($150) – The Withings Scale is the first Wi-Fi body scale that measures more than weight. It measures BMI, fat mass, lean mass, and it can send your information to your iPhone or Android device. It can also accommodate up to eight different users.

Edible Arrangements (Holiday arrangements start at $47) – Delicious and somewhat healthy, Edible Arrangements are fruit-centric bouquets (with some chocolate!) that can be delivered to almost any door in the U.S., and they are much more sensible for you than a basket of salami, Swiss cheese and petit fours.

Polar Heart Rate Monitor ($69.95 and up) – A great tool for knowing the intensity of your workouts, a heart rate monitor can alert you when you are in your cardio “zone” and make your exercise time more efficient.

Wii Fit Plus Bundle ($99) – Perfect for anyone who already has a Nintendo Wii, the Wii Fit Plus Bundle comes with the Balance Board and the Wii Fit Plus “game,” which features a virtual trainer, customizable workout routines and fit credits earned by exercising.

Shell Food Scale ($65) – A sleek digital food scale by Joseph Joseph that features a lift-off measuring bowl convenient for measuring liquids and dry foods in grams, pounds, ounces, fluid ounces and milliliters. Also nifty is the “add and weigh” function that allows multiple ingredients to be weighed in the same bowl during recipe preparation.

invisibleSHIELD Screen Protectors (price depends on unit) – From Android devices to the iPhone 4 and iPad, Zagg offers top-notch protection for your mobile device so you won’t have to worry about damaging or dirtying your screen when you log your caramel popcorn snack on MyNetDiary’s mobile apps while standing in the middle of a room crowded with kids this holiday season.
TIP: check for discount codes on Zagg’s Facebook page.

MyNetDiary Gift Cards (as low as $5 a month) – Treat your loved one, coworker or client to continued MyNetDiary service by purchasing a gift card. Available in 1-month, 3-month, 6-month and 12-month increments.

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Themed by Hunson. Originally by Josh