Want to diet? There's an app for that.

Woody has been dieting lately. A better name might be behavior modification. It has taken me 51 years to get in this sorry shape but I hope to be back down to a much more comfortable (and healthy) weight by summer's end. I haven't really "worked out" yet, focusing on diet and walking the younger dogs for a pretty respectable weight loss.

I've been calorie counting since the 29th of January after I downloaded an application for my Ipod called: "Loseit". Since I am rarely without my Ipod or Iphone it is an ideal way for me to keep track of my food consumption digitally. Since my account is synced between Iphone-Ipod-computer I am better able to keep track of my eating habits throughout the day/week/month.

Okay, so it's pretty simple, after you download the app, you enter your personal data, choose a goal weight and that's about it. Unlike all those "miracle" diets you are bombarded with on TV, this program has a very modest and more importantly realistic weekly goal of losing between 1/2 and 2 pounds a week. I opted to lose 2 pounds per week so my daily caloric intake was adjusted accordingly. Week one went well, I kept track of calories and made decisions to eat more healthy. Those decisions have been getting progressively easier because I've been seeing progress.

You also enter in your physical activity that acts like a deposit on your account. More exercise = more calories..... The info you input is readily available to see how you are "spending" your calories so you can budget accordingly. With no effort I am fairly close to maintaining the desired 60-20-20 ratio of carbs/protein/fat in my diet. Even the days that you indulge too much can be compensated for by consciously reducing your intake the remainder of the week so if you come in under your weekly allotment of calories you are still burning calories over the long run, especially if you increase your aerobic workouts.

For right now, my aerobic efforts have been fairly tame: walking mostly. Nevertheless, it is a great way to knock those calories out. To do this I use another app I've found to be beneficial is "runkeeper". This application uses GPS technology that turns your Iphone into a pedometer/speedometer/coach to record your physical efforts about your aerobic endeavors outside. This program also gives you frequent voice updates about how far you've gone and how fast.

Six weeks later, my clothes are fitting loser, my rings are spinning on my fingers instead of cutting off circulation and my knees don't hurt as much! I can even wear some of the clothes that have been hanging in the closet because they had become too snug to wear!

As I told Joleen I have good news and I have bad news, I'm losing weight but now I'm gonna need new clothes! But she's okay with that. I waited a week before I shared this application with her, mainly to see if I could stick with it and if it seemed worthwhile. As a fellow gadgeteer, Joleen is now counting calories with me and has already lost nine pounds! I am very proud of her efforts and take great care in food preparation each day.

Meal preparation consists of evaluating caloric value and measuring portion size. As a pseudo-gormand, I do like to cook and until recently I didn't worry about calories, just taste and feeling full. I now carefully read labels, evaluate nutritional values, weigh and measure portions to ensure coming in under my calorie allotment each day. With this improvement in our diets we are both eating more fruits and vegetables and reducing our snacking to a more realistic level. Truth be told we both got lazy about staying healthy. I use my food scales and measuring cups religiously these days to ensure we are not cheating ourselves. I have even purchased a cheap food scale to take with us on vacation next week!

I believe improving our health and quality of life is the key, I was never a PT stud, so I don't hold any illusions like getting washboard abs. At 51? I'll be happy with getting rid of my dun-lap and love handles! I plan to start running after we return from Arizona. I'm purposely waiting to run until my weight gets down a bit further. For now I'll be happy with just walking. In fact we are even planning at least one hike while in AZ!

Will this be a permanent lifestyle change? I hope so. It really hasn't been that hard to do. I'm relearning what it's like to leave the table not quite full and that it's okay to be hungry. Another thing I've discovered is just how much I used to eat during the day out of sheer boredom! If my knees hold up with running, I have a goal of finishing a 5K run (or two) this summer. Next year? Maybe farther.

So there you have it. No special food, pills, shakes, or programs, just a guy and his Ipod. As my buddy Mike Jaquard says, "Life is like a sandwich, eat it up!" But Woody says, "make sure you write down the calories!" Oh yeah, I have lost 27 pounds so far.