FitBit: Towards a -slightly- fitter tomorrow

Finally, after being long enough on my amazon wish list, Fitbit Ultra has now the distinction of being someone i cannot sleep without! Others being, obviously enough, my wife and my iPhone. The device costs, as of writing this, GBP 79.99 on amazon UK and costs USD 77.74 on amazon US. As a person with about average intelligence, i figured it's cheaper in the US. So, i waited till i or some else went to the US. Luckily i did, and bought it from amazon US. Bought it last Tuesday and it arrived in a day or two and i have been keeping it really close to my heart since then. The real purpose to buy this, initially, was to track my sleep. I have always been skeptical of how much i sleep. It always feels like i have slept so little and thats why i am tired or sleepy in during the day.

I have been trying for sometime now, with some motivation, to loose few kilograms of my ever increasing tummy. Some time really means couple of months on and off. I am 5′ 7″ and i weigh 72.5-73.0 kilos that is a BMI of 25.2, putting me in slightly overweight category. It's riskier for me as my family has a history of diabetes and heart diseases. And i am not a very active person. I am lazy, to be honest.

And here is the plan:

  • Try and workout everyday for at least 30 mins, i use Your Shape Fitness Evolved on kinect. This is on and off, in September i could manage a total of 14 days only burning 150-200 calories on each day.
  • Walk where possible. This has never been much of a problem. I am okay with walking, can walk for few miles easily.
  • Count calories as far as possible. Try and be in deficit for a day.
  • Avoid fat, eat less. Working on this for close to a month now. Exceptions include my visit to Springfield, US.
  • Avoiding fizzy drinks, pizza, Indian fatty food and obviously avoid sugar, chocolates, ice-cream etc.
  • Eat fruits for lunch: two apples and a glass of juice.
  • Eat high fiber cereals for breakfast.
  • Eat slightly less for dinner.

So, where does Fitbit fit in all these bits? Well, it fits perfectly well. I wear it almost all my work day and it keeps on counting my steps, calories burned, floors climbed. FitBit also has a very neat, clean website which allows you to log food, sleep, heart rate and what not. I have been tracking my activities since a week now and i am doing okay. I have been doing daily 10,000 steps. I am also keeping track of my food and water intake.

FitBit website also allows to you set goal to loose weight. It then tells you how much you can eat and how much you need to burn to stay on course of the goal. For me, i have set up a goal of losing 6 kgs with a moderate plan. The moderate plan asks keeping a 500 calories deficit per day. And according to the website, if i can keep doing that i will lose 6 kgs by Jan 12 2013!

Well, it's always easier said than done. I am sticking to the plan above for now and will re-asses it after a month or so.