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Tools for Easy Tracking
From scales that monitor weight loss to kitchen gadgets that help control portions, here are some smart buys to support your efforts.
We all love a few good gadgets—just check out the average kitchen drawers. But they can do a lot more than take up space if you truly commit to using them, says Debora A. Robinett, RD, author of
Your Heart Diet Made Simple and president of Health Enhancement Corporation in Tacoma, Washington. Here are eight essential tools she suggests.
A logbook. Find a log that has enough room for you to write down everything you eat and drink for a few days or a week. Don't cheat. To analyze what you're actually eating (calories, carbs, fats, proteins), consult MyPyramid Food Guidance System (www.MyPyramid.gov) or work with a professional nutritionist. Then plot and track your goal.
A food scale. "We are such a nation of supersized portions that we really don't have a good concept of a serving size," says Robinett. Choose a user-friendly scale with reference tables that display the makeup per serving (for calories, fat, protein, and so on) for different foods. Be sure it zeros out after you remove the plate from it and that it thinks like you do, in either grams or ounces.
Measuring spoons and cups. "If you scoop out a teaspoon of jam with your table utensil, you may be getting three times as many calories as with a measuring teaspoon," says Robinett. These tried-and-true standbys—both liquid and dry measuring cups, and standard measuring spoons—shouldn't be overlooked.
A spaghetti measurer. The package says a serving size is 1 ounce of pasta, but how much is that? This round, flat, metal tool has different-sized circular openings so you can bundle dry spaghetti and easily tell how much will serve one, two, or four.
Calibrated drinking bottles. Most people have no idea how much a cup of water, milk, or juice really is. Robinett recommends using drinking bottles that show ounces on the outside.
A stay-cool lunch box. Take the guesswork out of road food by packing your own meal. She prefers the mini-cooler lunch boxes that contain refreezable ice packs that keep food cold so it doesn't spoil.
A body-composition bathroom scale. Basic bathroom scales don't tell you what you're made of. Select a scale that tests for body-fat composition so you'll know if that extra pound is muscle or fat. Note, however, that even body-composition scales are not entirely accurate. Robinett suggests using it only once a week to check for general trends.
A tape measure. This cheap and easy piece of equipment, together with your bathroom scale, will largely tell the tale. Measure your waist and hips at the widest part. If the tape measure keeps going out and the scale keeps going up, it's time to pay closer attention to what your tracking tools are telling you.
