![]() Ideally, the software would let you add multiple items with a single action, would remember what you usually eat and would be connected to a vast library of foodstuffs - so that when you told it that you ate, say, a slice of meatloaf from a Cook’s Illustrated recipe, it could instantly calculate your plate’s nutritional information. The problem with tracking food is that you eat a lot of it, so you need something that will make quick work of acknowledging items as you consume them. The Up, Fitbit and BodyMedia FIT include food-logging options in their companion software, but all were slow to use. While all of these devices made it easy to track my activity, they were of little help in monitoring my diet. The Omron does not promise the world, but it delivers enough information to keep you on your toes. At the end of the day, peek at its screen - in large, readable type, it shows a single stat: how many steps you have walked that day. Just turn it on and leave it in your pocket. The Omron, by comparison, does not do wireless syncing, and its optional PC software is pretty basic. You do plug your Fitbit in to charge it, but only rarely - you can go more than a week between charges. It also syncs directly to your phone over Bluetooth. It comes with a tiny receiver that plugs into your computer’s USB port whenever your Fitbit is near your machine, it sends its data over the air, no physical docking required. The best thing about the Fitbit is its wireless syncing capability. I also liked Jawbone’s Up software, but it works only on Apple’s iOS devices. That fact might inspire you to begin taking a brief walk after lunch. The most useful is a graph of your activity over the course of the day: You can see how many calories you burned while at work, for example. Its software - which is available for Macs and Windows PCs, as well as iOS and Android devices - is simple to learn and offers plenty of graphs and statistics for tracking your progress. The Fitbit is an unobtrusive slab of plastic about the size of a USB thumb drive. The Fitbit and the cheap Omron worked best for me. On the other hand, because they are not wearable, I often forgot them on my bedside table, where they did no good. The pedometer and the Fitbit were easier to handle I hardly noticed them crammed with my keys and phone in my pocket. Positioned directly against the skin around the upper arm, it is ungainly - I found it distracting when I was in a short-sleeve workout shirt, and strange-looking under a nice button-down shirt. (Both are water-resistant.)īodyMedia’s FIT, meanwhile, is about the size of a man’s large wristwatch. They tapped against my desk while I typed, and they slid about uncomfortably when I washed the dishes. Even though I had acquired the recommended size, the Up and the FuelBand did not fit well around my wrist. Then, as you move, the devices measure your activity.Įach device had drawbacks. You attach them on your person (the FuelBand and Up fit around your wrist, the FIT goes around your upper arm, and the Fitbit and Omron pedometer can be placed in a pocket or clipped to your belt). I also threw in a plain-Jane pedometer, the Omron HJ-720ITC ($59.99, but listed at $31 at many stores online).Īll these devices work in a similar way. I tried four high-end fitness gadgets: Nike+ FuelBand ($149), the Fitbit One ($99.95), Jawbone’s Up ($129.99) and the BodyMedia FIT wireless armband ($149). And while I found a few to be quite helpful, they were all just short of fantastic. Scouring the market for devices and programs, I found two kinds of technologies: fitness trackers to monitor physical activity, and computer and smartphone applications to track diet. How would I “count carbs”? How would I track my fitness routine? I’ve rarely monitored what I eat and how much exercise I get. My doctor ordered me to reduce my carbohydrate intake and come up with a more stringent exercise plan. Like my forebears, I was on a fast path to heart disease and diabetes. My doctor’s theory was stark: My genes predispose me to high cholesterol. So why did my LDL levels surpass my IQ - or, for that matter, Einstein’s? I work out, too, and most impartial observers - and some partial ones - would describe me as “lean.” I’m young, unstressed and healthy, or so I imagined. ![]() LITTLE ROCK - When I received the results of a routine cholesterol test, I was certain there had been some kind of mistake. ![]()
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