Tracking

I have been asked several times what tools I use to track my info so I thought I would dedicate a post to it. Now just to warn you this is basically what I do for a living. I work in an Information Technology department that in simple terms gathers information, stores it, and displays it in a way to help create analytical processes. So that being said I probably do much more tracking and analyzing than the normal person. For me this has been a great tool, but for someone else this may be way too much. I think it really maters the type of person you are and what stage of the process you are in. However, I do think that each piece of what I do is helpful and maybe a piece of it will give someone else an idea.

RealizeMySuccess.com

The first tool that I started with was the Realizemysuccess.com website. Since I have a realize band this software was free and highly recommended by my physicians office. I don’t use all the features of it, but I do use two key pieces frequently.

The first is the “My Stats”. It tracks basic measurement spots as well as your weight and goals. I could track this somewhere else, but I do like how it is set up. Plus there is an added benefit that my doctor’s office can see my progress. I know that they do check up on me every once in a while so to get any benefits from this I try keep it up to date.

The other major piece that I use is the “My Food Diary”. I like this journal better than any others I have used. I find it very easy to use and love that you can add your own recipes and save them to add in the future to your food journal. I also like the “Summary Data” tab on this page. It shows both your goals for day and how you are doing towards them for each day of the week. This came in handy when I was tracking my calories daily. I only track my calories a few days each month now, but it is still good to see the goal numbers so easily. Another benefit is that the Doctor’s office can see everything in your food journal.

One thing I found really lacking on this site was the exercise tracking. There was just no way the numbers it was generating for me were correct. After a month of using it, I decided I needed to find something that would work better for me. Not just in the tracking, but in the accuracy. In January, I decided to purchase a BodyMedia Fit (very similar to the Body Bugg). This has been great for me and I believe it has been the best thing I have done besides getting the band.

BodyMedia Fit

The BodyMedia Fit tracks many things. First of all it tracks total calories burned – by minute. You can easily see if you have hit your target for the day, but you can also see how you did at certain times of the days. This has been a great educational tool since it is amazing what does and doesn’t burn calories. One of the first things that I figured out is my time on the recumbent bike burned diddly squat and shopping with a cart burn a heck of a lot more – even if I never put anything in the cart. I can also see how many steps I walk by hour and how intense my activities are.

I love how I can set goals and not only see how I am doing on them daily, but during a 1, 2, 3, or 4 week period. Since I also add in my calories estimates I can what my average deficit for the same time period. I also like how it tracks sleep and weight loss. As you may have noticed weight loss and calories consumed was tracked in the Realize site, but I do find it useful to have them in both spots.

Excel

Another spot I track data is in Excel. I do this mostly because I can’t control and modify how the charts and graphs in the two websites I use look like. I also like to add “what if” scenarios. For example, “if I lost 1.75 pounds a week when would I hit my goal” or “how much would I weigh on P’s wedding or G’s Birthday”. I also like to analyze my weight loss and look for trends (good or bad). For example, what is my average weight loss for January and has it dropped since December. I have many graphs that I have made for these reasons.

This is my “master” chart. It shows my actual weight loss in purple. I have different forecasts that extend out from the actual at different increments (1.25, 1.5, 1.75, 2, 2.25). My overall goal is the blue horizontal line and several major dates are in blue vertical lines. I use this chart for many things, but mostly it is a motivational tool for me. For example, I know that if I push myself I can follow the orange line (2.25 pounds a week) and I will be X pounds on a certain date. However, if I don’t stay as dedicated I may follow the green line (1.25 pounds a week). Both assume that stick to the basic plan and both lines are acceptable tracks for me to follow, but to date what I have had to do to follow that orange line has been worth the any sacrifice that I had to make so far.

This chart is basically a zoomed in version of the former chart so I could track towards one of my major milestone dates – Memorial Day. (I have a not so secret stretch goal of hitting onederland on this date.) I have removed the weight loss from the pre-op diet so that I could add a trend line. The trend line in black basically shows what my weight loss average is to date and for future dates. It currently shows that I have been losing more than 2.25 pounds a week. If I really want to hit that onederland goal I have to stick very close to this line. I find this graph helpful to identify as quickly as possible when I am going off track. This is important because if I identify a problem now I have a chance of fixing it. The closer I get to the date the harder it will be to recover from any slippage.

The last major graph I will show is my goal graph. Basically this just tracks my goal dates and goal weights. I update the date as I reach the goal and the trend line shows where I would be at each date if I continued to lose at the same rate. However, I know that I will slow down. My goal line is more realistic that my trend line. This graph pulls me back to reality. However, deep down inside I love hitting my goals early and I think that maybe just maybe I won’t slow down… Either way I love that I hit my goal before my year anniversary.