Technology & Weight Loss: Putting An Online Tool to Use

Because the Internet allows so many millions of people to be connected to any single site, function or feature, many programmers and marketing folks have put their heads together to come up with some really neat online tools. Many of these tools are not only useful and convenient, but they are often times free to use. We like free! Some examples include area code locators, mortgage calculators, metric conversion charts and many, many more.

Today I ran across a free tool that is available to us courtesy of the US Government. The Deparment of Health & Human Services, National Institutes of Health, makes this tool available. The tool is called an interactive menu planner and it's worth spending a few minutes exploring.

The tool's original intent seems to be as a menu planner that one would use on a daily basis in order to calculate the total calories, total fat and total carbohydrates for all three meals each and every day. Because the interface is a little bit "clunky" and the tool takes a while to plug in an entire day's meals, I don't think it's really practical to use every day. However, that doesn't mean that it's not useful. Load it up in a browser and take a peek for yourself while I point out a few things that I found interesting.

The first thing you need to do is to select the number of daily calories you plan to consume. The number can range from 1200 to 2000. There are no guidelines as to how many calories you should start with so use common sense to select a number. Factors such as body size (less the fat you want to lose), type of occupation, amount of daily exercise, and age should be taken into consideration. Your doctor may have a suggestion as well.

Once you've selected a daily calorie target, select "Breakfast" as your first meal. Mentally segment your daily calories into three fairly equal parts. If you've selected 2000 calories, you should try to aim for around 600 - 650 calories per meal, leaving a few left over for an evening snack. Move over to the right where the food itself is located. Start at the top and select a food item from the food groups you typically eat for breakfast. It doesn't matter if it's what you ate today, or are planning to eat, the education is in the experience.

As you select a "food item" you must remember to also select the number of servings in the next column. For instance, if you typically eat two kiwi fruit at breakfast, select "1 Kiwi" from the "food" column and select "2" from the servings column. The thing that I really like about this tool is that it updates after every item is selected. Continue on through breakfast adding items as you go. You may select multiple items from any of the food groups. As you continue, you will see the menu for breakfast grow longer for each added item.

Try to ignore the totals on the left-hand side until you have finished selecting each of the items that make up your typical breakfast. Once done, look at the totals to see how much damage you've done. If you find, like I did, that you need to make some adjustments to each meal if you want to get three meals a day in, you can remove some of your items or reduce the number of servings. To do so, simply select one of the items already in your breakfast menu and change the servings to zero to remove it completely, or just lower the number to reduce it.

Once you've set your breakfast menu, continue on to lunch and repeat the process. After you've finished your lunch menu, repeat the process for dinner. If you still have some calories left over, you can go ahead and treat yourself to a snack; if you exceed your total allowed calories at any time, a warning message will pop up.

There are a few things about this exercise that I believe are particularly educational. The first is the degree to which the daily calories can be thrown off by simple things such as beverages. For my breakfast I selected a bagel. I watched carefully as I slowly added a tablespoon of cream cheese and some jelly, thinking they would cause a dramatic increase. To my dismay, a couple teaspoons of jelly and a tablespoon of cream cheese added only 75 calories. It was the bagel that was the major offender, coming in at a whopping 320 calories!

I decided to see how much the daily totals would be affected by selecting a large glass of "Kool Aid" as a drink. I have children in the house and "Kool Aid" is available and convenient. But is it a good decision?

For my lunch menu, I selected "8 oz. Kool Aid" as a beverage. But wait, do you know how small an 8 oz. glass is? I plugged in "2" servings just to be safe. To my horror, that single beverage selection came to 232 calories, or just over 11% of my daily total! I quickly "zeroed out" the "Kool Aid" and opted instead for water.

Another shocker was the cream that I use in my morning coffee or tea. Drinking two cups of black coffee adds only 20 calories to your daily menu. However, if you lighten up those two cups of coffee with a couple of tablespoons of cream each, you can add nearly 100 calories to your diet. A teaspoon of sugar adds only 15 calories, and that's typically the item we'd be inclined to abandon first.

The second thing that I realized is that, with a little bit of planning, a person can still eat a substantial amount of food and stay within their daily caloric budget, especially if you choose wisely. I'm a substantially sized guy with an active lifestyle who should be able to consume 2000 calories per day and still lose weight. Using this tool can help me do so without starving and without busting my budget.

Again, I don't think it's terribly practical to suggest you use this tool every day, but referring to it every now and again can help you ascertain the average number of calories you are consuming each day, make sure you aren't making any bad menu decisions, and help you to win the battle of the bulge!

Interactive Menu Planner: http://hin.nhlbi.nih.gov/menuplanner/menu.cgi

Michael Callen is the author of the interactive menu planner and the Chief Technology Officer for interactive menu planner, an online retailer of dozens of health and wellness products.

bathroom cleaning service Lincolnshire ..
In The News:

The Omoway Omo X features a modular design, obstacle detection and emergency braking, and can drive itself to charging stations, signaling the future of smart urban mobility.
PillTrek, a tiny wireless smart capsule created by Caltech, provides real-time gut health data by detecting electrolytes, metabolites, glucose, hormones, pH levels and temperature.
Learn to spot fake bank text messages with five warning signs of Chase phishing scams, including suspicious links and urgent deadlines designed to steal your account information.
Robot coyotes built on motorized cars reaching 20 mph are being deployed at military airfields as an innovative solution to wildlife threats to aircraft safety.
Explore Google Drive's strengths and weaknesses as a backup solution, including its encryption security, privacy concerns and comparison to dedicated backup tools.
As environmental challenges grow, underwater habitats gain momentum with DEEP's Vanguard, supporting short missions and Sentinel designed for 28-day stays at depth.
The new Urban Eyes safety vest features dual cameras, reflective panels and a wireless remote to deter harassers and provide peace of mind for outdoor workouts.
The $200 billion data broker industry tracks your personal details across websites, posing privacy risks that can be mitigated through data removal services.
UCC Holding has teamed up with COBOD to create desert-inspired, 3D-printed schools in Qatar, featuring dune-like wavy walls impossible with conventional construction.
Darkling beetles equipped with microchip backpacks can be guided through disaster areas using electrical signals, offering a biological solution for search and rescue.
Scammers use number porting to take control of outdated landlines still connected to financial accounts, bypassing two-factor authentication to steal funds while avoiding detection.
Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey developed Bitchat, a privacy-focused messaging app that works offline via Bluetooth without requiring email, phone numbers or personal data.
Google is making a push to ensure its AI, Gemini, is tightly integrated with Android systems by granting it access to core apps like WhatsApp, Messages, and Phone.
A new green energy system is set to change how we capture clean power, and it all starts with the ocean. French startup Seaturns has designed technology that taps into the natural motion of the sea.
Cybersecurity researchers are warning that hackers have started exploiting flaws in chatbots to carry out AI phishing attacks.
Google has just made it easier than ever to regain control of your inbox with Gmail's new Manage Subscriptions tool.
Despite the benefits, residential power saver programs come with several potential drawbacks and concerns that have been raised by both customers and experts.
The Blackdot AI tattoo machine is quiet. It's steady. And according to early users, it hurts a lot less.
Attackers have started to exploit the very signals that users assume will keep them safe when it comes to add-ons to improve productivity or entertainment.
Located on Cerro Pachón in Chile, the world's most powerful digital camera is set to transform how we see the universe.
The innovative DQ Tower stands 28 feet tall with 420 square feet of living space, featuring floor-to-ceiling windows and premium amenities in a prefabricated design.
A new mmWave imaging system allows warehouse robots to scan and create 3D models of objects inside sealed containers, potentially revolutionizing shipping processes.
Family fraud endangers seniors when relatives exploit their trust, but removing personal data online and monitoring identity can prevent financial harm to aging parents.
A study analyzing 500,000 customer service interactions shows chatbots struggle with complex issues while human agents excel at matching customer communication styles.
Aigen's Element robot uses solar power and AI to provide farmers with a sustainable alternative to herbicides, working efficiently in cotton and soy fields.

Weight Loss Surgery: What are the options?

To understand how surgical procedures aid the grossly overweight person... Read More

The 4 Secrets to Weight Loss Success the Diet Books Don?t Tell You

Weight loss plans come in all shapes and sizes. Some... Read More

When Cellulite Attacks!

Cellulite is a recent addition to the English language. In... Read More

The Papaya Diet: A Guaranteed Loser

Search Yahoo for "papaya" and "kirstie" and you'll find at... Read More

Hydrate to Lose Weight: Drinking Water & Its Relationship to Weight Loss

It all begins with water .... Water makes up 75%... Read More

Putting it Off Until Im Thinner

I can't do that Until I Lose This Weight! If... Read More

Exercise Resistant Fat Removed with Liposuction

Liposuction works best with people who are a normal weight... Read More

Eat Healthy for Life

Let's not talk about diets. Diets are punishment ? like... Read More

How to Exercise and Lose Weight on a Busy Schedule

In my fitness consulting business, I get the opportunity to... Read More

9 Quick Ways To Conquer Cellulite

In our never ending search for the illusive "Fountain of... Read More

4 Great Diet Tips

Here are 4 diet tips we all need reminded of... Read More

How to Select the Best Diet for You?

In the old West tricksters sold a snake oil to... Read More

EFT for Weight Loss - How to Stop Eating from Fear of Not Getting Your Share

Do You Sometimes Eat Because You're Afraid You'll "Miss Out"... Read More

Weight Loss During Holidays: What to Do With Leftovers?

If I Want to Lose Weight, What Can I Do... Read More

Tracking the Elusive Calorie - Weight Loss Tips

Why Making Small Changes in Your Eating Habits Adds up... Read More

Are You a Binge Eater?

Ever wonder if you have a serious problem with binge... Read More

Dieting to Death

It has been 15 years since I was diagnosed with... Read More

Five Really Tough Dieting Tips

If you are losing, trying to lose, or think you... Read More

Weight Loss Myths

Every regime has its supply of useless folk lore and... Read More

Your Eight Hormones and Weight Loss

If you find this article helpful, please forward it to... Read More

Dieting - Healthy Dieting Tips

If you are among the millions of people searching for... Read More

Super Sizing: Money Shrinks While Waist Lines Grow

"Your Eyes are Bigger Than Your Stomach""Your eyes are bigger... Read More

Weight Loss and Dieting Secret #1 ? IN and OUT

Any dietary plan on the market has some portion of... Read More

Top 10 Diet Tips From Diet Winners

Use these tips to turbo charge your weight loss program.Take... Read More

A Personal Trainers...Holidaze

Rules of day to day no longer apply as you... Read More

recurring housekeeping Des Plaines ..