Nutritionist versus Fitness Applications
Many people have an ideal dream body that they want. Ideally, this is achieved by working out, eating healthy, drinking lots of water, avoiding high-calorie foods etc. etc. Around the time of New Years, there is always the resolution for someone to lose weight. There is a plethora of ways a person could approach this resolution, but the two most popular routes to take is to get a nutritionist, or using an application on their phones. There are some differences between the two. With people creating apps and workout programs that are now easy to do and easy to use, we can monitor how many steps we take, what our heart rate is and are we getting the proper eight hours of sleep that we need in our day to day life. Apps are another tool that can be used because it can help us with the feeling of being lost in the gym and not knowing what workout to do) People could get trainers but there are free apps to help instead of spending hundreds of dollars on a trainer. These apps have helped many achieve the goal that they want by giving them simple workouts that are easy to do in the comfort of their own home. Some apps created workouts that are high-intensity and ten-minutes for busy people who want to get a quick workout in before they start their day.
The theory of how people have changed their nutrition habits. Nutrition has been around for many years now, and the main way that people kept track of it before cell phones and computers was going to see a nutritionist. A nutritionist is someone who would create a work out plan, an eating guide for the person and would keep track of the person with weekly weigh-ins. This has changed dramatically with the help of computers and the internet. People are now able to find new recipes that will work within their diets and create a new workout program that can still create the same results. They can also get into a program and communicate with others who are in the same program and gain the motivation that they need to succeed. Once creators where able to create applications for phones, people chose to opt out of the more traditional aspect of going to a nutritionist. People can use apps on their personal cell phone now to achieve what they want. By using an app, someone can create a program with whatever time they have in their day to get a quick workout in. Currently Fitbit is the leader in how people track the number of steps we take and the amount of sleep we get. This, with a normal pattern or routine, will help people become the best that they can be. Once someone has chosen a workout app that they want to use, they can find a healthy eating app that will pair with their exercise program. This way they can achieve the maximum benefits of not spending money and losing weight all without leaving the comfort of their own home.
I interviewed two of my friends who have embarked on a nutrition journey. They both took different approaches to losing weight. My friend Zack Elder decided to go see a nutritionist after failing at losing weight with no help. So, I had to ask him a few questions to ask why he chose to go see a nutritionist instead of using apps:
What’s it like having a nutritionist?
Zack Elder: I feel like it’s somewhat fulfilling. I’ve tried multiple times to do it myself and having a nutritionist kind of keeps me in line and on track more than I could do by myself.
Has having a nutritionist helped you achieve your weight loss goal?
Zack Elder: Compared to doing it by myself? Yes
What’s it like being told what to eat and what workouts to do?
Zack Elder: It’s helped. You get told what to eat that’s good for your body and what not to eat.
Do you use a fit bit?
Zack Elder: No, I’ve really had no interest in one.
Could you have done this with an application?
Zack Elder: I’ve tried to do this on my own and with apps like Samsung Health. It was convenient to weigh in and not have to go to meet with someone but it never kept me in line more than having a nutritionist. I would pick up food and not really think about what I’m eating until I logged it in. With a nutritionist, I felt more focused and watchful with what I was eating.
He has lost a total of twenty pounds since seeing a nutritionist. He wants to lose eighty more pounds by the end of this year.
With so many changes to diets, people can create something that works well with their lifestyle. By seeing a nutritionist, a person gets more structure and everything laid out for them. This is easy for people who don’t have time to do their own research. In an article in the Prevention magazine called, 8 Weight Loss Secrets No One But Nutritionists Know. The author, Caroline Praderio, states, “Here’s a shocker: If you’re not taking the time to actually pay attention to what you eat, you’ll never lose weight. In other words, mindlessly shoveling food down your gullet while you check e-mail or watch TV will likely cause you to overeat.” (Praderio 2016) Food is everyone’s weakness. We always tend to overeat without realizing we are. She later states in the article, “While it seems like everyone’s sporting a flashy new wristband or app that tracks calories burned and calories consumed, putting your trust in these devices can cause you to gain, not lose weight….” (Praderio 2016). Unless someone knows how to properly use the apps or is consistent with entering what they ate and the proper amounts of consumption. It still won’t work.
The next person I interviewed is a friend named Kendale Graves. He started using applications to help him achieve weight loss.
What workout programs / applications do you use?
Kendale Graves: I use weight watchers for my nutritional guidance.Bodybuilder.com for my work out guide CW & Guidance
Do you use weight watchers on a mobile app or online? Do you use an apps??? And ok how has this helped you get into a proper workout? How often do you work out on these programs?Have they helped? Could you have gotten the same results if you didn’t use any of these applications?
Kendale Graves: I use weight watchers as an mobile app due to the fact that it is always accessible. That being said, I will always be accountable for what I eat and what actions I take in prepping my food. For bodybuilder, I personally feel that I could have loss weight without these things but the purpose of these resources are to inform people of their options of losing weight. Health and fitness is such a wide range meanings and having the information provided to you gives you the right path to take to reach your goals. For me, with my busy schedule, I work out about 4 times a week. The process of losing weight is honestly 80% nutrition and 20% working out.
Exactly thank you so much!!! How do you think the mobile app has helped you? And yes, we are all busy what keeps you motivated you to choose when you work out.Do you track your steps and the amount of sleep and amount of water you drink every day? Do you count calories with the app? Did you tried any other fitness apps before you found weight watchers?
Kendale Graves: Failure is a common thing for people who are on a journey of weight loss. Without failure, you’ll never know what works for you. I’ve tried liquid diets; I’ve tried high protein diets. What I’ve found to be a great weight loss tool is to practice being a Vegan for a month. Being a vegan will or has given me a wide view on healthy eating and food prep. What motivates me to continue my journey with my busy schedule is that I don’t want to fail anymore. Many people with weight insecurities and problems have or has had some type of depression that has stopped them from succeeding at something in life. For me, being overweight made me afraid to talk to girls and also has stopped me from living my dream as a police officer. One unforgettable time in my life would be the time I went to six flags on a job trip and couldn’t fit on any roller coasters. The level of embarrassment having to have everyone in my row get out for me to get out and take the walk of shame. Heart breaking. I have a Fitbit that tracks my steps, sleep, BP, etc. as long as my health app on my iPhone.
Kendale since starting this journey has lost forty-two pounds and he wants to lose a total of one hundred and seventy pounds. He doesn’t know when by he wants to lose weight. Stating, “I hope for a year but weight loss is a process and it takes time”
Doing research on this topic, to gain a better understanding I did a Google search on fitness applications and wondered if they truly worked. In an article written by James Hamblin called, Not All Who Wear Fitness Trackers Are Lost. Hamblin states, “In a straightforward clinical trial, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh studied 471 overweight people. Half wore devices that tracked steps and calorie expenditure. At the end of 18 months, the group that did not use the device lost about five pounds more than the people in the self-tracking group. The study’s authors concluded in the journal: “Devices that monitor and provide feedback on physical activity may not offer an advantage over standard behavioral weight-loss approaches.”” (Hamblin 2016) Fitness trackers alone do not work but using a trusted nutrition program alongside for weight loss like Kendale did can help someone lose the weight they need too.
Weight Watchers has been around for so many years now. An article done by Web Md written by Karen Asp titled, Weight Watchers. Asp stated, “Weight Watchers is designed to make it easier to change your habits long-term, and it’s flexible enough that you should be able to adapt it to your life. You’ll be tweaking your eating and lifestyle patterns — many of which have been years in the making — and you’ll be creating new ones.” (Asp 2017) We have all grown up eating the same types of foods, the way our mother and grandmothers have been cooking for generations now; most of these foods are high in fat, and purely unhealthy. By recreating these recipes using less oil, baking instead of frying, eating more salads and less fattier meats someone with a balanced workout plan can achieve weight loss.
Kendale Graves in the interview stated, “The process of losing weight is honestly 80% nutrition and 20% working out.” This is true because without proper nutrition your body will not function in its optimal state. Zack Elder and Kendale Graves both meal prep very similar meals even though they are on two different programs. These meal preps include lean meats and some sort of vegetables for both lunch and dinner.
Nutritionist will always have the upper hand on the knowledge and what is trending because there will always be new information and guidelines that they must follow. Applications don’t always get updated to follow these new trends. In our textbook, A different kind of Ethnography: Imaginative Practices and Creative Methodologies by Denielle Elliott and Dara Culhane. The authors stated, “We consider creativity as actively intermingled with imaginative practices, everyday life, and social relationships.” (Culhane & Elliott, pg.12) Nutrition and fitness have become a way of living and getting healthy. People have related to others who have embarked on the same journey of weight loss to gain the motivation and engage in social interactions with others. They can help make the transition of a healthier life style easier and can help with tips when someone gets stuck. Nutritionist will always be around for people who need that extra push, but applications are the new wave. Yes, there are flaws with the applications but once someone creates a program that will do the job of a nutritionist at your fingertips than weekly way ins will be a thing of the past.
