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What I Learned From 12 Weeks on a Phone App Weight Loss Program
Get comfortable being hungry.
I started a weight loss program in the middle of November 2022, and I just finished my twelfth week. It was free through my employer. I’m not going to name the program, but it’s one of several phone-app-based behavior modification programs. I was asked to weigh myself daily and track my meals and activity. I was encouraged to use a timer to take a pause in the middle of meals and record what kinds of activity I did during the week.
I had videos to watch, which included videos that were supposedly “personalized” to meet special challenges I faced. After taking a questionnaire, the app identified me as a social eater, which I didn’t believe to be true. I was asked to set weekly goals that aligned with the behaviors the app was trying to encourage: Use the meal timer for every meal, chew slowly during every meal, etc.
I didn’t have as much weight to lose as some, but I definitely wanted to get below 200 pounds, feel better about myself, lower my blood pressure, and sleep better, all of which I could theoretically accomplish with this program.
What I Liked
It was helpful to be more conscious about how much I was eating, especially between meals, and it made sense to wait until I was…
