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Anyone hoping to lose weight with the watch?

mightyjabba

mightyjabba

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Sep 25, 2014
1,586
328
Tatooine
I hadn't planned on getting an Apple Watch originally -- I was going to sit it out for this generation at least. I always like gadgets, and Apple gadgets in particular, but something about it didn't quite click for me. But then I read a bit more about the fitness features and realized two things.

One was that having something track my movements, heartbeat and so forth could be a pretty powerful motivator to get me up and moving. I really like the tracking and "badges" concept. I sit at a computer most of the day (often even when I don't have to) so I really need something to motivate me to exercise.

The second thing was that I could totally tell my wife that I was getting it to lose weight and get her blessing for the purchase. :D Seriously though, I do plan to do a lot more walking after getting the watch. While there are probably more capable fitness trackers out there, they wouldn't have all the other features of the watch, which I'm really looking forward to. Anybody else have similar thoughts?
 
I am already at fighting weight but am going to be using it as an extra motivator to improve my cardio.

Good luck to you and remember, ain't nothing to it but to do it.
 
I am looking forward to it helping me as I continue to lose weight. I like the tracking available and some of the apps and appliances that will be coming alongside (think about the Orange Chef Countertop). I also like that I will be able to preload a playlist and use my bluetooth headphones while I exercise. I will not need any other device. No phone distractions. Good luck with your weight loss.
 
I don't like wearing anything on my wrist when I exercise, it would make my wrist itch when I sweat. But I might, because Apple, just so I can track it.
 
I know from past experience that I can lose weight by consistently tracking my exercise calories and calories eaten. This worked when I used to track it with pen and paper, worked when I tracked it with some help using MyFitnessPal and automation of the exercise calories is one of the main things that sold me on the watch.

The research shows that to lose weight, you need to watch what you eat. Diet alone can work, but exercise alone doesn't. To KEEP the weight off, you need to have both an exercise and a diet habit.

It will help me lose calories while I am motivated, and even more so while the watch is still a novelty. But I know from past experience that it will wear off after a while and I'll probably revert to poor habits.
 
I have a FitBit to keep track of the number of steps I take (the goal is 10,000 steps a day). Before I had it, I never knew how much I walked in day. Now, when I see my step count is low, the dog gets an extra long walk at the end of the day.

The FitBit I have is the low-end model that stays in my wallet all day long. If I want to see my step count, I launch the FitBit app on the iPhone (it syncs via BlueTooth). The Apple Watch will be handy, because I assume I can use it to check my current count.

The watch's activity app shows the number of calories burned — that might be a useful thing for weight-watchers, but I still want to keep track of my steps. Surely, there's some app that will give me that info on the watch.

A little off-topic, but I just got a Withings scale to record my weight. I liked having a daily record of my steps so much, I decided I want to track my weight as well. It gets recorded by the Withings app and appears in the Fitbit and Apple Health apps as well.
 
How I lost over 100 pounds.. and kept it off.

Years ago I weighed 275 pounds, today I weigh 140 pounds. Before losing weight I spent many months researching nutrition and how the body processes food. I discussed my findings with my doctor and began a diet:

1. Eat only when you are hungry.
Many people eat for the wrong reasons; boredom, stress, anger, etc. - I was guilty of this. Food is simply fuel for your body and it should be seen as such.

2. Never eat to the point of being full.
There is a difference between being full and being no longer hungry. The trick is to identify this line and avoid going beyond it.

3. Go to bed hungry.
Our metabolism slows down while we sleep and going to sleep on a full stomach will result in much of the food just sitting there doing nothing.

4. Garbage in, garbage out.
This means that we should be eating things that our bodies can actually use. A healthier diet will result in our having more energy and living a longer life.

I had used numerous diets in the past to lose weight, then gained the weight back when I went off the diet. Then one day it hit me; the reason I was gaining the weight back after coming off a diet was because my original eating habits were the reason I was overweight in the first place. My body was simply doing what I told it to do, process the food I was eating. The diets didn't fail, I failed to understand how the body processes food. So, I realized that, if I wanted to change my weight for life, I had to find a diet that I was going to be happy with for life. Wanna keep the weight off? You'll have to continue with the process that caused the weight loss.

I recently had a physical examination, here are the results:

Age: 51
Weight: 140
Height: 66 inches
Blood pressure: 110 over 78
Medical problems: none
Medications: none
I do not smoke nor do I drink alcoholic beverages.

My doctor was a bit surprised and wondered how I was able to avoid some of the common problems that plague people my age. I told her about the diet I was on and she said "Good job!".

Disclaimer (you knew this was coming, didn't you?): Always check with your doctor before beginning any diet. This is just my experience, everyone needs to find that which works for them.

And you know the best part? I realized that I had money left over since I was spending less on food.

The journey continues..
 
ardchoille50 said:
Years ago I weighed 275 pounds, today I weigh 140 pounds. Before losing weight I spent many months researching nutrition and how the body processes food. I discussed my findings with my doctor and began a diet:

1. Eat only when you are hungry.
Many people eat for the wrong reasons; boredom, stress, anger, etc. - I was guilty of this. Food is simply fuel for your body and it should be seen as such.

2. Never eat to the point of being full.
There is a difference between being full and being no longer hungry. The trick is to identify this line and avoid going beyond it.

3. Go to bed hungry.
Our metabolism slows down while we sleep and going to sleep on a full stomach will result in much of the food just sitting there doing nothing.

4. Garbage in, garbage out.
This means that we should be eating things that our bodies can actually use. A healthier diet will result in our having more energy and living a longer life.

I had used numerous diets in the past to lose weight, then gained the weight back when I went off the diet. Then one day it hit me; the reason I was gaining the weight back after coming off a diet was because my original eating habits were the reason I was overweight in the first place. My body was simply doing what I told it to do, process the food I was eating. The diets didn't fail, I failed to understand how the body processes food. So, I realized that, if I wanted to change my weight for life, I had to find a diet that I was going to be happy with for life. Wanna keep the weight off? You'll have to continue with the process that caused the weight loss.

I recently had a physical examination, here are the results:

Age: 51
Weight: 140
Height: 66 inches
Blood pressure: 110 over 78
Medical problems: none
Medications: none
I do not smoke nor do I drink alcoholic beverages.

My doctor was a bit surprised and wondered how I was able to avoid some of the common problems that plague people my age. I told her about the diet I was on and she said "Good job!".

Disclaimer (you knew this was coming, didn't you?): Always check with your doctor before beginning any diet. This is just my experience, everyone needs to find that which works for them.

And you know the best part? I realized that I had money left over since I was spending less on food.

The journey continues..
Click to expand...

So do you plan on purchasing an :apple: watch with all that left over money? :D

and btw congrats!!!
 
I've lost about 15 pounds already this year by doing the following:

Also, there's a tl;dr more related to your post at the end if you don't want my tips lol


1. Exercise a little bit everyday. Writing down how much I do everyday is what kept me "honest". The idea of a day with zero exercises forever glaring at me in my log prevents my from skipping. Also, I worked my way up. Four months ago, I did 5 push ups and 30 crunches, once a day, every day. Today and every day for weeks before today, I did 50 push ups and 300 crunches. I do them all at once so it only takes about 3 minutes. Some days I do more, but I never do less than that. Once you get into the habit, it gets easier.

2. Eat a little bit healthier, but don't go crazy. I didn't drop anything from my diet. I cut out a few beers (usually had 4+ a day, went down to 1-2). I stopped buying food I could easily munch out on. I made an effort to choose healthier food whenever possible and snack on fruits and vegetables when I got hungry during the day, but that wasn't hard for me because I like those foods better anyway. Also, I haven't drank soda in 3 years; that's a massive load of calories that you don't need. I still have days where I'll eat a burger and fries and a malt. I don't beat myself up about it.

3. Also get enough sleep and try to find something that you actually enjoy doing that's active. Biking, walking. that way you'll do it more, instead of forcing it. I walk all the time. Probably about an hour and a half a day. I love it.



ON TOPIC:
I think the Apple Watch will help you.
The absolute biggest thing that's kept me active has been writing down my exercises daily. There's something about logging it that keeps you honest.
 
I have lost over a stone using the health app on my iPhone. Monitoring calorie intake, steps, flights climbed etc. I always try and beat the previous day's scores and it really works!
 
rhyme said:
I know from past experience that I can lose weight by consistently tracking my exercise calories and calories eaten. This worked when I used to track it with pen and paper, worked when I tracked it with some help using MyFitnessPal and automation of the exercise calories is one of the main things that sold me on the watch.

The research shows that to lose weight, you need to watch what you eat. Diet alone can work, but exercise alone doesn't. To KEEP the weight off, you need to have both an exercise and a diet habit.

It will help me lose calories while I am motivated, and even more so while the watch is still a novelty. But I know from past experience that it will wear off after a while and I'll probably revert to poor habits.
Click to expand...

Exercise alone can. All you need to do is make sure your exercise burns more than you take in on your normal diet.

I have been bodybuilding for 20 years and cut in most summers. I tweak my diet ever so slightly but mainly change my training and add more cardio.
 
Im not overweight but since hitting my 30's I began noticing the weight slowly going on. I want to stop this before it goes too far. I enjoy cycling but knew I needed something like running as well if I wanted to see results.

So, for the last few months Ive been running 3 times a week, and when Im away with work I use the running machines in the hotels. The one thing I miss when running at home is a heart monitor. I imagine I will find that very useful, and Im also hoping to see Strava integration into the watch.

I have to say that because Im not fat I THOUGHT I was fitter than I was. When I started running I realised I was really unfit. Saying that though, Ive been taking it slow and building myself up bit by bit and I am beginning to see improvements. It will be nice to have the Apple Watch features to compliment my progress.
 
Sounds like a solid justification to convience yourself ;)

You can get better fitness trackers out there, but sure the apple watch will also do the trick.

To be honest it comes down to will power and wanting to loose weight , a gadget will only track that weight loss. You can loose weight without any electronic devices , the mechanical scales do not lie ;)

Though if the Apple watch reminders , make you get out of you seat and go for a walk, that's excersise you would not have done. In my books that is worth it.

Now if u justify this purchase to loose weight and do not, ur wife will not be so easily fooled next time !!!
 
Since I had an accident a few years ago I have put on a little weight just because I can't get as physical as I used to. I'm not overweight yet but I'm headed in that direction.
The other side effect was going from a physically demanding job to sitting at a desk all day and night making iOS apps and it's really easy to lose track of time when your doing that.
I am hoping that the  Watch might spur me on to do what little I can more often though. Especially with the reminders and simplicity of tracking exercise. Even if it's just the dog getting a few extra walks a day, every little helps.

I'm expecting to lose weight anyway as I have resolved to change my diet having finally accepted that I cannot sustain my old one with less physical activity but the watch will be a good tracker. Goodbye cakes I shall miss you lots :(
 
Over the years, I've lost a significant amount of weight (over 100 lbs). It is about eating better and being more active. I still have a desk job though which means I have to work to be more active throughout my day. I also try to go for a walk every day, but sometimes things get in the way including the weather. I also go to the gym regularly or work out at home.

So I am looking forward to playing with the fitness features on the watch and wonder if they would help me stay more active. But I'll also say if you don't look at your food then losing weight is nearly impossible.
 
I'm truly buying the watch to help me out on weight loss. I need to lose 30 pounds and I've never bought any other fitness band. I'm one of those guys who needs a fitness reminder and I'm hoping to stay motivated and dedicated after spending the money I have on this. I'm really hoping for something that I can understand and stay dedicated to while exercising.
 
I am still on the ever going quest to loose weight. Largely I am using the fitness for pacing myself when running, also managing my heart rate, so I am obtaining optimal heart rate for burning calories. I am personally not seriously using the heart rate for medical purposes in an accurate BPM reading, but more of a baseline
 
ardchoille50 said:
Years ago I weighed 275 pounds, today I weigh 140 pounds. Before losing weight I spent many months researching nutrition and how the body processes food. I discussed my findings with my doctor and began a diet:

1. Eat only when you are hungry.
Many people eat for the wrong reasons; boredom, stress, anger, etc. - I was guilty of this. Food is simply fuel for your body and it should be seen as such.

2. Never eat to the point of being full.
There is a difference between being full and being no longer hungry. The trick is to identify this line and avoid going beyond it.

3. Go to bed hungry.
Our metabolism slows down while we sleep and going to sleep on a full stomach will result in much of the food just sitting there doing nothing.

4. Garbage in, garbage out.
This means that we should be eating things that our bodies can actually use. A healthier diet will result in our having more energy and living a longer life.

I had used numerous diets in the past to lose weight, then gained the weight back when I went off the diet. Then one day it hit me; the reason I was gaining the weight back after coming off a diet was because my original eating habits were the reason I was overweight in the first place. My body was simply doing what I told it to do, process the food I was eating. The diets didn't fail, I failed to understand how the body processes food. So, I realized that, if I wanted to change my weight for life, I had to find a diet that I was going to be happy with for life. Wanna keep the weight off? You'll have to continue with the process that caused the weight loss.

I recently had a physical examination, here are the results:

Age: 51
Weight: 140
Height: 66 inches
Blood pressure: 110 over 78
Medical problems: none
Medications: none
I do not smoke nor do I drink alcoholic beverages.

My doctor was a bit surprised and wondered how I was able to avoid some of the common problems that plague people my age. I told her about the diet I was on and she said "Good job!".

Disclaimer (you knew this was coming, didn't you?): Always check with your doctor before beginning any diet. This is just my experience, everyone needs to find that which works for them.

And you know the best part? I realized that I had money left over since I was spending less on food.

The journey continues..
Click to expand...

Congratulations by the way. My current "problem" is that it is challenging to eat healthily when in college. Yeah I can just not eat as much, don't eat before bed, drink more water, but if the food they feed me is crap, then there isn't much I can do. My hope for the :apple:Watch is that it will "make me" exercise more which could help. I had the Fitbit Flex for a couple months and surprisingly, having something that almost constantly reminds you to exercise more, it makes you, and for those few months I did have it, I ran or went to the gym at least 3-4 times a week.
 
Not necessarily to lose weight, although that would be good.

I used to be an avid runner 2 years ago (before my daughter was born). I would run 20-40 miles per week. I am hoping this will motivate me to get out of bed and get on track again. I have been lazy.
 
AbsoluteMustard said:
Not necessarily to lose weight, although that would be good.

I used to be an avid runner 2 years ago (before my daughter was born). I would run 20-40 miles per week. I am hoping this will motivate me to get out of bed and get on track again. I have been lazy.
Click to expand...

This.

I need to start being more active. Specifically, I need to run more. One of the main reasons I was sold on the Watch is the activity tracking. I'm 14 days in and I love it.
 
This is one of the MAIN reasons I didn't get the Edition.

The sport is much lighter and therefore I quickly lost weight by getting that one instead.
 
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