Your Best Gadget or “Tool” During Weight Loss

springlering62

Outside of your fitness tracker and scale, what has been your most helpful product, gadget or find during weight loss?

For me, it’s been:

Body Glide : anti chafing stick for those awkward times when body parts rub- heels, thighs, batwings

ComPeed: medical miracle for blisters

Balega socks: if you haven’t tried them, you don’t know what socks can aspire to

DancingMoosie

Finding workouts that I enjoy so I don't dread working out! Also...good running shoes, workout clothes, and my hubby made me a step for step-aerobics since I don't have a lot of space(or $$) for a regular step. Learning the value of strength training 👍

kenziestabes

Bluetooth headphones: Whether talking to a relative on a walk or having the right song motivate me through the last rep of my weight training, it helps me go further with my workouts.

Tuna snack pack, low sodium: 70 calories of protein that helps keep post-workout hunger at bay.

Dog water bottle: My pup has a lot of energy and loves exploring the woods by our place, but she gets thirsty quickly. This allows the two of us to go further.

Properly sized running shoes.

ToffeeApple71

Ditto the body glide for chafing. It's awesome.

Curash powder for when you do chafe.

Bluetooth headphones, waterproof.

Two tags leggings with pockets. They're awesome.

Walkywalkerson

Comfortable trainers that support my feet.
I have flat feet and when I was 232lbs I was constantly getting foot problems that affected how my whole body ached even after a short walk.
Then someone recommended Asics trainers to me - they were a game changer!

Lietchi

I'd have to say my treadmill, and by extension my home gym (treadmill, indoor rower and weight training equipment).

As soon as I realised my calorie goal increased with activity, I started using my treadmill again: walking at first, at increasing speeds and incline. And a few months later I transitioned to (very slow) running. Two years later and I actually enjoy running now and my fitness level has increased dramatically.

Along the way, I also started using the indoor rower (which is actually my boyfriend's) and then the strength training equipment which I still had from a previous weight loss effort.

The fact that I could just go to the basement:
- no travel time
- without worrying what I would look like while exercising
- and work out for whatever duration I wanted, even it was just 10 minutes
was really helpful.

Currently having a normal BMI and no longer being horribly unfit, I am comfortable enough to work out in public (e.g. outdoor running and hotel gyms while traveling) without fearing that someone will laugh at me. But I still enjoy not necessarily having to do my hair, put on fresh smelling/nice looking workout clothes etc. before I workout. And if I had to go to a gym, I'm sure I wouldn't work out as often as I do now, it's a lot easier to squeeze a workout in at home.

I2k4

I distinguish "weight" (including healthy muscle mass) from "fat", want to keep the former and lose the latter and have no plans to own or use a scale - can find one when wanted. The alarm tool is my pants - tight at 36" waist means getting too fat and the main progress tool is a mirror. Over the last decade my waist had crept up to buying 38" and end of 2018 to intolerable five-alarm 40" pants - dieting took the form of portion reductions, low carb, no desserts, snacks or alcohol (I'm unaware of any effective fat-reduction diet that isn't just being vaguely hungry for long enough) - I was back to comfy 36" by late 2020. I lost some muscle "weight" along with the body fat, and last spring started MFP and more structured and rigorous home exercise (the good gym in our condo locked down until recently) to build up in that way. MFP diarizing is very helpful to keep calories constant and ensure I hit a protein macro target.

nanastaci2020

A small dry erase board that is attached by magnet to the side of my fridge, and a set of dry erase markers that store in my utensil drawer. Makes it easy to jot down notes about ingredients, weights and such when cooking - so I can update or enter recipes in the recipe builder.

cwolfman13

My road bike and mountain bike and my direct drive smart trainer and Zwift app for preseason winter training.

MercuryForce

Nutritional yeast: I was finding it really hard to reach my protein goals, especially as I shift to a mostly plant-based diet. Putting nutritional yeast on grain bowls, pasta (with cheese of course, I'm not giving that up), roasted vegetables, or even cottage cheese has been a game changer.

My dietitian: Is it insulting to call her a tool? But seriously, I couldn't do this without her. She really helped me figure out an eating plan for me, holds me accountable, and when I feel like I'm failing is there to point out my wins, scale related or otherwise.

goal06082021

Food scale, pen and paper that live next to it, prep containers.

COGypsy

Air fryer. No heat up time, great for re-heating leftovers, and chicken breast can be cooked in 8 minutes. Second would be the microwave. It does pretty much everything else for my day to day meals.

mjglantz

My pedometer. When I got serious about moving more this got me moving more and getting at least 10,000 steps/day. Mine also tracked aerobic exercise so started getting in 30 mins/day of aerobic walking. Continue to up my game in maintenance.

MsCzar

My Yonanas Frozen Dessert Maker! It grinds frozen fruit into soft serve "ice cream."

debtay123

Yes my air fryer and my fitness tracker- makes it much more fun

BrightEyedAgain

Having a good quality blender has been wonderful for the vitamin protein shakes I make every night. The shakes give me a nourishing treat to look forward to, and my new Kitchen Aid buzzes through the ice like magic. Besides MFP, my other favorite "gadget" has been my trainer. Hiring her once a week was a game changer. I realized quickly why I'd never seen much progress working out on my own--I wasn't challenging myself enough, nor was I working out enough muscle groups. With her help, I've learned how to put together solid routines AND what they should FEEL like. That's been amazing.

AnnPT77

Farmer's markets? Rowing shell (nah, those have been in picture for 20 years)? Weight trending tool? (Not necessarily weight trending app: I used graph paper for daily weights for years before getting an app, even when I wasn't trying to lose weight, because I'm a serious data geek. Date on X axis, weight on Y axis.)

Mindset isn't a tool, I guess.

ythannah

As tools go, it's pretty large, but I'd have to say my power rack. That's what enabled me to take my lifting to a serious level because I could move more weight safely.

callsitlikeiseeit

food scale
good training/gym shoes
wireless headphones

mirianyusm

The forums at MFP.