which products to buy to help farther my weightloss

And upon reflection, just go to a thrift store. You don't need a nice scale, just something that will return consistent results for you. If you can step on it and then grab a five pound weight and the scale goes up five pounds, it's probably good enough. We're not worrying about ounces here. Don't worry so much about the HRM and stuff like that. Maybe a tailors tape so you can take your measurements.

If you do this right you should be spending less money on food and less money overall in order to lose weight. No major investments needed.

I don't know know about the Fitbit or others. I wanted a Fitbit but the techy sites all gave it poor reviews so I didn't go for it.

I'd go for a scale that also measures body fat. Some will not decern between water weight and fat, but even those still give a good picture of lean body mass (LBM). You can find some at Target for under $30. There are some that say they measure water and fat separately but I've not researched to see how accurate that is.

As a student, you probably have access to a gym - weigh yourself there. Even if you don't use it to workout, stop in once or twice a month and weigh yourself.

Spend your money on a food scale. It is usually cheaper to buy bigger packages and a scale can keep you honest about servings.

You don't need the techie stuff. Just estimate your calories burned with online calculators. MFP isn't usually all that far off. If you think it will help you in the run, make it a reward for, say, sticking with the program all semester.

I think it's better to use a scale in your house, personally. You really need to weigh yourself under identical conditions, since your weight can easily fluctuate by ten pounds or more over the course of the day. I only weigh myself in the morning after using the restroom, but before breakfast.

If you use a digital scale, be aware that they can be sensitive to temperature changes. The same scale might give you a reading that's five pounds heavier when the temperature drops.

If you will be doing a lot of cardio exercise I would highly recommend a heart rate monitor (not just to count calories burned, but more importantly to make sure you are exercising at the correct heart rate to best achieve your aerobic goals).

I have just started my getting healthy lifestyle about a week ago. I have been looking at scales but I have no clue which one to go with. I don't want to drop a ton of money on it since I am a poor college student but I want a good one that will be accurate. If i have to spend a pretty penny, to get something good enough I will. Also, I have been looking into the Fitbit. Is it good? Or should I look at a different brand? If so, what?? Or BodyMedia FIT Armbands? I am lost as to what would be the best.

Would love the suggestions and if you can say why your suggesting it I would appreciate it!!!!

buy nothing. no one needs a bunch of gadgets and devices to lose weight. yes, there are some legit things that can help, like food scales, but you can and will lose weight without them.

as a student, i'm assuming you have access to a gym that probably has a scale. use that scale. if you don't, then i amend my statement to say that you definitely need to buy a scale. nothing fancy. doesn't have to be digital. hell, it doesn't even have to be accurate. it only need be consistent. you're tracking the changes in your weight more than anything else.

that's it. you have mfp, so use it to log food and exercise. weigh yourself weekly and record it. if the results aren't what you want after 2-3 weeks, adjust your food intake.

rinse, repeat, profit.

Seconding all of this. If you do have a few bucks to bandy about, I would recommend getting a food scale and measuring cups/spoons. These can all be acquired pretty cheaply - especially the cups and spoons. Heck, try a thrift store. Amazon has some good deals on food scales sometimes, too. The only reason I would recommend these things is because, as I think others have mentioned, it was a huge eye-opener for me to see what a "serving size" as listed on a package actually consists of, compared to how much of it I'd been eating in the past. The whole "palm-sized" and "tennis-ball-sized" method of portioning never really clicked for me (especially because people have different-sized hands... what if I had huge hands and not carnie-sized ones like I actually do have - I felt like I was getting cheated out of a nice hunk of steak! ), but I'm totally a verbal/literal learner, and the measurements on the food scale and in other clearly-labeled measuring tools are much more helpful for me. It's made all the difference for me, personally.

Fitbit is nice, and I admittedly do have one, but it's not at all necessary. While I don't really regret buying it, I could definitely live (and lose weight) without it. Do you have an iPod Touch or smartphone, by chance? You can find a lot of helpful apps for little to no cost that will help you track your distance and routes for walks/runs/bike rides. Off the top of my head, I'd recommend MapMyFitness and Fitocracy. And, of course, the MFP app. Logging my intake is WAY more convenient and user-friendly on the app than on the website, at least in my experience.

Best of luck! :flowerforyou:

Good choice!