Get back in your skinny clothes...at the click of a button

This morning I dug out a new jacket I forgot existed for work. Got it on - no problems. Time to do the belt and I was aghast. The belt was cutting off all circulation and creating a medical emergency! I rationalised from Sunday to Thursday why this tragedy had occurred. The most logical answer in my mind was that someone had switched the belts in the store. Yep. The scenario was clear - I had tried on the jacket in my size and it fit in the dressing room, and then since it was a looking a little abused and molested, I went back to the rack and took a fresh looking jacket, in the same size, from the back. This is where the switch happened. Someone took my belt and switched it with a shorter one and left the offending article on the jacket which I had now selected for purchase!

It had to be!

In any event, as hot as the look I was going for was, I am not a slave or masochist for fashion and dug out a not so hot belt to complete the ensemble. Twleve hours wearing a virtual death device was not my idea of a fun Tuesday!

Of course you may have other plausible and compelling reasons why this belt trauma befell me this morning but whatever...I am sticking to my story.

But yes, I am still one of those who is dealing with the severe consequences of December - with my birthday, vacation and the Christmas holidays all conspiring against my waistline... and winning!

Remember I made the comment that there seemed to be an "app" for everything? Well, you guessed it. Fat no more, not as long as Blackberry and iPhone have their way.

What are the best BlackBerry and iPhone tools to help manage your weight? We asked Nadine Fisher, registered dietitian and social-media and Internet entrepreneur, for advice.
The best applications combine the ability to track food intake (eating) and energy expenditure (exercise). They also may provide information on eating out, food preparation and food selection:

---BlackBerry Calorie Tracker by Livestrong: This app helps you with information such as how many calories are in your lunch and how many walking burns, and keeps a digital diary of your daily calories. ($2.99)
-- Calorie Counter by FatSecret: This is the essential app to simply find nutritional info for the food you eat and to keep track of your meals, exercise and weight. (Free)
-- IPhone Livestrong Calorie Tracker: Lets you calculate daily calorie intake and expenditure. ($2.99)
-- Edibles Diet Journal: A cool app that lets you keep track of your calorie intake. ($4.99)
-- Health Cubby: Lets you keep track of your weight-loss progress as well as your workouts and the amount of calories you burn each day. ("Lite" version free; full version $6.99)
(http://www.qconline.com/)

And not only are there crazy fat busting apps, but researchers - those dudes who just sit around all day, doing surveys and reading books and articles about random things - have found that social media is also another powerful ally in weight loss. So like the apps, social media seems to be a virtual panacea. I do admit though, the community from Facebook is awesome and even in my own fit kick, the comments, advice and support from friends is usually welcome. Gearing up to drop pounds or shed inches is never easy. In real life, you have to contend with rude people who constantly ask "You putting on weight?" as if you needed a reminder. It's a hard process that quite frankly is very difficult to manage on one's own. The support from friends and the feedback really is invaluable...once you get started.

Here, one woman describes how Facebook worked for her and her weight loss mission.

"We'd leave each other encouraging messages on our walls," said  (Tracy) Besek, referring to the public message area on Facebook pages. "Someone would say they had a good workout, or they resisted eating the brownie in the work break room. And we'd say, 'Hey, that's great!' "


Two months ago, she started a private group and invited 15 of her friends. There, they chat, share advice, recount workouts and cheerlead each other.

"It's helped keep me motivated because I felt I was getting support outside," said Besek, who has lost 30 pounds since summer. "I don't want to let them down."

(read the full article here)

Social networks allow persons to form those communities which are so vital in the battle against the bulge. I have friends who have started weight loss blogs, documenting what they do everyday from healthy eating to exercise, to social activities - outlining the changes they have made to faciltate changes in their physical and emotional well being. Facebook support groups, online forums and fitness websites, fitness trackers such as Fatsecret.com - all with the ultimate objective of providing support, an opportunity for feedback, tips and motivation. You have online weight loss programmes like JillianMichaels.com, and the dude from Celebrity Fit Club, Dr Ian. Both have forums and support systems, like videos, forums, blogs which allow persons to network and share experiences, challenges, tips and outcomes. Virtual gyms. Virtual nutritionists. Virtual trainers. With Wii Fit (which I have to get for myself cause it looks awesome), do you even need to smell the rank sweat of a gym? It's pretty darn amazing. With all this support streaming into our homes and our lives at the click of a button, there should really be no reason for weight loss not to happen for millions and millions of people, should it? One would think!

Still, there is much to be said for real life networking and interaction. I love my sweaty gym, and though I have not seen it in a few ummm...months, it still brings other elements to the table which social media and all these apps and tools just cannot bring. It brings a pretty damn good laugh in the morning and it's that 90mins of every day which totally belong to me!

Still...

I just want to know if there is an app, a forum or Facebook group to find out who switched belts on my jacket. Who do I talk to in Macy's to find out!?