When you are looking into the best ways to lose weight it can be very helpful to have a support network when doing so, like minded people trying to achieve the same thing is positive encouragement for you especially if you are having a week where you are struggling. Sharing tips and ideas is great in times when you may feel like you are alone.
Looking at the technology you have readily available to you can work wonders in being able to seek the necessary extra support you may feel like you need. The available technology is in abundance, from smart scales, FitTrack, smartphones, watches, and forums or groups online can all be things that you can access and use in a wide spectrum.
Making the most of all of the technology can be useful for sharing diet tips, calorie counting, replacement meals for your favorite food, or simply being able to talk to someone when you feel like your weight loss is not going as well as it could be expected to.
How can technology help
Technology can help in many ways, here is a list to help you when looking for support,
- Calorie counting
- Tracking how many steps walked
- Group chats
- Support groups
- Exercise programs
- Fitness advice
- Nutritional advice
- Meal plans
- Snack ideas
All these things can be found online, and much more. Being able to access technology quickly is going to help you in your journey no end.
There are apps out there, for more or less everything you will need to encourage you and help you succeed!
Making the most of the apps available can give you help, support, encouragement, and positive focus.
Use the gym or your technology at home to exercise?
This will come with some form of a contract and will have monthly or quarterly fees. So if you are going to join the gym make sure you read the small print and can afford to pay what they want per month, and the number of times you go, does it justify the price ?. There is nothing worse than paying for a service you are not using.
If the gym is not for you there are plenty of other options out there. For instance, if someone in a discord group you have spoken to might arrange a group exercise class online that you can take part in? Or you can download workout videos from the internet and access these at any time of the day and night. You do not have to be in a gym to exercise.
Finding the correct support
Finding support will improve how you think, how you get this support is sometimes better off when it is from strangers, not friends. There are several reasons for this, it is not a lecture that you need. It is to be supported in the right way, someone saying to you “hey did you think about using this app? That is what I do ” there are means and ways in supporting someone positively.
That is why accessing online help is a great way of receiving and sharing positive help and tips. Looking into the right type of support, maybe is where you would want to start. Here are some tips when looking for a discord group.
- Look for a positive group
- Find a group that removes negative comments that are harmful
- Look for groups that cover all aspects that will help with your journey
- Diet
- Exercise
- Calories
- Nutrition
- Meal ideas/recipes
- Success
- Friendly support
- Recommendations
- Community feeling
The more positive the group you access the better success you will have. The internet can be a wonderful place but at the same time sometimes things will pop up that need to be avoided. Make sure any sites you access are safe.
Negative sites and why avoid them!
Avoid any harmful sites that encourage extremely harmful dieting. These can be very damaging to not only your physical health but mental health as well. If any of these sites do happen to pop up, block them. Some sites claiming to be there to help you are not. The world is full of people with addictions and disorders and this is no different when it comes down to alcohol, drugs, work, or food.
The biggest problem when it comes down to food addiction, or disorders is that it can come in 3 ways.
- Overeating it ( binge eating)
- Anorexia (not eating)
- Bulimia ( vomiting after binge eating)
These are all very serious illnesses and should not be taken lightly, there are unfortunately some sites that will encourage these illnesses in the worst possible ways. These are to be avoided at all costs and if you do stumble across any do not be tempted to even look. These are taking vulnerable people and often their photos and encouraging other people to belittle, what can only be described as life threatening. The recovery from an eating disorder is so much harder, due to the fact people are always going to need food to survive.
If you need to access any form of help for any of the above that have been mentioned, please do so, there is help available for everyone.
Conclusion
Weight loss is very different for many people, and even if you think you are not doing as well as you thought you could, there may be things you are not taking into consideration. You have to remember that when you lose weight if you are adding an exercise plan into your daily lifestyle that your muscle weight will go up. So although you are losing body fat, you are gaining muscle at the same time.
The key is lifestyle changes, thinking, observing, and being completely truthful about what you are consuming is only the beginning. Being truthful is the only way you will achieve what you need to weight wise. So before starting your diet, download a calorie counting app for one week and enter everything you eat and drink, you truly will be shocked. What you think you are eating and what you are truthfully eating may be two completely different things.
The internet is a great way to access, Apps, programs, and groups. Even down to the music that can help motivate you. Beware of the pros and cons that accessing some sites may have before joining them. Your journey is about doing so positively, so try to access all the positive technology that you come across. always be safe when using the internet.
