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ThinkLean 09/25/13
Hi fellow trackers! I'm an obsessive tracker too. I wear a Fitbit and a Bodymedia armband, both of which measure steps and calorie burn. The Bodymedia is more accurate. The Fitbit is often 20-25% low.

I have been keeping a spreadsheet of my daily intake and burn for several years. Starting 8 years ago at age 50 I have slowly lost over 50 pounds, lowered my body fat to around 20% and gained muscle. My average burn is around 2200 calories. Not bad for a 130 pound, 59 year old office worker with a 1 hr commute each way.

The key to my success has been tracking everything and never regaining the lost weight. I had months where I didn't lose, but I never gained more than a few pounds before I got motivated to lose again.

I'm up a few pounds right now but working to get back under 130. My water swings can be 3-5 pounds, but I think I need to lose at least 2 pounds of f.a.t.

My motto is "Moderate diet, moderate exercise, obsessive consistency!"

Rock-it-Scientist 09/25/13
Welcome to the group, ThinkLean! Congratulations on your weight loss and your ability to keep it off!

I, too, have been obsessively tracking everything, and it has been an effective approach to dieting. I have been obsessively tracking since January... when I firmly decided that I wanted to make sure I was alive and active for my son as he grows up.

I've been so focused on losing that I have put relatively little thought into maintenance. I hope someday to live in moderation; however, moderation is not in my wheelhouse. I hope I grow to develop a healthy balance that is sustainable. :)


Anyway, I'm glad you're in the group. I've had a Fitbit Zip for a little while (over the summer), and I really like it. I'm surprised that you stated that the Fitbit is 20 to 25% low... what type of Fitbit do you have? Would you recommend the Bodymedia over the Fitbit? What do you like most about it? Least?

Ackattac 10/04/13 replied to Rock-it-Scientist
I am in the Fitbit camp too. Specifically, One. Love mine. I don't know how you would even know if it's off. Seems to me you would have to have several people using several different devices to know. We all differ in stride so unless we were all identical, I don't see how it would be the same or different.

On another note, even if it is 20-25% slower, just walk more to make sure. All I see is more steps, more calorie loss ( even if unaccounted) and that's a wonderful thing!

ThinkLean 10/14/13
Sorry, I didn't know there were any replies. Guess I need to figure out how to get notified!


When I said the Fitbit is low, I was talking about the calorie burn it reports. I know it is low because I eat a few hundred more than it says I burned and I don't gain weight, in fact I sometimes lose. My Bodymedia is more accurate about the calorie burn because it can sense skin temp and galvanic skin response in addition to motion. The Bodymedia knows if I'm sitting or standing, whereas the Fitbit can't tell the difference if I'm not moving. The Fitbit also needs to be told that you are doing strength training during a certain time period, but I don't want to take extra time to enter that info.


The advantages of the Fitbit are: small, inconspicuous, free account.


The advantages of the Bodymedia are: more accurate report of calorie burn, great chart of your activity and calorie burn minute by minute, better sleep tracking than the Fitbit.


Disadvantages of the Bodymedia: you wear it on your arm and people ask about it, the account costs a few dollars a month.


If I had to pick one I'd pick the Bodymedia. Now I see there are other new ones coming out. Hmmm, maybe I'll give in and buy more tracking devices :)

BigD215 12/03/14
Hi Everyone - Finally a group I can relate to. I'm not an obsessive tracker, but I am an Engineer and have successfully applied engineering principles to loosing weight. Mass and energy balances work in the weight loss arena. No bull, just the facts ma'am!

I have been calorie/exercise tracking for over a decade with a lot of success. Unfortunately I'm a compulsive over-eater so I have been through this process several times. But I've learned a lot through each iteration.

The "Hackers Diet" introduced me to the principles of calorie and exercise tracking, and weight trending. No gimmicks, just accounting for your intake and exercise. I've tracked calories using paper and pencil, excel spreadsheets, and computer programs (DietPower). I've been using MND for over a year and it really works well for this purpose.

I took off 75 lbs from Jan to Jul this year and have reached my goal of 20% body fat and less than 215 lbs. However, my wife thinks I am starting to look like a scare-crow and people are asking if I am sick. So enough weight loss for now. I think it is because I lost about 15 lbs of lean body mass with the fat loss. So now I am trying to gain some muscle back without gaining too much weight. Not an easy thing to do at age 57 (need more testosterone and HGH please). I have changed diet and exerecise to try and do this naturally. HIIT and heavy weight lifting sessions have helped, but I'm looking for advice and support as this is kind of a scary road. I don't want to loose control again.

I am a committed calorie/exercise tracker as this gives me the power to control my compulsion to over-eat. BTW I am 6'3" and in the best shape of my adult life (despite the sore joints).

ThinkLean 01/16/15 replied to BigD215
Hi BigD215,

Speaking from age 60 and in the best shape of my life, my advice is that you might consider skipping the HIIT and replace it with more time doing moderate weight training. My body does much better with moderate cardio activity such as walking or hiking. It's plenty to keep my cardiovascular system healthy. My RHR is under 60.

Moderation is key! I believe older people need to keep inflammation to a minimum for optimum health. Switching from high intensity activity to moderate activity will also help keep you from over-eating so much, because your appetite will even out as well.

I'm rather lean right now, probably 19% BF which is low for a female, and I'm also carrying a lot of muscle for my size. I do about 10-15 minutes of resistance training and bodyweight exercises per day, and one longer session per week at the gym. I go for a long hike on the weekend. I can eat about 2100 cals per day without gaining fat at 128 lbs, despite having a sedentary office job and a long commute. It took me a few years to get here, but it was all done through moderation, persistence and patience. The only remarkable thing about my eating plan is that I keep my protein fairly high, between 110-130 grams per day, and I try to get most of my nutrients from food instead of supplements, which means a lot of veggies.

I hope that gives you a few ideas!

BigD215 03/05/15 replied to ThinkLean
Thanks for the advice ThinkLean. Looks like you have a great program and lots of experience to back it up. I will definitely have to start transitioning to more moderate exercising since muscle and joint pain are not yet debilitating, but persistent. Perhaps Yoga or Pilates would help? I hate to give up HIIT as I get a pretty good natural hormonal rush from it.

2100 cal per day! I wish you could shout it from the rooftops so that women of our generation would learn that you don't have to severely restrict calories to loose/maintain weight if you eat good and exercise regularly.

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