Apps, Apps and More Apps!

So I have an Android phone with no phone service, but it does everything else and we have it set up on our wireless network. I have been downloading apps like a mad woman.

You are probably wondering, "What does this have to do with weight loss?" There are dozens and dozens of weight loss, exercise, calorie and point counting apps out there. Some apps cost moolah, but I have been sticking with just the free apps.

One of my favorite apps I downloaded is Restaurant Calorie by Reza Shay. This app has the nutritional facts list for 50 of the most popular fast food restaurants nation-wide. What a great tool for when you are out and about and want to find the healthy choice.

I also downloaded a few different Weight Watcher Points Plus calculators. I've decided to track my calories and use the points system to see how they compare. I will figure out which app I like best and post about it in the near future.

There's also pedometers, exercise workouts and routines, and even Gps software that can track where and how long you ran. If you have a smart phone you should check out some apps that can help you stay on track, or just make it all a little more fun!

Why do I want to lose weight?

I have been overweight since I was 10 years old. I was a skinny kid and then we moved, I didn't know anyone and dived head first into books and drawing. I spent most of my days on my bed reading, writing, and drawing; anything but get out and get physically active.

By my mid-teens I had found some friends and had become more active and I did a lot of walking and started to lose just a little bit of weight. Then, at the very young age of 16, I got pregnant, this did not help me lose any weight. I didn't put much on with my son, and lost most of it over the next few years.

At the age of 22 I had my second child, and put on 50 pounds. I only lost about 15 pounds in the year or so after the pregnancy. Then over the last few years I just let myself slip even more till I weighed 5 pounds more then I did at my heaviest pregnancy weight.

Then, a year ago, I was told that my cholesterol was borderline high and with the family history of heart attacks and my previous trips to the ER for chest pains, I had made up my mind. It was time to fix things.

After spending almost a year reading nutrition facts and labels and trying to eat healthier, I realized I still wasn't losing any weight. I felt better about what I was eating, but not any better about my figure.

So, for Christmas, I asked for the Wii Fit. I started working out 2-3 days a week doing a random combination of exercises available through the Wii Fit. After a month of not really seeing much in the way of results, I had decided to switch to strictly cardio. Now I workout 5 days a week for 30 minutes or more and I have lost 12 pounds and 16 inches in 2 months.

I feel much better then I ever did. I don't get winded doing simple things any more. My pants keep getting looser and I've had to give away a bunch of clothes that are too big for me now. Which feels great.

Now we know I have medical reasons for trying to lose the weight but that's not the only reason. Like most of you trying to lose weight, I just want to look better too. I want to buy those clothes that have never fit me, I want to be able to wear a bathing suit with out shorts and a t-shirt over them. I want people to look at me and see me, not the extra weight I am carrying.

Why do you want to lose the weight? What keeps you motivated to work out and eat better? I'd love to hear what helps you and what keeps you going!