If you have read my latest post [Becoming more ME with Sindiana Jones] then you know I've been trying to get rid of the extra belly far for the longest time.
But since I didn't know what I was doing and I was too stubborn to ask for help (nice one old me, nice one!), I was stuck in a rut.
One of the genius ideas I had, was to get a tracking watch. I liked the extra motivation I got from my Mi band which died about three months later.
And because I didn't want to end with a product that would die on me after a couple of months, I searched the market and decided for Withings (now Nokia).
Why using a tracking watch didn't help me lose weight
So, I paid the 130€ (1/3 of the price was a birthday gift from my brother) and waited patiently.
After the watch came, BOOM, my motivation to move was awake.
I wanted to run, I wanted to walk, I wanted to do everything.
I mean, it's funny, such a small and simple device gave me the extra motivation to move. But as I kept moving (and setting higher goals each week), my diet didn't change.
HOW DID I START?
The first week I decided to track my movements. I didn't know how many steps I make in a day.
Later I realized that my life is pretty sedentary (about 3k of steps per day) and I decided to up my game.
I set my daily goal to 6k steps. That was an easy thing to beat so I upped my goal again to 8k steps.
WHAT DID I DO?
As I moved more, my diet remained the same. Somedays it was better, other days it was worse.
But I never made a change in diet, because I was stuck on the idea that "moving is everything".
Well, let me tell you something - moving isn't everything (when it comes to losing fat). What you put in your mouth is!
Months passed by and as my motivation came, so it went bye bye. The first band I got with the watch got destroyed (the 2nd loop on the waistband broke). Then the leather one I later ordered went to hell too, as leather isn't the best material to sweat in it.
The badges you "earn" didn't work anymore, the tips weren't good and the company was bought by Nokia. Everything changed but at the same time, nothing did.
Because I didn't see any difference in my body in the months that passed, I thought it was a gimmick. I tracked what I did vigorously (even calories), hoping that each day would bring me some inner peace.
The thing is that I was stronger, leaner and happier because I moved but I didn't realize it. Because the fat was still there.
I mostly walked and sometimes I went hiking.
I mostly walked and sometimes I went hiking.
HOW DID IT END?
After tracking my life for more than 6 months, I put the watch away. I knew my sleep cycle, I knew how many steps I took or didn't take. I didn't need a watch to tell me that.
Now I know that such products aren't really necessary except if you're a hardcore sports person or if you really need it. I don't. And I learned it the expensive (hard) way.
Of course, it feels great to see how far you've run or how hard you worked out (it's a tracking device after all). But I wish that someone would've told me that this is not something I needed.
I've put my hopes in a small device when all I was looking for was something hidden inside of me.
