I lost over 100 pounds for an 80-mile hike with a friend - here's the tech that kept me on track

2 hours ago 6

I went connected a value nonaccomplishment travel earlier going connected a existent journey.

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

My Apple Watch and a $110 standard did the existent work.
I recovered a batch of apps useful, and immoderate that weren't.
My scales helped maine support an oculus retired for musculus loss.

Last year, connected April 1 of each days, I started a weight-loss journey. I needed to shed implicit 100 pounds. Part of the crushed was wellness -- I'm a 50+ year-old antheral who wanted to support doing the things I bask without assorted parts of maine complaining excessively much. Part of it was pridefulness -- I'd promised a person I'd locomotion a conception of the Camino Francés, from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela, with them that November.

While my enactment involves a just spot of sitting, I'm an avid hiker who spends a batch of my spare clip outdoors, but covering astir 80 miles successful a week would beryllium a batch easier without 100 other pounds of timber strapped to my frame.

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When it came to the value nonaccomplishment itself, I chose the GLP-1 Mounjaro route. (Technically, Mounjaro is simply a dual GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonist, not a axenic GLP-1 semaglutide similar Ozempic and Wegovy, but adjacent aesculapian professionals telephone it a GLP-1.) The comparatively changeless broadside effects of that -- from indigestion, nausea, and gastric upsets to lethargy and weird things that I'd ne'er heard of before, similar allodynia -- meant that it wasn't a peculiarly casual route. However, it was incredibly businesslike and allowed maine to displacement the bulk of the value successful 7 months astatine astir 14 pounds per month.

I'll permission treatment related to the specifics of GLP-1 medications retired of this -- that's a speech for you and your doc -- but I volition accidental that I'm gladsome I did it, and I'd bash it again if I had to.

I americium going to speech astir the gadgets and apps I utilized to show this weight-loss process, and to support an oculus connected different metrics, and ticker them change.

Apple Watch Ultra (and Android alternatives)

For me, the Apple Watch Ultra was a cornerstone to my wellness and fittingness plan.

So, what gadgets did I use?

Core to everything for maine was my iPhone 17 Pro and Apple Watch Ultra. I recovered the Apple Watch to beryllium astonishing astatine collecting not lone workout information -- I'm a spot of a nerd and emotion looking backmost implicit hikes -- but it besides collected a immense fig of wellness metrics, including:

VO2Max: This is the maximum magnitude of oxygen your assemblage tin usage during workout and is 1 of the strongest predictors of cardiovascular fittingness and semipermanent mortality risk, with higher VO2max correlating with little all-cause decease rates successful studies. A 2018 survey by Mandsager et al., looking astatine cardiorespiratory fittingness and mortality among 122,000+ patients, supports this claim. Higher numbers are better.
HRV (Heart complaint variability): The saltation successful clip betwixt consecutive heartbeats, reflecting autonomic tense strategy equilibrium betwixt sympathetic and parasympathetic activity. Used arsenic a marker of betterment and accent load, this fig varies implicit time, with peaks associated with periods of calm and rest, and troughs with accent and fatigue.
Resting bosom rate: A elemental and well-validated marker of cardiovascular fitness. A mean steadfast scope is 60 - 100 bpm for adults. Lower numbers are better.
Lean assemblage mass: Your full assemblage value minus abdominous mass, truthful this is everything other combined (muscle, bone, organs, water, connective tissue).

The Apple Watch Ultra besides has large artillery life, making it perfectly suited to agelong days connected the trail. I've utilized the archetypal Ultra, arsenic good arsenic the aboriginal Ultra 2 and Ultra 3 smartwatches, and they person not disappointed.

My Apple Watch recorded VO2 Max, resting bosom rate, and HRV during the full period.

If I was an Android idiosyncratic looking for a astute ticker with akin features to the Apple Watch, I'd beryllium taking a look astatine thing from Garmin (such arsenic the Forerunner 165 oregon 970, Venu 4, oregon Fēnix 8), Amazfit (Active Max, Balance 3, Cheetah 2 Ultra), a Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra, oregon Polar (Vantage V3, Pacer Pro).

I don't privation to get excessively caught up successful the weeds of the assorted specs and capabilities due to the fact that the information to beryllium collected, the look and style, and however overmuch to walk are each matters of your idiosyncratic preference. I've included links supra for you to research immoderate of the options.

The standard that told maine much than my weight

I besides invested successful immoderate scales.

I could person utilized a acceptable of manual scales, but not lone bash I similar the convenience of astute scales that automatically log my weight, but they tin besides way much than conscionable my weight. This is wherefore I went for the Withings Body Smart, which could grounds assemblage weight, abdominous percentage, assemblage composition, musculus mass, h2o percentage, and visceral fat, and it costs lone $110.

A big interest among users of GLP-1 drugs is whether their value nonaccomplishment is existent abdominous loss, oregon whether they're losing musculus too. For some, musculus wide nonaccomplishment tin account for up to 39% of the value lost.

This is superior capable that Samsung has launched a ceremonial study with the Massachusetts General Hospital's Diabetes Research Center and is putting 100 GLP-1 patients connected the Galaxy Watch 8 to spot whether bioelectrical impedance tracking positive workout guidance tin forestall it.

The Withings Body Smart has built-in bioelectrical impedance analysis, which tin supply musculus wide percent data. It's not arsenic close arsenic a DEXA scan, but it's bully capable for this benignant of use.

Personally, I kept my macromolecule intake up, swung kettlebells, and lifted weights. I saw nary driblet successful thin assemblage mass.

Your mileage whitethorn vary.

My value nonaccomplishment and thin assemblage mass.

Withings has besides conscionable released the Body Scan 2 scales that bash a batch more, but astatine the aforesaid clip outgo a batch much -- this 1 is $600! The institution calls it the "world's archetypal longevity station," but I've not had a accidental to trial this flagship portion yet, truthful I can't remark connected it.

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I deliberately weighed myself each time (at slightest each time I was location -- I'm not carrying scales astir with me) astatine the aforesaid clip of time for 3 reasons. First, it conditioned maine to get connected the scales and not fearfulness the numbers; it meant I didn't person to hold a week to spot whether I was losing weight, and it smoothed retired the ups and downs a batch amended than play oregon monthly weigh-ins. This worked for me, but you're not me.

I cognize immoderate radical dislike looking astatine the scales, and Withings scales person the enactment to not amusement the speechmaking but marque it disposable successful the app.

The apps that kept maine honest

The Withings scales came with a beauteous decent app for value tracking, but each health-related information is besides stored successful the Health app.

However, since value nonaccomplishment was my superior goal, and I similar heavy diving into the data, getting predictions based connected value nonaccomplishment trends, the champion app I've travel crossed for that is called Happy Scales (there's nary Android version, but the closest alternate I've seen is Libra Weight Manager). Because this app focused connected moving trends alternatively than idiosyncratic value readings, it did a fantastic occupation of smoothing retired the ups and downs associated with value loss. I recovered its predictions realistic and precise accurate, and the mode the app was enactment unneurotic amusive and motivational.

And it kept maine connected track. I had a people day for erstwhile I'd acceptable disconnected to Spain for the Camino, and I acceptable a large yet realistic value nonaccomplishment people for myself, and it worked.

I'm not overmuch of a calorie counter, but I person connected juncture utilized a fewer apps, and I recovered MyFitnessPal (iOS/Android) to beryllium the best, contempt the information that the nutrient database has a batch of dupes and inaccuracies, and if you're utilizing the escaped app, get acceptable to beryllium blasted with ads and nags to subscribe.

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If you privation to support a person oculus connected your Heart Rate Variability, a bully app for the Apple Watch is StressWatch. This app tin usage the Apple Watch to support an oculus connected you passim the day, and you tin adjacent get it to popular up a notification erstwhile you look stressed.

A bully app that's travel retired precocious for those connected value nonaccomplishment drugs -- excessively precocious for me, but mightiness beryllium utile for those starting retired -- is simply a GLP-1 dose tracker called Glapp (iOS/Android). This allows you to acceptable reminders and log your dose, weight, broadside effect symptoms, and more. I had calendar reminders acceptable for my jab days, but I would person loved to person each my information successful 1 place, and it mightiness person fto maine uncover trends associated with things similar nutrient sound and mood.

What didn't enactment for me

Not much.

While a batch of things helped maine connected my value nonaccomplishment journey, a fewer things didn't. For me, monitoring my HRV was 1 of those things. Maybe it's utile looking astatine it implicit weeks oregon months, but I don't truly request to cognize my HRV levels passim the day.

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Another happening that I've ne'er truly managed to marque overmuch retired of is slumber tracking. Maybe this is due to the fact that I slumber darn good anyway, and I tin archer if I've had a atrocious night's sleep. I cognize immoderate radical curse by slumber tracking, truthful it's different of those things wherever you mightiness get much retired of it than I did.

Did this effort wage off?

In a word, yes.

I was grooming the full clip during the weight-loss months, getting successful astatine slightest 100 miles a month, but since I knew I'd beryllium carrying a battalion each day, I had to adhd that. My regular transportation connected the Camino was going to beryllium astir 25 pounds, truthful during training, I utilized a weighted rucksack from Goruck and some weighted plates, and worked up to carrying 45 pounds for 10 miles and more.

At that point, I knew I was ready.

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Train hard, hike easy! And contempt the agelong days, a batch of rainfall (and, to beryllium honest, bully weather, considering it was November into December), it was incredibly enjoyable and rewarding.

And a full batch easier having taken the clip to suffer the value and amended my fitness.

For me, value nonaccomplishment wasn't astir looking amended oregon getting my beingness backmost oregon thing similar that, and I wasn't disquieted astir "Ozempic face." It was astir being capable to support doing the things I bask arsenic I get older.

Mission accomplished.

My monthly walking averages pre-, during, and post-Camino.

Ah, but has the value stayed off?

Yup.

I had to marque a fewer changes to what and however I'm eating -- little junk and carbohydrates, and much steadfast options and macromolecule -- but I'm much than blessed with however my value has been since coming disconnected the progressive value nonaccomplishment portion of my travel six months ago. I inactive leap connected the scales each time I'm location -- it's a wont now, and I don't truly person to deliberation astir it -- and this gives maine assurance that the value isn't going to creep backmost on.

I besides inactive log each my walks, hikes, and rucking sessions -- I'm astatine implicit 650 miles truthful acold this twelvemonth -- and doing that lets maine support an oculus connected metrics specified arsenic VO2Max and however overmuch effort I'm putting into my workouts.

Hills similar this inactive propulsion my limits!

And arsenic for the Camino Francés, it was an astonishing experience. So overmuch truthful that I've present got plans to bash the full 500-mile travel starting astatine St Jean Pied de Port successful 2027.

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