It’s no secret I think to anyone who’s seen me since college that I need to lose some weight.

I was doing pretty well on the weight front for many years, staying under 140 in high school and at least staying at or under 150 (the barrier between “healthy weight” and “overweight” for my height) in college.

Of course, keeping that high school weight seemed to involve eating like a bird -- I somehow had the self-discipline back then to limit myself to a next-to-nothing breakfast and a bagel with a single-serve cream cheese for lunch most days. (Of course, I know now that I could have eaten more had I been choosing healthier foods for lunch, but in high school I didn’t really have many creative ideas for lunches at my disposal.)

At any rate, I now have surpassed that 150 mark for two-plus years running, thanks to the stress of teaching and being totally on my own. There’s nothing like having no structured meal plans to lead you down the path to fast food takeout several days a week, and for me anyway, there’s nothing like stress to send you to the chips aisle at the grocery store.

To rein in my fast food and salty snack indulgences as my wedding approached (I faced the distinct possibility of not being able to squeeze into the dress I’d bought 10-15 pounds ago), I started keeping a food diary. Along with weekly meal planning, calorie tracking has to be one of the most effective strategies I’ve found for making my diet consistently healthier. I lost enough pounds over the course of a few months (between the food diary and working out at Curves) that I managed to zip up my dress on the big day (albeit with little breathing room -- I waited too long to start dieting).

Unfortunately, I fell off the food diary bandwagon once the wedding festivities got going and I was faced with a lot of meals out with the family and parties. I knew that I didn’t have much control over the food options, so I just kind of shrugged tracking off.

The honeymoon on a cruise ship surely did away with any weight loss that I might have maintained through the wedding season. Gourmet meals nightly? Unlimited food, 24/7? Oh yeah!

I’m also a total weakling on top of all this. I have determined through attempts at exercise that I must have no muscle tone left at all. I’m surprised I can even type.

On the plus side (ha), I’m not in the obese range. I have about 18 pounds to lose to squeak into the healthy zone, which isn’t so bad that I feel hopeless. Of course, I’d like to lose more and fit into the sizes I used to wear, but one step at a time.

Thus, I went looking for a food diary program for my computer. I had been using a free web site for tracking before, but it has the disadvantages of requiring an active Internet connection (which can be spotty here) and requiring frequent logging in. It wasn’t an elegant solution, and as a Mac user, I demand elegant solutions.

I saw CalorieKing recommended on one of my new favorite web pages, Hungry Girl. I’d seen it before but not tried their system since it required payment, plus I believe at the time they didn’t offer their software package for the Mac. But now there’s a free 7-day trial of their calorie, exercise and weight tracking program downloadable for both Mac and Windows.

I had to give it a try. It sounded like just what I’d been Googling for.

For now, I’ll note a few impressions briefly, leaving the bulk of the reviewing for future days when I’m not preoccupied with telling the story of my life.

First, I like the interface so far. It’s fast, responsive, and easy to figure out. The food database is extensive, though it can be picky about search words. The program always allows you to specify in exact grams or ounces how much you’ve eaten, which is so convenient when using a scale to measure portions.

What I don’t appreciate so far is that it has suggested to me that I only “check in” with my measurements once a week. I’ve read about studies that show people who weigh themselves every day are better at maintaining weight loss, and I believe in staying vigilant. I’ll report tomorrow on whether the suggestion is merely that or if the program enforces infrequency.

Tagged: Software Review