I Got Rid of My Fitness Tracker and Lost Weight

My fitness tracker was a top-of-the-line model. It could follow all of the parameters that were recommended in order to be healthy and lose weight. Managing my steps was easy. Every day my tracker told me how many I had actually taken. I knew how many calories I burned every single day. Sleep was accurately recorded as good or bad and if I chose to ride my bike or do the elliptical the little machine on my arm even kept track of this. I loved my fitness tracker, until I didn’t.

Let me explain what happened. There are many reasons we buy fitness trackers. We want the satisfaction of knowing that the effort we put into staying healthy can actually be quantified. Tracking fitness goals such as steps gives us a feeling of control and satisfaction. Knowing whether we are getting enough sleep and the right kind of sleep can actually be very useful information as we work to obtain optimal health.

So, what is my problem? My problem is I started to make myself crazy trying to keep my tracker happy. Somewhere along the line instead of being a tool that I used to help feed me information I became a slave to it. First thing in the morning I was checking it to see if I had slept well the night before. Couldn’t I tell without the aid of a machine? There were days that I would become despondent because my calorie burn did not match what I knew I needed in order to lose weight. Actually, trying to make the goal of 10,000 steps daily proved near impossible and I was driving myself crazy trying to meet the demands of my new task master. Needless to say, all of that stress was driving me to eat and subconsciously protest my enslavement by not working out. I wasn’t losing weight; I wasn’t exercising and mentally I was exhausted trying to make it all happen based on my tracker's recommendations.

One day, I woke up and something clicked. I wondered if I gave up my relentless pursuit of trying to meet the demands of my little tyrant would I feel better? So, I decided to go one week without it. The first couple of days I felt naked without my constant overseer on my wrist. But by day 3 I was actually feeling a slight sense of freedom. The end of the week brought the realization that although my tracker had the best intentions I had allowed it to become more than it was meant to be. I went for a second week without it.

Needless to say, I am now almost 4 weeks without my fitness tracker. I don’t worry about whether or not it says I slept well; I already know when I wake up. Not needing the constant reminder that my metabolism is waiting for a wake-up call every morning I have actually taken to riding my bike before work. As for calories, while I am not counting anymore, I am more self-aware of what I am putting in my mouth daily and I know that my exercise routine is working in my favor. I have stopped relying on a machine and my frantic efforts to please a device have stopped. Best of all, I’ve lost 5 pounds in the last four weeks.

So maybe it’s time to ditch the fitness tracker, I know I did. I bought a very old fashion item instead – it’s called a wrist watch.