Can the Bite Tracker Help You Find Weight Loss Success?

By , SparkPeople Blogger
As we seek to make our diet our own, success many times comes after trying a variety of approaches and tools. There are many tools intended to help people balance their energy in, energy out equation. Tachometers and clocks on work out equipment help measure work out time and pace. Pedometers measure steps while heart rate monitors appraise exercise intensity. Food scales, food trackers, recipe calculators, and nutrition labels provide ways to monitor energy intake.

Now there is a new tool called the Bite Counter that has come into the tool belt of weight management. Clemson University professors have created the device to help people track wrist-rolling motions taken during a meal or snack. Just as a pedometer helps provide data about steps, the Bite Counter will provide information about bites. So is this new tool something worth the potentially heavy price tag in the battle with weight?

The wrist tracker focuses on the natural rolling motion that occurs in the wrist as the arm moves downward, gathers food, and transfers it to the mouth. The idea of automating the counting process is to provide an easy monitoring tool that provides information to help guide goal setting. Just as stride length and pedometer counts are individual, so will the bite tracking counts. People that eat larger amounts of food of lower energy density will most likely have a higher bite count compared to individuals that eat more energy-dense foods. Likewise, someone that takes larger bites at meals is going to have a lower count compared to someone that takes small ones. Calorie estimations can also be made based on the count using a similar formula to those used in exercise equipment. When you use the tool to set bite reduction goals over a period of time it could be beneficial at helping with weight loss without focusing on calories counting.
 
This quick video demonstrates how to use the Bite Counter to measure how much is eaten at a meal.


The Bottom Line
There are varieties of tools that can help in the battle with weight management. The Bite Counter is something new that some people might find useful. Here are some of the pros and cons.

Pros
  • A small device with the look and feel of a trendy wristwatch.
  • Can be used anywhere and works to count food as well as beverages.
  • There is no specific plan to follow and the counter can supplement and support any eating plan, nutritional counseling, or other tracking plans.
  • Can either be used on the right or left arm, whichever is dominant.
  • An audible alarm can be pre-set for a designated meal bite count. 
 
Cons
  • Only counts activity of one arm that may necessitate need to change typical eating patterns or may miss some counts of bites taken.
  • Other hand gestures conducted during the meal may also be counted as a bite even if food or drink is not consumed.
  • Currently only a professional version of the device is available for marketing to scientists and weight loss experts at a costly retail price of $799. A consumer version is under development that is expected to be more affordable.
  • There is no detection of the nutrient content or actual food eaten and the device does not measure actual nutritional information.
  • Assumes people eat the same foods week to week so decreasing bites will decrease caloric intake whether selecting vegetables or fast foods.
 
This interesting tool may allow some professionals to help clients in specific weight management circumstances. However, until a cost effective consumer version is made available, it is doubtful this tools will be the latest weight loss trend.
 
What do you think about the concept of counting bites? Based on your current eating habits, would reducing the number of bites in your meal help you reach your weight goals?

(Photo Credit: Clemson University)