Can those activity trackers you strap to your wrist or arm be detrimental to your weight loss efforts as well as your mental health? There’s evidence that suggests as much. If you recently started taking Phentermine pills and want to use a fitness tracker to keep a record of your activity level, read on.

Helpful Feedback?

Fitness watches, garments, patches, and bands claim they help weight loss efforts by tracking your food intake, sweat, movement, sleep, and stress levels. And while they provide valuable information, they can be counterproductive exactly because of how much info they offer.

“Suddenly, I was overthinking it all – picking up the pace when I wasn’t ready or slowing down when I should have kept pushing,” says Mike Collins, a five-time marathon runner who bought a fitness tracker to improve time on his last race. “All in the name of numbers on my wrist.”

Pushing Too Far

Health experts echo Collins’ words, as fitness trackers caused them to push themselves too far.

“Using activity trackers leads to people judging themselves for meeting or not meeting a goal, and puts them on a fast track to disordered eating, excessive exercise and orthorexia,” says Melissa R. Burton, a registered dietitian nutritionist in Los Angeles. “We have become a world that is all about quantifying every aspect of our lives in order to feel worthy. The message that you are not enough until you reach your goal creates a drive beyond motivation to a level of obsession.”

Says Rachael Hartley, a registered dietitian nutritionist with a private practice in Columbia, South Carolina: “I’ve worked with more than a few clients who started tracking food, calories and/or macros either out of curiosity or to lose weight. “it’s quickly gotten out of control and led to disordered eating and food obsessions.”

Listen To Your Body

While tracking your food and exercise intake can be helpful, the most important thing is to listen to your body! For more on fast weight loss, please contact DrToHelp.com today.