'I Am Obsessed With This Simple Food-Tracking App—And I've Lost 80 Pounds Using It'

Photo credit: Courtesy
Photo credit: Courtesy

From Women's Health

My name is Sarah Moss (@nomo.yoyo), and I'm 28 years old. I am from Richmond, Virginia, and I'm an accounting specialist and MBA student. By using WW and the iTrackBites app and working out with an elliptical and Les Mills classes, I've been able to lose 80 pounds.


I struggled with my weight from a young age. I went on WW (Weight Watchers) and Jenny Craig multiple times, starting at 13. Nothing I tried ever stuck though.

My parents wanted me to have a wide palate (meaning they didn't want me only eating chicken tenders and mac and cheese), so I always ordered off the adult menu at restaurants and had what I would consider a sophisticated sense of taste at a young age. Looking back, I think my unhealthy relationship with food stemmed from eating adult-sized restaurant portions as a child. I didn't know what an acceptable portion size was, and I loved all kinds of food.

I wasn't mentally ready to lose weight until college. I was tired of feeling unconfident.

Walking to class was difficult for me, and I would often arrive out of breath. I even found flat routes to avoid hills. During one summer, I dropped over 100 pounds and continued to work out in between classes every chance I got. Once I left college though, I learned that this was not a sustainable or healthy lifestyle for me.

I had to adjust to working a 9-5 job and not being able to go to the gym when I wanted. I was always being tempted by food at work and felt too tired to cook when I got home. My weight went right back up and even surpassed my highest weight. At 27, I weighed 329 pounds.

I rejoined WW at the beginning of 2020 and got my drive back.

I knew I had to take a different approach this time, one that would be sustainable as a working adult. I also knew that I had created an unhealthy relationship with food and weight loss in the past. Weight loss, in the past for me, meant being super strict and not living life. It meant no carbs and basically eating just chicken, veggies, and salad. WW was a great stepping stone back into healthy eating. Nothing was off limits, and I was able to enjoy the foods I wanted when I wanted, in healthy portions.

Currently, I am using the tools I learned from the WW program and casually using the iTrackBites app

I have found that I gravitate towards the same foods and meals I ate while on WW and I have even memorized the points by now. The WW program is a great guide for creating a healthier relationship with food and even sets you up to be able to have this mindset on your own.

The iTrackBites app uses a similar points-based system, so it makes it easy to log my food intake.

Here’s what I eat in a day.

  • Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with salsa, turkey sausage, and a Less-Sugar Clio Bar with an iced coffee after my morning water intake.

  • Lunch: A big salad with turkey lunch meat and hard-boiled eggs.

I started exercising at the beginning of my weight-loss journey too.

I had a gym membership before COVID hit. I loved going to Zumba and Les Mills Bodypump classes. Currently, I am fortunate enough to have an elliptical at home, and I also have been taking advantage of YouTube workouts. One of my go-to full-body workouts is Les Mills Bodycombat.

These three changes made the biggest difference in my weight-loss results.

  1. I upped my water intake. I am a huge Coke Zero fan, and there wasn't a time in the day where I didn’t have an open one in hand. Since recommitting to my health, I have tried to reduce my diet soda intake and have replaced it with water. Having water as my first drink for the day (yes, even before my coffee) has really helped keep me on track for the day.

  2. I stopped skipping meals. In the past, if I would eat too much one day, I would restrict myself the following day and wind up making myself extremely hungry by the end of the day, creating a vicious cycle. I've learned to start every day as a clean slate.

  3. I focus more on overall health and my eating habits rather than weight loss. I think this is key in maintaining the lifestyle. I have always been successful at losing weight, but my problem has been maintaining it. I had to understand that losing weight isn't a lifestyle in itself—it's about making lasting healthy habits.

I have lost 80 pounds on my current journey.

Don’t give up and don’t be too hard on yourself if you regain weight you've lost. If you were able to do it once, know you can do it again.

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