Is it possible to lose weight “on the Internet”?

“Losing kilograms online!”; “Your personal coach-nutritionist will answer your questions via Skype!”… Personally, over the past years, I have already accumulated far from virtual experience in such matters – starting from the months I spent at the Institute of Nutrition, and ending with medical “hungry” trips. But times are changing, and I decided to find out where and how they lose weight “on the Internet.”

Online calculators and counters

The most popular and simple tools for losing weight, “counters” and “calculators”, are programs for calculating body mass index and calorie guides for certain foods and ready meals. As well as options for diets and diets for different loads. There are counters and tables of caloric content of different products on almost all sites dedicated to weight loss or fitness. There, at the same time, you can find out the glycemic index of a product (that is, its ability to increase blood sugar levels).

You can also use different formulas for calculating the ideal weight, for example, calculate the Quetelet index or check yourself using the Paul Broca formula (by height and body type). Disappointing: it turns out that my current weight is almost twice the “allowable rate.”

Let’s try to calculate the calories received and spent per day: maybe I can make my own diet without the help of a nutritionist? Oh, yes, well done – I ate seaweed today, only 5 kcal per 100 g of product. But then everyone spoiled the sushi with eel (almost 400 kcal), and the Swiss cheese was obviously superfluous (380 kcal). How much energy did I use? In the column “Housekeeping, sleep, rest” there are a variety of items, including “active / passive sex; room cleaning; walking a large/small dog; watering flowers; sitting reading; standing in line … ”I figured: with my lifestyle of a freelancer, in order to burn everything eaten in a day, I had to jump with a parachute. No more, no less.

Slimming Blogs

Finding a company of interest in thematic blogs for losing weight that would motivate and support is very easy. In the profile of the online diary, you can indicate your initial weight, and in a special field in the entry form – the current one; you can express support for the records of “colleagues” (“I like it”, etc.); there is a rating system (the most popular records, the best results expressed in kilograms, the most active participants).

What is good: all the “experienced” are friendly and indifferent to beginners, readily and without aggression respond to their timid remarks. What’s bad: you can drown in the mass of reference materials that the “experienced” are happy to share: these are options for various diets, articles and links to articles, collections of tips for beginners, desperate, doubters … What can annoy: specific slang and increased emotionality caused by constant need mutual support: “Hug my heart!!!”; “Baby, you are the best, you will succeed!!!” I kept a diary for two weeks, choosing a modest nickname Baobutterfly for myself, and during this time I found several friends who started at the same time as me or a little later. We carefully monitored that none of our “team” violated their diet, shared the secrets of successful weight loss, were terribly worried if someone “broke down”, were proud of every hundred grams lost. It turned out that “team weight loss” is even fun. But only until another “team” calls you to a real competition: this goes beyond the simple desire to lose weight.

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• Gluttonous brain

Can you trust what every weight loss blogger writes in his diary? It’s hard to say: I myself, to confess, often exaggerated my “achievements” so as not to lose face in front of veterans and cheerful newcomers. Weight loss blogs are a useful thing, but only if you are able to regulate your diet on your own.

Personal consultations

On some resources, “nutrition gurus” or “online consultants” offer their services. In the vast majority of cases, these are sites owned by large enterprises in the food industry, less often – cosmetics or sports. So far, such consultations are just a replication of recommendations that do not differ in an individual approach. There are very few non-advertising consultants. Basically, with their advice, albeit not openly, these “gurus” promote the services of those clinics in which they work (and on the website of which such types of consultations are provided).

I wrote to “online consultants” on three sites that are heavily promoting fat burning shakes. The answer to one of my letters, despite the declared “online”, came in two days, to the other two – in five. And all three answers were that in order to receive advice, I was asked to transfer a certain amount to a virtual wallet. Or come to the clinic and undergo a complete examination – but this is hardly related to “weight loss on the Internet”.

I also decided to find out what Skype consultants are (in other words, nutritionists who advise on the Skype IP telephony program). These specialists are always “attached” to a private clinic, and the prices for their services vary from 10 to 100 rubles, depending on the number of consultations required.

What does such a program provide? From one to ten personal consultations with a nutritionist, the same number of personal consultations with a psychologist, as well as the preparation of an individual diet based on the weight, height, waist and hips of the patient, his state of health, glucose levels, blood cholesterol and blood pressure indicators, the patient’s lifestyle and preferences. Sounds very solid.

I transferred a thousand rubles for a “one-time consultation”, during which it turned out that my “personal coach” did not have a webcam and microphone. The written responses of this “Dr. Eugene” were so clichéd (“You need to move more”, “You should reduce your carbohydrate intake”) and they came so out of place with my questions that it felt like talking to a robot, not a doctor. I did not pay for the second “consultation”.

Simply crooks

Having paid money, you can get a low-quality service – or you can not get any at all. Everywhere on the Internet you can stumble upon ads promising rapid weight loss. A typical example of text: “How to turn weight loss into pleasure? With the help of our program, you can lose up to 15 kg in a month and even quit smoking! Fill out the questionnaire and get a carefully designed diet that takes into account all your features. Well, I’ll try.

I fill out a detailed questionnaire of 40 questions (oh, perhaps these are not charlatans). Here, in addition to the standard information about my age, height, weight, smoking experience and blood type, the developers are interested in the number of children, the weight gained during each pregnancy, the frequency of constipation, the presence of diabetes and schizophrenia in the family, lifestyle, the presence of a car … There is a personal approach to client. The questionnaire is filled out, it remains only to click the “get your own diet” button. I press, I am offered to send sms to a certain number, which I do – and again I get an offer to send sms, this time to get the code I need, and again I need to send sms, this time for anti-spam check …

In 10 seconds, I get this “tailor-made diet”: “The main reasons for your excess weight: a sedentary lifestyle, “snacking” instead of full meals, and an irregular metabolism. In order to achieve the desired result and lose 15 kg in a month, you should: 1) do not eat after 18.00, 2) move more, 3) take iodine preparations, go to the sauna and use the services of a massage therapist.

How is that all? Where is the nutrition plan, special recommendations? This is not the case, but the mobile phone reports that 1700 rubles have been debited from my account for three sent SMS messages. Needless to say, nowhere on the site did I find a word about “the cost of one message without VAT” …