How many calories is my homemade lasagna? Will I lose my weight if I eat carbs only? How does exercise add to weight-loss management?

Keith D. is an IT worker who must spend lots of time in front of a screen, so does he live the typical IT lifestyle? Not really. Keith does not take things for granted, which is why he balances his life with hobbies. In his free time, he plays soccer, rides his bike, and visits new and interesting places, as opposed to sitting on a sofa, and even that is not enough for him. He constantly challenges himself and has participated in two triathlons this year: the 2019 Escape the Cape Triathlon (Sprint) and the NJ State Triathlon (Olympic), finishing both without stopping or walking.

Keith is sure that anyone wanting to lose weight needs to track calories in against calories out, “but it’s more detailed than that” because one needs to find a “delicate balance” between carbs, proteins, and fats consumed. This is where his HEALBE GoBe stepped in to provide Keith with the help he was seeking.

Keith is a lucky husband, being married to a woman with excellent cooking skills. He doesn’t need any packaged meals and he absolutely enjoys every bite of her delicious homemade treats. However, the lucky coin has another side, as they say. “I can’t go and buy a lasagna, and that lasagna would tell me how many calories, how much fat, how much sugar, whatever, it is. I don’t do that – if I eat a lasagna, it’s just because my wife has just cooked it,” Keith says. “I mean, it’s really difficult to say how many calories were in that… and it tastes fantastic, so having a second slice of lasagna is almost a guarantee”, a challenge he notes with a laugh.

The interesting thing is that Keith’s habits started changing within the first couple of months while wearing his GoBe. Here is how it’s been happening to him in his words: “At the back of your mind, there is a question: ‘What is it doing for me? I don’t think it’s doing anything for me, I’m not actually gaining anything, I’ve got lots of data, but so what?’ And then, all of a sudden, you realize that, ‘Hold on a minute, over the last two months, I’ve done this 4 times, I’ve done this 10 times… whatever… 5 times.’ And then you actually could check: ‘Well, wait a minute, now I know! If I’ve done it 4 times – I can check – for all times that I’ve done it, did it have the same impact on me?’ And if it’s ‘Yes’, you now have really valuable information that tells you, ‘If you do this again – this is what is going to happen.’ So, once you can read the apple is better for you than a pack of chips – actually you have the data for you personally about what it’s going to do to you – It’s game changing,” our hero concludes.

Easy diet balancing in accordance with GoBe’s data has been one of the best motivators on Keith’s way to the better self, but it’s not the only one. “There is a bit of me that thinks, ‘I could lose weight without any exercise,’” Keith says, “which is true, you can lose weight that way, as long as you track actively calories in vs. calories out, ‘cause you still burn calories walking around, sitting in front of the computer or watching TV – just not really many,” he continues. “But when you can then combine the correct calories with targeted exercise, it’s phenomenal.”

Keith understands “the role of exercise to supplement a good diet rather than using it to recover a bad one, which never works… Both the GoBe smart band and the HEALBE app are great tools for planning, checking, and validating progress,” he says.

Within the last year and 3 months, the time during which he’s been balancing his diet and cycling with his GoBe on, Keith has lost over 30 pounds and finished 2 triathlons. The first one was the 2019 Escape the Cape Triathlon, a Sprint Triathlon, which is considered to be for beginners, with 400-meter (0.35-mile) swim, 20-kilometer (12-mile) bike race, and 5-kilometer (3.1-mile) run. Doesn’t sound so easy for a newcomer, does it? Someone would probably take a year off to recover, but not Keith. The same year, he has already leveled up and participated in the Olympic Triathlon, which was twice as hard, with a 1.5-kilometer (0.93-mile) swim, 40-kilometer (25-mile) bike race, and a 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) run. He finished both competitions without stopping or walking.

Now Keith is much fitter and spending more active, quality time with his family. He easily manages his specific “eating and non eating times,” truly understanding the outcomes for all his eating and workout behaviors, which, in his own words, means, “You can treat yourself with confidence that you are not being naughty, or you can be naughty, fully understanding the consequences.” Over the past 6 months, he has been told many times that he looks the best he has in years. “This only adds to the enthusiasm to do more,” Keith says with a smile.