Want to monitor calorie intake and weight loss?

I have recently been using an app religiously and I think I should share my experiences and how it has helped me. After the excessive eating of last Christmas (Dec 2012), as everyone, I knew it was time to diet. My trouble is I love food and hate denying myself the things I like. So, I searched the app store and came across a great app called MyFitness Pal. This app really is amazing. You start by setting your weight goal, this should be something realistic you are able to stick to and manage, from this point the app will generate a daily calorie intake. This intake is measured on your weight loss goal and the period you state you want to lose the weight in. From this point it is very simple, you need to input all of the food and drink you consume, the majority of products from restaurants, supermarkets and shops are already loaded within the app. All you need to do is select the product, choose the amount consumed (usually in weight or packet size), this will be added to your daily intake and removed from your daily allowance of calories, allowing you to see exactly how many more you should or should not consume to be within your goal. The app also lets you record exercise and weight manually so weather its walking the dog or hovering you can input the activity and have the burned calories reallocated to your daily allowance. The app also shows off other data including fat, carbohydrate and sugar intake as well as all other nutritional information. It is also possible to use the app for blood pressure monitoring.

The app has many features, it consists of a bar code scanner to easily add products to your intake, you can also add your own meals and foods if you’re a wiz in the kitchen and regularly make homemade food. The app is of course social friendly and you can connect via Facebook and share your goals and achievements with friends and let’s face it, virtual motivation is probably as good as face to face motivation these days.

The app is also compatible with many gadgets for you gadget lovers including some top brands including Withings, Fitbit and Fitbug. These all allow easy access of data synchronization and will update the app and remove any cardiovascular or exercise undertaken and reallocate the calories burned to your daily allowance. The app really is amazing and I would suggest and recommend it to anyone who is wanting to take a hold on their weight, exercise and for people who just want to monitor their calorie intake.

I am yet to buy gadgets to sync with the app however, a friend of mine uses the Withings scales and Fitbit tracker and they really are awesome. I intend to buy a Fitbug or Fitbit myself very soon and will happily share my experiences with you.

So this app has so far helped me lose 1 stone in 4 weeks, just by monitoring what I eat, it’s amazing the amount of calories some foods have! This was an eye opener for me and it doesn't necessarily mean you have to cut out the foods you love.

MyFitness Pal is totally free to download and use on the App store and is also available for android and other platforms. Give it a try today!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/

#myfitnesspal #health #nutrition #fitbit #fitbug #withings

Ever used the #cashconverters buyback service or had a #paydayloan? This one's for you.

Ever had a #paydayloan or used the #cashconverters buy back service? This one’s for you.

I wanted my first blog , other than my introduction, to be something many can relate to. What better subject to use that pay day loans. I recently realised something that may save you, the consumer some money. Payday loans are currently in and out of the news and let’s face it, it’s not always good publicity they receive. I am in no way supporting payday loans. The subject I am about to blog about is directly related to myself as I have used both of these avenues.

Cash converters offer a ‘buy back’ service. This allows individuals who desperately need extra cash for emergencies, food, unexpected bills, healthcare etc to borrow money against some of their valuable personal belongings. This is a good service, or is it? I recently hit financial difficulty myself and found myself using the buyback service as I had no other options and it was my only means of raising some money at the time. So, I put my Samsung (brand new) laptop into the buyback scheme. I borrowed £100 for 28 days and paid back £132.50. That is £32.50 interest for a 28 day loan that is an APR of 2828.13%. If you find yourself in even more financial difficulty Cash Converters will allow you to pay back the interest on the loan to extend it however, you will also have to pay the interest the second time round also making the total to pay back including money borrowed £165.00. If for any reason you cannot pay this or are late with payments again you lose your valuable item.

Payday loans fall into a very similar category. Normally you borrow £100 and pay back on average £25.00 a month, this loan this has an APR of 1355.2%. Cheaper than a cash converters loan and you don’t lose any valuables if everything should go pear shaped on payday. However, this is not advisable, payday loans add interest and late fees, a lot higher and more frequently than cash converters if you were late to pay your balance. They are also known to use bully tactics and threatening phone calls, letters and emails to try and bully the cash back from you that you simply don’t have.

In my opinion stay clear from both of them, maybe even seek a credit card? Some credit card providers will provide ‘bad credit’ credit cards, these normally carry a higher APR than someone with good credit however, they are a great way to build your credit score if payments are paid each month, If you can’t pay the balance in full then pay at least the minimum payment and a little more, if not, then again high late fees will be applied. The best way to borrow on a credit card, whatever the interest (unless interest free) is to pay the balance back in full each month.

The best thing to do is seek help from a friend or family member.

Something to think about: Cash converters look on eBay when calculating the value of your possessions, they will only give you an amount that is around the cheapest on eBay. It may be wise to set up an eBay account yourself and cut out the middle man.

A quick note I took from the Martin Lewis website today – if you borrow £100 from #wonga and make NO repayments, in 1 year you will owe them £4200!!

I hope this post helps someone out there who may find themselves in this situation. As I said previously this post is from personal experiences and I wanted to share it with you guys.


#finance #debt #payday #paydayloans

My fist personal blog… A quick introduction to me. 

So, I decided to start my very first personal blog. I currently blog for Camlab (Camblab the Laboratory People), the company I work for and offer technical advice and support on our products and blog about real life customer questions or queries. I will now be blogging on a personal and business level. I am a northerner at heart and was born in Hull, or more politically correct, ‘Kingston Upon Hull’ in 1986. I have a sister and a brother and a niece and nephew. My parents decided to split when I was 2 and I went to live with my Nanna in a town called Withernsea. She brought me up for the best part of my life until moving to my Mum's in Aldbrough, a small coastal village.  In 2009 I relocated to Cambridge and worked for the University, since this time my life has rapidly changed, some good and some bad. I have a little dog a Jack Russell cross Chihuahua called Tess (pictured below) and currently live in Camborne in Cambridgeshire with my wonderful boyfriend! My life has been full of ups, down, life changing events and experiences that I’m sure I will be sharing with you via my blog. I intend to blog about real life issues affecting people on a day to day basis, I will also be blogging about certain things I find interesting and hope you do too. I will be blogging about everything and nothing and the plan is to have an article on my blog for everyone. I have chosen the name Urban Northerner as my blog name as it ties in my love for urban exploration and obviously my love for the North.

I am happy for you to follow me on Twitter @sam_c86, Facebook and Google+ I also have a LinkedIn page and YouTube channel.

Look out for my first blog post coming very soon. I believe it won’t disappoint. You can contact me via the social media avenues or sclubley6@gmail.com. Have a question? I will be happy to blog for you!

#socialmedia

#money

#finance

#reallife

#friendship

#exposed

#exposure

#sites

#apps

#urbanexploration

And many more…