High-Tech Gadgets Help Count Calories

DALLAS -- Exercise and nutrition are two parts of the weight-loss equation. The third, tracking caloric intake, is equally important -- and it's the one tripping point that befuddles many dieters.

Tracking calories allows a dieter to gauge how much exercise he or she might need to say on the weight-loss track. It's the key to successful dieting, said Lara Hassan, a dietitian with the Cooper Clinic in Dallas.

"Research shows that daily monitoring of your food intake is a successful key to long-term weight loss," she said.

Sharon Kane is among a growing number of dieters who have enlisted high-tech devices to help track their calories. A computer program logs how much she eats and exercises, and it calculates her status in relation to her 1,400-calorie per day diet, reported KXAS-TV in Dallas.

"To be able to monitor exactly what you eat, write it down, calculate it out -- it takes the guesswork out of everything," Kane said.

Health experts and dieters agree that the electronic gadgets add ease and convenience to nearly any weight-loss program. Diet experts say the tools help them stay in closer contact with their patients.

Various devices can range in price, and some have additional subscription services or software packages that add to the cost.