One-size amusement ride seats may be a problem for guests of various sizes

As a result of this thread, I actually installed MyFittnessPal and while I can see where it would be helpful if you're extremely dedicated to it, counting calories with that is still just as annoying as counting them any other way. It's super easy if everything you eat is just straight off the shelf (or off of a popular chain's menu) but if you actually make your own food from many ingredients, it's obnoxiously complicated.

I'm the kind of guy who can lose weight pretty easily, now that I think about it. The problem is that I kind of forget that I am watching what I eat a few days into my diet. An app sounds like a good way to remind me that I am trying to lose weight. It would help me to focus on my goal, because once life gets going, it's easy to forget about. Not that I see myself as obese. I am kind of big, but half of that is muscles. I'm not ever going to look like a skinny little high school kid again.

One motivating factor on MyFitnessPal is the degree to which you can share your information with others. If I stop logging in, the people in my network can see that, and it also displays the cardio you've done (my girlfriend will chide me if I start to take too much credit for walking around the grocery store, for example). So, it keeps you honest to an extent, and it helps to have a large network. I'll be happy to befriend anyone on here if you send me a private message with your info.

There's also a feature to make every single food (and calorie value) you eat public to your friends. That's hardcore and I don't do that presently, but if my progress started reversing, it would be a good last-ditch motivator.

Obviously, counting calories isn't solely going to prevent you from overindulging, but one thing I've learned is that it's not so much always staying under your calorie limit as it is being consciously aware of when you're going over. Plus, it's a great feeling to know that after I finish a 30-mile bike ride or the like, I can have anything off the menu, guilt-free.

Bro, do you even lift?

Tyler Boes said:

I don't need an app to lose weight. I eat like a pig, and I still have trouble getting weight. I once lost 7 just walking around a theme park for a day.

yikes...

Thin people can get debilitating diseases from eating terribly you know. While obesity is a contribiting factor to diseases like diabetes and hypertension, people who are 'in shape' can contract these illneses because of the crap and toxins they ingest. Additionally, around 29-32, your metabolism will slow down and the lbs will pile on faster the the food on Chris Christie's plate at a Golden Corral. Be Careful

What I like about it is that it stores things that you eat and make regularly. So, if I have a grilled chicken breast with my homemade grilling sauce I look it up and click on it. Done. It's funny, what I've (and others) have noticed is that we tend to eat a lot of the same things from week to week anyway. Fitness Pal carries a learning curve, natch, but once you get used to it it comes pretty easy, and you finally know how many calories to allow for something.

Many dishes from national chain restaurants are already in there, so before I order I check calorie counts on the app. There's also a scan button so grocery store bar codes automatically put it in for you. Even my Giant Eagle deli turkey that I buy all the time scanned and I was able to log it in.

Excercise is a little weird on it. Cardio will subtract calories for the day, but strength training, while listed, doesn't subtract calories. Maybe in the end it's negligible, but I consider it a cushion for the day, like a little invisible bonus.

I have not gone on line with mine, either. Oh, hell no. I'm keeping it private.

delan said:

the lbs will pile on faster the the food on Chris Christie's plate at a Golden Corral. Be Careful

Awesome! A Jersey Gov joke from someone in FL! Gotta love it!

(no sarcasm here, either..that was hilarious)

Raven-Phile said:

Bro, do you even lift?

All cardio for the most part. It works for me.

Not sure how this thread about one-size amusement seats got diverted into a discussion of fast food and weight loss apps. The seats and restraints were designed to a standard, taking into consideration the norm, whatever that is. It's really no different from anything else we encounter on a daily basis. When I weighed 214 pounds (now 128) I had trouble fitting into toilet cubicles and seats on a bus, and found it difficult to go through turnstyles. I could fit into the restraints on Coney Island Cyclone but probably not on El Toro, so I had to adapt. When I see ride ops, often in pairs, using their full weight and exerting all the force they can to try to slam a lap bar onto a very large rider, I think that there's something wrong. I know they're only following protocol but if extraordinary measures are necessary that individual probably should not ride. Having been obese, I can certainly sympathize with large riders but safety comes first and as someone pointed out, those who cannot fit comfortably into the restraints are in the minority. As to those who get turned away, I feel sorry for them but they would be well advised to sit in the test seats outside rides that have them. On one occasion I saw a very large lady waiting to get on El Toro. As well as I know this ride, I knew that there was no way she would fit into the restraints but couldn't possibly tell her so even to spare her an unnecessary wait. That would be really cruel. So she waited to ride and ended up getting turned away, as I knew she would be. I find that the restraints on most rides will accommodate most people; they're flexible enough to accommodate everyone from skinny kids to medium-size adults and I can't see further accommodation being possible without jeopardizing those at either end of the spectrum.