See How I Dropped 83 Pounds With The Help Of A Smartphone

Three and a half years ago, I got my first modern smartphone. And I discovered that the world of apps it unlocked—the ease of tracking my exercise and nutrition on the go—were the key to finally doing something about my longstanding weight problem.

I had some external motivation—my 20th high-school reunion. Vanity, perhaps driven by social media, played a role—I knew there would be a lot of photos on Facebook. Dropping weight proved easier than I expected, especially when I combined the rigors of logging my food data with the virtuous feedback loop of broadcasting my weight-loss milestones.