If you love Quickka Calories,  then you’re going to love Pilates Custom. Quickka is in the process of finalising this great app – its packed with Pilates content. Head on over to our Facebook page and check out some of the designs. We will post as soon as its up on the App Store! http://www.facebook.com/pilatescustom

Quickka UrbanYoga has now launched! This little app acts like a Yogi in your pocket – you can customise your own routines from a library of over 80 poses, add notes, get tips and even download full HD video classes. You can then edit the video length by cutting out sections to shorten your practice if you’re in a rush. Version 2 of this app will include a link to QuickkaCalories so that the calories you burn in your daily practice will automatically show as exercise! Check it out at UrbanYoga Itunes!

OK, so we’ve included a barcode scanner for 60,000 common food items (in Calories Pro) and while were working away on including even more food items we are now considering linking Calories and Calories PRO to a GPS run tracker so that all run calories can be automatically added to your exercise… we’ll keep you posted!

Few people know that a Mr Wilbur Atwater from the US was the first person to devise a system for giving foods a calorie value. Most nutritionists would agree that calories are the primary thing to watch for those wanting to lose weight, but simply counting calories by totting up what is on the package may not be the only answer to successful weight management…

What most people may not know is that the text of food, the way it is cooked, and the way it is digested all impact the amount of energy which your body is actually able to absorb from the food. That is why eating whole wheat pasta is “better” for you than normal pasta; the more fibre there is in food, for example, the more the body has to work to digest it for you (and the fewer calories you will therefore take away from it).

However, it doesn’t look like current system in place for measuring the energy content of food is going anywhere fast. So for those of you trying to lose weight, don’t scrap your calorie counter just yet. But given a choice between two foods with equal amounts of calories, it’s a good rule of thumb to always go for the one with more fibre and more protein.

OK – this isn’t exactly a posting for a website devoted to healthy eating. However, it’s just too good (or rather too surreal!) to deserve a mention!

Coming to you all the way from Chandler, Arizona is the Heart Attack Grill. Serving such specialities as the Quadruple Bypass Burger to the Flatliner Fries, it’s a smorgasbord of artery-clogging and waist-expanding delights. All served, of course, by petite waitresses in nurses’ outfits….

And to make things even better, customers who weigh more than 350 pounds (that’s 160 kilos – or a whopping 25 stone!) eat for free. Erm… don’t forget to weigh in with your hostess at the entrance…

Seriously?

The answer just might be yes…. This has already been picked up on by the international press, and although the website smacks of being an elaborate hoax, we are a way off from April Fools’ day. So, if anyone has paid a visit to Chandler recently, let us know what the score is!

Sleep isn’t exactly touted as one of those heart-pumping, fat burning exercises. However, study upon study has shown how getting a good night’s sleep (both in terms of quantity and quality) while eating sensibly and exercising regularly can help you lose more fat than if you spend your days as just one amongst the sleep-deprived masses.

Apart from good common sense dictating that getting a good night’s sleep is key to a healthy lifestyle, studies suggest that your body produces a hormone called ghrelin when you lose sleep, which leads to you feeling more hungry. This in turn leads you to eat more than you actually need. Not only do you end up eating more, but you’re more likely to eat more of the wrong things. If you’re sleep deprived, you’re probably on the go and very busy – and more likely to reach for fast food than a nutritionally balanced meal.

Get more sleep to boost your body’s fat-burning potential? Sounds like a no-brainer!

This is a controversial issue. Should restaurants (in particular, fast food chains) be required by law to provide calorie and other nutrition information menus?

Eating out is an activity many people enjoy on a semi-regular basis. While some regard it is a treat, more and more people in the find themselves eating out.

The problem with this is that with different portion sizes, ingredients, and cooking methods, it quickly becomes very difficult to accurately estimate the nutritional content of what you are eating. This often leads you to consume more calories, fat, salt and carbohydrates than you may realise (shooting any diet you are on right out of the water).

There is already a voluntary menu labelling scheme in operation. Some big fast food chains now include pamphlets (either on the counter or on request) detailing the nutritional content of their fare. Others make this information available on their website.

However, there are many more restaurants that do neither.

The arguments for and against compulsory labelling are well rehearsed. Restaurants will argue that being “in your face” about the calorie content of the dishes on their menus is not what eating out is about. Others (especially smaller restaurants) will point to the increased burden of having to provide nutritional information for their meals, especially since there will be variations in the exact nutritional content of the same dish prepared by a different chef.

However, this is to ignore the fundamental problem: people are simply not getting the information they need to make the right choices. Restaurants and fast food chains are always going to oppose a compulsory scheme, especially when the change that needs to be implemented may make their customers realise that their favourite dishes are, in reality, heart-cloggers. But isn’t that missing the point? If something is a heart-clogger, why not tell people? If that Cobb salad has more calories than the burger, why not let your customers know? Isn’t the point that customers are entitled to have full and accurate information about what they are purchasing (and, in this case, putting into their bodies)?

For the time being, a voluntary scheme is perhaps the best option while public opinion is properly gauged. However, the time will come when a decision has to be made. As a consumer, you are entitled to know what you are eating. Just like the waiter or the chef should be able to tell you exactly which ingredients are in your meal, surely they should also know how many calories, fat and salt you are about to consume?

Around this time of year there have been a handful of recent articles touting the benefits of keeping a food journal. Take this article from the Toronto Star, for example:

http://www.healthzone.ca/health/dietfitness/diet/article/851282–youdocs-got-2-this-could-double-your-weight-loss

It refers to a number of studies that have looked at the benefits of calorie counting as a means to losing weight. Although some people may think that keeping track of what you eat in this way is tedious, it almost goes without saying that it is a crucial part of any weight loss regime.

The great thing about keeping a food journal is its simplicity. By seeing what you are eating, when you are eating it and, most importantly how much of it you are eating, the prognosis is stark and there for you to see in all its glory. There is no hiding from a graph that tells you that you’ve eaten 1,000 more calories a day than you should, or from a chart telling that you’re a month off track for achieving your goal weight before your beach holiday.

That is where the benefits of using Quickka Calories Pro become obvious. For less than a pound (that is, of Sterling, not flab!) you can download a program which offers you a quick, simple and fun way to keep a daily log of what you’re eating for a fraction of the price of a conventional food journal. Not only can you keep track of your nutritional intake (with the handy ability to scan in the barcode of common branded products), but you can also keep track of how much you exercise and how much progress you are making towards achieving your weight loss goals. And because the App is on your iPhone, you can use it anywhere, anytime. Keeping track of what you eat while on the go has never been easier.

It’s no wonder that food journals are making such a splash on the dieting scene. Afterall, knowledge is power, and staying on top of exactly how much you are eating (versus how much you should be eating) is key to any successful weight loss regime. You can, of course, stick to using a good old pen and pad of glossy paper (ummm), but with a shiny iPhone at your disposal, an interactive, fully functional App, and cool graphics to boot, it’s time to get into the 21st century and let Quickka Calories Pro help you fight the battle of the bulge.