Count Calories the Easy Way

Month two in my quest to regain my pre-wife, girlish figure was a 50-50 deal. On one hand, it was an abject diet disaster; on the other, I made like the 2004 Red Sox and dug deep to rebound.

Okay, well, the second half wasn't as amazing as that, but I did get right on track after two weeks of eating muffins, full-fat butter and decadent desserts.

Husband and I finally enjoyed a blissfully Internet-free, 15-day honeymoon across southern Africa. We spent most of the time riding around Jeeps looking for and at lions, leopards, zebras and giraffes. When we weren't being carted around, we indulged in sweets, treats and cocktails all while marveling at the wild.

Apart from climbing Table Mountain in Cape Town, our exercise regimen was limited to walking from villa to restaurant to mode of transportation and back to the villa. And since I was on my dream honeymoon, there was no way I was going to count calories or carbs.

Coming home was supposed to be the big game changer, and honestly, it was. In fact, it was a bit easier than I thought. For one, I didn't have unlimited access to spirits or a dedicated staff offering me food literally every minute. I was also greeted by the new BodyMedia FIT Armband BW in my mailbox.

My editor, afraid of my possible weight loss backslide, suggested I try the new Bluetooth version of the body weight monitoring program, which gauges calories in and calories out through a handy-dandy and very sophisticated sensor system.

My first thought: "Hey, what a great idea!" I'm like Barbie when it comes to numbers so I thought this could really help me keep tabs on all the food and activity I'm logging.

My second thought: "Seriously? I've got to look like a post-makeover "Biggest Loser" contestant? " You know what I mean: You always see these totally transformed bodies in fabulous clothing with a big, black plastic band on their upper arms. But this was entirely different. Okay, yes, there was a band, and although it's gray and protrudes a bit, it isn't at all uncomfortable or overwhelming.

In fact, the hardest thing for me was remembering to put the contraption on and remembering to take it off at night. But once it was properly in place, I totally forgot it was there. (The company just launched a clip-on tracker, too, which can be hidden in the pockets of your pants or even tucked into your waistband.)

After a week of wearing the band, I synced it to my laptop to get my results. (You don't need to wait a week, because all of this can happen in real time via Bluetooth and your smartphone, but that is a little too smart for me.)

As I may have mentioned, I'm not a counter, so it was pretty cool to see all that info on the screen. Everything is personalized and easy to follow online. And you can make activity logs, food plans and other weight loss trackers. Since I had this bad boy attached to my bod, I was pretty vigilant about my eating and consistently hovered around 2,500 calories (although I know that in order to serious shed the bulge, I need to take in less than 2,000).

And my daily activity meter seemed to be on target, too, at approximately two-thirds of what is recommended. So what did my little experiment teach me? Math is fun! No, actually it is serious business, and in order to drop the pounds, one needs to vigilant about the facts. And I need to aim for about 1,800 calories on the intake and a pretty even burn. I'm thinking of trying some cardio, which I've always eschewed. Stay tuned.

P.S. I got on the scale the other day, and I'm down five pounds.

More on That's Fit:
The Newlywed Weight Game
Hooked on Carbs
Blogging Helped Rita Keep Off 80 Pounds