We only make apps that we use ourselves. Every one is personal to us, but for me, this is the most most personal app I’ve ever created.
I have struggled with weight issues for most of my adult life. I thought I had it under control for a few years, but eventually slipped back into my old habits of no exercise and diet that would make Jillian Michaels cower in fear. You know that old saying about being fat and happy? I must be really stinkin’ happy. And for the most part I am. But I’m tired all the time, get winded too easily, and you see that wedding ring in the photo above? It not longer fits. It’s been sitting in a drawer for years. I recently got a cheap replacement for ten dollars on Amazon, but it’s not really my wedding ring.
Being the nerdy developer type, I like metrics. There are a number of wonderful weight tracking apps on the App Store (my favorite is Weightbot from Tapbots), but I’ve found that numbers are not enough of a motivator for me. In fact seeing that I have many more pounds to lose beyond the meager few I’ve lost so far is actually demotivating.
I’ve come to realize that images are a big motivator for me. Every time I see a photo of myself, especially in a swimsuit, I want to go run a thousand miles and start a strictly lettuce diet. But the effect doesn’t last long. After a while the photo is forgotten and I’m on the phone ordering pizza delivery.
With this in mind, I wanted to build a weight loss app where photos are the center point. It would run on my phone so I would have those photos with me whenever I needed a dose of motivation. This is the central idea behind Too Phat. You can still record your weight, see your body mass index (BMI), and all the other things you would expect from a weight tracking app, but the photos are what matter the most here. Rather than focusing on numbers, the emphasis is on the progress you’ve made so far and seeing how your body changes as you lose weight.
Too Phat was designed from the ground up for iOS 7. It’s a brand new app for the Apple’s brand new OS and I think we brought a new take to the genre with some unique features that aren’t in other weight loss apps. You can find out more about these features on our product page for Too Phat. You might also want to take a look at the free companion app, Too Phat Remote Cam. It lets Too Phat connect to the camera on your desktop or laptop computer to take photos. Right now Remote Cam only runs on the Mac, but we have a Windows version in the works.
I am never going to be skinny – nor do I want to be. But I hope to lose enough weight to improve my quality of life. And I hope to lose enough to wear my wedding ring again.
