'Smart fork' may help you lose weight

[Hum]

(CNN) -- Anyone who has struggled to be healthy is intimately familiar with the counting game. They've counted calories, carbs, Weight Watchers points, their heart rate, steps and miles.

Now a new smart eating utensil called the HapiFork will help them count bites during meals, and maybe shame them into eating slower and potentially losing weight.

Technology has made it easier to track the minutiae of everyday life, with smartphones, pedometers and small sensors that can fit in wearable devices such as wrist bands. The self-tracking hobby has blossomed into the quantified-self movement, which reaches far beyond the health conscious.

People are tracking their sleep patterns, heart rate, mood, air quality and work habits, often in a bid to analyze enough data to correct problems with their health or lifestyle.

"Whatever we can measure, we can improve," said Fabrice Boutain, CEO and founder of HapiLabs.

'Smart' fork tracks how fast you eat

In the case of the HapiFork, what can be improved is how fast people eat. It takes 20 minutes for the stomach to tell the brain it is full and that it's time to stop eating, putting speedy eaters at risk for being overeaters. The HapiFork team says there are many potential health benefits to eating slower, including decreasing acid reflux, obesity and diabetes.

The $99 fork :huh: first gained attention during the Consumer Electronics Show in January and will be on the market by the end of the year.

The fork can be used to passively track eating habits and automatically sync that information, including duration of meals and frequency of forkfuls, with a smartphone. The HapiFork mobile app will also include a coaching program and tools to connect with friends and family.

The device can also be set up for behavior modification, vibrating any time the diner is eating too quickly as a gentle reminder to slow down. By default it is set to allow a bite every 10 seconds, though the exact time is customizable.

When the metal tines of the HapiFork touch the mouth, a circuit is closed and a bite is tallied. The data is automatically transmitted to a smartphone over Bluetooth or can be uploaded using a micro USB port in the base. The fork, which can stay charged for 15 days, has a thick plastic handle that houses the electronics. The core pops out so the fork can be washed by hand or run through a dishwasher. You must hold down a button to turn it on before each meal, but it powers down automatically after you stop using it.

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[LaP]

Can't wait for the smart toilet bowl analysing my **** to see if i'm healthy.

Good morning mister it's a really nice number two today mister.

[Hum]

I'd rather have the food $99 can buy, than a silly fork. :woot:

[threetonesun]

That's all well and good, but most of the stuff I shove in my face that's going to make me fat I do with my hands, not a fork.

[GrayW]

That's it, where did I leave my spoon.

[Win4Ever]

This is better :laugh:

[techbeck]

Unless it shocks the crap out of the person for eating to much, people would just ignore it.

[Tuishimi]

If my fork is smart, it'll do whatever I TELL it to do... or else...

[Charisma Veteran]

Seems like we have "smart" everything these days. Except, you know, people.

[srbeen]

Hmm.. good step. I'll wait for the strict feeding robots to become a thing tho, because I know I'll just chuck this thing aside and use a normal fork.

[Growled Member]

They sure know how to ruin a good meal.

[Torolol]

i'm not fancy using electronic devices as food fetcher.

[Jim K Global Moderator]

Eat less / work out more will help you lose weight ... and it is cheaper.

[Coagulated]

Eat less / work out more will help you lose weight ... and it is cheaper.

Pretty much this.

I've always been overweight, and it steadily got worse when I sprained my spine 6 years ago. So, after a trip Stateside and gorging on pure unadulterated trash for the month of February, I decided to sort myself out. I still eat absolute **** come weekends, but Monday - Friday all I eat is Peanut Butter on toast for breakfast, some sort of fish/white meat with vegetables for lunch and something similar for my tea. I also down 2 x Relentless 5 days a week - I wish I could cut that out, but I need the caffeine.

Other than that I go swimming 2-4 times a week, and even though I tend to eat pure rubbish on a weekend (I'm talking pizzas, sugary drinks, candy/chocolate, cake etc), I'm still losing 1-2 lbs per week. Hell, I've even started smoking again and constantly cuddle up to a certain promiscuous woman known as Mary Jane whilst working 60+ hour weeks.

Yes, I usually have to force myself to the Pool on some days and on others all I want is some filth instead of fish, but my point is it is incredibly easy to lose weight and eat healthily if you want to. There are always ways and means of working it into your schedule, but you have to educate yourself on what your body needs, it's pointless running head-on into a diet or regime that you don't understand.

I am not a fitness or nutritional expert, I'm just a fat bloke who decided enough was enough - but until people make a decision like that, there will always be a market for pish like this.

[techbeck]

Take the 100 bucks and see a Dr to know what you need to do to lose weight. My mom weighed over 300lbs. She went to the Dr, they evaluated her, and she was put on the correct diet/eating habits for her. She now weighs less that half of what she did.

[Hum]

Take the 100 bucks and see a Dr to know what you need to do to lose weight. My mom weighed over 300lbs. She went to the Dr, they evaluated her, and she was put on the correct diet/eating habits for her. She now weighs less that half of what she did.

^ You can read the same medical 'advice' in a book. ;)