Can you slim down by text(ing your)Weight?

September 7, 2022 - By Laura Montini

One of the best methods for daily health interventions? Text messaging. That’s what a Consumer Health Information Corporation survey found, and that’s what Capito Life Technologies has played on. This month the company launched the newest version of its textWeight service, a text messaging and web-based program that helps users track their weight. According to the consumer health survey, SMS messaging is the ideal way to penetrate someone’s daily routine; 41 percent of respondents said they preferred text messages for health-related reminders compared with 20 percent of people who said they preferred reminders from an app.

TextWeight provides a straightforward weight tracking method for users who ultimately want to shed pounds. A text message is sent to your mobile phone daily, reminding you to weigh yourself. Once you reply with your 3 digit weight, the number is sent to your personal webpage where information, like your personal weight loss goal, is stored. The upgraded textWeight 2.0 gives users control over when they receive their reminders and sends tips for weight management as well as encouraging messages. Users can also share their earned achievement badges via Facebook and Twitter.

The release of textWeight 2.0 follows the initial version’s launch on New Year’s Day 2011. More than 1,000 people started the program in the first few days of the new year, and 30 days later, 75 percent of them had stuck with it, losing five pounds on average. The idea for the solution is based on findings from the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity that show that people who weigh themselves frequently are more likely to lose weight. Capito Life’s program taps into a widely used service to promote just that. It might be too early to start thinking about New Year’s resolutions now, but you don’t have to wait until then to try out this program, free for three months for new users.

textWeight will be on the Tools & Trackers panel at Health 2.0 this September.