Body Weight Planner added to SuperTracker for achieving, maintaining healthy weight

The NIH’s Body Weight Planner has been added to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s SuperTracker online tool to help people achieve and stay at a healthy weight, according to a press release from the NIH.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) SuperTracker, created in 2011, aims to help people build healthier diets, manage their weight and reduce the risk for chronic disease. Through the tracker, users can determine what foods to eat and how much; track their intake, physical activity and weight; and personalize their goals.

“We originally intended the Body Weight Planner as a research tool, but so many people wanted to use it for their own weight management that we knew we needed to adapt it with more information about how to achieve a healthy lifestyle,” Kevin Hall, PhD, a senior investigator at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), said in the release. “The Planner is a natural fit within the SuperTracker as it lets people accurately determine how many calories and how much exercise is needed to meet their personal weight-management goals.”

Addition of the Body Weight Planner will allow users of the SuperTracker to tailor weight loss plans during a specific time frame and help them maintain that weight.

“We are pleased to offer a variety of interactive tools to support Americans in making healthy lifestyle changes,” Angie Tagtow, executive director of the USDA’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, said in the release. “The NIH Body Weight Planner helps consumers make a plan to reach their goals on their timeline, and SuperTracker helps them achieve it.”