GLAD TO HELP: Reader Matt Blackie writes: “I’d like to thank you for your recommendation of the Livestrong app for weight management–based on your recommendation, I decided to give it a try about three months ago, and in the time since, I’ve lost 23 pounds with very little effort. I visited family recently and several people were interested in how I’d done so well, so I passed the info along. This has been a huge boon to my health and confidence. Thanks again!”

Yeah, as I noted a while back, the Livestrong app is handy. As long as you’ve got your smartphone, you can get calories on just about everything, and figure out what you can eat while staying within the calorie range it sets based on your weightloss goals. I lost about 10 pounds with it effortlessly last year, and I’ve kept them off, also painlessly. I was inspired by a colleague’s wife who lost a lot more weight, and looks terrific, using Livestrong.

If you don’t have a smartphone, you can get a free Web account, too, but that’s not quite as handy when you go out to eat. It also lets you keep track of protein, carbs, etc. I more-or-less follow the Gary Taubes approach, which seems to help.