WEIGHT LOSS GADGETS GO HIGH-TECH

The New Year has brought with it several nifty new weight-loss gadgets. One is the electronic HAPIfork, which uses a motion sensor to track how many bites you take and how quickly, and then vibrates to notify you if you’re eating too much or too fast. You can upload data by plugging the waterproof, battery-powered fork into your computer or smartphone. According to the science behind the device, slowing down your eating could ultimately help you consume less food, since it takes your body about 20 minutes to start feeling full during a meal. While the HAPIfork forces you to eat less, the new AspireAssist (from the makers of the Segway scooter) allows you to eat as much as you want, then physically sucks food out of your stomach before all of the calories are absorbed. The device is implanted in the body through surgery and includes an external tube on the abdomen. Twenty minutes after eating, 30% of stomach contents are emptied through the tube. While it may sound crazy, the AspireAssist (which is still being tested in clinical trials) may actually present fewer risks to patients than traditional weight-loss surgeries like gastric bypass.

source dg prep