Kimberly Flannery, Wisconsin Athletic Club

Nearly everyone can relate to the challenges and struggles associated with weight loss and dieting. Kimberly Flannery, nutrition director at Wisconsin Athletic Club, works with individuals, groups and corporate clients to adopt healthier ways of eating and living—and is doing so now with the help of a smartphone application.

“So many of my clients did so well in group or one-on-one sessions, but would struggle with making healthy choices outside of those environments,” Flannery said.

The struggles led to a partnership with Brookfield-based Centare to develop an application called “In the Moment – Mindful Eating.”

According to Flannery, the app follows a human approach to body awareness and draws attention to eating choices by leading users who are on the verge of making an unhealthy eating choice through a series of questions to help determine why they are making that choice at the time.

“Dealing with human behavior is never black and white,” Flannery said. “The app accomplishes what we set out to do though, and that’s to get people to really understand and listen to their needs.”

Ryan Finco and Tom Dietz at Centare were integral in the production of the application, and worked closely with Flannery to realize her vision.

“We definitely wanted to create a positive, uplifting application,” said Dietz, a UX designer. “The elements really had to match the tone of what we were trying to provide.”

Flannery and the Centare team were adamant about the app being a supportive resource for clients—not a shaming tool.

It walks individuals through a series of “bubble” questions that pertain to the “in the moment” decision they are about to make, and ultimately gets to the root of why they are making that decision. From there, it offers alternative solutions to meet their needs.

“One of the biggest reasons people fail in their weight loss journey or give up on maintaining their weight loss is those in the moment decisions that arise within all of us,” Flannery said. “This app can help with that.”

The application is currently available for purchase for Apple and Android phones and tablets.