A handful of people have told me they don’t like the name FatWatch, on account of the way “fat” is often used as an insult. That is “fat” being used in its adjective sense, to describe a person or a penguin. In its noun sense, “fat” is just a substance that is found in some food and manufactured by our bodies for the long term storage of energy.
If you’re not bothered when you see the word “fat” on food packaging, then it shouldn’t bother you to see it on your iPhone or iPod touch. FatWatch is called “FatWatch” because it is designed to help you watch changes to the amount of fat stored in your body.
FatWatch isn’t perfect — it is making estimates based on your weight measurements, some statistical calculations, and the fact that there are 3,500 calories in a pound of fat. If I can figure out how to do it correctly, I’ll someday add body fat percentage to the mix. But at the end of the day, FatWatch is about watching fat, not being fat.
