New student-made app promotes healthy living on campus

Karan Kajla said he loved indulging on dining hall food when he first moved to the Hill last year. But as he started gaining weight and feeling unhealthy, he wanted to make a change.

To combat the “freshman 15,” the second-year computer science student designed a new web app called Fit Bruin with fellow student Alison Light, a second-year civil engineering student. The app launched Sept. 20 and about 30 people have created accounts so far, Kajla said.

Fit Bruin allows UCLA students to create personalized health profiles and track what they eat in the dining halls and quick service restaurants on the Hill, Light said.

Kajla said he used the nutrition facts about each dish on the UCLA Dining Services website to create the app. It customizes users’ exercise preferences and their weight loss, maintenance or muscle gain goals.

With a specific formula, the app tells the user how many calories per day they can consume to still make their weight goals each week.

Kajla said gaining weight freshman year made him want to lead a healthier lifestyle. As a high school student, he was always involved in basketball and tennis. But when he came to UCLA, it was difficult to keep exercising at the same intensity he had in high school.

Kajla and Light met at new student orientation just before their freshman year, and both were concerned with eating healthy and getting enough exercise, particularly while juggling their academically demanding schedules, Light said.

While in the midst of stressful classes and exams, Light said enjoyable exercise and eating food in moderation is the key to staying healthy.

“It’s all about building a (healthy) lifestyle into your schedule,” Light said.

Some students who have already used Fit Bruin have noticed significant differences in their daily lives and the way they think about food.

Wali Kamal, a second-year computational and systems biology student and Kajla’s friend, said his goal was to gain muscle when he started using the app last week.

“I’d say I’m more mindful in what exactly I’m eating (now),” he said. “I was really surprised at how much sodium is in everything.”

Light, who is in charge of Fit Bruin’s design, said she hopes to add a blog for users to submit creative dining hall recipes and share tips with each other.

Kajla said he advises users to persistently track the foods they eat, regardless of what others say.

“People might make fun of you, but you have to be a stickler,” Kajla said with a smile. “You need to keep your goal in mind.”