How to use Myfitnesspal to your advantage

How to use Myfitnesspal to your advantage

Is this how it goes for you? (If not, I’m going to give you 5 ideas on how to use Myfitnesspal to your advantage)

It’s Monday, and this week, you’re really doing it… You start logging your food, breakfast done, lunch done, evening meal planned, all within your calories.  You have absolutely managed the hell out of Monday.

Then Tuesday comes…

It starts off well, breakfast goes in, lunch goes in, you’re ON TARGET… then Sheila from downstairs comes up with cakes but you’re ‘ON A DIET’ so even though you really want one, you say no. You keep tracking, Tuesday – nailed it.

Now it’s Wednesday

Same a before, breakfast and lunch, no problem, logged. Today it’s Phil from Accounts, a client has sent the Ice Cream van to your office, it’s coming in 30 minutes so you have a look in Myfitnesspal, you search ‘ice cream’ and 400 entries come up ranging from 100-1000 kcal. How do you know what to choose?! This is where the story might split… like one of those ‘if you chose to eat the ice cream, turn to page 46’ books. So what do you do?

❌ Maybe you say no

🧐 Maybe you choose a low calorie entry, if Myfitnesspal says there are ice creams available for 100kcal, it might as well be the one you’re having

🤯 Maybe you get OVERWHELMED with the options and say ‘F**K it, I’ve been ‘good’ all week, I deserve a treat’

**Up to this point, you’re still ok, one guessed or missed item isn’t what’s going to derail your good intentions**

But now we’re in the danger zone…

1. Do you feel like you’ve ‘ruined it’ because you weren’t ‘perfect’?

2. Do you feel like you can’t possibly know what the ice cream should be logged as so this week might as well be written off because you got it ‘wrong’

3. Or do you say to yourself ‘one ice cream does not make or break a week’ and carry on

(Side note, if you’re a number 3, high five 🙌🏼 this is the way to do things, if you’re 1 or 2, read on – and if you’re short on time and just here to get help in answer 3 becoming your default, check out the Commitment Project here)

So now i’m going to share with you my top 5 tips for using myfitnesspal to your advantage – and maybe in a different way to how you’ve been using it – especially if you never get past a Wednesday 😜

1. You don’t need to track EVERYTHING

WHAT?! That’s right, you need to track what you need to work on.  If you have the same breakfast every single day and it works for you, you don’t need to see that, I don’t need to help you with that.  So save some time, knock the number of calories off your allowance and start tracking the food you DO need help with changing.

2. SNACK only track

If you’re short on time and the inclination to weigh out your food, just track your snacks.  Most people have decent regular meals, weight gain comes from what happens outside of meal times, the ‘extras’, the ‘treats’, the ‘I deserve it’ food. We all know this, so if that’s what you need to work on, track that.

3. The days of the week track

Just like our regular meals, many of us have Monday to Friday, or at least Wednesday sorted. We eat well, we don’t indulge or drink, we’re typically ‘on it’ – so instead of tracking those days, start tracking when you feel things starting to unravel. Again, you nor I need to see what’s already working, we need to review what’s keeping you stuck! (And if you want some help with this, head over here and let’s chat)

4. The time of day track

Again, if you’re ‘good’ until the kids are in bed, save your time and energy and forget tracking…until the kids are in bed, then you can operate on a ‘phone eats first’ basis.  Before it goes in your mouth, it goes into Myfitnesspal.   If you do this for a week and find you average 500-600kcal a night in snacks, aim for a maximum of 300-400kcal for the week ahead.  That alone will kick start weight loss or at least prevent weight gain. Let it be EASY

5. The Protein only track

Maybe you’re not here for weight loss, you just want to feel more energised, fuller for longer or to sleep better. Keeping an eye on protein intake can help with all of the above, so if calories aren’t an issue, you can use Myfitnesspal to make sure you’re eating protein with each meal. Lots of food contain protein. Even things you don’t expect like bread (6g a slice for 50g piece of seeded) so you don’t need to target yourself on getting all of your calories from chicken or lentils. If roughly know what you’re aiming for (I’d recommend 1.5g per kg of bodyweight for most people*) then you can get an idea of where you are.

I’d love to know if this has helped you use Myfitnesspal to your advantage, would you swap the way you track to finally start seeing results Myfitnesspal?

If you’re stuck and sick of starting over, maybe it’s time to hand over the job to me?  Through my weekly coaching platform, I can help you use Myfitnesspal in a way that works for you but that’s not all! You will get a weekly digital consultation, all done online, at a time to suit you. All the benefits of a face to face weekly consultation for a reduced cost and no travel time – winner.

Head over to ‘Work with me‘ to read more and book a call

Chat soon, Angela 🙌🏼💚

PS: …If you 100% NEVER want to use Myfitnesspal again, I’ve got you.  The Commitment Project is a deep dive into mindset, habits and committing to your goals without every counting a calorie again – find out more here