I’ll start by saying that logging your foods isn’t about being rigid and very restrictive; it’s about creating awareness, understanding how to fuel your body, and always having room for the foods that make you happy without the guilt. Because how boring would life be without snacks or Grandma’s lasagna?!
Sure, you can be super restrictive and go into a calorie deficit to lose pounds off the scale, but those aren’t sustainable habits, and ultimately, we want to set you up for the long run. Plus, too much or too long of a deficit doesn’t work.
For those who have never logged their foods before, or kept a food journal, it can be very challenging. There will be times when you want to quit, but with a little patience and planning, you can make it through 6 weeks of anything - certainly logging. If you’re struggling, your coach will encourage you to stay the course for the duration of the challenge in hopes you build healthy sustainable habits and don’t have to rely on logging forever. Plus, your team needs the points.
Okay, so here are 10 tips on how to use your MyFitnessPal!
1- download MyFitnessPal asap! There’s the paid version and the free version. Use the free one first before you invest any further. Also, try logging in from your laptop or desktop. That might be easier for you to manage.
2- at first, log everything! That’s your gum, protein shakes, fish oil, cough medicines, drinks, cream, sugar, water, etc.
3- try to be precise with your portion sizes. If you can measure, even better. Don’t trust your instincts initially because a heavy hand of olive oil or cream could mean 300 extra calories. Brutal, I know!
4- if you’re going to drink alcohol, log and measure that, too! If your goal is to cut back or drink less, then great. But liquid calories are very sneaky, so it’s best to know how much you drink.
5- connect your MyFitnessPal to your phones and/or smart watches so you get credit for your steps and activity.
6- log your workouts. I log mine under cardio and calisthenics to keep it simple, but you can customize your strength routines and aerobic circuits if your heart desires.
7- create meals under My Meals! Many of you eat the same foods Monday through Friday. Save time by creating meals and elevating your logging game!!!
8- don’t limit your foods to the suggested foods list! Yeah, yeah, yeah, Whole Foods are way better for you. We already know that. But the people who do their best with their diets aren’t always perfect. Studies say, you can have 10-15% of your daily calories can come from “discretionary calories”, which could be anything from a donut to a glass of wine to another protein bar.
9- take before and after photos and weigh yourselves using the app. There are cool graphs and charts that will show you your trends and progress. You can share these reports with your coaches, too!
10- at the bottom of your food log page, there are two buttons you need to get familiar with, and that’s your Nutrition and Complete Diary buttons. The nutrition tab will show you the daily macro breakdown in a pie chart. The goal is to try to balance out your macros as best as possible by the end of the day. Now, my favorite feature is a complete diary. At the end of the night, when I’m done eating, I hit that button, and it tells me if I’m on track to hit my goal in 5 weeks. That’s always enlightening!
We hope these tips help! Again, the more you use the app, the easier it will get! Good luck, and we look forward to seeing your progress!
.jpg)
