My Fitness Pal - More Like BFF

If you have a smart phone like I do, I'm sure you already have plenty of apps to keep up with. Most likely, you downloaded them once and never viewed them again (why do I still have Line Jumper?) Anyway, the point is that there are some apps that mean the world to us, and some that are easily forgotten. Today, I'm going to introduce you to one that can help you change your life.

My Fitness Pal

My Fitness Pal is an online website (and fully functional amazing app) where you can log your daily food and exercise journal. If you're on a journey to lose weight or just want to maintain a healthy lifestyle, this app is perfect to help you out. Best part? FREE. :)

Setting Goals:

When you first sign up, it will ask you to set a goal. This can be to lose weight or maintain it. If you chose to lose weight, you can increase or decrease your calorie intake by selecting one pound per week, one and a half, or two. This is also when you'll weigh in and put in your measurements if you know them. 

Food Journal:

With My Fitness Pal, you can record everything you eat, from breakfast to dinner and everything in between. It may seem like you have a good grip on what you're eating, but I guarantee as soon as you start logging your food, you'll be shocked at what you're eating. I started using this website last January and my eating habits have changed drastically. I never realized what horrible things were being put in my body with the food I was choosing. It's so important to eat a healthy diet, even if you don't have any weight to lose, because the food you eat affects other aspects of your life as well, such as your energy level. The best part about the journal is that you YOU get to chose what you want to watch. For instance, I watch calories, protein, carbs, sodium, and sugar. If you're more interested in fat, you could chose to watch that. It's all up to your preference.

Here's a screen shot of the diary summary. When you're done for the day, you can click "complete this entry" to see your projected weight loss if "every day were like today."

Searching For Food:

One of my favorite aspects of this app is that you can literally find any food. It's a huge database because there are so many users, so you can type in "Publix Carrot Cake" for instance and log every nutritional value. There's also this AWESOME feature on the app where you can scan the barcode of what you're eating to log it. So easy and fast, which may be why I'm so drawn to it.

Exercise Log:

You also log your exercise on the site/app. This is great because the more cardio you do, the more calories you're "allowed" to eat. They show you a weekly view, too, so you can see how much working out you're really doing. I used to think I was doing so great going for a light jog or a long walk, but you learn quickly the best way to get a great cardio workout FAST (which is great for busy people.)

You can add both cardio and strength work outs to your log.

Progress:

My Fitness Pal shows you all your progress from what you've been eating all week to how much your weight has fluctuated over time. There are pie graphs, bar graphs, and stats for pretty much everything. There are daily summaries as well as weekly. The best part about watching your progress is noticing the big changes that can come with such a small realization. Once you start noticing how bad something "healthy" can be - like a salad, for instance - your eating habits can take a turn for the better.

Great way to see what your diet is mostly made up of. A year ago, mine was all carbs!

Friends:

With My Fitness Pal, you can add your friends and use it as a sort of Facebook-like community, as well. This actually helped me out a lot because I was excited to post my weight loss so that I could get comments from my friends. It's also a great way to ask for recipes or share your struggles with other friends who want to achieve the same goal.

You have a newsfeed where you can comment on your friends statuses. For instance, one of my co-workers has logged in for 5 days in a row, so I might say "Alright, keep it up!"

Community:

There is a section on the website called "community" where you can read other people's success stories and see their pictures, talk about troubles you're having, and get advice. The best part of the community board is the recipes. There's nothing better than eating something you love that's been tweaked to have half the calories! :)

There's so much more to this app, so seriously, GET IT NOW. I promise you won't regret it, and your body will thank you. :)