Self-tracking through MyFitnessPal

The self-tracking app I use most frequently is called MyFitnessPal. This app allows you to input the number of calories you wish to stay under per day. It provides you with some suggested calorie allowances for certain goals, like staying under 1,200 per day if you want to lose weight quickly. It also tracks your steps and exercise, allowing you to add more calories to your allowance depending on what you did. If you are unsure how many calories something has, you can scan its barcode and the app will recognize it. Another remarkable feature of this app is its ability to recognize your specific order at a restaurant. For example, if you ordered a fajita platter at Chili’s but requested no cheese, the app will know exactly how much that specific Chili’s order was. This prevents you from having to recalculate and estimate calorie count if you did something special with your order. It also displays a pie-graph of macros, showing the percentage of carbohydrates, fats, and protein you consumed that day. The app also tells you certain macro percentages to strive for each day. It allows you to have “friends” but does not post on social media unless you request it to. I think people who share their progress on social media probably get encouragement and praise from their peers, which could help with their self-esteem and reaching their goal. However, I choose not to share that info on social media, mainly because I like to keep my personal goals more private.

 (Macro pie-graph displaying percentages)

One less helpful feature is what happens if you go over your allotted calorie number at the end of the day. And ‘what happens’ is nothing at all- the app does not scold you for going over or congratulate for staying under. Although this prevents excess pressures on the user, it also doesn’t exactly motivate or inspire the user to want to improve their progress. The most that happens is the calorie number at the top of the screen will state a number, with a negative sign in front of it, showing how many calories were over the limit. You are able to see your “progress” but you have to actively seek out a graph on another page and it simply displays your line going up, down, or neutral. If people are really using it to lose weight, I think the app could congratulate the user when they stay under, like a shower of balloons trickles down the screen or a huge smiley face appears. As for what happens when you go over your limit, I don’t think the app should bash you, but I think it should be declared more obviously and constructively, like stating “You didn’t make your count today, but try again tomorrow-you can do this!” or some derivative of that. This would hopefully encourage the user to want to do better, rather than discourage the user for not meeting their goal.

I have tried using it a few times but haven’t really experienced any great results, mainly because I wasn’t really committed to it and would forget to track calories for days at a time. However, my dad is a strong advocate for this app and even recommends it to some of his patients as a good tool to lose weight. He lost around 15 lbs in a short amount of time and was very happy with his results. I think the main indicator of success is mentally commitment. If you are not mentally committed, than the app is probably not very helpful, as you could input the correct number of calories each day but purposefully exclude inputting your snacks or all your cheat meals. I think this app can be very helpful in medicine, as it is already working its magic in my dad’s office. Many of his patients have significantly decreased their cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and heart attack risks by using this app to lead healthier lives.