Have you started tracking your diet in MyFitnessPal but are feeling frustrated that you haven’t yet achieved your health goals?
I get it, but don’t worry. By learning to use MyFitnessPal like a nutritionist (aka, how I use it with my clients!), you’ll begin to understand how to interpret the information you log into actionable steps you can take to improve your health.
Step 1: Set yourself up for success
In order to make the most of your MyFitnessPal journey and see results, you must first understand what you want to achieve. Because if you don’t know what your goal is, you can’t work toward it.
When you set a goal for yourself, make sure it’s a SMART goal.Representative of wisdom Specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound.
For example, don’t just set a goal to lose weight or improve your eating habits. These goals are too broad. Instead, an example of a SMART goal might be:
- Eat at least two servings of vegetables every day for a week
- Hit my calorie goal every day for the next three weeks
- Walk for 10 minutes after lunch five days a week.
all these are Specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. They are realistic, behavior-focused goals that will ultimately lead you to achieve your long-term, broader goals.
Step 2: Track your food like a pro
I may be the scientific advisor to MyFitnessPal, but I say this because I mean it (and have seen my clients succeed time and time again). Tracking your food intake is one of the best ways to achieve your health goals. but how Your tracking is equally important.
The truth is, accurate and consistent tracking is important. To truly understand how the food you consume affects your energy, focus, mood, and overall health, you need to track everything you eat and drink every day.
And you can’t just track What You consume. How much you eat and drink – aka portion sizes – matters too!
But let’s face it: It’s hard to know how many grams or ounces of something you’re eating. Who has time to use a food scale? To make things easier, I tell clients to follow this handy guide (pun intended):
Before you get overwhelmed by the idea of tracking, remember that using MyFitnessPal means you can track your food in seconds. With one of the world’s largest food databases and advanced features like barcode scanning, you can quickly enter your food and drinks in seconds and view detailed nutritional information that will help highlight your diet Choose how you impact your health goals.
Step 3: Use MyFitnessPal like a nutritionist
Once you’ve mastered the basics of food logging, it’s time to dive into the fun part – interpreting the data.
You may just want to focus on a daily calorie goal, but not all calories are created equal. As a nutritionist, I recommend focusing on more than just calories.In fact, go to the nutrition label and look at the following In chronological order:
- fiber: This is the first nutrient I consider when working with clients. That’s because fiber not only promotes gut health but also helps regulate appetite while keeping blood sugar stable. The more fiber you eat, the easier it will be to reach your calorie goals without cravings.
- protein: Protein takes longer to digest than carbohydrates, helping you stay fuller longer. Protein also helps regulate metabolism and build and maintain lean body mass.
- fat: Foods may contain both unsaturated and saturated fats. Choose fats that come mostly from plant-based unsaturated sources to support cardiovascular health. Adding dietary fat provides the body with an energy source while helping regulate appetite.
When you start focusing on macronutrient and calorie tracking, you’ll start to notice less cravings and excessive hunger on days when you hit your fiber and protein goals. On days when you often feel hungry or have low energy, you may notice that you are lacking in these key nutrients.
This can help you determine what aspects of your diet need to be adjusted to achieve your goals.
bottom line
I always tell my clients that tracking can give you the data you need to become a detective of your own body. Food tracking can give you the data you need to explain how the food and drinks you consume every day affect every aspect of your appetite, mood, energy, and overall health. MyFitnessPal has tools to help you achieve your nutrition or fitness goals.
As you start tracking and interpreting the data, you start to notice trends. You begin to discover the balance of macronutrients that help you feel your best every day. While tracking doesn’t allow you to change your behavior, when you see data pinpointing exactly what you need to do to feel your best, it makes it easier to change your behavior and stick with it.
