There’s no easier way to track your food, activity, steps, water, weight and measurements than MyFitnessPal. That’s why more than 200 million people use the app to to achieve their health and fitness goals.
All of our features are designed to set you up for success. We provide the tools you need to reach your goals, like our barcode scanner, recipe importer, progress charts and custom reminders. Using the biggest food database in the world — more than 18 million foods — will allow you to find exactly what you want to track.
Here are a dozen insights you’re sure to learn when you commit to tracking:
1. YOU’LL HAVE ACCESS TO A CLEAR PLAN
Think of MyFitnessPal as a personal guide on your journey to better health. You’ll have access to your daily calories, plus macronutrient and micronutrient targets designed to help you reach your goals.
2. YOU’LL DISCOVER THE POWER OF TRACKING
Tracking is more than calorie counting, it’s being aware of and taking responsibility for what and when you eat. That’s why tracking works even when your calorie counts are off.
3. TRACKING GETS FASTER AND EASIER THE MORE YOU DO IT
MyFitnessPal learns about the foods you eat, the recipes you cook and the exercises that are part of your routine, and we prompt you to save the foods and activities you enter often. This saves you time and makes tracking easier the more you do it.
4. YOU CAN BUILD THE HABIT AT YOUR OWN PACE
Some people hit the ground running with tracking. For others, it takes a little time to get into a groove. Whether you want to track all your meals in the evening, just focus on tracking breakfast for a while or only track during weekdays, you can build the habit at your own pace.
5. YOU’LL LEARN HOW TO MODIFY YOUR BEHAVIOR
Tracking provides instant feedback on your choices. For example, if you track a breakfast that’s high in carbohydrates, you can aim to eat more protein at lunch.
6. YOU’LL DISCOVER MINI CHANGES THAT HAVE A BIG IMPACT
Whether it’s swapping mayonnaise for mustard, black coffee for your morning latte or Greek yogurt for sour cream, you’ll start to discover small changes you can make to your diet that have a big impact on your calories over time.
READ MORE > WHAT HEALTHY 200-CALORIE SNACKS LOOK LIKE
6. YOU’LL LEARN HOW EXERCISE IMPACTS YOUR DAILY CALORIE GOAL
Tracking your exercise teaches you how different workout types, durations and intensities impact the number of calories you burn. On days when you go over your calorie goal, you’ll know just how much exercise it takes to get back on track.
7. YOU’LL EXPERIENCE SMALL SUCCESSES ON THE WAY TO BIGGER GOALS
There are so many ways to succeed when you’re tracking. You can hit a login streak, stay under your calorie goal for five days in a row or see your weight go down on the scale. All of these victories will help you stay motivated as you work toward your larger goal.
8. YOU’LL LEARN WHAT REAL PORTION SIZES ARE
It’s easier to make informed decisions about food when you understand portion sizes. The more you track, the easier it will get to identify a recommended serving of food and the number of calories each portion contains.
9. YOU’LL STAY ACCOUNTABLE AND MOTIVATED
When you’re tracking, you have a visual record of everything you’ve eaten during the day. You may find that you begin looking differently at a handful of candies, extra slice of pizza or super-size popcorn when you know you’ll be recording it.
10. YOU’LL BOUNCE BACK MORE EASILY AFTER UNHEALTHY DAYS
Everyone has days when they go over their calorie goals. When you’re tracking, you’ll know what you need to do to hit the reset button and how to adjust your behavior the following day.
11. YOU’LL HELP MAINTAIN YOUR WEIGHT LOSS
When you’ve reached your goal weight and are ready to shift focus to maintenance, MyFitnessPal will suggest new calorie and nutrient goals to help you keep your weight steady. Sticking with your tracking habit will set you up for success during this new phase of your healthy journey.
At the very least, consider this: 88% of people who track on MyFitnessPal for seven days lose weight.
21 Responses
Great article .It is really informative and shareable article .A big thanks for sharing the article with us .
MyFitnessPal is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I saw a friend of mine I hadn’t seen in a long time and almost didn’t recognize her. I asked her what she was doing and she hooked me up to MyFitnessPal. I have to say I am so excited and proud I’ve lost 19.8 pounds since the end of October. Thank you all at MyFitnessPal. I’ve also been using Pacer to track my steps which syncs into MyFitnessPal. And it’s ALL FREE! What an amazing tool! Couldn’t be any happier. 30 more pounds to go.
Wonderful article. I was in my doctors office Monday and was discouraged to learn I gained a pound. I intend to buckle down even more so to get healthier, if I loose a few pounds that’s cool too.
Amazing article! I feel great and am excited about my fitness journey!!
This article is 100% true! It took me a while to get into it, but I’ve lost almost 25lbs since I finally got around to tracking my food every day. It really put what I was eating into perspective, and helped me build healthier eating habits!
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Amazing one, i lost 14 kg by tracking my calories intake since last August
Wow, I lose weight so much quicker with this app. Thanks!
I’ve lost 7 lbs in less than 20 days!! Loving the app and the accountability it puts on me to be disciplined. Thanks My Fitness pal!
So true. I lost 80lbs and have kept off for 3 months now. Could not have done it with mfp.
I think tracking does help me be more accountable… and also helps me realize how poor some of my food choices or meals are.
would like to understand just how to track , it doesn’t make any since to me , like I am missing a couple of pieces of a puzzle , how long does it take to get answers to my questions .
this says 2 years ago , can anybody explain the tracking to me in a way that I can understand
I started tracking Jan 2015 for my New year resolution along with taking up running. To date I am 52lb lighter. Result. It really helps you to realise just how many calories you consume, where they come from and how those “little snacks” can add up to a large amount of calories!
With this information it’s much easier to adjust your eating habits and stick to your goals.
I have gained weight tracking on here. Just seem to easy to eat more than 1,710 calories.
It is hard where I live to see eat low Calorie everything healthy is high calorie expect water. Any advice is appreciated.
I am struggling mightily. I don’t drink alcohol, I exercise and after 6 weeks had lost barely 2 lb. I gave up but want to try again.
Hello, I know it can very frustrating but don’t give up. Try to see what’s wrong with your exercise or your eating habits. Or maybe you have a slow metabolism but you can try many different things like HIIT or green tea, some rich fiber food in order to get a faster metabolism. So just don’t give up. Small progress is still progress 🙂
Lost about 10 pounds since Xmas. 10 more to go to have a flat belly.. or maybe more?
It’s addictive and some people find it weird and can make jokes about it..
Who cares… I am getting thinner and more ripped 🙂
Any advice on exercise for people with arthritis in the knees and hips?
Walking has been frowned upon by my orthopedist and I don’t know any exercises that might help. Any help would be appreciated.
I would like to be able to understand how to track , but I feel like I am missing a couple of puzzle pieces it doesn’t make complete since to me – HELP