Last Updated on May 22, 2023 by Michael Brockbank
A few days ago, I finally hit 1000 days in MyFitnessPal. And although I am not at my goal weight, it’s still one of the most important tools I use for health and fitness. And I look forward to another 1000 days.
I just need to remember to log food every day. On the up side, using MyFitnessPal has grown into more of a daily habit.
The Past 1000 Days in MyFitnessPal
Over the past 1000 days in MyFitnessPal, I’ve had severe life changes which affected my fitness levels. The app literally helped save my life. And I am grateful that I am still able to breathe today while typing this blog post.
So, what kind of things has MyFitnessPal done to help me become a better and far healthier person?
Showing Where I Need the Most Work
First and foremost, the app is a great tool for creating personalized strategies. After all, everyone has unique physical and dietary requirements. And MyFitnessPal contributes greatly to figuring out where you need to be.
Whether you’re paying attention to calories, carbs or sodium, it’s all relevant – and easily accessible.
A Problem with Snacking
For me, the last 1000 days in MyFitnessPal demonstrates my problem with snacking. Of course I can easily figure that out inside of the first few days of the week.
I especially have a problem with snacking late at night. However, I’ve found I eat far less in the afternoon if I am occupied with something.
Well, something more than just sitting in front of the computer and watching Netflix. Even gaming helps curb my late night appetite.
Needing More Physical Activity
Thanks to the data collected by MyFitnessPal, as it’s connected to my Fitbit, I can see how I need more physical activity throughout the day.
Given how I work and play at my desk, it’s often difficult for me to get up and moving. However, I’ve put in a bit of effort lately to be more mobile.
What I’d like to do is join some kind of a sporting league. Perhaps I can find a bowling team or something else that will get me up and out of the house.
Helps With Motivation
The second most important aspect of 1000 days in MyFitnessPal is helping with motivation. From tracking food and exercise to being cheered on by friends and family, it’s a great system to help keep your head in the game.
And since I have the platform connected to Facebook, my family and friends see when I’ve lost weight or accomplished a goal.
Keeping the Numbers in the Green
When you consume too many calories, the numbers in the app glow a deep red. According to your calorie goals, the aim is to keep them green.
At any point, I can look down at my phone and see if I have enough calories available to “afford” a snack. If I don’t, I’ll often go for a walk or exercise a bit so I can.
Yes, I’m a calorie counter. And it’s how I’ve lost 70 pounds so far.
Cheered On by Friends and Family
Getting praise for your hard work is positive reinforcement. This translates into a stronger sense of motivation. By adding friends to your MyFitnessPal account, you’re sharing the experience with others who are like-minded.
The result is relishing in the cheers you get from friends, family and even strangers on the system.
Instead of people commenting how you’re fat, most will compliment you on progress.
Only Takes a Few Seconds
One of the main reasons why I hit 1000 days in MyFitnessPal is because of its easy-to-use interface. Whether I am scanning food from my Samsung Galaxy or looking up a meal on the Desktop computer, it’s quick and easy.
And it’s a small price in time to help build a healthier body.
Using the App
With the app, I can quickly scan the bar code of foods I eat and add them to my record. If I eat the same thing, I can just pick the food from a list of recent edibles.
Since I have MyFitnessPal connected to my Fitbit Charge 3 data, which is also connected to my phone, I have an accurate running tally of intake versus output.
It’s great when I am at a carnival or something and I want to know if I can afford to drink a Mountain Dew or Dr Pepper.
Using the Desktop Browser
When I started using MyFitnessPal, I did so from the desktop browser app. From my computer, I would enter my data. While I don’t use it as much today, I still occasionally open it up to view various reports.
I also like the prospect of building my own personalized cook book by saving recipes. I plan on adding more in the near future, especially since I love cooking with my air fryer.
My point is that MyFitnessPal works great whether you’re mobile or not. And since it’s free, there’s really no reason not to give it a try.
Discovering Physical Problems
Although my primary use of MyFitnessPal is to watch calories, it’s a great tool for also discovering more about the body. It’s far more than just a calorie counter and food tracker.
In fact, it’s helped me avoid all kinds of physical problems.
Getting Sick in the Morning
Getting sick in the morning has a variety of causes. It can be anything from a specific food you eat or intense levels of stress. In my case, I was able to see what foods caused discomfort and pain by tracking my intake.
It’s all about the data. And going over what foods you consume can easily help you eliminate certain things as causing sickness.
Problems with Overeating
If you record every morsel of food you come across, you can find common elements that contribute to allergies and other issues. This is how I was able to discredit onions as causing my rotten egg burbs.
In fact, it wasn’t any one type of food at all that was causing my problem. My rotten egg burps come from overeating. I discovered that if I hit 1000 calories or more in the red for any given day, the next day was going to be filled with the smell of sulfur.
Correcting Heart Problems
I had a severe heart problem, but not from food. My cardiovascular issue was due to the lack of physical activity over the span of several years. That, and an incredible amount of stress.
Since MyFitnessPal helps track my physical activity, it helped show me how I was not moving enough.
Once I started walking more regularly and actually putting in effort to exercise, my heart problems mostly went away. I went from a heart flutter three or four times a day to maybe once every six months or so.
Probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to get checked, though. Even though the last time I was hooked up, the emergency room doctor said the EKG was normal. That is, until my heart stopped in 2016.
Why Didn’t I Lose More Weight?
After recording 1000 days in MyFitnessPal, you’d think I would have the body of a Greek god. Unfortunately, it takes more than just recording a bit of food now and then to really accomplish good health.
In reality, I should have hit my goal weight sometime two years ago.
Lack of Determination
I’m definitely not one of those people who can focus on a beach body and do it in a matter of months. I often get distracted doing something else or simply have a lack of determination.
Don’t get me wrong, I would love to “Magic Mike” myself. But I often don’t have the drive it takes to succeed.
However, this is something I am working on.
Real Life Interruptions
Perhaps one of the more influential issues that prevent me from losing weight come from real life issues. Mainly, depression and stress.
I am a stress and depression eater. And being manic bipolar, doctor’s diagnosis from the 90s, I have severe ups and downs. The end result is too much snacking.
In reality, many of the things that happen in life are nothing more than excuses. I have options to deal with my problems, but I am either too lazy or unwilling to do most of them.
So not losing very much weight over the last 1000 days in MyFitnessPal is pretty much 100% my fault.
And I know this. The trick is to do something about it.
Lack of Solid Effort
Speaking of being lazy, losing weight truly comes down to effort. If you have a half-assed attitude towards health and fitness, that’s all you’re going to get from the experience.
And I was incredibly lazy in the past.
But like I said, it’s something I am working on. I do more house work now, I play 30 minutes or more of Xbox Kinect every morning and I’m looking to get out and socialize more.
And that right there would easily help me burn through the calories. I just need to get away from my computer for more than an hour at a time.
Looking Forward to Another 1000 Days in MyFitnessPal
So I can’t really call the past 1000 days in MyFitnessPal an absolute success story. I am still 30 pounds from my goal. However, I didn’t put back on the weight…so I guess that’s a win.
I could have easily ballooned back up to 290+ pounds. But I held my ground and lost a bit of weight over the past three years.
Thanks to MyFitnessPal, I can still say I need a new wardrobe.[template id=”3591″]
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