Quitting myfitnesspal

Cajungal

Staff member
This isn't an advice thread... just an announcement I feel compelled to make for some reason.

Over the past few weeks I've been deleting myfitnesspal from my phone. Finally I did it, and here's why, if you care:

1. I get hungry after dinner... not "I'm bored" hungry, but "shit I'm not going to be able to sleep" hungry. And I'm tired of feeling bad about eating something sensible just because I might go a little over my limit. My body is sending me a signal, and I think it makes more sense to listen it and then give it something wholesome like some plain yogurt or egg whites. I'm a teacher--I'm on my feet all day, and then I work out 6 days a week (sometimes 7). So maybe I'm slightly underestimating what I need.

2. The app doesn't really help me track my most important goals, which are getting enough vegetables and stopping when I'm full. (My mom was a "clean plate" mom, and it's such a hard habit to break!!) I've found that I can do these things well enough without counting every calorie.

If I start to notice an increase in body fat, I'll probably go back to tracking. But this is my newest goal, and it's an important one. I feel like if I can do this, I'll have accomplished something huge. I just want to have the sense to listen to myself and give my body what it needs. On my own.

It sounds so simple and like something I should have already learned, but after hitting rock bottom back in college, I started relying so heavily on all these resources. It's not something I'm ashamed of; that's what they are there for. But I'd love to be able to say I can regulate myself.

Anyway... blog over.

TL;DR: I'm teaching myself common sense.
 
I find that using calorie counting apps is a good way to "start" giving yourself more common sense about how much you are/should be eating. Once you start to get the hang of it on your own though, you definitely don't need it anymore.
 
Atta girl!

To be honest, I also got rid of myfitnesspal because similarly to you, it wasn't helping me track the most important things. And it was becoming a hassle to try and figure out my calorie intake for every single little thing. So, I ditched it. I don't think my diet has been terrible, so here's to hoping we can learn to self moderate.

You got this!
 

BananaHands

Staff member
I got rid of it too - it helped me at first in the sense that I realized that what I was eating regularly was unhealthy and high-calorie, but it caused me to become to obsessive and it was incredibly hard to eat food I prepared myself. It's great for forming a habit of looking what's in the food you eat though. So I'm thankful for that.
 

Dave

Staff member
I never updated mine like you have to do to make it work. I would sit down at night and think, "Whoa! I haven't updated it in two days. Now what did I eat..?"
 
I had a program like that, too, and like others have said, it was a great starter to get you into good habits. I've had to go back once or twice when I noticed some slipping, but it got me used to eating/exercising like I should. When I had to drop my baby weight, I didn't even need to sign up again: I just went back to the habits I had when I was using it. I dropped 30 lbs (baby weight + a few extra pounds) and have kept them off.

If you can look in the mirror and like what you see, you're doing fine. You don't need to obsess with every number. And the nice part is you can always start again if you feel like you need to. :)
 
Top