5 Mistakes People Make When Using MyFitnessPal for Weight Loss

If you’ve ever wondered however to usage MyFitnessPal without making the astir communal mistakes, you aren’t alone. When radical commencement a value nonaccomplishment journey, they privation to log each meal, snack, and workout perfectly. But aft a fewer weeks, world sets in. 

People tin get impatient by the gradual gait of value nonaccomplishment oregon overwhelmed by taking connected excessively galore changes. If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone! Here’s the thing: value nonaccomplishment isn’t astir cleanable logging—it’s astir logging smartly. Understanding the communal pitfalls and however to debar them tin marque each the quality successful achieving your goals (1). 

As a registered dietitian who has guided hundreds of clients done value nonaccomplishment utilizing MyFitnessPal, I’ve seen firsthand the missteps radical marque and however making immoderate elemental adjustments tin pb to amended results.

Keep speechmaking for the astir communal mistakes MyFitnessPal members brushwood and the strategies I urge arsenic a dietitian to assistance you optimize your tracking, enactment motivated, and advancement toward your value nonaccomplishment goals.* 

Mistake 1: Setting Unrealistic Calorie Goals

Overly restrictive calorie goals mightiness look similar a accelerated way to value loss, but this strategy tin backfire (2). Extreme calorie deficits often pb to accrued hunger, fatigue, and nonaccomplishment of thin musculus wide (2). 

When you acceptable your calorie goals excessively low, your assemblage goes into starvation mode, making it harder to suffer value (2). Just think: Your assemblage believes nutrient is scarce, truthful it wants to bent connected to value successful lawsuit you can’t get capable to eat.  (Read much connected starvation mode here.)

Setting your calories excessively debased tin dilatory your metabolism, making it harder to prolong value nonaccomplishment implicit clip (2). And let’s look it: When you consciousness bare and tired, you’re much apt to go irritable, marque unhealthy eating decisions, and propulsion successful the towel. 

I’ve worked with galore clients who came to maine due to the fact that they were struggling with value loss, and aft taking a look astatine their nutrient logs, I rapidly saw that they had acceptable their calorie goals astatine unrealistically debased levels. 

For instance, 1 concern enforcement acceptable her calorie extremity to 1,100 calories per day, adjacent though she was active, walking respective miles astir days. As a result, she had been a yo-yo dieter, losing value and past becoming truthful miserable with however restrictive her fare was that she’d springiness up. I boosted her calorie level to 1,500 calories per day, which was overmuch much sustainable. 

So, let’s speech astir however to debar this mishap truthful you don’t autumn into this trap yourself.

Set a realistic goal

Use MyFitnessPal’s calculator to estimation your regular calorie needs. Stephanie Nelson, RD, MyFitnessPal’s Lead Nutrition Scientist, suggests a 200-calorie shortage arsenic a tenable extremity to assistance you suffer value without going into starvation mode (2). 

Monitor however you feel

If you’re perpetually hungry, tired, oregon irritable, your calorie extremity whitethorn beryllium excessively debased (2). Adjust it to suit your body’s needs better. 

Focus connected nutrient-dense foods 

This is simply a elevation I’ll dice on. Some calories volition capable you up amended than others, making it easier to execute the calorie shortage needed for value nonaccomplishment (3). So, absorption connected high-fiber, protein-rich, and whole-food options to enactment fuller and supply much nutrients (3).

Check successful regularly

As you suffer weight, you whitethorn request to set your calorie goals since smaller bodies typically necessitate less calories (3). That’s wherefore it’s adjuvant to cheque successful with yourself regularly, find wherever you are, what your goals are, and whether they volition beryllium sustainable for you (3). 

The bottommost enactment is that sustainable calorie goals are the instauration of semipermanent occurrence (3).

Mistake 2: Not Logging Accurately

Logging inaccuracies, similar guessing information sizes, forgetting tiny (but perchance caloric) ingredients, oregon relying connected user-submitted entries without verification, tin importantly skew your calorie and nutrient tracking (1, 4, 5). 

Over time, these insignificant discrepancies adhd up and whitethorn pb to stalled value loss, value gain, oregon an inaccurate representation of your nutrient intake (4).

If you’re not logging accurately, you mightiness deliberation you’re staying wrong your goals, but successful reality, you could beryllium overshooting oregon undershooting your intake, which tin interaction your value nonaccomplishment and nutritional status.

In fact, a 2021 survey recovered that, indeed, logging inaccuracies are rather common. According to the research, unverified foods are much apt to underestimate calories and overestimate macromolecule (5).

The main mishap I’ve seen successful my signifier is to guesstimate information sizes of healthy, high-calorie foods, similar nuts. One fistful tin mean antithetic things to antithetic people, truthful for much close tracking, usage Voice Log, Meal Scan, or—if you’re truly dedicated—you could see measuring portions of these items utilizing measuring cups and spoons–at slightest erstwhile you’re getting started (1).

Here are immoderate different ways to guarantee much close logging. 

• Rely connected verified entries. Use MyFitnessPal’s greenish checkmark (Verified Foods) oregon Best Match options for much close data. User-submitted entries whitethorn beryllium outdated oregon incomplete.
• Include condiments, cooking oils, and drinks successful your logs—they tin adhd hundreds of untracked calories. So, if you’re roasting veggies, adhd astir a spoon of lipid per serving of vegetables. 
• Use MyFitnessPal’s barcode scanner to log packaged foods accurately.
• Use the look builder for home-cooked meals to relationship for each ingredient.
• Review your log at the extremity of the day. Check your entries to spot if thing looks off. 

While it’s adjuvant to close communal logging mistakes, don’t get overly stressed oregon overwhelmed astir logging accuracy. The information is that radical who log much person been shown to get amended results, truthful the thought is to effort to drawback and close inaccuracies without making yourself nuts (6).

Mistake 3: Ignoring Nutrient Balance

Focusing solely connected calorie intake without considering macronutrient equilibrium is different communal misstep that tin permission you struggling to conscionable your goals (2). 

If your fare is abbreviated connected protein, steadfast fats, oregon prime carbohydrates, you mightiness acquisition hunger, cravings, oregon adjacent fatigue, making it harder to instrumentality to your program (2). 

One of the archetypal things I bash with clients erstwhile reviewing their nutrient intake is to look astatine their macronutrient equilibrium astatine breakfast. That’s due to the fact that I usually spot a signifier of consuming excessively galore carbs astatine the disbursal of macromolecule and steadfast fats. 

For example, 1 pistillate I counseled ate a meal of oatmeal with fruit, which is carb connected carb, and she was bare successful an hr oregon two. So, she’d snack earlier lunch, making it harder to get into a calorie deficit. 

I tweaked her meal to boost macromolecule and assistance with her hunger. Research shows that consuming a high-protein meal tin power appetite-reducing hormones and pb to decreased hunger and tendency to devour (7). 

Feeling fuller and little tendency to devour tin assistance marque it easier to suffer value (7). So, this 1 accommodation helped her get connected way with her value nonaccomplishment goals.  Here are immoderate different steps you tin instrumentality to beforehand amended nutrient balance. 

• Take a look astatine your sheet to spot what’s missing. Complete your sheet with missing elements and beryllium mindful astir doubling up connected carbs. Instead, purpose for a premix of protein, steadfast fats, and fiber-rich carbs astatine each meal. 
• Set macronutrient goals successful MyFitnessPal and show your intake alongside calories. I suggest  40% carbs, 30% protein, and 30% abdominous arsenic a bully starting constituent for value loss, though your needs whitethorn vary.
• Use your nutrient log to place imbalances, and experimentation to spot what leaves you feeling afloat and energized.

Mistake 4: Overestimating Exercise Calories 

I hatred to beryllium the bearer of atrocious news, but relying connected workout calorie estimates and eating backmost each calorie burned tin sabotage your progress, particularly if those estimates are inflated. 

Exercise trackers and apps often overestimate calories burned, starring users to devour much calories than they’re really burning (8). For value loss, this tin forestall a calorie deficit—the instauration of value management—and stall advancement (2). 

You mightiness wonderment however a tech instrumentality similar a ticker could beryllium off. Well, 1 survey that analyzed the information from 65 different studies investigating the accuracy of specified devices recovered that erstwhile it comes to your calorie burn, they’re disconnected by an mean of 30% (8). Other studies study akin findings. For instance, different survey deemed the calorie-burning estimates from these devices arsenic “unacceptable” (9). 

This isn’t to accidental that workout tools aren’t besides utile and tin assistance folks connected their value nonaccomplishment journey. Just beryllium alert that determination whitethorn beryllium immoderate inconsistencies

I’ve seen galore clients enactment hard successful the gym but unknowingly cancel retired their efforts by eating backmost each their logged workout calories. It’s understandable, too. 

One pistillate I worked with was pushing herself hard astatine rotation class, presuming that she was torching calories. So she’d devour backmost those workout calories and was disheartened by her stalled value loss.  I explained that astir workout burns less calories than you think, and that our bodies thin to compensate for the calories they pain by slowing down successful different ways (10).

So, what tin you bash astir this scenario? I told my lawsuit to make a buffer by not eating backmost each calorie she burned. Try eating ½ to ⅔ of your workout calories to support a calorie shortage (without under-fueling).

Also, I ever archer clients not to trust connected workout for value loss. While workout is simply a invaluable portion of a steadfast lifestyle, astir value nonaccomplishment occurrence comes from creating a calorie shortage done fare (11). That doesn’t mean skipping exercise. Instead, see it a almighty instrumentality to boost your intelligence and carnal wellness and bask much mobility. 

Finally, show your progress. If you’re weighing yourself and find your value nonaccomplishment stalled, see reducing the magnitude of workout calories you consume. Another mode to measure your advancement is to analyse your vigor levels, which tin archer you overmuch astir whether you’re under- oregon over-fueling. 

Mistake 5: Focusing Too Much connected Perfection

Striving for perfection often leads to unnecessary guilt, frustration, overwhelm, oregon adjacent giving up wholly erstwhile beingness doesn’t spell according to plan. Weight nonaccomplishment and steadfast eating aren’t astir flawlessly hitting each goal—they’re astir consistent, sustainable progress, and sometimes that means making adjustments oregon accepting wherever you are successful the travel (2). 

In fact, cleanable logging isn’t strictly indispensable to show progress. Case successful point: On average, MyFitnessPal members who log their nutrient astatine slightest 4 days successful their archetypal week are 7 times much apt to marque advancement toward their value nonaccomplishment goals than those who don’t. This highlights that consistency—not perfection—drives success.

If you’re struggling with accordant tracking due to the fact that it’s overwhelming, springiness yourself a small affirmative enactment by telling yourself to bent successful there. Research suggests that tracking becomes overmuch much manageable aft a portion and takes overmuch little clip than erstwhile you commencement (6). So effort to instrumentality with it.

Also, punctual yourself that logging astir meals, astir days volition apt beryllium much adjuvant successful the agelong tally than aiming for 100% accuracy each day. In my experience, aiming for 100% accuracy leads to overwhelm, making it much apt that you’ll springiness up.

It tin besides beryllium adjuvant to acceptable small, specific, achievable, and realistic goals, specified arsenic I’m going to way my meals 4 times this week (3). Nelson recommends considering goals that assistance you physique healthier habits, specified arsenic tracking macromolecule oregon fiber. This gives you thing to purpose for, and erstwhile you deed that goal, you tin observe the win. 

The main thought present is to prioritize consistency and beryllium flexible with yourself. Chances are, you’re doing amended than you think!

The Bottom Line

Using MyFitnessPal efficaciously for value nonaccomplishment is astir much than conscionable logging meals—it’s astir avoiding communal mistakes and adopting amended logging strategies. 

By mounting realistic calorie goals, focusing connected macronutrient balance, logging arsenic accurately arsenic possible, and staying accordant without overwhelming yourself with perfection, MyFitnessPal tin beryllium a adjuvant instrumentality for occurrence (2, 3).

If you’re struggling to conscionable your goals, wherefore not commencement fresh, focusing connected what we’ve covered present today? You tin besides question personalized proposal from a registered dietitian if you request other guidance. You tin stock your experiences, observe tiny wins, and link with others to enactment motivated. 

*As always, everyone’s value nonaccomplishment communicative is different. Weight nonaccomplishment is hard work, and involves a steadfast fare and exercise. References to circumstantial lawsuit plans are for illustrative purposes only. Consult with your doc earlier starting immoderate caller fare regime.

The station 5 Mistakes People Make When Using MyFitnessPal for Weight Loss appeared archetypal connected MyFitnessPal Blog.