Why track your food?
Most people have no idea how much they eat. Not because they are careless, but because nobody does without measuring. Tracking replaces the guess with a number. Weigh your food, log it honestly, and within a couple of weeks you will know more about your eating than years of guessing taught you.
How do I set up MyFitnessPal?
Download the app and follow the sign-up. Answer the questions, but do not worry about them: the only one that really matters is your current weight. Two things to know:
- Ignore the calorie goal it gives you. It is a rough estimate from your answers, and you will replace it with targets set properly for you.
- Untick "Use my phone to track my steps" on the last screen. It adds estimated calories burned to your allowance, which is rarely accurate and makes your numbers confusing. Your targets already allow for your activity.
How do I change my calorie and macro goals?
If you do not have targets yet, get them from the free TDEE and macro calculator first. Then:
- Tap More, bottom right, then Goals.
- Under Nutrition Goals, tap Calorie, Carbs, Protein and Fat Goals.
- Tap Calories and type in your target.
- Tap any macro and set the percentages.
The free version sets macros as percentages of calories; Premium lets you type grams. Adjust the percentages until the grams shown are close to your gram targets. Close is good enough.
Turning grams into percentages. Protein and carbohydrate have 4 calories per gram; fat has 9. So 160 g of protein on 2,200 calories is 640 ÷ 2,200 = 29%.
How do I log food accurately?
Open Diary, tap Add food under the meal, then scan the barcode, pick from History or search. Be specific when you search: brand, size, cooked or raw. Set the serving size and weight, then tick to save.
Check the numbers. Anyone can add a food to the database, so entries are not always right. If you have the packet, make sure the entry matches the label; for loose foods, pick the closest entry, ideally one with the green tick.
Three habits that make it work
- Weigh it, and say how. Match the entry to the state you weighed it in: cooked or uncooked.
- Log before you eat. Plan the day in the app first. It is far easier to adjust a plan than to undo a meal.
- Use your history. Your usual foods come up as you type, so day ten takes a fraction of day one.
Should I track the calories burned from exercise?
No. Calories burned from steps and exercise are estimates, and your targets already account for them. Track calories, macros and bodyweight: weigh yourself first thing, after the toilet and before food, a few times a week, and judge the weekly average, not the day.