Whether you want to just get in shape or reduce your weight to treat a medical condition, tracking your food is essential. You need to know what & how much you are eating to eliminate body fats and optimize your health. However, we all know monitoring and tracking meals can be daunting if you write down everything manually.
So, to make it easier for you, multiple technology tools are available that keep a check on your meals. MyFitnessPal is the best; it helps you lose weight, lower your BMI, and glow up. In this MyFitnessPal review, I will cover its working, features, pricing, pros, and cons, so you can know whether it has the potential to be your fitness partner or not. Without further ado, let’s delve into them;
What is MyFitnessPal?
MyFitnessPal is an exceptional fitness app that tracks your daily caloric intake and physical activity. It has a massive database of 300,000,000 foods and aids you in tracking your meal by making food logging easy and quick.
I believe this app can work as a personal guide and can instruct anyone throughout their diet journey. Moreover, it’s compatible with social media and allows people to share their fitness goals with friends and family.
But before incorporating it into your fitness routine, I’d recommend you walk through some of its key features and downsides.
Pros and Cons of MyFitnessPal
Listed below are the pros and cons that you should know in the MyFitnessPal review:
Pros:
- Offers a free version which can be helpful for those maintaining their weight
- It can easily track all measurements, including ounces, grams, teaspoons, etc.
- Customization and quick tools allow easy logging in of foods and exercises.
- The interface is quite user-friendly & offers a variety of features for recipe creators.
- Educational and community resources are available in the app.
- It offers connectivity with other tracking apps like Runkeeper, so you can seamlessly import data from other sources.
Cons:
- Constant access to the internet is mandatory to access the large database of foods in real time.
- Sometimes, barcode scanning doesn’t work optimally.
- The free version misses some key features like macronutrient count.
Key Features of MyFitnessPal
In this MyFitnessPal review, I will discuss the most prominent features of MyFitnessPal that make it a top priority for many!
1. Exercise Tracker
Though premium, in my opinion, the exercise tracker is the top feature of MyFintessPal.
On average, a person aged 18 to 65 gives two hours to exercise daily; however, less than 25% of the US population does enough physical activity. The MyFitnessPal app has over 350 exercises in its database and tells people about their daily exercise routine and the calories burned.
Getting constant updates encourages users to start doing exercise and achieve their fitness goals. The exercises available in the app are mainly cardiovascular, strength, pilates, and yoga.
2. Calorie Tracker
According to NHS, the average calorie intake for women is 2200 and 2500 for men. However, it all boils down to your current condition and fitness goals. However, to keep a check on your daily calorie intake, I believe MyFitnessPal’s calorie tracker feature is unparalleled.
It typically works as a diary in which your daily food intake is listed. Based on your meals, you get to know the number of calories you need to burn to achieve your daily goals. In addition, MyFitnessPal automatically stores your meal information, making the logging process easy.
I’m currently aiming for a 3000-calorie count. It keeps a check on my diet intake and then follows up with my exercise routine to give me immediate feedback about my fitness goals.
3. Personalized Diet Action Plan
After analyzing your given information, the MyFitnessPal app creates a personalized diet action plan. This helps you kick-start your “get in the right shape” journey and updates you about your macro and micronutrient targets.
I don’t suggest completely relying on it, but it can definitely give you a good idea.
4. Giant Food Database
The MyFitnessPal review shows that this app has a giant food database. This means once you’ll add the food, it will automatically count everything for you. Due to such a massive database, I hardly need to manually add any food; otherwise, just name it and have it!
5. Barcode Scanner
The MyFitnessPal app features a barcode scanner option that gives you the freedom to scan the barcode of your food. The information gathered will be then entered into your digital food diary.
I haven’t personally encountered any issues yet, but many users have reported irregularities regarding this feature.
How Does MyFitnessPal Work?
MyFitnessPal has multiple platform support. You can find it on Android, iPhone, and even on web browsers.
Step-by-Step Guide
- When you sign up for the app, you must enter your email, country, address, and zip code.
- As soon as you sign up, you need to input basic info to build your fitness profile.
- The app then makes a daily net calorie target for you according to the information you’ve put in.
- The application has a specific meal and exercise section built around your fitness goal. It automatically keeps on updating according to your food and workout routine.
- The app then carefully calculates the number of calories you’ve gained through your food and burned through exercise. You can compare it with your fitness goal, and plan accordingly for the next day.
I usually weigh myself and log it in the app once a week, so my calorie goal adjusts according to my aimed weight.
However, if you are wondering how to log exercise into MyFitnessPal, don’t fret; I have broken it down for you. Here are the steps:
- Go to the exercise section of the app and select between Cardiovascular and Strength.
- Add the number of minutes for a cardio exercise or the reps, sets, and weights for a strength exercise.
- Hit the “Add” button to log the exercise into MyFitnessPal.
MyFitnessPal Free vs. Premium
In the MyFitnessPal review, the free version allows you to record your daily calorie intake and workout. Users with the free tier can also connect with their friends and loved ones over the app to partner with them in this journey. Although the free version is useful for many, the premium version has its own perks. In my opinion, the free version is enough for those who have already reached their desired weight and just want to maintain it.
The premium version typically costs you around $9.99 per month and allows you to add pre-packaged food, a customizable dashboard, and a barcode scanner. Premium version subscribers also get access to the nutritional details of the food and supplements they take.
I’d upgraded to the premium plan when I decided to lose some extra pounds as macro and micronutrient details are vital for this particular goal.
Conclusion
This MyFitnessPal review has listed all the basic and advanced details about the application. You get personalized action plans that help you achieve your fitness goals without compromising on anything. It’s a perfect app to make you accountable for your health and fitness.
You can always start with the free version and then upgrade it according to your needs.
Let us know your thoughts and experience with MyFitnessPal.
Does it help you in any way?
