Welcome to HWLH News Letter
August 2016 - Issue # 033 - MyFitnessPal - A Free & Helpful Weight Loss App.
Hi Everyone. Welcome Back.
Looking for an easy to use app that can help you lose weight?
Then I'd like to suggest myfitnesspal. I love this weight loss app. It's easy to use, totally free and can help encourage weight loss by tracking calories eaten, daily exercise and much more.
I'm sure many of you have heard of it already, but I thought I would just share with you some of the things this program offers in case you haven't given it a try yet.
What do I love most about this weight loss app? Yes, I know, I've already said it, but I love that it's totally free.
You can sign up at any time to access all of the features it offers without spending a dime.
Many people have compared the myfitnesspal app to weight watchers.
That's because this app also keeps track of all your calories. Same as weight watchers, except they use a point system and all points have a calorie amount assigned to them. So it is essentially the same as counting calories.
For those who want to give this program a try, here's how to get started.
You just have to create an account at http://www.myfitnesspal.com/
That takes you to a screen that looks like this. Just fill in the necessary information and
presto, you're a member.
Once you've joined you have access to the whole program.
But you'll first have to provide them with some information about yourself.
Such as weight, goal weight, sex, age, how many times you'd like to exercise a week and so on. I've made a copy of the form to give you an idea of the information needed to start.
I myself don't use all the tools this program has to offer. I enjoy putting in what I eat daily, it's a great way to get familiar with the amount of calories that each food contains.
I also like to track how much water I drink and all my exercise activities.
At first it seems a little time consuming to put in everything little thing you consume daily, but after a couple of days it becomes second nature and only takes a few minutes to do.
So basically the program can calculate how many calories you've eaten, how many can be deducted because of exercising and how many calories are allowed daily to keep your weight loss journey on schedule.
Of course they also give you a time frame for how long it will take to achieve the goal weight you desire.
This makes it so easy to see your progress and you can make any necessary changes accordingly.
Another plus is that the program also remembers foods and drinks that you
consume on a regular basis so you don't have to keep looking those items up, as they are added and saved to your food diary.
Here is the main page of the food diary.
Here is the main page of the exercise diary.
Food and Exercise Diaries:
These diary logs help calculate the number of calories you've consumed subtracting the calories that you have burned with exercise, letting you know how many calories you have left for the day. If you stick within the calorie limits, they have set for you, you will reach your goal.
You can put in your weight information weekly or daily, whatever works best for you.
Though if I'm doing a cleanse or trying different menu plans, I like to put in my weight daily to see what works best.
Charts and Reports:
Here is an example of the charts/report page.
Notice on the charts and reports page there is a drop down menu.
This menu offers all kinds of categories to help not only with weight loss but fitness and nutrition too.
It is divided into 3 categories (progress, nutrition and fitness) which also offer subcategories.
There is a ton of information you can keep track of. Hopefully they will have all the categories that you're looking for.
Under Progress
Weight
Neck
Hips
Waist
Under Nutrition
Net Calories
Calories
Carbs
Fat
Protein
Saturated Fat
Polyunsaturated Fat
Monounsaturated Fat
Trans Fat
Cholesterol
Sodium
Potassium
Fiber
Sugar
Vitamin A
Vitamin C
Iron
Calcium
Under Fitness
Calories Burned
Exercise Minutes
You can also ask questions, get help and share your experiences with other members which can be a great support system.
Here is a sample page of the message board with some of the forum topics you can choose from.
They also offer a blog where you can contribute and comment about your experiences, such as the example below.
Conclusion:
Does myfitnesspal work?
As with most programs it will work as long as you keep working at it. That means keeping up with daily entries of information and making sure your diet and exercise are maintained according to the limits that have been created.
Tips:
You can also combine myfitnesspal with other programs such as Fitbit and other fitness trackers.
Myfitnesspal has no Facebook integration as of yet.
One of the things that this program has it's an unlimited amount of food choices with the calories assigned to them. So if you want to know the calories in something, this program is great.
It's free to sign up and won't cost a you a dime if you want to try it.
So for those of us who like a little more help when it comes to weight loss I hope you try it.
Your Opinion Counts:
If you have an opinion or would like to share a story with us we would love to hear from you.
Use our
Contact Us Page
or
Weight Loss News Page (Your Story Counts)
Wishing you health and happiness as always
Until next time.
Catherine :)
