While there are many apps that claim to help you with weight loss, most of them either have limited databases or are loaded with adverts. Alas, there is hope yet – Introducing MyFitnessPal.
But first, let’s cover the essentials.
Food Analysis
Daily Calories
Your daily calorie intake is based on a number of factors, including your age, gender and how active you are during the day.
How does this relate to weight loss?
To lose weight, you need to go through a calorie deficit. By decreasing the number of calories you consume during the day, more of your reserve fats will be burned for energy use. This works most effectively when combined with a reliable and consistent exercise program.
The idea here is not to burn yourself out in order to burn away as many excess calories as possible, but instead to introduce yourself to working out at a steady pace. Start small, rather to less exercise more regularly and turn it into an easy-to-follow routine instead of it feeling like a dreaded chore. This way it will be easier to stick with it and add to it little by little.
Macronutrients
Macronutrients are nutrients your body needs in larger amounts for proper growth and development. These include carbohydrates (carbs for short), fats and proteins.
Carbs
While carbs have been made out to be the enemy, they’re actually really important. They allow your body to produce glucose, which then gets converted into energy. Carbs can be found in foods such as pasta, bread, fruit and vegetables – these are the kinds of carbs that you want to include in your diet.
Carbs are also found in snack foods like candy, cake and chips, but these are what’s called refined carbs, which is what you want to avoid when trying to lose weight.
It’s true that eliminating carbs from your diet will allow you to lose some weight, but the weight lost is simple water weight. A diet without carbs is not natural for your body, so the moment you start eating any carbs again, your body will replenish the weight you lost.
Fats
There’s been a lot of debate as to whether the consumption of fats is good for you, but here’s what you need to know above all else: trans fats and saturated fats are bad for you, and dietary fats are good for you.
Dietary fats are important to provide your body with energy and to support the growth of cells. They guard your organs and generate heat, and they even aid in hormone production.
Eggs, avocado and nuts contain healthy fats that cover these important roles. They should, however, be eaten sparingly since they are very calorie-dense.
Protein
Here we get to the bedrock of weight loss and health in general. Protein is made up of building blocks called amino-acids, and most of the components in your body are made up of different kinds of amino acids. This is why eating enough protein is so very important.
Protein helps you build lean muscle and keeps you fuller for longer, and when you don’t feel hungry, you eat less. This reduces your overall calorie intake.
Healthy proteins can be found in fish, chicken, beans, nuts and whole grains.
Micronutrients
Micronutrients are found in vegetables and fruit and include a wide range of vitamins and minerals essential to bodily function. The body cannot produce them and, as such, it is drawn from the food we eat.
My Fitness Pal
What it’s About
Now that you’re aware of the need to eat the right amount of the right food, it’s time to put that into action. But how on earth are you supposed to keep track of it all?
A membership with MyFitnessPal provides you with tools that conveniently logs all the important information for you, and allows easy access to it in the future. It also comes with a variety of sub-apps that will help you on your weight loss journey.
What You Get
Food Diary
In order to keep track of your daily calorie intake, you need to keep track of what you eat. Here, you can log what you eat as and when you are having your meal.
Food Database
To make the process more convenient, the app provides you with a huge database of 300,000,000+ items to select for quick and easy capturing.
Personal Food Database
You can add your own meals and recipes with their calorie count for easy access should you have them again in the future.
Personalised Diet Profile
Your profile is catered to your weight-loss needs, and comes complete with a reminder to exercise, and log your meals.
Supportive Community
You can learn all about how the app has helped others, get support and motivation, and even share your own tips in this collaborative community. There is also a selection of blogs and recipe lists that will help you along the way.
So, put aside your excuses and get started rather sooner than later. With this handy app you’re sure to make a success of your body slimming goals. Grab the app here to get going.