Last Friday, a few of us were talking on Twitter via the #CathysCrew hashtag and MyFitnessPal came up. A lot of the crew members use this app/website to track their food and exercise. I've used it in the past, but have made no secret of the fact that I hate hate hate counting calories (I believe the word I used was abhor). Anyway, because so many of them are using it I thought I'd jump back in and give it another go.
Well, that lasted a whole day.
I seriously can't do it, you guys. To me, eating is enjoyable. And keeping track of every little thing I eat is painful. See, the thing is, I can't just "kind of" keep track. I'm one of those people who needs to look at the nutrition label and find the exact number of calories and measure out the exact serving size. This is not fun. Especially when you head over to a friends for a girls night and she's made delicious spinach artichoke dip and homemade salsa and there's CHEESE! I ate in moderation, but who knows how many calories were in those delicious things? I really didn't care. I knew I was going to be running 5 miles the next day. So I ate without feeling guilty. And that's what works for me.
Now, I understand that MyFitnessPal also keeps track of your sodium, fat, cholesterol, etc intake. And I do want to start eating healthier. But right now, this just isn't the program that works for me. Like I said, eating is something I enjoy (probably because I don't cook) and I don't want to take the fun out of it by keeping track of everything I eat.
I know there's a lot of you using this program successfully. I love that! I think finding what works for each of us is the key to sticking with something. This just isn't my thing. Sorry, Crew, you certainly got me interested in MFP again, but in the end it's just not for me.
5 comments:
Well, there is no need to feel guilty about that! Or to apologize. MFP works for me because it shows me exactly what I'm putting in my body. It forces me to look at the calories and make better choices. For me, it's sort of like a game. And also, it helps me not snack...like in the evenings I would be prone to grab a cookie or cereal, but now I know when I'm out, I'm out! I also don't run 5 miles, either! So I think you're good to go!
Yeah, I tried that app.. I don't even think I lasted an entire day! hahaha!
You make me feel 100% better... signed on... looked it over and booked it back to sparkpeople.com ;) As active as you are now with training I think you'll do just fine. My main issue was always portion size so using the calorie counting has helped me at least figure out how much of one thing I can eat before going nuts with calories. I often find myself eating bad stuff... and then causing myself to have to NOT eat during the day just to keep the calories in check and that can't be healthy. I'd rather eat something bad... and say OK I need to eat better after this and keep moving rather than feel guilty or starved. Thanks for taking a stand and making me feel better about not loving the whole calorie counting thing too!
I made it to day 2 when I used it. It's just too much to keep up with.
I don't use MFP but I just try and watch the calories on my own - easier said than done! Eek!
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