{"id":48413,"date":"2016-03-23T07:15:35","date_gmt":"2016-03-23T11:15:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=48413"},"modified":"2021-11-18T10:52:41","modified_gmt":"2021-11-18T15:52:41","slug":"myfitnesspal-app-calorie-calculator-habits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/health\/myfitnesspal-app-calorie-calculator-habits\/","title":{"rendered":"9 Habits Successful MyFitnessPal Users Swear By"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"9
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You\u2019ve heard it before: Research<\/a> shows that the daily act of recording every bite and step you take is a useful tool to maintain your weight over the long term. \u201cIt keeps me accountable,\u201d explains Kristin Miller, 31, a Manhattan mom and skin care consultant who lost four pounds with popular food-tracking app MyFitnessPal in February. \u201cIt helps me understand how much I\u2019m eating in a day and what portion sizes are.\u201d<\/p>\n

But just because you\u2019ve downloaded the app, doesn\u2019t mean the pounds will start melting away \u2014 you\u2019ve got to use it right. That\u2019s why researchers at MyFitnessPal\u2019s parent company Under Armour took a deep dive into the habits of the app\u2019s 420,000 top members (defined as those who came within five percent of their goal weight) out of their database of 4.2 million users. And the results<\/a> might surprise you.<\/p>\n

Despite the current popularity of low-carb, high-protein diets<\/a>, top users ate less meat and eggs than their less successful counterparts \u2014\u00a0and more cauliflower, yogurt, almonds and olive oil. Perhaps the most compelling indication of success: The users with the best results ate about 30 percent more fiber daily<\/a>. One surprising stat: Top trackers also ate 17 percent more cereal than general users!<\/p>\n

Before you reach for that box of Cheerios, check out these trends \u2014\u00a0and tips from loyal trackers \u2014 to learn what the weight loss winners did differently.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> 11 Non-Scale Victories So Much Better Than Weight Loss<\/a><\/p>\n

The 9 Most Unexpected Habits of Successful MyFitnessPal Users<\/strong><\/h3>\n

1. They don\u2019t skimp on calories.
\n<\/strong>No juice cleanses<\/a> here! The top users didn\u2019t have to resort to extreme measures to successfully lose weight. Women consumed about 1,300 to 1,400 calories daily; and it was about 1,800 to 1,900 calories for men, according to the data. They enjoyed their healthy fats, too. The most successful users all ate roughly the same macronutrient breakdown: 46 percent carbs, 35 percent fat and 19 percent protein.<\/p>\n

2. They always log in \u2014 even when it\u2019s not pretty.
\n<\/strong>It shouldn\u2019t come as a surprise that successful users logged into the app more frequently\u00a0\u2014 six days in a row, instead of just three days for the tracking slackers. They even logged in over the winter holidays. \u201cSuccessful users are twice as likely to log in on Thanksgiving and Christmas,\u201d says Rebecca Silliman, director of communications for MyFitnessPal.<\/p>\n

Antoinette\u00a0Pierce, a Daily Burn 365<\/a> user who\u2019s lost 20 pounds since January 2015 using MyFitnessPal, even forces herself to chronicle her slip-ups. \u201cI don’t cheat. If I have a beer (or two or three) or Prosecco or cake or ice cream, I include it all, even if it pushes me over my daily calorie allowance,\u201d says Pierce, 43, a stay-at-home mom from Charleston, South Carolina. \u201cThe only day I don\u2019t use it is on Sunday, which is my rest day.\u201d<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>Daily Burn 365: New Workouts, 7 Days a Week<\/a><\/p>\n

3. They figure out how to maximize their calories.
\n<\/strong>Using the app to compare the nutrition in a boxed macaroni and cheese meal to what she\u2019d get from a giant salad left Miller astonished. \u201cIf you\u2019re trying to lose weight, you become very aware of how you can get the most bang for your buck in your diet,\u201d she says. That means choosing foods that help you stay fuller longer. \u201cI knew I\u2019d feel better with the salad,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

“Users who logged in recipes lost 40 percent more weight than users who didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

4. They use the \u201crepeat meal\u201d function frequently.
\n<\/strong>If you eat the same thing nearly every day, MyFitnessPal has a feature in which you can add an entire meal without having to look up every single ingredient again. That helps Miller when she wants to log her favorite salad and doesn\u2019t have time to re-enter each portion of cucumbers, peppers, carrots, onions, chicken and olive oil.<\/p>\n

5. They plan out their eats in advance.
\n<\/strong>While Miller documents her food intake as she goes, Pierce enters everything she plans to eat first thing in the morning. \u201cI realized that if I added all the meals and how much water I should drink right away, I was more likely to actually stick with it,\u201d says Pierce. Also, the ability to see her projected food intake helps her re-adjust, if needed. For example, if she observes that her planned lunch is high in calories, she can scale back<\/a> her dinner plans.<\/p>\n

6. They store their favorite recipes.
\n<\/strong>Successful users cook more, too. They logged twice as many recipes<\/a> than the less active users. \u201cWe know from other data that users who logged in recipes lost 40 percent more weight than users who didn\u2019t,\u201d says Silliman. The recipe feature helps Pierce plan out three to four dinners for the week ahead. \u201cI create my own entry for my favorite turkey meatloaf recipe<\/a>, and I make that on Sunday,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> 30-Minute Meals for Quick, Healthy Dinner Ideas<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe app gives you permission to really enjoy your food because you know exactly what you\u2019re eating.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

7. They do a little more cardio.
\n<\/strong>Both the successful and not-so-successful users logged strength and cardio workouts. Yet those who lost more weight tended to squeeze in a little more cardio, research shows. But what\u2019s surprising is that they didn\u2019t engage in epic sweat sessions. The average length of a workout among successful users was just 25 minutes<\/a>!<\/p>\n

8. They don\u2019t regard every walk around the block as a license to eat more.
\n<\/strong>MyFitnessPal regulars know the app allows you to increase your daily-allotted calories by exercising more. But the best users know not to get carried away by tracking every single step. \u201cI don\u2019t count my walk to the subway or walking with my son or dog as an excuse to eat an extra 100 calories,\u201d explains Miller. \u201cThat’s normal everyday activity that your body is used to burning.\u201d<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> Why You Might Want to Rethink Weekend Cheat Days<\/a><\/p>\n

9. They look up everything.
\n<\/strong>On a recent trip to a famous Brooklyn pizzeria with her husband, Miller logged a long run beforehand so she\u2019d have enough calories to spare. Still, unsure of portion sizes, she looked up thin-crust pizza on the app while waiting for their food to arrive. \u201cI had two slices, some salad \u2014 plus a cookie from a nearby bakery \u2014 and I was really full,\u201d she says. \u201cThe app gives you permission to really enjoy your food because you know exactly what you\u2019re eating.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New research reveals what the most successful MyFitnessPal users are doing to lose weight \u2014 and keep it off. The answers might surprise you. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":46,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,7,11,18],"tags":[51,58,341,362,283,285],"class_list":["post-48413","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-diet-nutrition","category-health","category-health-hacks","category-weight-loss","tag-food-choices","tag-hacks","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2walking","tag-tracking","tag-weight-loss"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48413","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/46"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48413"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48413\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48413"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48413"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48413"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}