myfitnesspal

[votum]

Hey gents, been awhile lol. I've been busting ass in the gym, trying to save some money to move over to the Seattle area, and playing lots of video games.

Anyway, I just got the myfitnesspal app on my cell phone, and was wondering how accurate the thing is? I've found the only way I can grow is to mega dose protein...IE my breakfast had 70 grams in it. The thing says I need to eat 3000 calories a day to gain 1lb/wk. And I am currently 215, that seems low, especially since it says my goal protein is 110G. Just curious, carbs look about right at 400, and fat at 100, but my protein should be at least 200 imo.

Thanks for opinions, I've seen a bunch of folks saying they use this thing, it seems pretty intuitive, and I need to start getting my diet back in shape, the eating whatever the hell I want + being on test worked out good, but a diet would work wonders right about now

 

[JudoJosh]

Waddup bud! Haven't seen you on the boards in a while. Hope all is well

As for those calculators, they are all BS IMO. They give you a estimate and a starting point but in no way can determine your bodies needs for growth. Your best bet is to start tracking your food intake and weight and find your caloric maintenance. Just make sure you get enough fat and protein in and fill the rest with carbs. Usually people find carbs are the manipulating factor for body composition. You can eat less carbs and more of the fat/protein if you want but as long as your hitting your fat and protein minimums you should be good (1g protein and .5g fat x bw)

 

[owlicks]

First of all, I'll point out that I am a huge proponent of MyFitnessPal. It has been a crucial tool for my current success with my body composition. That being said, in my opinion it's a very useful tool for very limited purposes.

I wouldn't really depend on the numbers it gives you for gaining weight. The numbers (well, calories mainly) are useful if you're trying to cut, but it's not geared toward a bodybuilding format for muscle gain. Secondly, it's fantastic for tracking nutrients and calories, but ignore the "goal" numbers it sets for you. For me, it's very helpful to see where my protein, sugar, and calories are at any given point in the day, but those are far off of the numbers it gives me. For example, since I am smaller than you and don't have it set to weight gain, it says I need 71 g of protein per day, ha ha. Obviously that is insufficient; my actual protein intake was 241 g the other day. I do like to try to meet its sugar goals though, which it sets very low.

Long story short, here's the process that I'd go through for using it: (1) Figure out what your caloric and nutrient goals are for any given day; (2) Enter your food in, save your meals, use it throughout the day; (3) Ignore the "goal" numbers, but pay attention to your actual caloric and nutrient intake and check throughout the day to see how on track you are. At the end of the day you can check out the helpful pie chart section to see your ratio of Carbs/Fat/Protein.

As a side note, I wouldn't really bother with the exercise or cardio entries. I don't trust that they are accurate, they take too much time, and aren't really relevant to tracking your diet anyway.

 

[kingjameskjf]

I have and really like myfitnesspal. I used it to track everything for my last contest prep. As for the preset formulas for your goals, I don't use the generic guides. I go to the computer (for the full modifiable version) and change the goals and macro %'s according to my goals and desires. I then will scan in items on the phone app and most of them are pretty accurate. If it looks off though, check it. Many of the entries are put in by other app users. I've made some corrections and I've also added things that I have specifically made and know the macros of, like my turkey jerky. It's a beneficial tool if you use it right.

 

[holmes215]

I love myfitness app, I have been kind of lazy with keeping it updated, but I think its the best way to keep macros, etc

 

[Linda Albert]

fitness app is the best one to healthy body maintenance.

 

[Firmanator]

Personally I disliked fitnesspal...couldn't stand the setup of it. I'm using mynetdiary right now for iPhone, and it's decent. Has a good layout with all macros and remembers all your previous food entries for quick entries later.
Calorie counter by fatsecret for android was great as well...