MyFitnessPal Review: The OG Food Tracking App Put to the Test

If you‘re looking to get a handle on your diet and reach your weight loss goals, tracking your food intake is one of the most effective places to start. And when it comes to food tracking apps, MyFitnessPal is considered by many to be the OG.

First launched way back in 2005, MyFitnessPal was one of the first major digital food diaries to hit the market. It allowed users to easily log their meals and snacks, track calories, and monitor their progress over time – without having to carry around a pen and paper. Revolutionary!

Since then, the app has evolved significantly, adding a ton of features to become one of the most comprehensive diet trackers available. But with so many other food logging apps now on the market, does MyFitnessPal still reign supreme? I put the app to the test to find out.

What Is MyFitnessPal?

At its core, MyFitnessPal is a free calorie counting and food tracking app. It allows you to log the foods you eat each day and monitor your calorie intake to help you reach your diet and weight loss goals.

But the app goes way beyond basic calorie counting. Here are some of the key features MyFitnessPal offers:

• Huge food database: MyFitnessPal has a massive database of over 14 million foods, including grocery store items, restaurant dishes, and popular recipes.

• Custom food logging: If you can‘t find a food in the database, you can manually enter custom foods and recipes. The app also has a handy barcode scanner for logging packaged foods.

• Macronutrient tracking: In addition to calories, the app tracks macronutrients like protein, carbs, fat, and micronutrients like fiber, vitamins and minerals.

• Weight loss tools: You can set calorie goals, log your weight over time, and view graphs of your progress and weight trends. MyFitnessPal will suggest a daily calorie goal for you to reach your weight loss targets.

• Diet insights: The app provides detailed breakdowns and charts of your nutrient intake so you can better understand your diet.

• Fitness tracking: You can also log your workouts and track the calories you burn through exercise each day.

MyFitnessPal App: Free vs Premium

One of the best things about MyFitnessPal is that the core food tracking tools are totally free. With the free version you can log an unlimited number of foods, view basic nutritional info, and track your weight.

However, MyFitnessPal does offer a premium subscription version of the app with some notable additional features:

• No ads
• Macronutrient targets: You can set custom goals for your macros (protein, carbs, fat) as a percentage of your total calorie intake
• Food insights: Detailed stats on foods you eat frequently, calorie and macro averages over time
• Recipes: Save and log entire recipes and meals
• Guided fitness plans and workouts
• Priority customer support

The MyFitnessPal Premium subscription costs $9.99 per month or $49.99 per year. Honestly, you really don‘t need the premium version unless you want to get extremely detailed with your tracking or follow specific nutrition/macro targets. The free app covers all the essentials.

Getting Started With MyFitnessPal

One reason for MyFitnessPal‘s popularity is how easy it is to use. To get started, simply download the free app (available for iOS and Android) or sign up on the MyFitnessPal website.

When you create an account, you‘ll enter some basic info like your height, weight, age, sex, activity level and weight loss goals. MyFitnessPal will then suggest a daily calorie target to aim for. You can adjust this as needed.

From there, it‘s all about the daily food logging. There are a few different ways you can enter foods:

1. Search the database: MyFitnessPal has a huge catalog of generic foods, restaurant items, popular recipes, and grocery products. Just search for what you ate and select the appropriate entry. You may need to adjust the portion size.

2. Scan a barcode: Use your phone‘s camera to scan the barcode on packaged foods. The app will automatically pull up the nutritional info.

3. Create a custom food: If you can‘t find an exact match, you can enter a custom food with the nutrition details. You can also enter and save entire recipes or meals.

4. Log from history: The app saves foods you‘ve logged before so you can quickly add them again from your history tab.

Each food gets added to your daily diary. You can review the calorie and nutrient totals for each day or meal. Over time, it‘s satisfying to scroll back through your log and see all the data you‘ve accumulated.

In addition to food, you can also log your weight and track your progress over time on a graph. There‘s also a section to track your daily workouts and the calories burned.

Does MyFitnessPal Work for Weight Loss?

MyFitnessPal is a powerful tool for weight loss for one simple reason: it makes you aware of exactly how much you‘re eating. And as the old saying goes, "What gets measured, gets managed."

Most people are surprised when they start food logging and realize how many calories they‘re actually consuming each day. It‘s easy to underestimate portions and forget about little snacks or drinks that really add up.

By quantifying your diet and staying accountable to your daily food log, MyFitnessPal can be the reality check needed to get your eating on track for weight loss. Countless success stories and dramatic MyFitnessPal before and after photos are a testament to how effective it can be.

A 2019 study published in the journal Obesity found that consistent food logging is one of the most effective behavioral changes for weight loss. Those who logged their meals more frequently shed more pounds compared to those who logged less often.

However, it‘s important to note that food tracking is just one component of a successful weight loss plan. MyFitnessPal won‘t tell you what to eat or magically change your habits. It takes dedication to log your food consistently and make the diet changes necessary to stay in a calorie deficit.

For best results, pair MyFitnessPal with a balanced eating plan (check out the recipes section for inspo), a consistent workout routine, and other healthy lifestyle habits. That winning combo will set you up for long-term success.

What Real Users Are Saying

Since MyFitnessPal has been around for 15+ years, there‘s no shortage of user reviews online. Let‘s look at a few ratings from popular platforms:

• Apple App Store: 4.7/5 stars from over 1.8 million reviews
• Google Play Store: 4.4/5 stars from over 2.5 million reviews
• Consumer Affairs: 3.9/5 stars from over 300 reviews

Clearly, the app has an overwhelmingly positive rating from a huge volume of users. Some common themes among positive reviews:

"MyFitnessPal is my favorite calorie counting app. The food database is huge which makes logging meals and recipes quick and easy. It keeps me accountable to my diet and on track with my weight loss goals." – Sarah, App Store review

"I‘ve lost 27 pounds in 3 months using this app! Tracking my calories and macros keeps me focused and motivated. The progress graphs are really encouraging to see how far I‘ve come. Highly recommend for anyone trying to lose weight." – John, Google Play review

Of course, no app is perfect. A few criticisms from negative reviews:

"Some of the nutritional info in the database is inaccurate since it‘s user generated. You have to double check entries. Also, the recent app changes restrict a lot of features in the free version which is disappointing." – Mark, Google Play review

"The app kept crashing and seems to drain my phone battery really fast. Tracking food got to be a hassle after a while and I gave up. Might be better off just keeping a paper journal instead of relying on an app." – Jennifer, Consumer Affairs review

The Bottom Line

There‘s a reason MyFitnessPal remains one of the most popular diet apps after all these years. The extensive food database, intuitive logging features, and useful weight loss insights make it easier than ever to understand your eating habits and stay on top of your nutrition.

Is it a magic bullet for reaching your weight loss goals? Of course not. There‘s no substitute for a nutritious, balanced diet and plenty of physical activity. But when used consistently as part of a holistic weight loss or weight management plan, MyFitnessPal can be an incredibly effective tool.

Compared to other food tracking apps, MyFitnessPal still holds its own as one of the most comprehensive and user-friendly. You really can‘t beat the massive database and the fact that food/calorie logging is completely free. No subscription needed.

If you want an easy way to keep tabs on your diet, understand your calorie and nutrient intake, and monitor your weight loss progress, I highly recommend giving MyFitnessPal a shot. With a 4+ star rating from millions of users, it‘s clear this OG app is still crushing it after all these years.