Recently it has started to feel like I am one of few individuals who have yet to become obsessed with the phenomenon of calorie counting. Although it has been around for years, lately its popularity seems to have increased dramatically thanks to the newly introduced ease of the task in hand. It has become so quick and easy thanks to the numerous apps which are now available. Simply download the app to your phone and hey presto let the fun, games and of course, weightloss, begin.
MyFitnessPal seems to be the new craze amongst girls in their late teens and early twenties. I myself am slightly sceptical about such a thing. I feel it would become obsessive and would take over my life. Every day I would be checking to make sure my calorie intake and expenditure cancelled out to get my desired figure. And if I got over my target calorie count then I wouldn’t be a happy bunny, and I would probably starve myself the next day to make up for it. So probably for the best I don’t have this on my phone and I stick to twitter trolling instead…
I decided to look the app up and this is how it describes itself:
“Lose weight with MyFitnessPal, the fastest and easiest-to-use calorie counter for iPhone. With the largest food database of any iPhone calorie counter and amazingly fast food and exercise entry, we’ll help you take those extra pounds off! There is no better diet app- period.”
Well, after reading that I feel like a fool not to have it. And then things just get even better; “PC Magazine Editor’s Choice Selection” and “Wired Magazine’s Editor’s Pick for Lifestyle Apps”. Does this app really do no wrong? Not to mention the five star reviews it has. “I can’t believe this app is free, I would have paid for this”, “This app takes seconds to use, it’s that simple” and “This app saved my life” are just some of the things its users had to say about it.
I must be sold now right? Well, no, I’m still not convinced. I can’t argue against it without using it however I have just always taken the attitude that it is fine to eat anything in moderation. You know what’s good for you, what foods you should eat, you know you should be doing exercise, is it really necessary for your phone to remind you of this? And how long are you prepared to let what you eat be dictated for you by your app? It is proven that diets only work in the short term, and as soon as you resume a normal diet any weight you lost will soon find its way back on, unfortunately. This is one of the reasons I perhaps think why not just have a balanced diet everyday, of course allow yourself the odd treat, exercise regularly and there’s no reason that you shouldn’t be healthy. Apps like these just add to the pressure young females already have to look good, to have that thigh gap or that bikini bridge they see all over the media. I understand it might be helpful for someone who seriously needs to lose weight, but when I see beautiful girls with perfect bodies obsessing over it I just feel like saying delete that app and then next stop McDonalds.
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