Alarming news. It seems that many people can’t lose weight even while tracking calories and macros with MyFitnessPal. Then they clog up my Instagram’s comments section with statements like ‘hey man, calorie counting doesn’t work, I’ma do keto.’
It’s because you’re doing it wrong, maybe? It’s not maybe. It’s most definitely. Here are six reasons why MyFitnessPal or any other food tracking app isn’t working for you.
1. You eat like a child
If you eat like a child — you don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables — and instead, your diet revolves around bags, boxes, and packaged foods, you’re probably eating more than you realize. In most countries, a +/- 20% discrepancy between actual and declared values is allowed.
But because humans like to do human things such as ignoring the laws, no one cares about such food legislation — this study found that only 16% of the 70 products in the study fully complied with the +/-20% requirement.
So if you’re eating mostly foods that come with a label, your calorie, and macro numbers will never be accurate. You need to eat more foods that come without a label (these are just examples):
Or single macronutrient foods:
2. You eat too many different meals
Most lean people have their favorite foods and meals and they eat those same meals each day and week. Food variety is just a sexy buzzword. In reality, it’s a synonym for being disorganized and eating portions the size of Volkswagens. Overeating, I mean.
The 2021 systematic review and meta-analysis of 37 studies…
…found that greater food variety is a robust driver of food intake. So there’s nothing…
