Yorkshire Live editor Wayne Ankers has spoken of the success he found in tracking calories for over 500 days. He used the MyFitnessPal app after receiving a recommendation from coaches at his gym.
With New Year resolutions truly under way as we begin 2023, social media is flooded with fitness gurus telling people how to best lose weight. While some doubt the merits of calorie counting, Wayne points out the positives of doing so, as it develops good habits, helps you understand more about what you put on your plate, and allows you to balance out your week if a big meal is ahead.
Wayne has been using the MyFitnessPal app for over 18 months, and has found it to be productive. Despite initially struggling to settle into the habits of logging which foods you consume, he said over time it becomes far easier to use as you gather confidence.
In the app you can input your measurements, set fitness goals and track your daily calories. The sections of each day are split into four; breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks, with them all adding up to your daily calorie intake and to allow you to know at a glance where you are consuming the most and least calories.
Wayne has been tracking his foods for more than 500 days, and has found his calories per day have varied from between 2,300 to now reaching 2,800 per day due to his regular trips to the gym. He said that while he eats healthy foods with fruit and veg included in every meal, he also indulges himself in chocolate, sweets and even the odd beer.
The app does not punish you for consuming unhealthy foods and there is nothing off limits, so the user simply tracks their calories and aims for a weekly goal. Wayne said if he fails one week it just makes him works even harder the next, and doing so has quickly become habitual, describing it as "a way of life".
It has allowed him to stay consistent not only in his food and drink consumption but also consistency with training. It's form of accountability has resulted in Wayne living in an overall healthy lifestyle.
He additionally pointed out that he is 45, a father-of-two and has a demanding job, compounding in his opinion that if it can work for him, it can work for anyone. And even if it doesn't work, tracking your calories in attempting to achieve a healthier lifestyle is never going to be pointless.
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