MyFitnessPal is a great tool for Bariatric patients for patients who desire general weight loss.
When you are having bariatric surgery or you are losing weight in general, it is helpful to track your food intake. Research shows that you have better outcomes too. Here we show you how to use the desktop version of MyFitnessPal to track your meals, water, and exercise. This will make sure you are reaching your protein goals, water intake, or more specific macros that your dietitian gives you. MyFitness pal is a great tracker, because it is simple to use and many people use it, so they have a large food database to pull from. Another good food tracker for bariatric patients is Baritastic, however, we haven't seen a Desktop version to show how to use yet. But we will keep a look out.
Use this short video to understand how to use MyFitnessPal and track your food like a pro!
Tip #1 - Download the App on your phone or Desktop
Tip #2 - Insert your Calorie and Macro Goals from your Nutrition Expert
Work with your dietitian to determine how many calories you should have per day based on your dietary plan. You can create goals in MyFitnessPal for protein, fat, carbs, water, and exercise.
"Patient who track their food intake have better weight loss."
Tip #3 - Add in Your Meals and Snacks
Add your food intake to start tracking. You can type your breakfast item, such as "eggs" or you can scan your food item with the MyFitnessPal app on your phone. You can even look for common foods when you go out to eat. Play around with the app. It stores your favorites, most recent foods, if you like to eat the same thing daily. It also can break down recipe items, to one portion sizes and figure out the macros of the food.
Tip #4 - Barcodes Help A lot
When tracking your food using your phone, the barcode makes it nice and easy to log your food.
Tip #5 - Add Water and Exercise
Track your water, try to get at least 64 oz of water per day. We often aim for 1/2 of a patient's body weight in ounces. If a patient weighs 240 lbs, try to drink 120 oz of sugar-free fluids per day.
You'll Be A Great Tracker in No Time
Use this video to help get your tracking started. It will help you find insight into how many calories you are eating, and help you make better decisions such as, "do I really want to eat this salad dressing now?" Tracking is a a great tool to making better dietary decisions.