The MyFitnessPal challenge! #MFPchallenge

I have mentioned before that some of the 145 lbs I lost has returned, and I have been unable to shift it off again for more than a short while. One of the things I think is creating part of the problem is that I no longer keep a food journal. While I was losing the weight, I kept a food journal where I logged everything I ate and all of the exercise I did during the day. I haven't kept a food journal in years and it is showing in the fact that I have gained back some of the weight I lost.

But keeping a food journal is time consuming. I had to keep looking up the calories on things and then typing it all up. It took up a decent amount of my time, and I couldn't find the will to start back with it.

Yesterday evening, I downloaded the MyFitnessPal app for my iphone. So far, I am noticing that it is making it super easy to log the food I have eaten and it even has a way to log my steps for the day. It tells me how many calories I should consume in a day, adjusting the number based on my exercise (which is great motivation for exercising). I got to input my weight, my goal weight and how many pounds I want to lose per week (although anything over 1 pound a week, it warns, is "too high." I still told it I wanted to lose 2 lbs a week.)

And it didn't cost me anything.

I downloaded the app at around 3:45pm yesterday. By that night, I found out that I was eating way too many carbs, a bit too much fat and not enough protein for the day. I thought, at first, that the app was counting my bus journey as walking, but after checking it today, I can see that it hasn't done so.

Today, I weighed myself for the first time in two weeks, only to find that I weigh 3.5 lbs more than I thought I weighed, which means I have gained 3.5 lbs in the past two weeks. This just confirms that I am doing the right thing in starting to log everything again.

I've already noticed that I am making better choices when it comes to my food because I know I will be logging it.

So, the plan for the challenge is this: Find an app for your phone (or, if you have some money, get a FitBit) which will help you log your food and exercise, as well as keep track of your weight and weight loss goals. MyFitnessPal is free for iphone users, but there are other programs too.

Check in weekly or daily on the Facebook EVENT page, and let us know how it is going. Has the app changed the way you eat or exercise? Is it helping with your fitness or weight loss goals? Have you lost any weight so far? If you are already using something like this, what do you think of it?

Every post made to this blog with the #MFPchallenge blog post is one you can comment on to be entered into a prize draw. (I have not worked out what the prize is, but it will probably be a healthy cooking recipe book of some sort.) You will be entered once (per blog post) for commenting on the blog post (as long as it is a post with the hashtag: #MFPchallenge). Joining the Facebook Event will get you five extra entries and being an active member of the event will gain you five more extra entries.

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