MyFitnessPal/Other Internet Based Behavioral Programs

ryanhorn

An interesting study was released in the January 2015 issue of Diabetes Care which can be seen here: http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/38/1/9.short

In summary, it subjected half of its diversified sample of participants with a goal of losing weight to an internet based behavioral intervention program that included "weekly videos teaching behavioral weight-loss skills, a platform for submitting self-monitored data [weight updates, calorie counts, etc], and automated feedback."

This sounds quite a bit like a MyFitnessPal-like program to me! The results showed that the people participating in this experimental group saw great success in their weight loss.

Now many of you (especially those who have been using MyFitnessPal for a while) will most likely view the results of this study as extremely obvious; however, I'm hopeful that as a result of this as well as several other recent studies we will see some implications within the medical field such as greater use of technology such as MyFitnessPal with patients.

My viewpoint: In short, if you're new to MyFitnessPal, stick with it. It works. But don't just use the calorie counting and weight updating tools. Check out the blog; ask questions of the community, and use all the countless resources that are available to you here.

Thoughts?

JoanaMHill

Accountability works for most people, at least for a while. Being able to keep track and see your stats improve is a good method for anything, and I know for me, in addition to using MFP, I have an Excel chart that I update weekly with my weight, and I enjoy seeing the line (slowly) go down. Personally, I was rec'd this site by a Nutritionist I saw briefly back in 2013 (she left not long after I started and I didn't care to find another). So hopefully sites such as this become more commonly accepted in this world where "THE INTERNET IS NOTHING BUT PORN AND LIES" is still prevalent.