What type of people are attracted to Myfitnesspal?

mommy3457

What an interesting question! I like to "know" what I'm doing. I thrive on structure so this is why it appeals to me. If I try to do it on my own without anything to track myself with, I feel lost.

get10fit2013

Definitely a math girl with a touch of anxiety about unplanned days and probably another touch of OCD....so yeah, generally crazy. lol I like calendars, lists and knowing when I'm supposed to be doing what. I am highly organized and detailed at work, have to have a freakishly neat working and living space but I'm definitely laid back and would rather someone else take the lead. I hate making decisions. Just give me a checklist in order, and I'll finish the tasks in order. I don't like when someone else disrupts the plan, but I adapt and move on without getting my feathers ruffled on the outside. God, I just realized I need therapy.

dona000

This is an interesting question. My nurse practitioner suggest MFP to me. I'm very much a creative, whimsical type of person. Just the word math makes me snooze (sorry). Science not so much. I do LOVE people and I love the success stories. But the best part for me is making myself put every bite in and it calculates what I can lose. I love that. I feel like it's a school where I'm learning how to eat healthier. Like someone said I see I only have so many calories left and if I still want to eat I have to make a better choice. I have wanted to lose weight all my life but was so confused by it. Now I'm like...eat less, move more....eat more veggies and fruits..less sweets....Not as hard as I thought. MFP and the success stories make believe it's possible. I started at 267 and my goal is 138. And I will get there. One more thing. I adore lists so that part helps too.

maybeazure

I have actually *never* been good at logging my food. But I do know that one of the best ways to start changing behavior is to monitor it...just the act of monitoring can make things change, even if you aren't really intending to. So I made a commitment to do it, even though it's not my favorite thing in the world. It is easier for me to do it on the computer because I can't lose it, and I'm always on a computer. When I was in weight watchers I would forever lose or forget that little journal they would give me.

What attracted me to it was the ability to do things the way I wanted to...I don't like people to tell me what to do. I don't want to have to only eat certain foods, or never eat other foods. That bugs me. I also wanted to determine my own calorie goal, and I can do that on here. I use information from this site, and other sources, but I'm the one who actually decided how many to aim for, how much exercise to do, how much fat/carbs/protein to eat, etc.

shortmomma81

I just wanted to keep track of my calories, the community was a big plus for me!

SteveStedge1

So, you've made the VERY HUGE decision to get healthy, whatever that means to you.

Your friends probably have not. Your appearance is very personal for most people and you suggesting they should change it could be very offensive.

That's why your friends havent jumped on. Probably has nothing to do with the type of people here.

For me, its very interesting all these SMOKING hot women love to post half-naked pics of themselves. And all I have to say thank you ladies!

KimINfortheWin

Gadget/Software Dork here. Online Technologies Technician.

However, I absolutely hate, detest, abhor math and counting. So, I use my gadgety-love to do that horrid thing for me!

And I've learned a lot about eating. It's a win-win for me.

Myhaloslipped

When I first came on this site, I didn't even know about the community aspect of it, and when I heard someone mention that she met her fiance on here, I found it rather unusual. Ironically, I found my current boyfriend on here, and he is so awesome lol. I guess it makes sense that the whole weight loss thing allows you to bond with someone.

cwolfman13

People give you the blank look because you've decided to take a major leap and do something about your health/weight/fitness, etc...your friends have not made such a choice...ergo it is completely foreign to them.

My friends still look at me like I'm crazy. A year ago at this time I was a borderline obese smoker who like to party, party, party and could barely walk the dog around the block without getting winded and sore. 12 months later I'm a non smoker and at a healthy weight and BF%...stronger than I've been in years, running 5Ks and 10Ks and cycling and swimming and training for triathlons. Who would have thunk it? Certainly not me or any of my friends.

Edit: but I still like to party too much...

cindiva65

Im an accountant and thus very number oriented. I like writing things down. I do spreadsheets for everything!!!! LOL So this type of thing fits perfectly for my personality. My BF joined but is more the fly by your pants kinda guy and so its not working for him since he logs in for a day and then stops. I definitely think its a personality type that finds sites and tools like this useful.

mayonie1

Information officer here. I like to gather statistics and present it in a form of graphs or table. No one told me about the site, was just googling weight loss diet and MFP just popped out.

astartig

I am a generalist, not naturally a details oriented type, but I can buckle down when I have to. I usually don't make lists (unless I am about to go to the grocery store) love the sciences and geekier side of life. mbti type is INTJ.

logging everything I eat isn't exactly a natural thing for me to do, but I see the value in it, so I do it. I've never done it before. What attracted me here was trying to pin down some of the specifics of the low carb /high protein diet, that I wasn't' sure of. I think I was looking for vitamin supplements that were necessary. I'd been on it before and remembered there were protein requirements and vitamin supplements that I needed to make it work for me. Once here, I was presented with food logging and the concept that you still were better off watching your calories on this diet than not. I thought that made sense (although I lost 20 or 30 pounds ten years ago without logging, kept it all off until my cat died a very slow death of cancer of the mouth and then got double whammied with a broken ankle)

So, I am sticking around because it sounds like a very logical way to go about.

In the fun and games part of the forums, someone posted a meyers brigg test threadnand there were a lot of intj's. at the time I was thinking maybe it was false positives to have so many of them show up, I'd have expected a lot more STJ's in the mix (the details oriented, facts based vs Generalist, big picture type, is S vs N... but I imagine that the TJ in general is probably attracted to a site that helps break down something that is generally seen as some sort of almost magic or voodoo( weight loss) into something that is broken down into numbers and equations.

having this tool makes the diet make a lot more sense to me and I'll probably be able to stick on it without falling off this way because I can see the numbers. I can see that I've done a good job or ok job or terrible job and know how it's balanced out week by week.

HornedFrogPride

Data-driven control freaks like me who are addicted to running and working out? :glasses:

aharburger

I've always been the type to make lists and charts. In college I always volunteered to make my friends' schedules based on their degree requirements and desire to sleep in. I suppose I rank somewhat high on the neurotic end of personalities, so MFP and I fit like peas in a pod! After reading through some other replies, OP, it looks like yes- MFP does have a "type" haha

*Edit* I'm an ESFJ by the way

retirehappy

I think all kinds of people end up here for all kinds of reasons. Other sites have graphs etc. I read reviews that this app got the best reviews for doing what I need to do tracking. I have had success with other eating plans I love the Zone and have setup my stuff on here to reflect the 40/40/40 way of eating. I like that I can do that I couldn't on Sparkpeople.

I enjoy the blogs on here, some good writers. Forums can get very amusing as well.

And I love techie stuff, I work in IT.

I think mostly your friends who didn't get excited with you just aren't interested in what you are doing. Even if they need to lose weight as well, one must be in the right place to take action. A friend of mine showed me the MFP app over a year ago, I just joined this month. I was not ready before, I am now.

capperboy

I am goal orientated, I need a target MFP provides one.

jackjackattck

Engineer here, always been into math and science. I am very detail organized and OCD. If MFP didn't exist, I am sure I would use Excel to do the same thing, but it would be way more difficult without the food database. I always have everything planned out and organized, and that seems to work for me. I can see a goal, see where I am excelling and where I need to improve. And I love it

aalicia88

I love math! I love to make lists and I love how mfp tracks my calcium and iron instead of me having to write it down. It's much quicker this way.

baybeejulia

I love planning, organising, everything like that.

I don't love math, but I love how math makes sense. Calories out - calories in and voila, weight loss! I love knowing that what I'm eating and the exercise I'm doing will lead to weight loss, not just doing anything and hoping for the best.

A lot of people hate logging their food, they think it's too much of a mission.

TheVimFuego

Another techie here, I'm treating it like a huge experiment.

Tweaking the variables, seeing what works, taking feedback.

I'm going to show the world I can look like a Men's Health cover model while simultaneously getting regularly drunk on 'empty calories'.

I am basically a walking contradiction when it comes to health. I suspect if I went all out for fitness it just wouldn't suit me ...

pkoll

I'm more of a math/science person. A nurse by trade. I like keeping lists, numbers, and seeing my weight and inches-lost graph keep trending a downward slope. I like the success stories and getting info from forums, unless they turn argumentative. I don't need the friends list because I really don't have time for that. I think this site attracts a variety of people for a variety of reasons.

whierd

I'm a technical rep for a roofing company. I'm really nerdy, really goofy, and a tad bit sarcastic at times.

skinnysushicat

I like the large food database

And the forums make me feel like a genius

Love this :laugh:

lindustum

I'm a PhD student at the moment and I was not satisfied with the WW points system, because I always want to understand something to the fullest (within my means) and I always felt lots of the science of weight loss, fat loss, muscle gain etc was kept away, and I personally require the opposite.

Zaniejane

I like calculus-like hard to figure out problems and was a nerdy diligent student in highschool and university, but my profession is all about building relationships and thinking creatively and with an open mind. I would never consider myself the type to stick to a routine or consistently log something, yet I have been logging my food daily and consistently now for over a year. I kind of like it. This makes me think maybe I can sneak some organization or routine in other areas of my life now too!:)

LeanAmbitions

I am not a mathematical, analytic type of person AT ALL. Total opposite. I tried journaling before the old-fashioned way and I couldn't keep up with it. I know it works best for me to keep track of my food intake, though, so MFP is GREAT for me. I like it because I can just type in what the food is, select it, and it does all the math and inputting of details for me. I think any type of person could make it work!

Crysiira

Actually I hate math! Lol. I tried journaling on paper and couldn't keep up with the daily math. I love that MFP does that for me! My mom on the other hand, even though she's not a big math fan either, says it's easier for her to do it on paper because doing the math herself helps her understand where the calories are going.

I am an artist, free-spirit type. But I do have a tiny organizational streak. I think MFP appeals to that small part of me that wants to file things in their proper place!

Plus, since diligently logging every day for the past two months, I've lost nearly 20lb. So that's definitely keeping me coming back to the site. I know I wouldn't be doing so well if I wasn't constantly keeping track of every damn thing I put in my mouth.

TheEffort

Writer.

heywithers

This is gonna sound weird but I get a lot of pleasure out measuring things out, cooking them, then putting them into the recipe tab on here and seeing what the macros are and then i look at it and see what i can change to make the macros better like less calorie, more protein etc.

i would say cooking and eating great food is better than sex. yep went there.

adlace

Gotta go with what works, I guess. Move more, eat at a deficit to lose weight. Pay attention and stuff. But I am "How stuff works" minded. I like to be precise in my work and fix machines.