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MyFitnessPal refuses to provide daily totals to women <1200 kcal and men <1500 kcal. That’s my data?

angman
angman Posts: 2 Member
in Debate Club

The app doesn’t provide totals under these limits. I have read their posts and reasoning behind it, but as a user, I think the app is crossing the line of authoritarianism and judgement. This app is a tool, and I appreciate the apps resources and guidance. However, there is not a on-size-fits all diet plan for every person. I deserve to know my calorie and macro totals from the app no matter what I’m doing with it. Sometimes I’m purposefully fasting, other times I need a record of when I didn’t get enough calories.
I couldn’t find many forums on opinions of this information withholding, but just give me my information (and guidance tips if you want to) - it’s not the apps call. It feels like the app is controlling / withholding from its users and I don’t like that at all.

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Replies

  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 1,920 Member

    It's to limit liability. Someone misuses the app, starves themselves, and sues myfitnesspal for "making" them anorexic, mfp can say "no, we put measures in to discourage them from starving themselves. They will not enable people to under eat, like it or not.

  • claireychn074
    claireychn074 Posts: 1,782 Member

    Then don’t use MFP. It’s a default setting to protect people from under-eating and pro-ana. It’s not authoritarian- you can still record your calories and just not close out your diary. It’s a free society - no one is forcing you to use MFP.

  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,137 Member

    Are you talking about not letting you "close" your diary if calories are too low? That doesn't provide totals to anyone, just a pretty useless prediction of five-week results if every day were exactly the same. You're not missing out on anything.

  • angman
    angman Posts: 2 Member

    The day close-out feature being blocked is not preventing anyone from under-eating. I think a simple warning would suffice.

    claireychn074 that’s a strange response. MFP is the best food tracker available, IMO. I would never stop using it over a minor feature that I think could be changed for the better. I don’t like that my car auto stop/start always defaults back to being on when starting it, but I’m not going to give up driving and switch to riding a bike over it. 😂 I’m kind of wondering why you commented at all 🤷🏻‍♂️

  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,856 Member

    The only thing it won't give is the gimmicky 5 week prediction. All the totals are there.

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 35,664 Member

    I don't share your point of view about this, at least based on my current understanding.

    Periodically, there are pro-ana or lost-in-ana posts here. It's very, very sad to see. I'm in a demographic - small, old, sedentary, female - where low calorie goals are more likely to legitimately need to be ultra-low. I think keeping the site moderate by discouraging ultra-low calorie intake is a good thing, even though it puts bumps in the road for a few. I think the limits are public spirited, pro-social even.

    You say: "The day close-out feature being blocked is not preventing anyone from under-eating."

    Sincere question: What feature is preventing you from doing the things you want or need to be doing?

    I do understand that at very, very low calories - possibly some of your fasting days, not sure - certain MFP reporting features won't produce the normal displays. I'm curious what, specifically, is the roadblock that's interfering or inconveniencing you in reaching your goals.

    I admit that, of the things I'm already aware stop working at ultra-low calories, they're mostly not features I personally consider vital or even useful, and I'm sure that creates bias on my part.

    If it's that MFP won't calculate a goal below 1200/1500, that seems trivial. I haven't tried it myself, but others here have reported having goals like 800 that they presumably typed into the MFP goals page themselves. There are dozens of "calorie calculators" a person could use to get a goal, if they don't like the one MFP estimates for them.

    On the tracking side, I sometimes have days with zero calories logged, and nothing interferes with that, that I've ever noticed, other than it breaks my "days logged" streak, which I don't care about personally. Maybe there are other consequences I haven't noticed. (I never close my diary anymore, so don't see that. But there may be other things.) 

    I think I must be missing something, and I'd honestly like to learn. What feature or features don't work, when fasting or otherwise, that you want or need?

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