![]() ![]() ![]() Though MyFitnessPal was not intended or designed to induce eating disorders by any means, it is important to evaluate why calorie-counting apps may be dangerous to people with not just diagnosed eating disorders, but also early eating disorder tendencies, such as skipping meals, new diets, and/or preoccupation with calories or weight. ![]() 30% of participants revealed that they used MyFitnessPal and expressed the belief that it contributed to their eating disorder. Researchers at the University of Louisville conducted a study that surveyed 105 diagnosed eating disorder patients. In recent years, however, MyFitnessPal has attracted controversy, with critics alleging that the app exacerbates eating disorders for some users. He said using the app was “fairly effective,” and his health “noticeably improved.” ![]() Wesoloski created a rough caloric goal for each day and used the app’s built-in barcode scanner to track the foods he consumed automatically. Many students at RE have used the app to help them achieve their fitness goals, including Michael Wesoloski ’24, who started using it in September 2021. “You want to be tracking what you’re actually eating…and when you’re out and about,” he said. In the interview, Lee explains how the flexibility of mobile tracking sets MyFitnessPal apart from its competitors. In his book Trackers: How Technology is Helping Us Monitor our Health, Richard McManus published an interview with Lee in which they discuss what prompted the idea of MyFitnessPal. MyFitnessPal hit the market only a year after the first Android phone came out, which allowed the app to revolutionize the future of nutrition in tech. That’s why Mike Lee founded MyFitnessPal, an app that currently has 50 million users and 3.5 million foods in its database. īefore smartphones, people tracked their calories with calorie counting books, and it is easy to understand why only true fitness junkies would use them: they were around 700 pages long. The Eating Disorder Helpline can be reached here. Although the article includes an interview with a licensed psychologist, the information provided in the responses should not replace seeking a formal consultation if the reader is concerned with possible disordered eating and/or mental health issues. Content warning: This article discusses eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa. ![]()
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