App Review: FatSecret

I was recently introduced to an app that allows you to keep track of your eating habits and your daily, or once in a while, activities/exercises (walking counts as an exercise) called FatSecret. At first I was skeptical about downloading it because I didn't want to constantly worry about my weight as that isn't healthy at all and can lead to depression and lack of selfesteem; but I decided to give it a try because I knew I could just delete it if it turned out for the worst.

I suppose the thing that draws me the most to it is the fact that I can have everything neatly organised, I can be quite the perfectionist. When you create an account it will ask you your gender and your current weight and height and whether you want to lose/gain/maintain. It informs you about your DRI (Dietary Reference Intake) and your nutritional summary, etcetera - you just need to register daily what you eat for breakfast/lunch/dinner/snacks.

(My account is in Portuguese but you can choose your country)

If you can't be bothered to register everything you eat then maybe this isn't the app for you! It's like a personal diary for your food - if you slack on the entries then it beats the purpose of it. If, however, you're like me and you don't like having too many apps on your phone or you constantly worry about the battery, it doesn't consume that much and you can always stick to the online website, it functions exactly like the app. There's also a section for the community where you can share your weight history and support others on their journey.

This app had the opposite effect on me than the one I thought it would have - it really motivates me to eat healthy and do some exercise when I eat more than I should (as you can witness on the first photo). By eating healthy I don't mean that suddenly I revolutionised my eating habits because I love my McDonalds and a good crepe but it does help keeping track on how much I am consuming.

You also have the option to weight yourself daily so you can see the transformations on your body daily but I prefer to only do it once a month; I have heard that doing it daily can severely affect your selfesteem because our bodies are always changing and we start worrying that we are doing something wrong.

Note that right at the start they warn you that they aren't professionals and some information may be wrong! Common sense goes a long way, don't use this app wrongly. If you determined to lose weight you should probably consult a specialist.

Let me know what you think of it, whether you have already used it or if you try it now! :)

Happy Thursday! x