We come to rely on an externalised device or set of numerical codes to dictate our dietary intake or daily dose of movement or perhaps even our sense of self-worth. We are left even more ill-informed, if not disassociated and detached from our bodies. However, externalising this form of self-knowledge acquisition ultimately disempowers us. One can argue that this need to micromanage every morsel and step taken is further fuelled by advertisements and potentially well-meaning personal trainers who often endorse nutrition tracking apps and wearable fitness devices as a way to gain greater nutrition/ self-knowledge and control through a form of external measurement (Crawford, K et al. Concerningly, of the 46 million individuals using health and fitness apps, 51.7% were women with MyFitnessPal being the most popular calorie, exercise and weight tracker (Eikey, E and Reddy, M 2017, p.642). It was like the Matrix of mealtimes – except, let’s face it, I wouldn’t have taken the red or blue pill offered by Morpheus unless I could have tracked it.Ī recent survey suggests that a majority of nutrition app or food diary users were influenced by their desire to lose weight and a number (despite being a healthy weight in many instances), and to a lesser degree wanted to become more aware of their daily intake (Eikey, E et al.2018, pp.1246-1247). With my hunger cues ignored, MyFitnessPal orchestrated and overrode my appetite. What was initially a tool or convenient record to keep track of potential dietary intolerances became both a source of and a salve for extreme food-anxiety. Sadly enough, my relationship with MyFitnessPal has been my longest and most toxic one. Three years of measuring every morsel, barcode scanning, pre-planning, weight-tracking and consequently quantifying my sense of self-worth in grams and kilograms.įor three years my life was consumed with my own consumption. I paid for a monthly premium subscription and had a streak of having logged in for 1155 days in a row.ġ155 days – which equates to 165 weeks, 38 months, or quite simply three years. A while ago, I would have considered myself a member of the MyFitnessPal elite.
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