Instead of picking the general entry for a meal or food, break down your foods into their individual ingredients. One person’s 'turkey sandwich' could be made with lettuce and mustard another’s with avocado, mayonnaise, and cheddar, making their nutritional value distinctly different. Related: 8 Little Changes That Lead to Major Weight Loss On the other hand, if you’ve gotta have that EVOO on your salad, make sure you measure it out. The solution: If you can’t be bothered to enter it into the app, it’s probably not worth eating.

Condiments and oils can add up to a lot of calories over the course of the day, she says. You may not think it’s worth adding that smear of mayo to your MyFitnessPal, but it all adds up if you’re trying to lose weight, says Brissette. (Speed up your progress towards your weight-loss goals with Women's Health's Look Better Naked DVD.) Keep in mind that the serving in the app isn’t necessarily right for you-you might need to eat more or less depending on your activity levels, height, and overall calorie intake. So for the first couple of days, measure out the foods you typically eat with measuring spoons and cups to get a better feel for your portion sizes. When you guestimate, it's easy to get confused when your calories appear to be right on track but your weight stays the same. Although the default entry for a serving of cereal, for example, is a half cup, most of us eat about two cups. “I see this with my clients all the time,” says Brissette. And if you’re eyeballing it, you may underestimate portions. MyFitnessPal only works if your input is accurate. Here are the MyFitnessPal fails that could be sabotaging your weight loss. In fact, some mistakes could push you further from your goal.

That said, using the app to lose weight isn’t foolproof. Tracking your meals-whether in a journal or an app-helps you eat less because it increases your awareness of what you put in your mouth. MyFitnessPal can be a genius weight loss tool-especially if you have a tendency to munch mindlessly or have no idea how many calories you’re eating in the first place, says Christy Brissette, R.D., president of 80 Twenty Nutrition.

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