I saw a post once where someone blamed MyFitnessPal for their disordered eating habits. They said the app’s advice triggered their issues and that as a result, they “can’t track macros” because they have an unhealthy relationship with the data.
Then, I came across a thread about Rachel Hollis’s books, where people were tearing her apart for the way she’s talked about food, exercise, and alcohol. The comments were ruthless—like she personally forced bad habits onto people, rather than just sharing her own (flawed, human) experiences.
Both of these examples got me thinking. People consume information, filter it through their own experiences, and then assign blame. It’s either all good or all bad. No middle ground.
But here’s the thing—an app, a book, a diet, a training plan… they’re just tools. They don’t reach out and control you. They don’t force you to act a certain way. They just reflect whatever mindset you bring to them.
If you have a restrictive, fear-based approach to food, a tracking app is going to reinforce that. If you’re constantly looking for rules to follow, someone like Rachel Hollis might feel like a guide—until you realize she’s just another person figuring things out, too.
A tool is only as helpful as the way you use it. MyFitnessPal isn’t inherently harmful. It’s a calculator. If you put in unrealistic weight loss goals, it’s going to spit out a calorie target that might be way too low. If you log a workout and overestimate your calorie burn, it will tell you to eat more—even if you don’t actually need to. The app doesn’t have context. It doesn’t know your stress levels, your sleep quality, your history with food. It just takes numbers and does math.
That’s it.
But if someone already struggles with control around food, tracking can become obsessive. Not because the app forces it—but because they were already wired that way.
The same goes for self-improvement books or fitness programs. If you’re looking for permission to push yourself harder, you’ll find it. If you’re looking for confirmation that you’re not doing enough, you’ll find that, too.
None of this is to dismiss real struggles with disordered eating, toxic fitness culture, or the ways certain messages can harm people. Those are absolutely real, and they matter. But there’s a difference between recognizing what influences you and blaming an external thing for what’s ultimately an internal struggle.
There’s a middle ground between mindlessly following and completely rejecting something. You can use a tracking app without becoming obsessed. You can read a book and take what resonates while leaving the rest. You can challenge yourself without making it a punishment.
The key isn’t avoiding data, advice, or tools altogether. It’s building the self-awareness to use them in a way that serves you, rather than controls you.
So, what do you think? Have you ever had to step back from tracking or reevaluate the way you consume advice? Let’s talk about it.