Fitness Apps Undermine Motivation For Some Users, Experts Say

Key TakeawaysFitness apps might be undermining people’s attempts to become healthierUsers expressed shame, disappointment, frustration and futility about the appsUser-driven goals set by the apps might be unrealistic and demoralizing.FRIDAY, Oct. 24, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Fitness and calorie counting apps are meant to boost people’s spirits, helping them become healthier by tracking their progress.But many find them to be a complete downer and an utter detriment, a new study says.Some experience a sense of shame, disappointment, frustration and futility when using these apps, undermining their attempts to improve their health, researchers reported Oct. 22 in the British Journal of Health Psychology.“We found a lot of blame and shame, with people feeling they were not doing as well as they should be,” senior researcher Paulina Bondaronek, a senior research fellow at University College London, said in a news release. “These emotional effects may end up harming people’s motivation and their health.”For the study, researchers analyzed nearly 14,000 posts about five popular fitness apps on the social media site Twitter, prior to its rebranding as X.The apps were MyFitnessPal, Strava, WW, Workouts by Muscle Booster, Fitness Coach & Diet, and FitCoach. Most of the posts (nearly 8,500) related to MyFitnessPal, followed by Strava and WW (formerly Weight Watchers).Results showed that the apps often produced as much frustration as motivation. Users expressed:Shame at having to log “unhealthy” foods.Irritation at notifications to log calories or reduce sugar consumption.Disappointment at slow progress toward targets set by the apps.Skepticism at strict goals set by apps.Annoyance at bugs that kept physical activity from being properly tracked.“When we send behavior change tools out into the world, it’s so important that we check if they have any unintended consequences,” said researcher Lucy Porter, a senior research fellow at University College London.“Listening to users’ reports on social media has shown that fitness apps can sometimes leave users feeling demoralized and ready to give up — which is the exact opposite of what these tools are supposed to do!” Porter said in a news release.Some examples:“I just got a notification from my fitness pal reminding me to log my dinner for today but I don't want to bc I'm ashamed I just ate dominos,” one user posted on Twitter.“How disappointing is it when you smash gym and MyFitnessPal for a day and theres no difference,” another wrote.“I just plugged in my lunch eats into My Fitness Pal…aaaaannnddd I'll be going to the gym later. Also, my hangry ass ate too much. I feel miserably stuffed,” a third user cited.All these experiences can cause well-meaning people to throw up their hands and give up on their goals, researchers said.These results suggest that fitness apps would do better to get away from rigid calorie and exercise counting, and focus on a more holistic approach to well-being, researchers said.“Instead of very narrow, rigid measures of success relating to amount of weight lost, health apps should prioritize overall well-being and focus on intrinsic motivation – i.e., the inherent enjoyment or satisfaction in activities,” Bondaronek said.The apps did not set goals based on public health recommendations, researchers noted. Instead, the apps were guided by users’ own weight goals, which could lead to unrealistic or unsafe recommendations.“Self-monitoring and action planning are powerful behavior change techniques, but we over-use them,” Bondaronek said. “We need to learn to be kinder to ourselves. We are good at blaming and shaming because we think it will help us to do better but actually it has the opposite effect.”Porter agreed.“We know from previous research that feeling ashamed and miserable about yourself is not going to support healthy, long-term behavior change,” Porter said. "What we need to know now is how pervasive these effects on morale and emotional well-being are, and whether there is anything that can be done to adapt fitness apps so that they better meet people's needs.”However, Bondaronek noted that the study only focused on negative posts, “so we cannot assess the overall effect of these apps in terms of our well-being. The apps may have a negative side, but they likely also provide benefits to many people.”More informationHarvard Medical School has more on making the most of fitness apps.SOURCES: University College London, news release, Oct. 22, 2025; British Journal of Health Psychology, Oct. 22, 2025 .What This Means For YouPeople using fitness or calorie counting apps should discuss with a doctor the goals they would like to set, and whether they are realistic and achievable..Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Fitness Apps Undermine Motivation For Some Users, Experts Say

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