I quit my job, and meet my brother Al

Posted on 08/17/2009 by mike

I really love working on MyFitnessPal. It's such a joy to see people reach their goals with help from MFP and the community, and it feels great to have played even the smallest part in someone's success. Thank you all for making the site such a pleasure to run.

But I have to admit that MFP has also been a major source of frustration over the past few years because the site is just a fraction of what it could be. I have a long list of ideas on how to improve the site, and I've been dying to make those ideas a reality. If I could just complete this list, trust me, the results would knock your socks off. But sadly, finding the time to improve MyFitnessPal has been a struggle. Working a full-time job at a start-up leaves you with little time for family and friends, much less side projects. And so MFP has always been the last priority.

Well, I finally decided to change all of that: I quit my job! And I convinced my brother Al to quit his job too! We're both going to be working on MyFitnessPal full-time and really trying to help the site reach it's potential.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR YOU?

With both Al and I working on the site, we hope to be able to make improvements to MyFitnessPal at a significantly faster pace than before. We're already hard at work on a bunch of new features for the site, including:

an iPhone app which we modestly think will be the best calorie counting app in the app store
a brand new site design which will hopefully give MFP a more polished look and feel but keep the site simple and easy to use
lots of new social features which are still in the concept stage but hopefully will let all of you take much better advantage of the support you can get from your friends and the MFP community
a recipe calculator and better recipe sharing
...and much more including editing meals, better food search, cleaning up the food database, etc. etc.

Overall, we want MFP to be the best diet and fitness community on the web, and are excited about finally having the time to make it happen.

WHO'S THIS AL GUY?

Meet my brother Al:

Al is a great guy, and I'm not just saying that because he's my brother. He has a ton of experience working on the web, and I'm really excited that he was crazy enough to join me in this little adventure. You can view his profile at:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/albertl

I'm sure you'll be seeing more from him in the forums and around the site, and I hope you'll all give him a warm welcome.

That's it for now! But stay tuned - we have lots of new stuff on the way!

Thank, and hope you're all enjoying the site.

- Mike & Al

54 votes + -

25 comments:

BrendaLee wrote 47 months ago:

Hi Mike and Al. First of all, let me thank you for MFP, without it, I would not be where I am today. Hah, that sounds corny.

I'm always afraid when I hear about impending changes to my favorite sites, because, obviously, I think they work great as they are, or they wouldn't be my faves. I'd be more than happy if MFP stays at it is indefinitely. Try to keep that in mind when you do the redesign...I would hate to log on, and have it feel unfamiliar. Think about the big Facebook revolt when they revamped. lol Oh my.

I also hope that the changes don't equal membership fees. Not that the site isn't worth its weight in gold, because it is, I just wouldn't have the means to pay for a membership.

So, there's my 2 cents. :P

maurierose wrote 47 months ago:

Hi Mike - Quitting a job in today's economy can be tough, I wish you peace, serenity, and EXCITEMENT in your new goals!!! MFP is sooo appreciated.

pniana wrote 47 months ago:

I love MFP and am so excited that you have decided to dedicate more time to it. If it helps give you any idea of how great your site is, my trainer recommends it to all of her clients. She says this one is better than the others like it because it is simple. So, with that said, like BrendaLee, I too am hesitant of too many changes. I joined SparkPeople as well because I like the recipe calculator but I don't think I could ever truley join that community. The site is too busy, there is too much going on, making it hard to focus. Your site is so clean and simple. I am hoping you keep it that way. A suggested change that you have probably already thought about is to allow us to add our saved meals to our diary from the meals section and to expand the saved favorite foods or allow us to choose them ourselves. Sometimes a food saves that I know I won't eat often. It be nice to choose ourselves, or choose from another meal category.

Ok, enough suggestions from me. Welcome Al and Welcome Mike to MFP full time! You ROCK for coming up with this site. And on the side?! That's incredible. I love this site. I have met my weight goals and enjoy the fact that your site helps me maintain that. Can't wait to see the changes coming!

mike wrote 47 months ago:

@pniana - we definitely are very aware that we need to keep the site clean and simple. Our goal in the redesign is to ensure that the site remains "familiar" to all of our current users. We're basically trying to keep as much as we can the same but just polishing everything up a bit. Basically, it'll be the same "house" but with a fresh coat of paint :)

Learning2LoveMe wrote 47 months ago:

I'm looking forward to the new features, especially editing meals and the recipe calculator... and of course the social features (best support system on any "dieting" site is right here @ MFP). =D

astridfeline wrote 47 months ago:

Thanks Mike and welcome Al--I love MFP the way it is, I am amazed to find out you did this all while moonlighting. I'm looking forward to the recipe calculator and love the share diary function already added. I just want to reiterate--please keep it simple and familiar! I keep recommending this site to everyone I know, so I'm sure you will continue to be successful. Thanks again!

msarro wrote 47 months ago:

Al, a big hello!
Mike, I admire and respect your decision to quit your job - one day hopefully I'll be there too :) Hopefully MFP is generating enough revenue to cover your expenses and give you a little to take to the bank! You deserve it!

Resalyn wrote 47 months ago:

What a scary, exciting transition this will be for both of you! (Welcome Al!) I am looking forward to the iPhone/iTouch app - hoping it will work on both of those - I don't have an iPhone, but have been contemplating purchasing an iTouch.... Even better if you have one for basic Windows mobile users, etc... If your endeavors in that arena are as good as the rest of MFP - it'll be WONDERFUL. Thank you for all your hard hard work on this site - and best of luck in this new endeavor!

Hannah_Banana wrote 47 months ago:

Al & Mike - You guys are almost identical! So excited to hear about the upcoming changes/additions to MFP. Its already fantastic - it can only get better! You guys thinking about starting up an affiliate program anytime soon, get the word out? I'd be the first in line to market!

Thank you just isn't enough for all your hard work Mike - best of luck!!

Boston01810 wrote 47 months ago:

Hi Mike, I am looking forward to your expanding this wonderful web site. I am also looking forward to an APP that will link to my Apple iTOuch. Look at the Apple app called Lose It... it may give you some ideas. Also, Vitabot had a section where you could put in a recipe you were making, then divid it into 5 portions- and just call up the one portion you were going to eat each time. That was really nice and I miss that feature. Have fun- we are looking forward to your continued work.

SachaMichel wrote 46 months ago:

Hi guys! I'm fairly new to the site but I am loving it very much- It has definitely helped a lot :) You're also so very kind to be so devoted to MFP but I do hope you'll be okay financially too... Quitting your jobs is a big step to take! Good luck in everything, and thanks again for your wonderful site. Much love to you Mike and Al! xoxo

Boston01810 wrote 46 months ago:

Mike- Hope all is going well. Could you add a recipe calculator like this to the web site:

http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp

walkthewalk wrote 46 months ago:

Hi Mike and bro, I love your site when I found it thought it was two good to be true, I've already refered you to all the people in my fitness group. Great Job! Your site is so clean and simple to use. OK so how are you making a living if you have quit your job.
KC from Walkthewalk

PattyTheUndefeated wrote 46 months ago:

All I have to say is Thank You !!! I wouldn't be able to do this without the help of this website and it's members. :)

MrRon wrote 46 months ago:

First I must say,I thank you for all the effort you have put into this making the site what it is today. Without your effort I would not have reached a major mile stone this day, of loosing 100 lbs Since Jan 1 2008. My next goal is to loose another 15 by Jan 1 2010.

I believe there is alway room for improvement in anything we do, or any tools we uses in life. I Look forward to see what You and Al add to your site,and commenting on these changes

CPBC wrote 46 months ago:

Mike and Al,

I can't tell you how many times people have asked for my secret to this my new healthy look. My response, there is no silver bullet its a series of puzzle pieces that fit together on the path to health and fitness.

MFP is one of those puzzle pieces. It helped me balance my diet (food intake) and exercise so that I had the energy and strength to get up and do it again another day. Too many of us think that eating little and exercising alot will deliver the fastest results. This is a game of self defeat, you get to a point where you dont have the energy (due to lack of food) to exercise then you stop exercising, start eating and we all know what happens next.

After living a life of yo-you dieting, I thought I knew everything you could about food/fuel - SURPRISE, NOT SO! MFP helped me keep my body fuelled and healthy while I trained for nine straight months, 6 days a week, to reach my ultimate goat - a month long mountaineering trip with my 22 year-old son.

Thank you for helping me achieve a significant goal and a life changing event.

It was a spectacular journey, that was not the end but just the beginning of new adventures to come. www.mountainhighbc.com

From your biggest Canadian fan who tells everyone about MFP!!!

nightangelstars wrote 46 months ago:

Wow, sounds exciting! I can't wait to see what's coming down the pike next! (Although I will agree with the others here in that I like MFP the way it is - that's not to say the redesign might not be better, though). I really like the idea of an iPhone app, but is there any chance of an accompanying Blackberry app? I was going to get one anyway and it would be AWESOME to be able to take this with me on my travels, not to mention make it a lot easier to track on the go! Thanks to you both for a great website!

mikegalo wrote 45 months ago:

I'm new and i wish i had found out about your site 6 months ago, when i was in a Biggest Loser type contest. I bet i could have trimmed more with MFP's valuable data and analysis tools.
I agree with nightangelstars, some sort of web app on the iphone, BB, winMobile or android would be wicked. I would pay for that. Some way to log in over mobile without flash would be amazing.

Thanks so much for this site! i will be using it to track all my data now.

:)

2kaizen wrote 45 months ago:

Thank you! Great site. As you enhance the site - please keep the simplicity - it is what makes it work. I switched from a similar site because it was too time consuming. LOVE LOVE LOVE MFP. Hope you and Al can make a living from it soon. : ).

gin_rei wrote 45 months ago:

Congratulations! What a fun adventure - and you're helping so many people develop new, healthier relationships with food and body. I'm a recent addition to the MFP family, but I'm already a committed fan. Thanks so much for running such a great site. Good luck to you both!

schan wrote 44 months ago:

Hi guys,

I have just joined (as has my fiance) and we are loving the site. It's easy to use and you feel that you have accomplished something everyday. A great concept!

Quiting your job to start up your own project is tough and we just want to wish you all the luck in the world.

cuckston wrote 44 months ago:

Hey - sounds great. MFP is a fantastic tool, especially as it is free. Already suggested it to a few of my colleegues.

I'm really interested in the iPhone app too! I would pay good money to be able to get a good tool on the iPhone. Keep us updated of when it may be available!

Thanks!

SHRINKINGLADY1 wrote 44 months ago:

Good luck to you both.I absolutly love and appreciate this website. Thanks so much!

talrcat wrote 42 months ago:

All the changes you have made make this site even more fantastic! I have to say, I really admire your initiative (and guts!) and love, love, love this site! They say word of mouth is the best way to advertise-and I have told LOTS of people about MFP!
Keep up the good work!

annasart wrote 42 months ago:

Wow-big change to quit your jobs! Must be pulling in good $$ from advertising, good for you two! I didn't know you were locals to the Bay Area too! Good luck with your new fulltime jobs, I hope all goes well!

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I quit my job, and meet my brother Al

25 comments: