Welcome to MyFitnessPal’s Community Guidelines

Mission:

We provide a space where our members feel safe, welcomed, and supported by others who are committed to living better and healthier lives.

Vision:

To be a collaborative community where everybody can achieve their healthy through positive engagement, motivation, and guidance from other members on their own unique journeys to become the best versions of themselves.

Our Community Values:

Be Kind and Care - Care for one another. Be kind and thoughtful when responding to others who may be on a different journey than you.
Live Good Health - We believe that good health translates to happiness. Good health may look different for everybody, and members in all stages of their health journey are welcome.
Leave It Better Than You Found It - Make a positive impact when engaging with other members. We can all achieve more when we embrace each other’s unique perspectives. We are all better because you are here.

Guidelines:

All of our members must follow the following guidelines (“Community Guidelines”) and our Terms of Service to use our Services (as defined in the Terms of Service) and to participate in our community forums or other community features on MyFitnessPal. Community features may include, but are not limited to, discussion forums, conversation pages, blogs, or other interactive areas or features that allow you and other users to post User-Generated Content (as defined in the Terms of Service) and interact with one another. If you violate these Community Guidelines, we may take actions to address the issue, including, but not limited to, terminating your right to use the Services, or removing your User-Generated Content.

Please keep in mind that our community forums are public. When you make something publicly available online, it becomes practically impossible to take down all copies of it in the future. Please click here for more information if you need help removing your posts.

1. Play Nice

Please be respectful and understand that everyone is different. Some members are new to this, so be kind to the newbies. Always remember the human on the other side of the screen and share your opinions while respecting others’ thoughts and feelings. Be ready to hear and appreciate different opinions, even when you disagree with them. If you can’t be nice, please use the ignore feature.

Do Not:

Attack, bully, or otherwise insult others. You can respectfully disagree with the message or topic, but you cannot attack the messenger.
Harass other members, moderators, or staff in the forums and/or anywhere else on MyFitnessPal. This includes language used to harass or bully another member through repetitive or off-topic posts.
Criticize or call out a member’s spelling or grammar. Remember, not everyone has the same education, language, or location. Don’t pick apart how something is said; focus on the meaning/message.
Belittle a member for posting a duplicate discussion, or attack a member for posting in an older discussion.
Be a jerk.

2. Be Kind

We are all at our best when we are kind and respectful to each other. We embrace everyone as they are and expect our members to treat each other with respect. MyFitnessPal is not a place for hateful content or the people and groups that promote hateful activities; we have a zero-tolerance policy for hate speech.

Do Not:

Be hateful.
Make any derogatory references to age, sex or gender identity, sexual orientation, weight, body type, disability or medical condition, pregnancy, racial identity, ethnicity, nationality, immigration status, socio-economic status, veteran status, religion, or faith.
Make or promote stereotypes against other members.
Post discussions, comments, or other content that incite racism, bigotry, hatred, or physical harm to any individual or group.
Endorse violence against any person or group, even if veiled in humor.
Deny, mock, or minimize an individual for any reason, including for an individual’s gender identity or sexual orientation.
Support hate groups and people promoting malicious activities or prejudice.

3. Engage Positively

Be friendly! We’re all here to lift each other up. Use Reactions to share the love. @Mention a member to share something awesome. Flag content that breaks our guidelines or needs staff attention. Use the Search function to look for answers, but don’t be afraid to ask a question another member has posted before. (You may get different answers!)

Do Not:

Misuse the spam or abuse flags (flagging someone because you don't like them).
Use reactions in a hurtful manner.
Use mentions (@) to call out other members in a negative way.
Create duplicate topics or post the same reply in multiple threads to get a response.
Bump zombie threads to prove a point/dominate recent discussions.
Tell people to Google their questions.
Post in a language that is not native to the forum you're participating in.
Take a discussion off-topic or post unrelated or irrelevant content.
Engage in disruptive behavior.
Spam people via posts, replies, or messages.
Police other members.

4. Use Workplace-Friendly Images

Please share your authentic progress photos and success with us; it’s what makes our community great! That said, please be aware that our forums are public, and your photos should be workplace-friendly and appropriate.

Do Not:

Share nudity, pornography, or NSFW (Not Safe For Work) content or images. Photos containing excessive or exposed cleavage, butt, breasts, or crotch in any state of dress are not allowed.
Post photos in which hands or objects are the only bodily covering.
Post photos in underwear or other undergarments.
Pants or swimsuits need to cover everything below the mid-hip.
Post hateful, violent, gory, or graphic imagery, including images of guns or other weapons.
Post content or images containing profanity.
Post political images. This includes political slogans, propaganda, and images of past and current political figures.

5. Language Should Pass the Granny Test

If you wouldn’t say it in front of your granny, mom, boss, or child, it’s not appropriate here. (This includes usernames!) We utilize a profanity filter to keep things *kitten* clean. MyFitnessPal is a place to discuss health & fitness-related topics.

Do Not:

Use vulgar, explicit, graphic, or sexual language.
Get creative trying to get around the profanity filters by using non-alphabetical characters to approximate expletives or other objectionable language.
Post comments with an inappropriate sexual connotation.

6. Support Safe and Healthy Journeys

We welcome members in many different stages of their health and fitness journey. Our goal is to provide members with the tools to achieve their weight management goals at a steady and sustainable rate. We promote healthy relationships with food and don’t condone dangerous or unsafe eating habits or strategies.

People can have a complicated relationship with food, and that’s ok. Please remember that other members’ advice should never replace medical advice from a professional. We are supportive of members with different health journeys, whether that be a disease, ailment, injury, or neurodivergent diagnosis. Please be respectful of everyone’s unique situation and be kind when responding.

Do Not:

Use any aspect of the Services to endorse, promote, glamorize, or achieve any unsafe dieting practices, including but is not limited to anorexia, orthorexia, bulimia, or very low-calorie diets. This includes positive references to ana/mia, purging, or self-starving.
Discuss controversial weight-loss techniques or diets.
Diagnose other members or offer professional medical advice.
Post content suggesting, promoting, or advertising potentially unsafe or controversial weight loss products or procedures, including non-medically prescribed supplements.
Post content or photos intended to glamorize extreme thinness. (Thinspiration/Thinspo, Bonespiration/Bonespo, Thigh Gaps, etc.)
Glamorize or promote self-harm or suicide.

We have a list of support resources available on our Eating Disorder Resources page.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available 24/7. We have a list of resources on our Suicide Prevention Resources page.

7. User Generated Advertising

Our goal is to keep the MyFitnessPal community a safe and authentic place free from spam and advertising. For our purposes, posts containing links to offsite blog posts and social media are considered advertisements. Please report posts you believe to be advertising. Non-affiliate links to popular storefronts, integration partners, or informational sources (such as scientific articles) are allowed.

Do Not:

Post any links, mentions, or solicit off-forum contact (e.g., “message me for more info”) for other services from which you might benefit.
Request or solicit any donations.
Post or use any community features intended to promote websites and apps that compete with MyFitnessPal.
Post, promote, or solicit participation in your research projects or surveys.
Respond to advertisers (Please utilize our Reporting features).

8. Respect Privacy

To preserve the safety and anonymity of our members, please be sure to check the privacy settings in your profile and only divulge information on our forums that you are OK with being public. Please make use of our safety tools to block members who send you unwanted messages and report suspicious or malicious activity to MyFitnessPal Staff or Moderators.

Do Not:

Publicly post an email, private message, or any other type of message from any other MyFitnessPal member, moderator, or staff member at any time.
Post or solicit any Personal Data (as defined in the Terms of Service), including personal information like full names, telephone numbers, email, mailing address, social media, usernames, chat or instant messenger IDs, meeting links, photos, etc. (e.g., TikTok, Facebook, Bluesky, Instagram, Snapchat, X, WhatsApp, etc.).
Ask other members to post their personal contact information.

Please Note: Our forums are public; anything you post here can be surfaced in a search result.

9. Be Your Authentic Self

Please be you and only you. If you want to change your username again, please contact our staff for assistance.

Do Not:

Impersonate or mimic other members or post any content likely to deceive any person or to misrepresent your identity or affiliation with any person.
Catfish or mislead another member with a fake account.
Create multiple accounts to deceive other members, moderators, and admins or to get around a forum ban.

10. Keep It Legal

We may remove or delete any content that you post that violates these Community Guidelines or as may be required by applicable laws.

Do Not:

Post messages that violate federal, state/provincial, or local laws, including, but not limited to, anything that infringes a copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, or is confidential or in breach of other legal duty owed to a third party.
Create discussions that reference illegal activities, including, but not limited to, the use of illegal substances, violence against others, or any other content that promotes any illegal act or potentially hazardous or dangerous activity.
Post content that targets or harms minors.
Advocate, promote, plan, engage in, or assist any fraudulent or illegal act (e.g., violence, impersonation, doxxing, and computer misuse).
Interfere with or damage the operation of the Services, including through unauthorized use, disruption, automated attacks, exploitation, or abuse of our resources.
Post deceptive or fraudulent links, such as links with misleading descriptions, putting the wrong “source” field in a post, setting misleading click-through links on images, or embedding links to interstitial or pop-up ads.

11. Misinformation

MyFitnessPal isn’t a place for misinformation, disinformation, mal-information, or the individuals or groups intentionally spreading or creating it. As part of our commitment to the safety and well-being of our members, we reserve the right to remove any content on our platform that we deem false, misleading, or harmful.

Do Not:

Post medically unsupported health claims.
Post false or misleading information about any member, group of members, or protected groups that promote fear, hate, or prejudice. This includes misleading content that targets these groups for harassment or physical violence.
Post intentionally manipulated or modified content with the intent to mislead or cause harm.
Post content that misrepresents scientific data with the intent to damage trust in science and experts.

12. Be Diplomatic; Read the Room

MyFitnessPal values every individual’s unique perspectives, experiences, and philosophies. Please be respectful of the diversity of our global community. Report trolls instead of engaging them.

There are many spaces out there to argue with people and engage in divisive topics. MyFitnessPal is a safe space to coexist with other people with the sole objective of bettering ourselves physically and mentally. While engaging with others on our forums, we ask that you remain respectful of other cultures, identities, and points of view. In return, you should expect to receive this same treatment.

Do Not:

Post divisive topics, which we define as any hot-button issue that would incite conflict or debate unrelated to health & fitness.
Post about politics. This is not the place to share support for your favorite politicians, encourage others to see your political point of view, ridicule people of an opposite view, or garner support for a particular issue.
Discuss religion (talking about cultural food dietary practices is OK).
Create or engage in topics that are exclusionary in nature.
Troll, flamebait, or feed the trolls.

13. Group Participation

Groups are a great way to stay connected with friends or discuss niche topics that may not fit within the main forums. The Community Guidelines apply when participating in groups, including private groups. If you create a group, you and your appointed leaders are responsible for all upkeep and moderation within the group.

Do Not:

Participate in groups that aren’t relevant to you.
Create or participate in a group to mock, harass, or bully any member or group of members.
Make a private group with the intent to get around our community guidelines.

14. Moderation Disputes Should be Handled Privately

Please remember the human on the other side of the screen, and appreciate the volunteer moderators who take the time to help keep this community a safe and friendly place. If you are concerned about a moderator, warning, or forum moderation, please privately message a staff member. Moderation is never a topic for public discussion.

Do Not:

Publicly protest a moderator or staff member’s action.
Attempt to appeal the removal of a member from the Community as a result of moderation.
Threaten moderators or staff members.

Please note: We reserve the right to update these Community Guidelines and to delete or lock posts and discussions, to disable the posting privileges of any member, or to limit or deny the use of Services at any time, for any reason, at our discretion, without warning or notice. Additionally, we reserve the right to dismiss a reported post if we find it does not violate a guideline.

It is vital and required that everyone in the community complies with these Community Guidelines in order for us to foster a friendly and supportive community. We know this is a unique place. You can’t say whatever you want here, even when someone is wrong. We insist that you consider your impact on other people and our community when you post. This isn’t everyone’s style, and this won’t be the right community for everyone. Occasionally we will remove members from the community because it isn’t a good fit. Please review the section below for details on how our warning and point systems work.

Moderation, Reporting, and Flagging Policies:

We do our best to keep the community safe and secure (users respecting the Community Guidelines helps), but you still might run into bad content before we have a chance to take it down. If you spot anything objectionable, please let us know. We have a team of staff administrators and volunteer moderators, but we rely on our members to help us identify guideline violations. If you see a post that violates our Community Guidelines, you can help us by reporting a post. A human reviews all reports before any moderation or warning action is taken. We reserve the right to pre-moderate or take any moderation actions on posts that are not member-reported.

Flagging Posts:

Spam - When a post is flagged 5 times as Spam, it is hidden from the community forums and sent for moderation. This Flagging option allows members to quickly report spam to mods and remove it from the community.

What is Spam: This is for bot-style posts only (e.g. questionable supplements, miracle skin treatments, unrelated services etc.) Please flag these items as Spam, do not report them as Advertising.
What is not Spam: Anything that is not a spam bot. Please use the Report option if it was written by an actual human and violates our advertising guideline.

Abuse - When a post is flagged 5 times as Abuse, it is hidden from the community forums and sent for moderation. This flagging option is to get offensive or upsetting content reported to the mods and removed from the community to reduce the number of people who have to see it.

What is Abuse: Pornography, graphic or disturbing images, hate speech, or otherwise objectionable materials, etc. This is for severe and urgent violations.
What is not Abuse: General community guideline violations, posts you disagree with, posts by people you are arguing with in a discussion, and anything else that does not meet the criteria above.

If a post is neither Spam or Abuse, it should be sent to the moderators via the Report option. We also encourage members to report their discussion if they want it to be edited, moved, or deleted.

What happens when a member abuses the flag/report features?

Members who flag content that does not meet the criteria for a flag are in violation of our guidelines and will be subject to warnings. This includes members who are flagging or reporting content due to past events gone sour, a dislike of the member, and those who are trying to incite drama, flamebait, or are flagging to attack another member in a discussion due to disagreement.

Warnings and Point System:

If your reported post or action (abusing flags, reactions, etc.) violates our community guidelines, you are subject to a warning. We utilize three levels of warning points based on the severity of the violation and your history of warnings.

Notice = 0 Warning Points: This type of warning is used to let a member know they have violated a guideline and request they review our guidelines to avoid future warnings. This type of warning is appropriate for new members and for notifying members of posts removed that don’t warrant disciplinary action.
Minor Warning = 2 Warning Points, Lasts 1 Week: This type of warning lets a member know they have violated a guideline and received 2 points. This type of warning is appropriate for members who have received previous notifications to review our guidelines.
Major Warning = 3 Warning Points, Lasts 2 Weeks: This type of warning lets a member know they have significantly violated a guideline and received 3 points. Examples include hate speech, blatant personal attacks, or posting images containing nudity, as well as repeated violations of our guidelines.
Banned = 5 Active Warning Points, Lasts Forever: A member who accumulates a total of 5 active points will be banned and lose posting privileges.
10 warnings in a calendar year = Permanent Ban: Any member who accumulates 10 warnings in a calendar year (from the first day of January) will also be banned permanently.

Warning Points are cumulative. When a member’s warning expires, their warning level will be reset to zero, and the member will no longer have any active warning points. When a member reaches certain warning levels, they will have forum restrictions placed on their account.

We feel strongly that posts or actions disregarding these guidelines jeopardize the supportive atmosphere of MyFitnessPal. Such posts may lead to consequences including warning, suspension of posting privileges, or, in some cases, removal of a member from the Services.

Information contained in the community forum or any of MyFitnessPal’s community features are provided by third-party users and MyFitnessPal is not responsible for such content and does not approve, verify, or otherwise endorse such information. You are solely responsible for your use of these features and for any User-Generated Content you post. We reserve the right to enforce, or not enforce, these Community Guidelines in our sole discretion, and they don’t create a duty or contractual obligation for us to act in any particular manner.

MyFitnessPal expressly disclaims all liability in respect of any or all content posted in any community feature, including any loss or damage resulting from interactions with other users who use the Services (as defined in the Terms of Service). MyFitnessPal is under no obligation to become involved in and disclaims any and all liability related to any disputes between its users, and you release MyFitnessPal from all responsibility and liability arising out of or in connection with such dispute.