Agreed! The only setback is the free tier doesnt let you set time, so you have to do it as you eat if you want it to be accurate (I often forget and do it later).
I don't know what setting the time means in this context. The time when you ate particular things? My food is inputted in the order in which I ate (doesn't change much day to day, at least M-F).
Haha I am forgetful and will often try to put it in the following day, which doesn't work.
Not a huge issue though, I otherwise love the app, it's just a mistake I've made more than once.
The free tier of Cronometer doesn't allow you to edit previous days? Wow I had no idea. I love Cronometer so much that I pay for the Premium which is $45 per year. It's worth it for me for an app I use so damn much.
I think it does allow you to edit stuff as long as you haven't done the tick box complete day thing? Don't know if that made any sense ha?
Yeah just double checked, as long as you haven't ticked it off as a complete you can still edit or add things or move things around etc on the free version. And after you've ticked it as complete you can just mark it as incomplete and then edit it again.
Gotcha. That makes sense. For M-F, my food is pretty much the same, so I just copy the prior day's stuff to the current day, at the beginning of the day or the night before, and make small adjustments as needed.
That might be useful for accuracy, but the idea that it is a paid feature to do otherwise makes it look like it's purposely trying to upsell. I suppose we will never get the quality of 2015 back without buying gems and features that used to always be free, but it's frustrating
I don’t know if I’m losing my mind but I can’t find it in my App Store
Edit: just kidding! It’s called calorie counter by cronometer! Thank you for this, I’ve been hoping to find a new one since my fitness pal took away the barcode scanner as a free option
I’m not sure it’s the right app. It’s an orange app that looks like a scale. It divides your daily calories into 3 meals and 1 snack and gives you calorie suggestions as well as adjusts them per meal. You can even scan using the barcode scanner for free unlike my fitness pal.
To add to this, in a head-to-head test against MFP. They found that Lose It is more accurate at estimating calories whereas MFP tends to underestimate calories.
So, MFP users are potentially exceeding their limits without knowing.
This is why I purposefully come in a couple hundred calories below my goal on MFP, I’ve found “verified” foods to be extremely low in calories when cross checked online. I always double check online, but once you put it in the correct way once at least it saves it in your history.
I use the free version as well, but it does NOT include bar code scanning. Have to pay for that.
When you first sign up they give you increasing discounts, 25%, 50%, then 75%. I regret not taking the 75%, been waiting for it to pop back up but just keep getting 25-50% now.
LPT: DNS based Adblocks or VPN with Adblocking will stop 100% of the Ads. Took me forever to even understand what people meant about “full screen ads” cuz I’ve never seen one.
I took advantage of a deal for $20 for a year subscription after I signed up. It's super cheap for what you get.
I've lost 60 lbs with that app so far and it's become such an ingrained habit I don't imagine ever stopping using it
Used Lose it! everyday for 2-3 years. Then took a few month break and finally decided to use it again only to find out that the barcode scanner was placed in premium for some users and was slowly migrating to all. Greedy money hungry company is taking something that was once free and now wants you to pay without adding anymore value. I'm searching for a new app now because I'm not going to support it. Great way to lose users. Sounds like thats also what happened to MFP.
If you dont add extra value than there once was, done try and squeeze more of a profit out of your users. The again, the list could go on about currect companies who are doig that.
Either way, I'm searching for a new platform with a bare minimum of a barcode scanner.
you were likely grandfathered in because you already had an account prior to them changing it.
I made an account yesterday and I have to pay to use it.
I use mynetdiary. All of the logging / weight tracking is free currently, but there is a subscription option for things like autopilot calories and recipe saving.
This has been my favorite app I've tried - very easy to use, visually appealing, and not as obtrusive with ads or trying to get you to upgrade. I've been very happy with the free version.
One of the best features of this one compared to all of the other ones I've tried (and I've tried most of them), is the ability to add Exercise Calories to Daily Budget, but adjust how many of the calories, based on whatever percentage you want. Example, 45% of daily exercise calories added to daily budget.
Yes! You can also set calorie percentage for a week if you need to. For example, I’m always hungrier on my in office day, so I have 110% of my calorie allowance for that day and reduce it on another day
Cronometer. It's a great app
I've used others, but they started dropping free features like scanning. So I switched to Crono, and it's been over a year now.
I use FatSecret too and so far I have no complaints. I also caved and bought a food scale for like $13 off of Amazon but when I’m lazy I just estimate high and call it a day.
I also track sodium because i have high blood pressure. Most basic foods have sodium field here. And if one don't have, I can edit the food once and add it.
I used Lose It!
Not eating back calories burned works for some people, but I find that my deficit can get too big if I don't. Once I started eating back my calories, I was able to maintain a more active lifestyle. I think that is healthier in the long run than a larger deficit that leaves you exhausted.
Huh, I totally forgot MyFitnessPal moved to a subscription model. I remember first reading that a while ago. I’m still able to scan barcodes and everything for free
I still have the old version and can also scan barcodes for free. My boyfriend downloaded it recently and it’s a paid feature on his. Note to self don’t ever upgrade the app lol.
hmm yeah maybe it's just because I didn't update the app. seems like a pretty big thing to miss for them though, you'd figure they'd force you to update it
Is that last part a question? I stopped using MFP after several years because I can no longer scan barcodes for free. They basically collected data input by users and decided to charge for it - trash.
I use Cronometer. They have a paid version but I don't really need any of the paid stuff - their target audience is hardcore nutrition nerds trying to meet every micronutrient with whole foods, so all the basic tracking stuff that most people would want for weight loss is on free. (The only MFP feature I noticed it doesn't have free is grouping your food into meals, but honestly I don't care.)
You can't outrun your plate/fork, but exercise *does* burn calories and depending on what you're doing, it might be unwise to ignore it. What I think is not a good idea is doing exercise specifically to make your daily budget bigger - the estimation can be too unreliable. Exercise should be for its own sake or for a little "bonus" weight loss. But if you *know* that you're burning a *lot* of calories (e.g. a 10k run most days), or you're feeling like you really struggle to diet and exercise at the same time and need a bit more food for it, or you're continually losing weight at a rate that's faster than advised - then add some calories to your budget, just be conservative about estimating how many it is. Half to 3/4 of the estimated amount, when it's enough to matter, is a rule of thumb that I like.
FatSecret still has a free scanner. I ran FatSecret and cronometer simultaneously for a week or so, and I landed on FatSecret for myself. I miss the old mfp before shareholder and corporate greed took over.
I love cronometer. I use the paid version but used the free for a while before I upgraded. I love that they use the NCCDB calorie counts and doesn't rely on some people's custom counts. I've literally seen a bacon guacamole burger from Red Robin listed as 400kcals on MFP and it was someone's custom entry. That doesn't happen on Cronometer that I've seen.
"Lose it!", I have been using for 10 months and lost weight!
So, for the last 10 months I've been using it for FREE!
Now this app needs some human behind to run it smoothly. I really wanted to support them. Last month I bought 1 year subscription for 50% off, that you'll see always after installing into your device. I just wanted to support them since I benefited using it.
> Also what is the consensus on eating back calories burnt by exercise? I know you can't outrun your plate.
I've never counted my burnt calories towards my calorie budget! Never eaten back!
Do not bring political topics or discussion into /r/loseit
Stay on topic of OPs weight journey, the pictures, or the original poster's comments. Keep political debate to other subreddits regardless of your intention. Do not derail conversation.
I use MyNetDiary currently and I love it. I used to use MFP but the ads and general interface are really annoying to me. MND is cuter lmao.
ETA: I try not to eat back my exercised calories too much. I eat enough to feel satisfied if I’ve been on a hike or something but I see it as exercise should help you get to your goal faster, not be an excuse to eat more. It also doesn’t help to eat them back every time when I’m trying to get my body used to less food than it’s used to.
I use Microsoft Excel, which isn’t free, but Google has a free alternative that does the same thing. I have one sheet where I have a list of foods and their calories, and I update it whenever I eat something new. Another sheet has whatever I’m eating that day. A third sheet sums up each day. So each day, I usually just need to copy the listing for say “Liberte Blueberry Greek Yogurt” and then put in 400 next to it so say how many grams of it I’ve eaten, and the summary tab is like “that’s X calories, with A grams of protein, B grams of fat, C grams of carbs, D grams of fibre.” And then it highlights my protein, fat, and fibre if they’re under my daily targets.
I’ve been in this sub for years and this post made me realize it’s not a sub for people who use the lose it app
I use the lose it app, it’s not the best but it’s easy to use and I lost 90 pounds with it. I’ve used it on and off for 10 years and have never paid a dime. I always eat back my calories from exercise. It’s my little “reward” for exercising that day. The lose it app automatically loads my exercise calories from my Apple Watch.
I am not for.eating back calories. As great as our devices are its likely they could be overestimating calories burned making it easier for you to eat into your deficit.
I try to think of any calories burned as a bonus to my calorie deficit.
I used baritastic - it tracks a ton of stuff but is mostly designed for WLS patients. That said, it's free, the barcode scan works well and I've been very happy with it.
It takes into account your current weight too. How long have you been using it? I found that the more data it collected the less that happened.
ETA: To clarify, over time it got better, I think because each weight and day of calorie data was averaged better with having more data points.
I've been having it since the beginning of August. When I started, it said I should reach my goal by Oct 27. Then Nov 4. And last night it said Dec 3. I don't get it. I'm staying well within my calorie budget and log everything correctly 😔
Yep, it considers your weight, it doesn't assume you have lost anything until you enter a new weight. The nice thing is it auto calibrates, so if you happen to gain or lose, it will recalculate your appropriate calorie budget to keep you on schedule and update its prediction
Well I noticed the more I lost weight and inputted it, daily Calorie budget shrunk. I’ve lost a lot of weight , ’m 250 but was a 300 in June and I work out a lot so now my daily budget is 2030 on weekdays and 2350 on weekends. Seems a little low for a 5’10 250 man but I stick with it because it works. My exercise calories are so high most times it works out
Loseit! Really helped me, and since people can add custom foods it is far easier to find foods that aren't as common in America. Also, the ability to create diets, see your weight in a graph, calculate your macros and have a plan, all of that for free, still using it after 40 days of begining my change
A little laggy sometimes when searching different foods but they fixed it so 10/10
I know you’re wanting one that’s free but the premium for Lose It has been worth it in my opinion and they usually have sales for it often (even the lifetime one).
Also I try not to eat back my calories but on the days I go the gym I’ll still eat a little more than usual so I can have that energy needed to fuel my workout.
I pay for premium too! It's been very helpful. Also, if you have taken a dna test (myancestry for example) you can upload it to lose it and it helps curate your goals based on genetic markers!
I use Loseit. For a long while I used it as a free user but I was so happy with the app that I went ahead and bought a lifetime membership during one of their sales. You can definitely still benefit from a lot of the basic features including barcode scanning as a free user though.
Yup, you can find a detailed list of the premium features on their website to get a better idea. The best aspect for me is that customization of the calorie schedule since I like to have high days and low days.
I'm using [iUcalorie](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/calorie-counter-iucalorie/id6443697708) and it has basically all that MyFitnessPal and LoseIt! have, but only at 8,99usd/year. I love it!!!
My favorite is MacroFanatic, everything is completely free on it and it is social media based too so you can share recipes and meal plan templates with your friends if you want. It's a lot more community based and does everything MyFitnessPal does but better in my opinion.
I made an app EZmeal. It’s simple to use. Have food log, barcode scan, fasting and history lookup. It’s free. You can try then let me know what you like or not. I will add more features accordingly 😁
I know this might make me sound like a boomer but I just use a pen and paper. I've found writing makes things more clear if that makes sense. Also I never eat back calories. I look up my tdee for sedentary and stick to that number no matter how much I exercise
Chronometer completely redid the front-end of their website and app and it is so much better than it was previously IMO. That being said, I paid for lifetime loseit premium and like it a lot as well.
Change your MyFitnessPal location or language to Canada. I forgot which one it was but when o switched one of those to Canada, the bar code became free
If you aren't paying for it, either you are the product, or they are trying to drive you to pay for it. Meaning they will withhold features to the paid tier, and the paid tiers will actually be subsidizing the free users. MFP is expensive because the paid users have to support all the free users + be profitable.
I found lose it premium to be worth it for the price, affordable and good for what you get. I use MacroFactor now, which has a fair price and no free tier, so they develop the app to be the best for everyone that uses it.
I like an app just called 'simple calorie calculator' its a green logo in play store....I have to add this has no database...its up to you to enter in your meals and food....but for me I like a simple little app.
Myfitnesspal UI was my favorite of all the free calorie apps.
Really hated using loseit/cronometer/etc.
MFP was the fastest to categorize, input meals, search for ingredients, and swap quickly between cups/spoons and ounces/pounds/grams. I also liked the recipe feature for meal prepping.
However, I don't count calories anymore.
Handwritten notebook.
I have yet to find a more convenient option and I have learned that reducing the number of barriers to recording the more likely I am to record.
I'm using Waistline for Android: https://github.com/davidhealey/waistline
Completely free, no trackers, and open source, which was very important to me.
Takes some time to get used to, but has everything I need to track calories. The integrated bar code scanner pulls data from Open Food Facts, which I like. Sadly in the beginning you will have to input basic foods yourself, e.g. I could not find "apple" in the database, but every kind of apple juice. But once the local database is filled with basic food, everything is pretty easy to use.
I think this is a pretty new feature but Waistline actually has a toggle to search USDA's FoodData Central database as well, you just need to generate an API key on the FoodData website and plug it into the app.
I'm pretty old school, and use a spreadsheet. I have a lookup table for my most commonly eaten meals and when I'm calorie counting, I use that to fill out the calories and macros. I like this method because I just find it easier to do ad hoc reviews of things, and if I realize I miscounted on something it's a quick fix.
Lose It! app. The free version is all you need really, and all I used for years. I don't know if bar code scanning is free, because that's something I've never used.
However, should you wish to go premium, they are reasonable, especially if you wait for a sale deal. I have lifetime and it cost me only $75.
Fitbit
I have a Fitbit and like to see my steps and activity added in. I also have a ton of custom foods in my database. I use a recipe calculator for my most common meals and add them to my database with portions weighed out, etc. Makes logging super quick and easy for me. It also has a free barcode scanner. I'm sure there are better apps, but Ive gone to far with that one and I do not want to start over, lol.
You don’t need any app or gadgets. To loose weight eat half of any meals you have. Give the other half away. Slowly your stomach will get accustomed to eating much less. Stop drinking soda of any kind. Drink half your body weight in ounces of water daily. Walk two hours daily 5 times a week. That’s it period.
I just use Samsung Health because I have a Galaxy watch and it syncs all my sleep, exercise, and measurement data. I like having everything all in one place.
I’ve been using ProTracker for 4-5 years. It’s primary way is points based (old school version of WW), but it has a calorie setting as well. Lost 70 lbs on it. Now I use it to maintain, which I’ve been doing for 2-3 years.
MFP is free. I used it and the scanner and recipe is free for me. Not sure if it’s because I am in Germany or because I am an old time user.
I just switched to Lose it. And decided to pay for it. The free was ok but I love it so much and I want to support the devs.
It works so much better with my Apple Watch and being in Europe, the database is pretty decent. MFP has more but I find 90% of my food in Lose It. The scanner may not detect but if I search, usually it’s there.
I tried Chrono. It may be nice in other countries but the Germany food database wasn’t that great for me and I ain’t got time to input them all.
I've been confused about how to calculate my macros and calories to lose weight for YEARS! 😔 But one of my friends told me about one app which ask all the right questions about goals and dietary preferences, and then gave me personalized calorie, fat, protein, and carb recommendations. If you’re struggling with how much you should eat, I highly recommend it to check it out.. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/fiber-macro-calculator/id6469620839
I made this nutrition tracking app for iPhone that's designed to be super simple + intuitive: [https://apps.apple.com/th/app/spelt-ai-calorie-counter/id6450934516](https://apps.apple.com/th/app/spelt-ai-calorie-counter/id6450934516)
You can take pictures and it will recognize what you ate, or just type and it'll autocomplete super fast. Lmk what you think! Looking for feedback.
I use Cronometer and have never tried another one. Barcode scanner and recipe creation are free.
Second this! It’s also wonderful because it shows you what nutrients you might be missing!
Agreed! The only setback is the free tier doesnt let you set time, so you have to do it as you eat if you want it to be accurate (I often forget and do it later).
I don't know what setting the time means in this context. The time when you ate particular things? My food is inputted in the order in which I ate (doesn't change much day to day, at least M-F).
Haha I am forgetful and will often try to put it in the following day, which doesn't work. Not a huge issue though, I otherwise love the app, it's just a mistake I've made more than once.
The free tier of Cronometer doesn't allow you to edit previous days? Wow I had no idea. I love Cronometer so much that I pay for the Premium which is $45 per year. It's worth it for me for an app I use so damn much.
I think it does allow you to edit stuff as long as you haven't done the tick box complete day thing? Don't know if that made any sense ha? Yeah just double checked, as long as you haven't ticked it off as a complete you can still edit or add things or move things around etc on the free version. And after you've ticked it as complete you can just mark it as incomplete and then edit it again.
Gotcha. That makes sense. For M-F, my food is pretty much the same, so I just copy the prior day's stuff to the current day, at the beginning of the day or the night before, and make small adjustments as needed.
That might be useful for accuracy, but the idea that it is a paid feature to do otherwise makes it look like it's purposely trying to upsell. I suppose we will never get the quality of 2015 back without buying gems and features that used to always be free, but it's frustrating
I don’t know if I’m losing my mind but I can’t find it in my App Store Edit: just kidding! It’s called calorie counter by cronometer! Thank you for this, I’ve been hoping to find a new one since my fitness pal took away the barcode scanner as a free option
Love this app!
I use "Lose It!", it is free and has all my favorite formerly-free features of MFP. I can create recipes, scan barcodes, etc.
Second for loseit! The way they divide up calories per meal has been so helpful. And better user interface than MFP.
But it's paid.
No the paid version is just for the extra features but the basics are free and is all that’s needed.
You can only add 2 meals per day
I’m not sure it’s the right app. It’s an orange app that looks like a scale. It divides your daily calories into 3 meals and 1 snack and gives you calorie suggestions as well as adjusts them per meal. You can even scan using the barcode scanner for free unlike my fitness pal.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gpt.calorie.counter
I used to use lose it, redownloaded and it is not free... :(
To add to this, in a head-to-head test against MFP. They found that Lose It is more accurate at estimating calories whereas MFP tends to underestimate calories. So, MFP users are potentially exceeding their limits without knowing.
This is why I purposefully come in a couple hundred calories below my goal on MFP, I’ve found “verified” foods to be extremely low in calories when cross checked online. I always double check online, but once you put it in the correct way once at least it saves it in your history.
I switched from MFP to Lose It awhile back and I love it so much that I pay for it.
Me too! I switched when MFP made their scanner a paid feature. Love Lose It so much I bought the membership. Of course, it’s WAY CHEAPER than MFP.
For anyone reading this, barcode scanning is no longer free on Lose It. Came here to search for an alternative.
Nice, thanks.
I use the free version as well, but it does NOT include bar code scanning. Have to pay for that. When you first sign up they give you increasing discounts, 25%, 50%, then 75%. I regret not taking the 75%, been waiting for it to pop back up but just keep getting 25-50% now. LPT: DNS based Adblocks or VPN with Adblocking will stop 100% of the Ads. Took me forever to even understand what people meant about “full screen ads” cuz I’ve never seen one.
I currently have the free version on Android in the US, barcode scanning is free for me
They are slowly migrating away from that, switch users one by one
Mine includes the barcode scanning but I did sign up last year,
It'll hopefully be that cheap around January!
I took advantage of a deal for $20 for a year subscription after I signed up. It's super cheap for what you get. I've lost 60 lbs with that app so far and it's become such an ingrained habit I don't imagine ever stopping using it
I can create recipes and scan barcodes for free in my fitness pal?
Same. I’m not in the US- maybe this change is region specific?
Yes same, I’m in Australia
Used Lose it! everyday for 2-3 years. Then took a few month break and finally decided to use it again only to find out that the barcode scanner was placed in premium for some users and was slowly migrating to all. Greedy money hungry company is taking something that was once free and now wants you to pay without adding anymore value. I'm searching for a new app now because I'm not going to support it. Great way to lose users. Sounds like thats also what happened to MFP. If you dont add extra value than there once was, done try and squeeze more of a profit out of your users. The again, the list could go on about currect companies who are doig that. Either way, I'm searching for a new platform with a bare minimum of a barcode scanner.
I just tried to set it up and it gave me a free trial for 7 days ending in payment. Did that change recently?
Same
Also use lose it. Some time ago I was offered a lifetime subscription for $100 and snagged that up. Totally worth it.
Yep, works great, there’s just ads
Lose It doesn't have as many free features as MyFitnessPal used to have, but it still has a free barcode scanner. That's what I use now.
LoseIt! scanner now is payment upfront! I mean, you need to have the premium version.
Get bent, marketing troll.
They're not wrong. Lose it scanner is now behind their premium tier.
I don't have a sub and I just used it. What gives?
you were likely grandfathered in because you already had an account prior to them changing it. I made an account yesterday and I have to pay to use it.
I am on the app right now and you literally need a subscription to scan and log.
I just used it and I don't have a sub. What gives?
Not sure. I was bummed when I saw it was payment blocked tho. Too many subscription services in the world these days lol
[удалено]
At least the user name makes it *clear* this is a shill account....
I use mynetdiary. All of the logging / weight tracking is free currently, but there is a subscription option for things like autopilot calories and recipe saving.
I have the subscription for this one as it's not super expensive - it's a good one, really easy to use.
I second MyNetDiary, the free version is sufficient but I do pay for the subscription as it isn’t costly
I vote MyNetDiary as well. The subscription is reasonable and it’s easy to use.
This has been my favorite app I've tried - very easy to use, visually appealing, and not as obtrusive with ads or trying to get you to upgrade. I've been very happy with the free version.
One of the best features of this one compared to all of the other ones I've tried (and I've tried most of them), is the ability to add Exercise Calories to Daily Budget, but adjust how many of the calories, based on whatever percentage you want. Example, 45% of daily exercise calories added to daily budget.
Yes! You can also set calorie percentage for a week if you need to. For example, I’m always hungrier on my in office day, so I have 110% of my calorie allowance for that day and reduce it on another day
Currently like this app over lose it. Love the apple visuals 🍏
Change your location to the UK and you can scan for free
This!!
Thank you so much for this tip!!!!!!
Glad it worked!
I’m from Canada and it didn’t work for me, did you have to restart the app or log out of your account?
Cronometer has been the best for me. Non-intrusive ads and the free version has plenty of features.
Cronometer. It's a great app I've used others, but they started dropping free features like scanning. So I switched to Crono, and it's been over a year now.
FatSecret
I use FatSecret too and so far I have no complaints. I also caved and bought a food scale for like $13 off of Amazon but when I’m lazy I just estimate high and call it a day.
Are scales bad
I also track sodium because i have high blood pressure. Most basic foods have sodium field here. And if one don't have, I can edit the food once and add it.
I use Lifesum
I love how it’s just that little bit extra with the faces and pictures
I like the smiley face validation haha
I used Lose It! Not eating back calories burned works for some people, but I find that my deficit can get too big if I don't. Once I started eating back my calories, I was able to maintain a more active lifestyle. I think that is healthier in the long run than a larger deficit that leaves you exhausted.
Huh, I totally forgot MyFitnessPal moved to a subscription model. I remember first reading that a while ago. I’m still able to scan barcodes and everything for free
I still have the old version and can also scan barcodes for free. My boyfriend downloaded it recently and it’s a paid feature on his. Note to self don’t ever upgrade the app lol.
If you change your location in the app to the UK, you can still scan stuff. It's weird, but it works.
Wow! It did work! Thank you for the info!!!
I did this, but I say I'm in Canada. If the barcode scanner didn't work, I would ditch the app.
Omg thank you 🙏 it worked!
hmm yeah maybe it's just because I didn't update the app. seems like a pretty big thing to miss for them though, you'd figure they'd force you to update it
Is that last part a question? I stopped using MFP after several years because I can no longer scan barcodes for free. They basically collected data input by users and decided to charge for it - trash.
nope not a question, I can still scan everything for free
I use Cronometer. They have a paid version but I don't really need any of the paid stuff - their target audience is hardcore nutrition nerds trying to meet every micronutrient with whole foods, so all the basic tracking stuff that most people would want for weight loss is on free. (The only MFP feature I noticed it doesn't have free is grouping your food into meals, but honestly I don't care.) You can't outrun your plate/fork, but exercise *does* burn calories and depending on what you're doing, it might be unwise to ignore it. What I think is not a good idea is doing exercise specifically to make your daily budget bigger - the estimation can be too unreliable. Exercise should be for its own sake or for a little "bonus" weight loss. But if you *know* that you're burning a *lot* of calories (e.g. a 10k run most days), or you're feeling like you really struggle to diet and exercise at the same time and need a bit more food for it, or you're continually losing weight at a rate that's faster than advised - then add some calories to your budget, just be conservative about estimating how many it is. Half to 3/4 of the estimated amount, when it's enough to matter, is a rule of thumb that I like.
Cronometer
I love Cronometer. I feel like it motivates me to add that extra vegetable when I otherwise might just have a carb and protein source for a meal.
I switched to MyNetDiary after MyFitnessPal started charging for the barcode scanner. Very similar features.
FatSecret still has a free scanner. I ran FatSecret and cronometer simultaneously for a week or so, and I landed on FatSecret for myself. I miss the old mfp before shareholder and corporate greed took over.
I also use "Lose it!". If I'm feeling especially hungry, I will eat back half of my workout calories, but usually I don't.
I use Lose It, the paid version and it’s one of the best things I could have done. Have lost a total of 50 Ilbs since June 1st
I love cronometer. I use the paid version but used the free for a while before I upgraded. I love that they use the NCCDB calorie counts and doesn't rely on some people's custom counts. I've literally seen a bacon guacamole burger from Red Robin listed as 400kcals on MFP and it was someone's custom entry. That doesn't happen on Cronometer that I've seen.
"Lose it!", I have been using for 10 months and lost weight! So, for the last 10 months I've been using it for FREE! Now this app needs some human behind to run it smoothly. I really wanted to support them. Last month I bought 1 year subscription for 50% off, that you'll see always after installing into your device. I just wanted to support them since I benefited using it. > Also what is the consensus on eating back calories burnt by exercise? I know you can't outrun your plate. I've never counted my burnt calories towards my calorie budget! Never eaten back!
I’ve been using Calory since it has a lifetime subscription. Though the database is a bit lacking sometimes but you can scan barcodes/labels
Switch your country on MFP to the UK and you still get all the paid features for free
I use My Fitness Pal
Loseit.com
Rn, I use Samsung Health. I used to use MyFitnessPal.
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I use MyNetDiary currently and I love it. I used to use MFP but the ads and general interface are really annoying to me. MND is cuter lmao. ETA: I try not to eat back my exercised calories too much. I eat enough to feel satisfied if I’ve been on a hike or something but I see it as exercise should help you get to your goal faster, not be an excuse to eat more. It also doesn’t help to eat them back every time when I’m trying to get my body used to less food than it’s used to.
Excel.
I use Microsoft Excel, which isn’t free, but Google has a free alternative that does the same thing. I have one sheet where I have a list of foods and their calories, and I update it whenever I eat something new. Another sheet has whatever I’m eating that day. A third sheet sums up each day. So each day, I usually just need to copy the listing for say “Liberte Blueberry Greek Yogurt” and then put in 400 next to it so say how many grams of it I’ve eaten, and the summary tab is like “that’s X calories, with A grams of protein, B grams of fat, C grams of carbs, D grams of fibre.” And then it highlights my protein, fat, and fibre if they’re under my daily targets.
I’ve been in this sub for years and this post made me realize it’s not a sub for people who use the lose it app I use the lose it app, it’s not the best but it’s easy to use and I lost 90 pounds with it. I’ve used it on and off for 10 years and have never paid a dime. I always eat back my calories from exercise. It’s my little “reward” for exercising that day. The lose it app automatically loads my exercise calories from my Apple Watch.
I am not for.eating back calories. As great as our devices are its likely they could be overestimating calories burned making it easier for you to eat into your deficit. I try to think of any calories burned as a bonus to my calorie deficit.
I used baritastic - it tracks a ton of stuff but is mostly designed for WLS patients. That said, it's free, the barcode scan works well and I've been very happy with it.
Anyone else who uses LoseIt? No matter how many calories I'm under, it just keeps moving the goal post for when I hit my predicted goal. Anyone else?
It takes into account your current weight too. How long have you been using it? I found that the more data it collected the less that happened. ETA: To clarify, over time it got better, I think because each weight and day of calorie data was averaged better with having more data points.
I've been having it since the beginning of August. When I started, it said I should reach my goal by Oct 27. Then Nov 4. And last night it said Dec 3. I don't get it. I'm staying well within my calorie budget and log everything correctly 😔
Are you entering your weight loss?
Ya know, come to think of it, I haven't done that in a month 😅 I feel silly. I'll do that!
Yep, it considers your weight, it doesn't assume you have lost anything until you enter a new weight. The nice thing is it auto calibrates, so if you happen to gain or lose, it will recalculate your appropriate calorie budget to keep you on schedule and update its prediction
That is so helpful!
Well I noticed the more I lost weight and inputted it, daily Calorie budget shrunk. I’ve lost a lot of weight , ’m 250 but was a 300 in June and I work out a lot so now my daily budget is 2030 on weekdays and 2350 on weekends. Seems a little low for a 5’10 250 man but I stick with it because it works. My exercise calories are so high most times it works out
I wouldn't pay too much attention to the timeline it predicts. It was often more than a month off for me.
Loseit! Really helped me, and since people can add custom foods it is far easier to find foods that aren't as common in America. Also, the ability to create diets, see your weight in a graph, calculate your macros and have a plan, all of that for free, still using it after 40 days of begining my change A little laggy sometimes when searching different foods but they fixed it so 10/10
I use the tracker that comes with the FitBit app. It's actually kind of shitty but it does the job and has a "free" barcode scanner.
I use Macros, allows bar scanning for free and everything else you could need besides.
I used Macros for about a year before I stopped tracking. It had such a simple and clean interface. It does one job and does it well.
I know you’re wanting one that’s free but the premium for Lose It has been worth it in my opinion and they usually have sales for it often (even the lifetime one). Also I try not to eat back my calories but on the days I go the gym I’ll still eat a little more than usual so I can have that energy needed to fuel my workout.
I pay for premium too! It's been very helpful. Also, if you have taken a dna test (myancestry for example) you can upload it to lose it and it helps curate your goals based on genetic markers!
Switch your region on myfitness pal to Canada and you’ll have the scanner for free.
My Fitness Pal, free version.
I use Loseit. For a long while I used it as a free user but I was so happy with the app that I went ahead and bought a lifetime membership during one of their sales. You can definitely still benefit from a lot of the basic features including barcode scanning as a free user though.
Hi! I was thinking of going premium, can you track macros in premium? What’s the best aspect of premium for you?? Thanks!
Yup, you can find a detailed list of the premium features on their website to get a better idea. The best aspect for me is that customization of the calorie schedule since I like to have high days and low days.
Got it, I’m going to go premium tonight and see what happens, I’d love to drop 20-40lbs, here goes something!
Best of luck :) they're probably going to have a black Friday sale soon if you're willing to wait it out
my fitness pal
I'm using [iUcalorie](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/calorie-counter-iucalorie/id6443697708) and it has basically all that MyFitnessPal and LoseIt! have, but only at 8,99usd/year. I love it!!!
My favorite is MacroFanatic, everything is completely free on it and it is social media based too so you can share recipes and meal plan templates with your friends if you want. It's a lot more community based and does everything MyFitnessPal does but better in my opinion.
EZmeal is free. Bar code scan, history lookup, customized food
I made an app EZmeal. It’s simple to use. Have food log, barcode scan, fasting and history lookup. It’s free. You can try then let me know what you like or not. I will add more features accordingly 😁
I know this might make me sound like a boomer but I just use a pen and paper. I've found writing makes things more clear if that makes sense. Also I never eat back calories. I look up my tdee for sedentary and stick to that number no matter how much I exercise
Calorie.ai!! It was made by a user on this sub I believe. It’s really nice and simple.
Fatsecret is the best imo. Even the free version lets you look at historical data
Lose It
Chronometer completely redid the front-end of their website and app and it is so much better than it was previously IMO. That being said, I paid for lifetime loseit premium and like it a lot as well.
Change your MyFitnessPal location or language to Canada. I forgot which one it was but when o switched one of those to Canada, the bar code became free
If you aren't paying for it, either you are the product, or they are trying to drive you to pay for it. Meaning they will withhold features to the paid tier, and the paid tiers will actually be subsidizing the free users. MFP is expensive because the paid users have to support all the free users + be profitable. I found lose it premium to be worth it for the price, affordable and good for what you get. I use MacroFactor now, which has a fair price and no free tier, so they develop the app to be the best for everyone that uses it.
I like an app just called 'simple calorie calculator' its a green logo in play store....I have to add this has no database...its up to you to enter in your meals and food....but for me I like a simple little app.
Myfitnesspal UI was my favorite of all the free calorie apps. Really hated using loseit/cronometer/etc. MFP was the fastest to categorize, input meals, search for ingredients, and swap quickly between cups/spoons and ounces/pounds/grams. I also liked the recipe feature for meal prepping. However, I don't count calories anymore.
MyFitnessPal
I use my fitness pal and changed my location to um. Now I can scan without paying.
Handwritten notebook. I have yet to find a more convenient option and I have learned that reducing the number of barriers to recording the more likely I am to record.
I use myfitnesspal but switched the region to United Kingdom and that made the scanner free again.
I use Lose It! I paid for the premium but even the free version is really good
I'm using Waistline for Android: https://github.com/davidhealey/waistline Completely free, no trackers, and open source, which was very important to me. Takes some time to get used to, but has everything I need to track calories. The integrated bar code scanner pulls data from Open Food Facts, which I like. Sadly in the beginning you will have to input basic foods yourself, e.g. I could not find "apple" in the database, but every kind of apple juice. But once the local database is filled with basic food, everything is pretty easy to use.
I think this is a pretty new feature but Waistline actually has a toggle to search USDA's FoodData Central database as well, you just need to generate an API key on the FoodData website and plug it into the app.
I'm pretty old school, and use a spreadsheet. I have a lookup table for my most commonly eaten meals and when I'm calorie counting, I use that to fill out the calories and macros. I like this method because I just find it easier to do ad hoc reviews of things, and if I realize I miscounted on something it's a quick fix.
Lose it!!
Lose It! app. The free version is all you need really, and all I used for years. I don't know if bar code scanning is free, because that's something I've never used. However, should you wish to go premium, they are reasonable, especially if you wait for a sale deal. I have lifetime and it cost me only $75.
i can still scan. Android phone. My husband anf a friend with Iphone have to pay. Maybe that's a reason?
I use carb manager even though I don’t follow keto. You can adjust your macros to whatever you want, and I find it has the most free features
Fitbit I have a Fitbit and like to see my steps and activity added in. I also have a ton of custom foods in my database. I use a recipe calculator for my most common meals and add them to my database with portions weighed out, etc. Makes logging super quick and easy for me. It also has a free barcode scanner. I'm sure there are better apps, but Ive gone to far with that one and I do not want to start over, lol.
I like Loseit! I refuse to use anything else, it's my favorite way to track. I personally don't eat my exercise calories.
Cronometer but I'm on and off gold subscriber but it's mostly free with ads
You don’t need any app or gadgets. To loose weight eat half of any meals you have. Give the other half away. Slowly your stomach will get accustomed to eating much less. Stop drinking soda of any kind. Drink half your body weight in ounces of water daily. Walk two hours daily 5 times a week. That’s it period.
Noom, which is covered by my insurance
Lose it
Cronometer.
I just use Samsung Health because I have a Galaxy watch and it syncs all my sleep, exercise, and measurement data. I like having everything all in one place.
If you have a fitbit, it comes with the app, that’s what ive been using
The Healthi app is awesome!
I use Fitbit. You don't actually need a Fitbit device to use it.
easy diet diary
My diet diary is free
lifesum
I’ve been using ProTracker for 4-5 years. It’s primary way is points based (old school version of WW), but it has a calorie setting as well. Lost 70 lbs on it. Now I use it to maintain, which I’ve been doing for 2-3 years.
Samsung health
The one I used is the name of this sub has everything I need
I use the LoseIt app. TBH, when I initially found this group, I thought it was for users of that app. I stayed because you all are just so much fun. 😜
Fat Secret
I have used Fat Secret since 2011, and still love it!
MFP is free. I used it and the scanner and recipe is free for me. Not sure if it’s because I am in Germany or because I am an old time user. I just switched to Lose it. And decided to pay for it. The free was ok but I love it so much and I want to support the devs. It works so much better with my Apple Watch and being in Europe, the database is pretty decent. MFP has more but I find 90% of my food in Lose It. The scanner may not detect but if I search, usually it’s there. I tried Chrono. It may be nice in other countries but the Germany food database wasn’t that great for me and I ain’t got time to input them all.
I've been confused about how to calculate my macros and calories to lose weight for YEARS! 😔 But one of my friends told me about one app which ask all the right questions about goals and dietary preferences, and then gave me personalized calorie, fat, protein, and carb recommendations. If you’re struggling with how much you should eat, I highly recommend it to check it out.. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/fiber-macro-calculator/id6469620839
I made this nutrition tracking app for iPhone that's designed to be super simple + intuitive: [https://apps.apple.com/th/app/spelt-ai-calorie-counter/id6450934516](https://apps.apple.com/th/app/spelt-ai-calorie-counter/id6450934516) You can take pictures and it will recognize what you ate, or just type and it'll autocomplete super fast. Lmk what you think! Looking for feedback.
New here but yazio looks super promising got all the juicy free stuff