Nutrition / Calorie Tracking Software

[GravitySucks]

Do you use an app or web site to track your calories and nutrition?

I've been using them often on as a diet aid. I find they help keep me on track and to not eat without thinking, which is a problem I found I have. They also some times surprise me with how many calories certain foods have (peanut butter).

I started with FitDay website and then tried that app. The website was good, but I never cared for the app. It was easy to add foods and recipes on the web based product. Not so much with the app.

I currently use MyFitnessPal app on my tablet. It seems to have more products in the database than the other and is simple to use.

Anyone have another app they would recommend?

 

[misanman]

LoseIt

 

[grasshopper]

I use MyNetDiary on my tablet and laptop, works for me.

 

[Derslickmeister]

I've been using FatSecret for years. Keeps me at a lean and mean 175 lbs

 

[RonBoyd]

You do know that simply counting Calories is not very [-]useful[/-] effective. (because there are good Calories and bad Calories.)

 

[GravitySucks]

Reducing calories is very effective in losing weight for me. I eat good meat and lots of fresh and frozen veggies along with the occasional carb. The pastas and potatoes really are the killers for me. Way too easy to over indulge.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Early Retirement Forum mobile app

 

[naggz]

MyFitnessPal to track food and log non-stepping exercise (mainly rowing).
Fitbit (one) to track walking and running. (linked to MFP)

2 winters ago I lost 20lbs, then stopped tracking, and gained it all back over the rest of the year. lost 30 lbs last winter, and have kept it off by tracking everything I eat, every day.


Edit to add: If Fitbit synced with FatSecret, I would use that, as it looks like a much nicer interface than MFP.

 

[zinger1457]

I've used MyFitnessPal, it's not just a calorie tracker, it also tracks and sets limits for carbs, fat, protein, sodium and sugar. I also like the way it incorporates exercise into the equation.

 

[urn2bfree]

You do know that simply counting Calories is not very [-]useful[/-] effective. (because there are good Calories and bad Calories.)

Nonsense. Or misleading, anyway.

The laws of physics are not cancelled out inside the body. IF you burn more calories than you take in-- you will lose weight. PERIOD.
A nutrition professor in Kansas demonstrated this by consuming a diet comprised entirely of "junk food"-ding dongs, twinkies, etc., --and lost weight and improved lipids simply being certain he was maintaining negative caloric balance.
There are many references. You can google Kansas junk food diet. Or read this nice summary-

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/207071.php

It is true that it is a lot easier to feel full on fewer calories if you eat more proteins than carbs, but that does not mean that the calorie counting does not work-- - if done correctly, it works no matter where the calories come from--look at Michael Phelps in his prime-- he consumed 10,000 calories a day (5 x more than the average recommended amount)- but he burned enough that he was in the kind of physical condition I wager any of us would welcome for ourselves.

My Fitness Pal is the best calorie counting app I have seen-- and it is FREE!


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

 

[KM]

my fitness pal to track food and log non-stepping exercise (mainly rowing).
fitbit (one) to track walking and running. (linked to MFP)

Ditto. I log almost every day. Down 75lbs in the past 18 months.

FYI - I swear MFP has everything imaginable in their database. If you don't believe me, search for "crickets". Apparently people eat them. 3/4 cups roasted = 126 calories.

 

[naggz]

You do know that simply counting Calories is not very [-]useful[/-] effective. (because there are good Calories and bad Calories.)

I think it is more accurate to say that there are good foods and bad foods.

People react differently to different foods, and certain foods/diets may cause a person to burn more calories, but a calorie is just a measurement, like an inch, or a gallon. A calorie is truly just a calorie, not good or bad, just a measure.

A person who is consuming 1000 calories less than they burn every day, only eating donuts, will lose the same amount of weight as someone who is consuming 1000 calories less than they burn every day by only eating Salad... but I bet the person eating salad will feel more satisfied, have higher energy, and feel healthier.

 

[aim-high]

LoseIt

+1 (or should I say -8 :-D)

 

[CoolChange]

CRON-O-Meter

I have been using an open source program called CRON-O-Meter for five years. This program uses data from the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference.

The author has stopped updating this version of the software in favor of his online version which he does make some $$$ from but which I do not personally like nearly as well. The online version does some things better and contains updated data; but, I still find the older local version easier to use.

This software has the advantage of including much more nutritional data from USDA testing than any other free software I have found. If you are handy with databases and/or spreadsheets, you can pull the USDA data yourself and play with it directly. I do this for planning purposes occasionally.

My goal it to continually, and very slowly, reduce my caloric intake while obtaining all of my nutrition from food. I believe this approach will improve my chances of living a long, healthy life as well as having the side benefit of keeping me relatively thin. (I also try to avoid processed carbs, trans fats and too much fat in general while reducing red meat consumption.)

 

[Goonie]

LoseIt

Same here..."Lose It". I've been using it for over a year, and really like it.

 

[HFWR]

I have an app called Fitness Buddy. Sometimes I use it...

Fitness Buddy - 1000+ Exercises, Workouts, Ultimate Exercise Journal for the Apple iPhone & iPod Touch

 

[Willers]

Swear by MyFitnessPal for nutrition and MapMyRun for exercise. MMM feeds directly into MFP automatically. It's like buying calories.

Down 25 in a year. Nice measured reduction and no deprivation. Perfect for a numbers geek like me.

 

[NoiseBoy]

I've been using MyFitnessPal for almost 2 months. I've never really tracked calories before, but my weight was creeping up to the point where my work pants did not fit comfortably, so I took the advice of a friend and started using MFP. I have it setup so that I should lose .5lb per week. I did better than that for the first 3 weeks, but since then I've been treading water. Where has the magic gone!

I like that it is free and that it lets you track the calories that you burn through exercise. I find that the database of food is almost too large to navigate easily, and I've noticed errors in items that I've scanned using the barcode (MFP's numbers differ from the label on the package.) The hardest thing about using it is when you have to estimate the number of calories you've consumed because you can't find an exact match for what you ate. But, I think that is an issue for any app. You'll get the most accurate results if you eat a lot of prepared foods, or if you use a food scale to monitor how much you consume. Bottom line - I don't feel the need to seek out and try an alternative.

 

[GravitySucks]

Thanks all. I looked at a few of the others mentioned but think I'll stick with My Fitness Pal.

The sticking with it will be the key part. In the past I've used it awhile, lost 10 lbs or so and then just quit using it and the pounds creep back.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Early Retirement Forum mobile app

 

[RAE]

I find that, for me, counting calories is really not important. As someone said, if you focus on eating the right foods (mostly whole food - meat, fish, veggies, eggs, nuts, etc), and stay away from most highly-processed pseudo-foods, you will train your body to burn mostly fat and your body will naturally adjust to a healthy weight for you. At least, that has been my experience. Part of the problem with focusing on calories is that some of the healthiest foods you can eat are loaded with calories - butter, for example. I put butter on everything (real butter, that I buy from a local farmer), and it has not resulted in any weight gain at all. If I have even one sugary drink, however, or eat even one doughnut, I will gain weight. So it's pretty clear to me that the body does process calories from different sources differently.

 

[audreyh1]

This is interesting. I'm more interested in tracking my daily activity level. I ordered a fitbit yesterday after seeing them in Costco and thinking about it for a while. I already have an HRM that I use when I do my combo aerobic/weights workouts at home. And when I go out for a long run or bike ride I carry my Bad Elf GPS which does a tidy track that I can upload into my iPad which shows a map plus start stop, average speed, max speed, etc.

Right now I'm working on not sitting for more than 55 mins without getting up and doing something. I don't think the fitbit has a X minutes without moving alarm? Seems like it would be an easy added function. For now I can just start a timer on my iPad whenever I sit down.

Once I get the fitbit there will be even more data to record and collect! So I'll have to start looking at these tracking apps. I'm mainly just trying to get the daily activity level up.

 

[haha]

Not sure if any of you are using this device/app for weight loss, or just more knowledge about your intake, but if weight loss or maintenance is important take a look at this woman's story (and her before and after pictures). She followed a strict but simple low carb regime pushed by Dr. Eric Westman, who has a clinic at Duke and also does clinical research on weight.

Low carb didn't change my life. It saved my life. - Ancestral Weight Loss Registry

Ha

 

[Rustic23]

I used MyFitnessPal linked to Fitbit. However, the linking stopped working. I found MyFitnessPal an excellent app to track food intake, and when it was working with the fitbit, it gave me a good tracking of both food intake, and exercise. If you exercise regimen works with the fitbit i.e. walking running mostly, I would recommend the two. If all you want to do is track food, MFP will work fine.

 

[audreyh1]

I'm not committed to tracking food. I want to track activity.

 

[W2R]

This is interesting. I'm more interested in tracking my daily activity level. I ordered a fitbit yesterday after seeing them in Costco and thinking about it for a while. I already have an HRM that I use when I do my combo aerobic/weights workouts at home. And when I go out for a long run or bike ride I carry my Bad Elf GPS which does a tidy track that I can upload into my iPad which shows a map plus start stop, average speed, max speed, etc.

Right now I'm working on not sitting for more than 55 mins without getting up and doing something. I don't think the fitbit has a X minutes without moving alarm? Seems like it would be an easy added function. For now I can just start a timer on my iPad whenever I sit down.

Once I get the fitbit there will be even more data to record and collect! So I'll have to start looking at these tracking apps. I'm mainly just trying to get the daily activity level up.

I use one of these cubes for that:



You just turn the cube to the number of minutes, and the alarm is set. It's so easy.

Other timers are just as good, but I find that I am more likely to just flip the cube over than to set another type of timer. Click on the cube to see the Amazon page, which includes cubes with a variety of different time intervals. I like 30 minutes so that is the one I got.

 

[audreyh1]

I use one of these cubes for that:



You just turn the cube to the number of minutes, and the alarm is set. It's so easy.

Other timers are just as good, but I find that I am more likely to just flip the cube over than to set another type of timer. Click on the cube to see the Amazon page, which includes cubes with a variety of different time intervals. I like 30 minutes so that is the one I got.

That's so cute!

I used my iPad timer today. When I get "settled in" I start the 55 min timer. It's working pretty well so far.