The Best Apps to Track Macros?

[klbbr]

There's a myriad of macros apps with plenty of new ones coming each year, so I'm posting this thread rather than bumping an old one. In your opinion, what's the best app to track macros?

Though not the newest apps, some of the most downloaded ones are:
- myfitnesspal
- YAZIO
- Lifesum

There are plenty of niche apps for this with high ratings and few downloads. If you use a diet app, which one do you use.

[Budjola]

MFP has been my go to tracking app for 3 years now

[JeremyM07201978]

I've tried a lot of trackers...I have not found any with the amount of features or control over your macros targets like MFP. Some others offer this for a price, and the features you pay for do not look impressive or better than what you get free with MFP. There is also a larger food database, more apps to connect with, etc.

[rhadam]

I use MFP when I need to double check that I'm where I want to be for calories. And I recommend MFP to anyone who asks, so that says something. You definitely want to double check everything as even with the "verified" entries you still run the risk of the values being incorrect.

[Anthony21]

My Macros +

[klbbr]

There's a new app, "Lose it!"

It's getting 4.7/5 on Apple
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/lose-i...er/id297368629

It's getting 4.6/5 on Android
https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...w.loseit&hl=en

Stellar ratings, and it's well deserved. I've used MyFitnessPal (4.4/5) for years now and what "Lose it!" does well, far better than any other app, is make things hassle free.

Say "Hey Siri, add lunch". Done.

You can do that for every meal, every food or combination of foods. So I've switched from MFP to "Lose it!". Recommended!

[NearlyBigAngus]

MFP is okay, fairly easy to use quickly but it's quite clunky and glitchy at times.

Sparkpeople is also okay and fairly intuitive to use.

Chronometer seemed too busy and needed a bit more patience.

[Mrpb]

MFP for many years. Largest database by far.

It's not the most accurate database so you have to check every entry.

[AdamWW]

Check OP thread date guys

[klbbr]

MFP for many years. Largest database by far.

It's not the most accurate database so you have to check every entry.

I've done the same. Checked every entry. And I am sick of it. So far "Lose it!" has been less hassle and more fun than MFP, and it hasn't crashed yet, which happened quite often with MFP.

[Mrpb]

I've done the same. Checked every entry. And I am sick of it. So far "Lose it!" has been less hassle and more fun than MFP, and it hasn't crashed yet, which happened quite often with MFP.

Haven't had that problem once. And I like that MFP for Ipad lets me see the protein content per meal.

Also I'm in the Netherlands. Pretty sure "Lose it!" won't have the same huge selection of Dutch products in their database.

[AdamWW]

Haven't had that problem once. And I like that MFP for Ipad lets me see the protein content per meal.

Also I'm in the Netherlands. Pretty sure "Lose it!" won't have the same huge selection of Dutch products in their database.

Back when I tracked macros, my MFP app somehow started to crap out on my iPhone... it would basically lag and freeze randomly, especially when searching for foods... I had to switch to Cronometer and just just pay the annual fee (very cheap) for the Gold version so I could have better tracking options.

I don't use trackers now, but i ended up really preferring cronometer.

[Mrpb]

Back when I tracked macros, my MFP app somehow started to crap out on my iPhone... it would basically lag and freeze randomly, especially when searching for foods... I had to switch to Cronometer and just just pay the annual fee (very cheap) for the Gold version so I could have better tracking options.

I don't use trackers now, but i ended up really preferring cronometer.

I have Cronometer too but rarely use it. Same problem for me as with all the other apps: database not nearly as big as MFP.

MFP runs smooth on my iPhone.

[AdamWW]

I have Cronometer too but rarely use it. Same problem for me as with all the other apps: database not nearly as big as MFP.

MFP runs smooth on my iPhone.

The thing with Cronometer when upgrading is that it splits the meals just like MFP and the interface vastly improves. I just manually entered foods and then save them for reference later... For whatever reason it just ran smoother for me. Not sure why my MFP app kept crashing tho.

Nowdays I just never feel the need to track the macros. About 9months ago I tested my ability to eyeball and estimate when aligning it with weighing foods to typical amounts, and i was within 100 calories or so of what I expected.

Over time, I've just gotten very effective at knowing how my stomach fullness and energy feels when I've had under my TDEE, within my maintenance range, and over my maintenance range.

For whatever reason - though perhaps this isn't just me - my experience is that my bodyfat maintenance calorie intake is not a specific number but a range of about 300 calories. If I eat within that 300 calorie range, my BF seems to stay exactly the same.... however, I can still gain muscle very effectively and never feel hungry (so long as I stick to primarily unprocessed foods and don't eat out a bunch, or choose very fatty/oily items when I do) at the same time.

In order for me to start putting on fat, I seem to have to eat above that. So if I consumed, say, 2800-3100 calories, my bodyfat would really not change at all within that range, but if I consistently ate say 3300 calories I would slowly start to gain a bit... though there is a slight benefit in doing that because I do end up feeling even more energetic than in the top-end of my BF maintenance range. If I were to eat just at the top end of my maintenance range, I would still gain muscle, I just wouldn't gain it quite as fast as in a surplus over that range.

Similarly, if I ate 2800, I might be able to still gain muscle but very, very slowly, and I probably would take a small hit in the gym performance.

[1stCoachJoe]

There's a myriad of macros apps with plenty of new ones coming each year, so I'm posting this thread rather than bumping an old one. In your opinion, what's the best app to track macros?

Though not the newest apps, some of the most downloaded ones are:
- myfitnesspal
- YAZIO
- Lifesum

There are plenty of niche apps for this with high ratings and few downloads. If you use a diet app, which one do you use.

I've been using Cronometer for 3-years now. 1st year the free version... Liked so much I upgraded to Gold and now PRO, which I use to track my clients and athletes. Never a problem with glitches or the database... If you've got something that works for you and it ain't broke... don't fix it. lol...

[yak93]

The best free app (IMO) is MFP. It allows you to set your macros and track it all for free. A new(ish) app that just came out a few months ago that I personally use is called Carbon Diet Coach. It is $10/mo and it sets your macros (kind of) for you. Essentially is gives you your calories after you input all the appropriate info and then you decide the amount of protein you want. It starts with 1g/lbLBW. After you have your protein, it allows you decide the ratio for carbs and fats out of the remaining calories.

It is a great app because it allows you to change your daily calorie goal and will accommodate the rest of the week. It also recalculates your calories every week to keep you on track. For example, if you lost 3 lbs that week instead of the planned 2, it'll indicate your metabolism has increased and will increase your calories.

That is a quick description of some of its features.

Like I said, it's $10/mo., so if you do not want to pay for an app, I would suggest MFP.

[klbbr]

Chronometer seemed too busy and needed a bit more patience.

Thanks for the heads up about needing patience. Anyways, they must be doing a lot right, as they get 4.8 (!) on App Store. I've had the same experience as you with MFP, clunky and glitchy at times.

Haven't had that problem once. And I like that MFP for Ipad lets me see the protein content per meal.

Also I'm in the Netherlands. Pretty sure "Lose it!" won't have the same huge selection of Dutch products in their database.

Lost it! seems to have problems with non-English languages for nutrition. They have a nutrition scanner where you hold the camera over the Nutrition Facts, but it gets jumbled in my language.

I am surprised you don't get errors with the Food Database on MFP. In my experience it seems the rule rather than the exception that the database gets the label off by some kcal. But it could be it's more accurate in Dutch!

They do have a bar code scanner in Lose it. I've tried it for a few foods, and it reached for their database, but it's been off some kcal, though thankfully it's easy and quick to update the info.

Back when I tracked macros, my MFP app somehow started to crap out on my iPhone... it would basically lag and freeze randomly, especially when searching for foods...

Crap out, lag and freeze. Yes, yes and yes. Some experience here.

I just manually entered foods and then save them for reference later... For whatever reason it just ran smoother for me. Not sure why my MFP app kept crashing tho.

Nowdays I just never feel the need to track the macros. About 9months ago I tested my ability to eyeball and estimate when aligning it with weighing foods to typical amounts, and i was within 100 calories or so of what I expected.

Eyeballing seems even less hassle than apps, yeah.

I've checked all the food I eat, knowing that whatever combination gives me enough protein, so I focus not on macros, but TDEE now. I've tried eyeballing, and it didn't work for me, but it might after using apps for a while.

And yeah, manually entering foods and save them for reference later is golden. It goes fast, and the top 20 foods is what we eat most often anyway.

I've been using Cronometer for 3-years now. 1st year the free version... Liked so much I upgraded to Gold and now PRO, which I use to track my clients and athletes. Never a problem with glitches or the database... If you've got something that works for you and it ain't broke... don't fix it. lol...

Will most def check out Cronometer!

The best free app (IMO) is MFP. It allows you to set your macros and track it all for free. A new(ish) app that just came out a few months ago that I personally use is called Carbon Diet Coach.

Will check it out!

[Mrpb]

I am surprised you don't get errors with the Food Database on MFP. In my experience it seems the rule rather than the exception that the database gets the label off by some kcal. But it could be it's more accurate in Dutch!

Might want to read back what I wrote earlier about MFP's database.

It's not the most accurate database so you have to check every entry.

It's obvious too, any user can submit new entries. That's why the database is huge and contains many errors. Check every entry before using it once, problem solved.

[klbbr]

I read it as: Haven't had that problem once [about checking entries]

As a reply to my: "I've done the same. Checked every entry. And I am sick of it. So far "Lose it!" has been less hassle and more fun than MFP, and it hasn't crashed yet, which happened quite often with MFP."

Anyways, about checking entries on MFP, I often find an entry that is right, after some searching. Good! But some times there's no such entry, and it's a hassle editing current entries to make one's own. Especially it's a pain finding my own entries quickly when adding something eaten weeks or months later. So I tag my own with "my own", but that's laborious when doing it online (haven't tried in the app) since it makes me start afresh when making "my own" entries. Can't reuse the wrong label and just correct it where it's off.

Anyways, I am not hating on MFP. I've used it for years. It's been good.

[userU1TM4OBV0XK]

I really don’t get all the excitement here with mfp,
I been in contact with support and they understood my point and also apologise about it but their app in their own words is more focused to people trying to lose weight.

So if this is your objective fine but in my case was completely useless and I explain.

This app don’t even let you to change the formula used to obtain those macros or edit it manually.

For average people it may be ok but if you have over a decade of work on you and you are builded with much more mass than the average Joe the app just assume you must be fat, then even if I choose very active and to gain weight in the settings it was recommending me around 3200 calories when I go down hill if I go lower than 3800, and like they said there’s no way around this
“-maybe in the future as we are always trying to improve our app “

I completely understand the app just don’t fit my needs sure but man I see builded lads everywhere and it was a really easy fix just letting me to edit this manually, doing my own calculations and my also my ratios, never in my life I would follow those silly ratios or maybe when I start bodybuilding 😅

There’s a app called just “macros” and even if I still struggle with the total daily intake at least I can edit the ratios but I found out that lying about my weight adding about 18kg on top of my real weight I kinda get close to what I need but then their data base for food is bad, it’s free also and no premiums subscription, maybe they are still growing it I don’t know.
You can lie too on mpf like I told them but the ratios.... if I going to ignore everything the app says I rather save the subscription

[maleahtkelly94]

I use myfitnesspal

[aniyatcervantes]

Congrats on your journey toward tracking your macros. Personally, I've never used MyFitnessPal, but my friends have. However, I've heard good things about YAZIO and Lifesum as well. I think of using one of these apps too, and then scan the tables with smartengines.com/ to extract information and use it for my fitness project. Ultimately, it might come down to personal preference and what features you're looking for in an app. It's great that there are so many options out there to choose from!