Manual Food and Habit Logging Gets Abandoned Fast
People struggle to maintain consistent tracking habits, finding the effort required for detailed logging unsustainable. They recognize the value of the data but are overwhelmed by the manual processes and time commitment, leading to abandonment of tracking tools. This highlights a disconnect between desired outcomes and the effort required to achieve them.
SOURCES (60)
“Does anyone know a good Puppy Tracker App? I want to be able to track what/how much he eats/sleeps, when he does it, his weight, and add his vet schedule to it. I know this is very extra and not for everyone, but I like…”
[MyFitnessPal] ★★★ 3/5 (v26.28.0) — I loved this app at first. I still like it but it has some issues. It tracks well and works with my garmin watch to help log…
[MyFitnessPal] ★ 1/5 (v26.28.0) — New version in the WORST. I used this app for years and now I’m going to have to find something else. The simple fact that I cannot…
[MyFitnessPal] ★★ 2/5 (v26.28.0) — I’ve had this app for years and this updated version is a nuisance. You have to go through multiple screens and toggle buttons just to edit/add/delete/copy!! why…
[MyFitnessPal] ★★★ 3/5 (v26.28.0) — It started out great and then when I got to dinner, it started to add more calories whenever I tried to reduce the amount of food I…
[MyFitnessPal] ★★★ 3/5 (v26.28.0) — This could’ve been a 5 stars because the times I’m consistently using it, it truly does help with my wellness goals not to mention the other resources…
[MyFitnessPal] ★ 1/5 (v26.28.0) — I love MyFitnessPal specifically the old interface with the circles showing your macro progress. Even setting your macros was easier and tracking was fun. I’m not a…
[MyFitnessPal] ★ 1/5 (v26.28.0) — New version in the WORST. I used this app for years and now I’m going to have to find something else. The simple fact that I cannot…
[MyFitnessPal] ★ 1/5 (v26.28.0) — Back again for this newest update . They changed the interface to make it even less user friendly. You can’t see your whole day like you used…
[MyFitnessPal] ★ 1/5 (v26.28.0) — App used to be all free but now you need to spend money to track your self, pitifull.
[MyFitnessPal] ★★ 2/5 (v26.28.0) — Used to be the undisputed best app for weight loss. Then they made the best feature, scanning barcodes to add food, a premium feature and it’s just…
[MyFitnessPal] ★ 1/5 (v26.28.0) — Used to like this app but the new update removed the ability to adjust macros and now it’s behind a paywall. So frustrating when this app was…
[MyFitnessPal] ★★★ 3/5 (v26.28.0) — GREAT app. I’ve lost 6lbs so far with it. Barcode scanner is invaluable and I likely wouldn’t be getting healthy again without it. It makes things so…
[MyFitnessPal] ★★★ 3/5 (v26.28.0) — I’m trying to get into logging what I’m eating and get a better understanding of what I’m putting into my body and this app makes it so…
[MyFitnessPal] ★★★ 3/5 (v26.28.0) — I have been finding this app helpful in my weight loss journey. However, all of a sudden, instead of being able to click into an individual meal,…
I have been having a hard time trying to integrate mealie, I read through the wiki but maybe I missed it. Can you point me in the right direction? Thanks!
[MyFitnessPal] ★ 1/5 (v26.28.0) — This new update is garbage. They complete changed the interface and adding/deleting food is a chore now. The fact that you can’t see your whole day clearly…
[MyFitnessPal] ★★ 2/5 (v26.27.0) — I only use this app to keep track of my weight, and I used to have it set up so I get a reminder every morning, but…
[MyFitnessPal] ★ 1/5 (v26.27.0) — This used yo be an excellent app. The free version was great for simple calorie and nutrient tracking, exercise logging and weight loss tracking and progress. It’s…
“I’d add a screen that shows exactly what the translated card means in English, especially the cross-contamination part. People will hesitate to hand over text they can’t verify when the consequence is getting sick.”
“web director in tokyo. track metrics for a living, somehow took months to apply that instinct to my own gut. wore a CGM alongside logging gut symptoms for about six months. kept looking at food composition as the variable. wasn't it. the actual predictor: how long food sat before I moved at all. days I walked within 30-60 min after eating, symptoms flattened regardless of what I ate. days I stayed at my desk, same meal produced bloating and pain. CGM data didn't line up with this either”
“How does your app collect nutritional data in addition to a photo of plate, and make a good educated estimate? Bar-code of product(s)? Photo of nutrition label? Manual description via voice input? Does it track - calories? Carbs? Net Carbs [minus fiber]? Proteins [plant based / animal based]? Sugars? Medications like tirzepatide, ozempic, etc. which often accompanies this type of behavior [about 20%]? I'm primary looking for minimal effort to collect this data...”
[MyFitnessPal] ★★ 2/5 (v26.27.0) — I have used MyFitnessPal for about 8 years. While I never truly loved it, it did the job. However, lately it requires logging in once or sometimes…
“Thats good to hear! Happy to have something unique :) I will look into it, thanks a lot for the feedback.”
“That’s good feedback and also something I indeed noticed about the not hitting protein goal. It might be a lack of existing recipes to choose from. You already can add single recipes from blog (or different) sites or social media. Could you share an example of such a DB so I can look into it and add it to the next release?”
“Awesome approach :) How does it work with the macros? I noticed with a low calorie count and high protein count it can't find anything to reach my protein count and not go over the calorie one. It would be extra cool if we could browse a DB of online recipes and 'save' them [EDIT] - I just found where you can do this :D”
“Haha that is great timing! There currently is no paid tier yet - I want to focus on getting user input first, see user behaviour and decide on what to make paid later on.”
[MyFitnessPal] ★ 1/5 (v26.27.0) — You guys need to change back to the old version of goals an macros the new version is terrible setting your goals an macros an activity level…
[MyFitnessPal] ★★★ 3/5 (v26.27.0) — I like this app but I want to touch the screen as few times as possible and you keep sending me pops that make me press the…
“Your hook is that one line: still asking what should I eat at 6:47 PM. Everyone's lived that exact moment of fridge-staring defeat. Lead with it, not meal-planning app. (Drop the "test your app in return" bit though, reads a little spammy under an otherwise genuine post.)”
[MyFitnessPal] ★ 1/5 (v26.27.0) — Pushed to pay for a yearly plan to get advertised features. Got a popup telling me to try meal planning. Spent 20 minutes filling everything out just…
[MyFitnessPal] ★★ 2/5 (v26.27.0) — Two star because the App is SUCH A HASTLE without the paid (and way to expensive) feature. If there were more non-paid features it would be better.…
[MyFitnessPal] ★★★ 3/5 (v26.27.0) — Can we get an update with a setting to turn off all the pop ups that say great job and locked in. I work a lot and…
“Openfoodfact supposed to be answer for that. But even searching for apple endup with lot of non-fruit. I searched in their website and even after skipping 3 to 4 pages and still didnt reach it. Not sure if there is better API end point for it to make it work good. But If I search like Gala Apple, it works well. So with them, its mostly how you search because they had millions of user provided data. Probably finding fix for them would be better answer.”
“I 100% get it. Myfitnesspals value is in the data. I know it's a pain in the ass, but I guess I'd recommend gathering data the way they do by crowdsourcing.”
SparkyFitness doesn't have any nutrient or exercise data on its own. So I rely on various providers. What personally worked for me is USDA, Fatsecret and then Openfoodacts if both doesn't have…
[MyFitnessPal] ★ 1/5 (v26.27.0) — This app used to be 5/5. Now trying to log things takes scrolling and multiple clicks. I’m taking the effort to weigh my food - I don’t…
[MyFitnessPal] ★ 1/5 (v26.27.0) — I just spent an hour and a half inputting a time consuming recipe, accidentally tapped my phone screen and it went back to the previous screen, losing…
“Hey everyone. I am new here, so I hope this is okay to post. About two years ago I started noticing that I probably drink more than I think I do. So I made a simple Google Sheet and started tracking every drink. I kept doing it for about 18 months. When I looked at the numbers, I was drinking more than I would have guessed. That is basically why I started building an app. I did not want to make a sobriety app or a recovery app. I wanted something for people who still drink, but want to drink a b”
“I appreciate the response! But this is also not really addressing my question. As a broad response, what do you think the purpose of taking notes is? I've been taking notes for years and it has helped substantially in implementing habit changes, not to mention I currently use my notes to help me choose what to eat in a week. I'm mostly interested in how others have formatted their notes to help achieve these aims or similar ones in a more consistent way. You can do it anywhere, from pen”
[MyFitnessPal] ★ 1/5 (v26.27.0) — I don’t know who signed off on this update??? It actually makes the whole app unusable. It doesn’t let you edit your preferences and focuses on displaying…
[MyFitnessPal] ★★ 2/5 (v26.27.0) — I have used this app for years. It was much better prior to the recent update. The “home screen” used to give charts with your macros and…
[MyFitnessPal] ★★ 2/5 (v26.27.0) — The latest update no longer allows to copy and paste individual food items from the day before unless you’re willing to copy and paste everything from the…
[MyFitnessPal] ★★ 2/5 (v26.27.0) — This app used to be great. I’ve been using it for years. However, recently, after they changed the interface, it no longer shows the most frequent foods…
[MyFitnessPal] ★ 1/5 (v26.27.0) — I’ve been using this for over 10 years and the worst update I have ever seen in my life was whatever this last one was that doesn’t…
[MyFitnessPal] ★ 1/5 (v26.27.0) — Downloaded MacroFactor instead to escape the incessant streak alert pop ups that MFP insists on hitting you with EVERY SINGLE GODDAMN DAY. People have been complaining about…
“My doctor notes that my blood pressure and cholesterol are high, so is advising that I change my diet and exercise habits. For my diet I am currently using just sporadic entries with a food tag and will collect together notes on foods I like to determine what I eat for the week. I am wondering if anyone has a more integrated system for tracking and maintaining their diets? And how do you use it? My goals are pretty clear: reduce my BP and cholesterol. So, I'm looking for a bit of direction t”
“In March, I wrote a post describing a project I had started working on: tracking my life by noting down the corresponding category (school, phone, food…) for every half-hour. I recommend checking out that post for more details: https://www.reddit.com/r/QuantifiedSelf/s/cWtR7ToQwU I had been recording this data for nearly three months just for myself before deciding to share it with you. Honestly, I didn't have any particular expectations, but I was truly surprised by the comments and the att”
“Hi everyone! I've been wearing a FreeStyle Libre for a while, and one thing always bugged me: checking my glucose meant pulling out my phone, even mid-run or mid-ride. My Garmin was sitting right there on my wrist, showing everything except the number I cared about most. So I built GGlance ( Garmin Apps ), a Connect IQ app that pulls your readings from LibreLinkUp and displays them directly on your Garmin. Current glucose, trend arrow, and time since last reading, at a glance (hence the name”
“I know it’s not accurate from a pic I just meant it can give you an estimate. I give it exact measurements normally. Even for recipes, meals, snacks I use exact measurements but it keeps track of them over days and weeks.”
“Every day, multiple times a day, I have to remind myself that if the time spent feeding is off by seconds/minutes, it DOES NOT MATTER. I stress about grabbing my phone before feeding, hitting pause before switching sides. What has possessed me to feel this way? What am I worried about, that I’m gonna get audited?? Tell me I’m not alone 😅 Edit: I definitely meant this to be lighthearted! I promise I am not losing sleep (from this, anyway!). The only reason I use the app is to know when the last”
“A few months ago, I felt stuck with my weight. Not “I need a perfect 12-week transformation plan” stuck. More like: I knew what to do, but I couldn’t stay consistent long enough for it to matter. I tried calorie tracking apps. Most were powerful, but they felt like accounting software for food. Too much friction. Too much guilt. Too easy to quit. So I built BurnFat for myself. The idea was simple: make fat loss feel less like micromanaging food, and more like following a clear daily path. After”
“I've been trying out various fitness and habit apps, and none of them really seem to be what I'm looking for, they are either too gamey, or are geared towards people who are already very healthy, not those looking to get there. As an avid reader, I've frequently wished for a system to help track my stats and give me tasks, and I though, surely there must be an app for that. I was wrong. After a lot of thinking, googling, and a dash of Claude, I came up with the outline of the app I w”
“Most tracking apps force you into a system LifeLog started with a blank text field. Just write things down as they happen. No categories to set up. It adapts to whatever you write down. A single entry doesn't tell you much. A workout is just a workout, a coffee is just a coffee and a single $20 purchase doesn’t mean much on its own. But after a while, those things start to add up. Over time, the dots connect. At some point, it becomes more than a collection of entries. Did I solve a real pro”
“Curious what people think about this. I've noticed that a lot of people don't actually quit their diet, workouts, or healthy habits. They quit tracking them. Drink water? Open app → log it. Finish a workout? Open app → log it. Eat a meal? Search food → enter quantity → log it. After a while, tracking itself starts feeling like another task. So I'm curious: If logging was as simple as saying: "I drank 500ml water." "I walked 30 minutes." "I had chicken and ric”
“every other tracker hands you a number from a generic formula and never shows its work. mine scores your real daily movement (NEAT) for an accurate maintenance number, forces you to log cooking oil (the #1 untracked calorie source), and every recommendation links to the actual study with a DOI you can open. launching on Android in a few weeks. waitlist gets 20% off locked in: https://tappdin.site would love feedback on the landing page and the positioning. blunt is fine. submitted by”
“Hey r/SideProject , For the past few years I’ve been struggling with sugar addiction. I’d start a “no sugar” streak, feel great for a week, then cave in after seeing desserts or stressed snacking. I tried journals and regular habit apps, but nothing really clicked for sugar-specific tracking. So a few months ago I decided to build my own tool: No Sugar Tracker — Quit Sugar . What it does: Daily streaks & longest streak history (the dopamine hit when you see the number grow is real) Custom go”