Calorie counting app for iphone that doesn't require weight input
October 9, 2013 7:53 PM Subscribe
I'm searching for a calorie counting app that doesn't require me to enter my weight to use it. This rules out myfitnesspal and lose it. I've downloaded and deleted a dozen apps because every single one won't let me bypass the "weight" screen. It seems like it really shouldn't be so hard to just track calories/nutrients/vitamins without doing it for weight loss. Can anyone suggest an app that does what I want?
But weight factors into how many calories you burn doing a given exercise, and most apps like that allow you to input calories burned, hence require that information.
posted by greta simone at 8:05 PM on October 9, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by greta simone at 8:05 PM on October 9, 2013 [1 favorite]
Weirdly, you may actually be able to use the FitBit app for this. You *can* enter your weight, but I don't believe it's required, and they don't require you to have one of the fitness trackers to use the app. There's food tracking, although it's likely not to be as good a database as a dedicated app.
A lot of the apps asking for your weight are probably doing it because it's necessary to estimate calorie expenditure. How many calories you burn in various activities will be affected by your weight, so they need it for the calories out part. You can most likely enter it once and then never think about it again -- they won't necessarily make you keep track of how it changes.
posted by duien at 8:07 PM on October 9, 2013
A lot of the apps asking for your weight are probably doing it because it's necessary to estimate calorie expenditure. How many calories you burn in various activities will be affected by your weight, so they need it for the calories out part. You can most likely enter it once and then never think about it again -- they won't necessarily make you keep track of how it changes.
posted by duien at 8:07 PM on October 9, 2013
Response by poster: Nope, you can't signup for fitbit without entering weight/height/gender.
Of course I know that weight has to do with how many calories are burned, I just don't want to do that. I just want a running tally.
posted by Violet Hour at 8:23 PM on October 9, 2013
Of course I know that weight has to do with how many calories are burned, I just don't want to do that. I just want a running tally.
posted by Violet Hour at 8:23 PM on October 9, 2013
As a workaround, could you put in a random number for the weight, like 100 pounds? Something that is intentionally non-personal?
posted by alms at 8:35 PM on October 9, 2013
posted by alms at 8:35 PM on October 9, 2013
I use my fitness pal and don't adjust the weight but set my own calorie guidelines and fiddle a bit with the exercise subtractions because it never ever is close to my garmin heart monitors calorie tally.
So I'm sort of gaming it, but you're supposed to be able to. By the way...it way way way OVER estimates the amount of calories burned from exercise. Don't trust that part if you use it.
posted by taff at 8:37 PM on October 9, 2013
So I'm sort of gaming it, but you're supposed to be able to. By the way...it way way way OVER estimates the amount of calories burned from exercise. Don't trust that part if you use it.
posted by taff at 8:37 PM on October 9, 2013
i don't understand your update. you just want a running tally of how many calories you've burned, but it can't count how many calories you've burned because knowing you're weight is a key component of figuring out how many calories you've burned.
if you're running or walking or whatever, you're essentially doing weight lifting by a different name; you're just doing many reps, and using muscles that are already really strong, and using your body as the weight.
can you explain how you expect it to count your calories if you run five miles, but it doesn't know if you weight 300 pounds or 100 pounds?
posted by cupcake1337 at 8:41 PM on October 9, 2013 [1 favorite]
if you're running or walking or whatever, you're essentially doing weight lifting by a different name; you're just doing many reps, and using muscles that are already really strong, and using your body as the weight.
can you explain how you expect it to count your calories if you run five miles, but it doesn't know if you weight 300 pounds or 100 pounds?
posted by cupcake1337 at 8:41 PM on October 9, 2013 [1 favorite]
The OP wants a running tally of calories going in, if I'm not mistaken.
posted by lumensimus at 8:45 PM on October 9, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by lumensimus at 8:45 PM on October 9, 2013 [3 favorites]
Try Cron-o-meter. I don't THINK you have to put in weight. It was designed for/by those people who try to practice calorie reduction to extend their lifespan rather than to lose weight, so it's main focus is making sure you get all your necessary nutrients.
posted by lollusc at 8:46 PM on October 9, 2013
posted by lollusc at 8:46 PM on October 9, 2013
Response by poster: The OP wants a running tally of calories going in, if I'm not mistaken.
posted by lumensimus at 8:45 PM on October 9 [mark as best answer] [1 favorite +] [!]
Yes, this exactly.
posted by Violet Hour at 9:13 PM on October 9, 2013
posted by lumensimus at 8:45 PM on October 9 [mark as best answer] [1 favorite +] [!]
Yes, this exactly.
posted by Violet Hour at 9:13 PM on October 9, 2013
Mod note: Folks, OP has been clear about what she is looking for, please answer the question being asked
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 9:23 PM on October 9, 2013
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 9:23 PM on October 9, 2013
Best answer: Try Track3. It's a diabetes App, but has a calorie tracker built in, don't think it requires the weight factor to use it.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 9:30 PM on October 9, 2013
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 9:30 PM on October 9, 2013
it might be worth it to try contacting the apps to suggest they let people opt out of entering their weight - having that be part of calorie counting could be triggering for someone who is recovering from an eating disorder, so being able to opt out would make their apps useful to more people.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 9:32 PM on October 9, 2013 [6 favorites]
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 9:32 PM on October 9, 2013 [6 favorites]
Best answer: Track3 link: http://www.track3.com. Just verified that you do not need to enter anything in the weight category to use its calorie counter. Has a database of common foods also.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 9:38 PM on October 9, 2013
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 9:38 PM on October 9, 2013
For what it's worth, I'll just mention that my fitness pal doesn't do anything with the weight information after you enter it during set up unless you choose to update it manually. It's not displayed on the primary default screens, you're not forced to update it. You can choose to make weight the default value displayed for the "progress" screen, but there's also a bunch of other stuff you can choose as well. It will calculate a "if you ate every day like today you'd weight X" tally upon completion of a diary entry, but you can turn that feature off.
I just thought I'd mention it in case your concern was that you'd be hit with that number every time you opened the app post set-up. It's entirely possible to put in a random number for weight during set up and then never see it again. And some of the other my fitness pal features, like the barcode scanner, are pretty handy.
posted by Diablevert at 2:54 AM on October 10, 2013 [2 favorites]
I just thought I'd mention it in case your concern was that you'd be hit with that number every time you opened the app post set-up. It's entirely possible to put in a random number for weight during set up and then never see it again. And some of the other my fitness pal features, like the barcode scanner, are pretty handy.
posted by Diablevert at 2:54 AM on October 10, 2013 [2 favorites]
I was reading this yesterday which might have some ideas.
posted by mippy at 3:40 AM on October 10, 2013
posted by mippy at 3:40 AM on October 10, 2013
I always put a nonsense weight in (usually 666 pounds). Agree that the whole thing is annoying, and there should be more stuff out there for people who want to track their food in a weight-neutral environment.
posted by Sidhedevil at 9:18 AM on October 10, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Sidhedevil at 9:18 AM on October 10, 2013 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Kololo at 8:05 PM on October 9, 2013 [2 favorites]