The FastDay Forum

Can anyone recommend an Android app for tracking the 5:2 diet? Specifically something that counts daily calories along with calculating the amount of calories for specific food item etc. etc

Can anyone recommend an Android app for tracking the 5:2 diet? Specifically something that counts daily calories along with calculating the amount of calories for specific food item etc. etc

The MyFitnessPal app has a scanner component and a user-contributed food database which is quite good. Although US based there are lots of UK brands on there and you can add your own. Some of the data is a bit dodgy.

It doesn't do fasting per se, as it's a continuous calorie reduction with exercise approach, but if you set it for maintenance / zero weight loss it'll give you feed day calories and tell you you're going into starvation mode on your fast days (which is tosh).

[carorees]

The calorie counter app from fat secret is good. It doesn't complain about you not eating up to the recommended calorie count, whereas my fitness pal, the other very popular app does. Both have huge databases of foods from supermarkets and "basics" so I can pretty much find everything I need. Both have recipe sections too. In either case, set them for weight maintenance and then you just ignore that target on fast days!

does fatsecret scan bar codes ? might try it if it does as MFP's philosophy sucks (although the app and database are good).

I'm using Fatsecret (the proper app name is "Calorie Counter by Fatsecret" to avoid confusion with all the oountless others) and yes, it can scan barcodes. Just touch the little barcode icon top right on the enter food screen. Success at finding foods has been a bit hit and miss with some (what I would have thought are) major brands not being found. In those cases I've just search and found a generic equivalent and gone with that.

What I do like is the way it syncs between my phone, tablet and PC meaning I can update my food diary from any device.

I use MFP, and set it to lose 1lb a week, then I can use the weekly view to check I have gone under by the right amount of cals over 7 days, even though the days differ vastly from drinks only fasting, up to full-on indulgent days

I'm in Australia and have been using the shape up club app... Its great as it has specific brands and a barcode scanner- although I'm yet to try it!

[carorees]

The caloriecount app also scans barcodes. Although they may have dismissed 5:2 as a fad diet according to dominic's thread, the app doesn't berate you for not reaching your target calories. It seems to let you set your own daily target so you can just enter your calculated TDEE for your feed days. I changed to it from the fatsecret app because I cook almost everything from scratch so I find the recipe calorie counter feature the most useful...I just type in the things I'm adding to the saucepan and get a calorie count at the end of it. However, I miss the calendar function in the fatsecret app where I could get a list of my calorie intake and expenditure over the last month and have the average daily intake/expenditure calculated for me. Calorie count will do that on its website, sort of, but not the app. I like to know what I'm averaging over the week.

So, who wants to write an app for us then?

Do you know, I might just ask my husband about this. He's a software engineer and loves a project like this. (he comes home from a day at work then does his own software projects at home later on. For fun...!) I'm making him sound like a geek but he really isn't! I think he likes the peace and quiet!
I am just starting as at 1st May and although I have had a go before I have struggled to commit as I have two little children (and my husband of course!) to feed every day so its very distracting. I plan to give it my all for May and see what happens. (when I did do it in Jan my weight definitely trended downwards, I just was't sticking to the limits properly.)

The caloriecount app also scans barcodes. Although they may have dismissed 5:2 as a fad diet according to dominic's thread, the app doesn't berate you for not reaching your target calories. It seems to let you set your own daily target so you can just enter your calculated TDEE for your feed days. I changed to it from the fatsecret app because I cook almost everything from scratch so I find the recipe calorie counter feature the most useful...I just type in the things I'm adding to the saucepan and get a calorie count at the end of it. However, I miss the calendar function in the fatsecret app where I could get a list of my calorie intake and expenditure over the last month and have the average daily intake/expenditure calculated for me. Calorie count will do that on its website, sort of, but not the app. I like to know what I'm averaging over the week.

The Simple Calorie Count by Martin Stone shows averages for the last 7 days, the last 30 days, the last year and all time.
Mind, you have to enter in your own foods and calories.
I like it and it's free. Also very easy to use, once entered foods pop up as you type and can then be selected from the list that's displayed. Works fine on Galaxy Tab 10.1.