What is Cronometer?
Cronometer is a website and app for counting calories and tracking your diet and health metrics. Cronometer is available as a mobile app for iOS and Android. Cronometer is compatible with Fitbit, Strava, Withings, Garmin, Polar, Qardio and Oura.
If this is your first nutrition tracker then use the first month to set everything up and learn how to use it well. Then focus on achieving your fitness and health goals.
I prefer to use Cronometer on the computer, as it’s easier to add what you eat. But the app is also great when you are out and about. It’s easy to add food to the database by scanning the product’s barcode.
Is Cronometer accurate?
The program is easy to use and the icons are easy to understand. The dashboard has a logical layout. Here you can navigate through the month and see at a glance how your day is progressing. For each day you can add food, exercise, biometrics or a note. (You can even measure your mood in milligiggles).
In the middle of the screen, you’ll see coloured bar charts and circle charts to show your daily calorie summary, macronutrient targets (energy, protein, net carbs, fat), nutrient intakes and targets (think iron, fibre etc.). Across the top are tabs for diary, trends, foods, settings and help.
Is the Cronometer App Free?
The app is completely free to sign up for, and the app is also free without ads.
The Help section is a good place to start as there is a Chronometer University with a comprehensive video tutorial series. I recommend watching a few videos to get started. Here you’ll also find a community forum and user manual.
It’s easy to add new food to the app, and it is usually approved within a couple of days. This strict moderation by Cronometer means fewer incorrect food entries and leads to more accurate data. (Unlike some of the major competitors).
The settings section will let you see your payment details, profile settings (metric), targets (goal weight), devices and sharing. You can set the diet philosophy that you are following, such as vegetarian, ketogenic, paleo, zone, gluten-free, dairy-free and more.
Handy tip: I like to create a template day with diary group settings for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snacks, Exercise and Relaxation. Then I add my food so it’s easy to see what I ate and when. You can then copy any regular items to the next day.
How can I use Cronometer to lose weight?
My partner successfully lost 10 kg over around 6 weeks off just changing his diet and using Cronometer consistently. By tracking your calories, your macronutrients and remaining consistent over a longer period of time, Cronometer acts as your fitness companion by giving you structure, control and tutorials.
Cronometer Pros
- Great video tutorials
- Strict moderation of the food database
- Great for anyone starting out
Cronometer Cons
- I’d like to see more compatible apps and fitness trackers.
- Set a timer to track each day, and don’t get hung up on the stats
You may like to consider upgrading to Cronometer Gold to unlock the following features:
- Time stamping data
- Food suggestions based on remaining macro and micronutrient targets for the day
- Create Custom Biometrics
- Diary Groups
- Nutrient Balances
- Nutrient analysis chart
- Longer timeframes for analysis
- A Report Generator
- Progress snapshots (you can upload progress photos)
- Food and recipe sharing
- A free mobile app without ads
You can upload progress photos which might be useful if you have a personal trainer or are following a 12-week challenge.
Cronometer is a solid food tracker that would be ideal for anyone wanting to lose weight, improve their overall health and fitness or be a serious athlete in training.
Thank you to Cronometer for allowing me to try the Gold subscription for a year.
About Cronometer
Cronometer is a website and app for counting calories and tracking your diet and health metrics. Cronometer is available as a mobile app for iOS and Android. Cronometer is compatible with Fitbit, Strava, Withings, Garmin, Polar, Qardio and Oura. https://cronometer.com/
Image Credit: Unsplash
