Cronometer

“VULNERABILITY ALERT: I have been scared of food tracking apps because all the ones I get told about appear to be primarily weight loss schemes. Similarly, I have zero understanding of nutrition beyond it ALSO being explained to me in terms of weight loss. Really everything suggested to me is always about effing weight loss. I am a fat person who doesn't want to orient my life around shrinking, and so I chose to avoid/ignore all topics around diet for the past 5ish years. I don't regret my intention but the action has left me completely at odds with my physical form. I don't consider it when making food/drink decisions. I am constantly nauseous. My energy levels dip frequently and intensely throughout the day. I ache. I struggle with sleep. YOU GET IT. Recently I have decided to refuse the terms of health given to me as a fat person (BE SKINNY!) without slowly killing myself. I have texted loved ones stupid questions such as "what are nutrients" and "how do I get them." I have furiously scoured the internet searching for sources that are simply information un-editorialized (this is my favorite one so far re: nutrients btw). Most importantly though, I have found Cronometer. It asks you the initial stat questions about height / weight / age etc. and stops there. It doesn't automatically ask you about weight loss, as it isn't designed to assume that, it is designed to simply give you information (btw you CAN set those sorts of goals if you want, you just have to go into your settings and do such). It is free (but I'm a freak about avoiding ads so paid for premium lol). It has so many name-brand packaged goods so you don't have to like input all the info yourself or guess. It also isn't overly branded / designed to lure millennials / gen z, which feels refreshing. I have been using it for a few days and it is actually motivating me to add foods into my life / view this whole process as kind of fun. I have stopped skipping breakfast! I am drinking more water! Most importantly, it is helping me to consider my body as deserving as much respect as my mind. Health and weight loss are SEPARATE THINGS. They sometimes are concurrent but they are NOT THE SAME. Even if you don't need or want to use this app or aren't fat, I urge you to really consider that notion. Also linking to a great resource for people who want to understand the pervasiveness and harm of fatphobia in our society cause legit I almost let fatphobia ruin my life! NEVER AGAIN.”

“Amy is one of the best posters on this app, and I greatly appreciate her perspective on nutrition tracking - as well as how fatphobia can alienate us from our bodies, our health, and our relationship with food. Thank you, Amy!”

“Cronometer is the BEST. Love that I can default to seeing my preferred nutrition measures (fiber and salt are my big concerns) instead of calories.”