It’s a great app, but calorie count changed.
I really like this app, it has helped me lose 30 pounds just by portion control in helping me know exactly (approximately) how many calories I’ve eaten. However, in the past month it seems that the count in calories burned has changed. Before, 10,000 steps walked would show that it burned about 635 calories. Now, 10,000 steps shows that about 1100 calories have been burned. Why such a drastic change? I believe that such a significant change like that will negatively impact my ability to track calories in vs. calories burned.
After the above review, the developer contacted me and informed me that due to an iOS update, I was tracking calories from multiple sources on my phone (MyPlate app & Apple health app). The developer advised me on how to correct that problem and I am happy to report that my calorie count seems to have returned back to the way it originally was. Increased star rating from 3 to a 5.
After the above review, the developer contacted me and informed me that due to an iOS update, I was tracking calories from multiple sources on my phone (MyPlate app & Apple health app). The developer advised me on how to correct that problem and I am happy to report that my calorie count seems to have returned back to the way it originally was. Increased star rating from 3 to a 5.
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Hate this app
I give them total access to my personal info through my watch but then they’ll only share half of the figures I provide them back to me which means I either have to do algebra every time I want to determine what my calorie deficit is or pay them money to tell me the info I’m giving them thru my watch?
So I go back and forth between different apps to get the values and do my math homework. Meanwhile after a few weeks having it set on “lose 2 lbs per week” just to see what it does - i see it’s wrong. It tells me how many calories I have left to eat but that amount of calories leaves me with an average daily deficit of only 500 calories - that’s one pound per week. Fitbit was so much better I never thought getting the Apple Watch would make this all so much more complicated and convoluted because I now have to rely on (and pay?????) crappy 3rd party apps like this one. On the hunt for an app that doesn’t hide my total calories or my calorie deficit behind a pay wall.
So I go back and forth between different apps to get the values and do my math homework. Meanwhile after a few weeks having it set on “lose 2 lbs per week” just to see what it does - i see it’s wrong. It tells me how many calories I have left to eat but that amount of calories leaves me with an average daily deficit of only 500 calories - that’s one pound per week. Fitbit was so much better I never thought getting the Apple Watch would make this all so much more complicated and convoluted because I now have to rely on (and pay?????) crappy 3rd party apps like this one. On the hunt for an app that doesn’t hide my total calories or my calorie deficit behind a pay wall.
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Great.. just one thing..
Ok, so I really love this app. I learned about MyPlate in college & loved it then- still love it now. Only one thing!.. I do not like how vague the nutritional info is on the food that you add yourself. I wanted to create a (.64 cup personal watermelon) food because the only watermelon was certain brands I didn’t know, or a weird amount, like 1/16 of a watermelon…. Well, as I was entering exactly what I had- (Because I BUY the app for a reason!!! Because I want to know exactly what’s in the food I’m eating!!!!!!) it wouldn’t let me add polyunsaturated fat, monounsaturated fat, or any of the vitamins!!!!! Then at the end it told me the total fat count cannot be higher than the saturated fat, or something like that. It was frustrating that I took my time to try to enter this & it wouldn’t even give me a space to put all the info I needed. I guess I’ll just have to settle on 1/16 of a watermelon since at least it includes some vitamins?? I mean, am I missing something?? Do others have the same issue, or am I just missing a hidden tab or something to add the rest of the info? 🤔😔
If I could do half star ratings, I’d give this one a 4 1/2 because it is great, I do love it, & it seriously does help me loose weight. I also prefer this over other apps (like weight watchers) because I feel like I can actually LEARN about the food I eat rather than just having points etc.
If I could do half star ratings, I’d give this one a 4 1/2 because it is great, I do love it, & it seriously does help me loose weight. I also prefer this over other apps (like weight watchers) because I feel like I can actually LEARN about the food I eat rather than just having points etc.
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Response from developer
Hi there! We really appreciate you providing a review and feedback. We hope to add micronutrients for custom foods in a future update.
Good and Terrible
The good is that the app is straightforward and fairly easy to use. The recipes are helpful. The micronutrient breakdown is good, although I haven’t quite delved into that. Unfortunately, this app stumbles badly when it comes to recording calories. Instead of simple measures of food (weights and measures, i.e. ounces, grams, cups, tablespoons) you get odd or meaningless measures like “serving,” or “slice.” Or you get odd quantities to choose from like 3 oz. So if I had 4 oz. of something, I have to enter it as a quantity of 1.33 of the unit of 3 oz. Why not just make the unit 1 oz., and let me scroll to 4? Also - sourdough bread - there are two measures available, both named “slice.” One of these slices is about 190 calories, and the other is something like 90 calories! So, I’m left to guess how many calories my slice was, and do the math to come up with a quantity? Why have this at all if I’m guessing? I have no issue with measuring or weighing my food, just give me units that make sense! (Noom is much better in this aspect.)
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It was great
Been using myplate on and off for 2 years or so and it is very helpful. Unfortunately, there is a glitch and MyPlate has confirmed that they will not be fixing it. You are able to add items on a repeating schedule that you eat on certain days (or everyday) so you do not have to add them manually every single day. Now, MyPlate has made it so you cannot remove these repeated items no matter what thanks to a faulty update. The only option is to manually remove each repeated item every single day, or to make a new account in which my data does not transfer as confirmed my MyPlate. Really disappointing EDIT: In response to the developer; I have already reached out to support and they confirmed the only fix would be to manually delete the item or to create a new account. My data is not transferable to a new account. I have updated my review to 3 stars because I do find the app helpful and well designed. 2 stars was a bit harsh. Still, this is a pretty annoying error that I assumed would be fixed eventually. Unfortunate that it won’t for me. Thank you for the response
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Can no longer add your own recipes
I used this app years ago and loved it. Just started using it again and am very disappointed to no longer be able to add my own recipes. This is a problem because we do not eat pre-made meals. Yes, you can manually add the calories and a few pieces of nutritional info, but this doesn’t cut it when I’m also trying to track the vitamins & minerals of my own recipes. It’s possible because the option was there in the past. It is much more accurate to be able to add my soup recipe in, for example, than to choose if Kroger, or Campbell’s or whatever brand comes closest to my own. I find the options of available foods lacking. This may work for someone who eats mainly commercially prepared foods or someone only tracking calories. My Fitness Pal does allow you to add your own recipes, so I will likely have to switch to them, unfortunate as I love other things here such as the vitamin/mineral tracking and the workout videos.
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Good app
I like this app and have been using it on and off since I was 18 (I’m 23 now), I’m also 5’7”, and about 70 lbs down from 186 lbs. I appreciate the way I’m able to count calories with more precise measurements of food. However, one thing I would love to see on this app are time stamps of exactly when I ate last and/or the ability to input a time stamp. Or even a way to adjust reminders of when I need to eat next that matches my daily routine (if this already exists in the app, my apologies). I have a co-morbid disability that makes food/remembering to eat throughout the day a bit of a challenge for me. So, I think that having a more handicap accessible app to help keep track of my daily in-take would be extremely helpful. Even if I didn’t have a disability and I was still trying to lose weight, I’m pretty sure a lot of people would appreciate an adjustable time stamp.
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Easy entry
I like how easy it is to enter the foods I eat.I wish sometimes there were different units of measure for some foods. And also I don’t like how I put in a food and multiple choices come up and sometimes none of them are the correct amounts for me and have different calories for the same unit. It would he nice to have someone that was constantly working on slimming down each item to just one easily found choice but multiple units of measure. And lastly your meal plans although nice or sometimes just too complicated for me. I need it very very simple. Especially when you have someone starting a diet for the first time they need like one or two items for each meal only. Maybe offer not so much a mixed dish but two or three items for the same meal like a piece of bacon two eggs one apple etc.
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So many improvements since I tried it last
I am vision impaired and I have been using this app for over a year. I have used both the free version and the upgrade, and both are excellent. In addition, I have contacted the developers about features in the app that were not accessible. They have written me very courteous responses and have fixed most of the issues willingly. I appreciate their efforts for inclusion. I would like to suggest that in the fractional pop-up menu for less than whole quantities of a serving that they add smaller quantities than 1/4 serving. I would like to be able to log smaller amounts such as 1-3 ounces, teaspoons, or tablespoons. I would strongly recommend both versions of this app. Another suggestion: there is absolutely no rhyme or reason to foods recently tracked. Foods eaten most recently either don’t show up in the list at all or they are buried in the middle or close to the bottom. Any food eaten on a particular day should automatically appear at the top of the list.
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Helps you track your effort and results
This app will NOT do the weight loss for you, but it will help you to realize you had the power to lose weight through moderation and dedication all along.
I have steadily lost 30 lbs in the last 6 months! I went from size 10 to size 2, and am no longer overweight. I have had hypothyroid my entire adult life and never thought I’d be at my college weight again. I wish I’d gotten out of my head and done this sooner!
I use this app to track my food and exercise easily and quickly. Most foods and exercises are easily searchable, and you can also create your own food and exercise entries. You can track your daily macros to make sure you’re getting enough of each nutrient. The app has settings for different ages, weights, activity levels and weight goals. I also plan to continue to use this app to maintain my current weight, as well as gain weight at a healthy weight when I get pregnant.
Tracking my habits using this app helped me to realize that I used to underestimate the quality and quantity of food and drink I was taking in. It also helped me to rebuild a healthy relationship with exercise. I can now run 3-5 miles every day… and I actually enjoy it.
Friends, family and coworkers keep asking me what my secret is… I tell them… It’s the same old idea of calories in, calories out. Use MyPlate to keep track of it all and be honest with yourself.
I have steadily lost 30 lbs in the last 6 months! I went from size 10 to size 2, and am no longer overweight. I have had hypothyroid my entire adult life and never thought I’d be at my college weight again. I wish I’d gotten out of my head and done this sooner!
I use this app to track my food and exercise easily and quickly. Most foods and exercises are easily searchable, and you can also create your own food and exercise entries. You can track your daily macros to make sure you’re getting enough of each nutrient. The app has settings for different ages, weights, activity levels and weight goals. I also plan to continue to use this app to maintain my current weight, as well as gain weight at a healthy weight when I get pregnant.
Tracking my habits using this app helped me to realize that I used to underestimate the quality and quantity of food and drink I was taking in. It also helped me to rebuild a healthy relationship with exercise. I can now run 3-5 miles every day… and I actually enjoy it.
Friends, family and coworkers keep asking me what my secret is… I tell them… It’s the same old idea of calories in, calories out. Use MyPlate to keep track of it all and be honest with yourself.
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Great but approximations on macros
I really like the features, especially scanning in food barcodes! It is a little difficult entering the nutrition data of a portion of a complex meal, but I tend to keep things simple. It I has forced me to take a look at my actual intake and measure my portions. A simple kitchen scale is great with this app when eating whole food.
My one gripe is that I am almost certain the macro ratios are slightly inaccurate because I did not purchase the gold version. Net carbs, from which you get calories, are not included in the breakdown for free. Because of this the carbs are not calculated entirely correctly which is not great if a person is on a keto diet that cannot have wiggle room- you constantly would have to recalculate otherwise a person would think they are over in there carb intake. If looks like they count some fiber towards calories. I am irked because it just doesn’t seem to give you an entirely correct macro breakdown. I have wiggle room so I don’t care so much if it is a close approximation.
My one gripe is that I am almost certain the macro ratios are slightly inaccurate because I did not purchase the gold version. Net carbs, from which you get calories, are not included in the breakdown for free. Because of this the carbs are not calculated entirely correctly which is not great if a person is on a keto diet that cannot have wiggle room- you constantly would have to recalculate otherwise a person would think they are over in there carb intake. If looks like they count some fiber towards calories. I am irked because it just doesn’t seem to give you an entirely correct macro breakdown. I have wiggle room so I don’t care so much if it is a close approximation.
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A decent tracking app
I like many of the features of this app. It offers good macro tracking and some vitamin/mineral tracking. It’s simple to enter your food and I do find most of the products I use are listed, with a few exceptions. The search feature is lacking a bit. A lot of times I can type exactly the name of a product into the search and it won’t find it, and sometimes just pulls up weird totally unrelated stuff. Often I have to scan the barcode to find things. Overall I think the use of this is generally fairly intuitive and more simple in layout than similar apps like MyFitnessPal. It took me a minute to figure out the excercise tracking, which I think could be set up a little better (for ease of use, the same setup as the food logging) but it’s not hard to use.
These things aside I have liked the app overall. I probably won’t be renewing the premium, which I think is expensive for what You get. I just didn’t find the additional nutrient tracking and other features very helpful for me but maybe they’re worth it for others and maybe that will change with updates/time. But the for the free version I think it’s great and has definitely helped me watch portions and eat better overall.
These things aside I have liked the app overall. I probably won’t be renewing the premium, which I think is expensive for what You get. I just didn’t find the additional nutrient tracking and other features very helpful for me but maybe they’re worth it for others and maybe that will change with updates/time. But the for the free version I think it’s great and has definitely helped me watch portions and eat better overall.
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Response from developer
Hi there! Thank you for your in depth review and feedback and I have passed your comments to our Product Team. MyPlate uses a comprehensive third-party food database, which is a collection of listings from the USDA and some food manufacturers. Unfortunately, we're not able to add or remove items from this database as it is managed by Nutritionix. If the item you'd like to track is not in our database, we recommend creating a custom food entry in the app.
Theres better ones for Keto but good for what it does.
So overall, it’s not bad. I like that my Bluetooth scale syncs to it to enter in my weight as well as my Apple Watch to track calories burned. Logging food is easy enough however I wish it had the graph by each food that was eaten that day so you don’t have to open them individually to see which one had the crazy amount of carbs/fat/protein. It has them when you’re putting the info in but by the time I’m done and I look at my overall (daily) intake, I forget which was what.
One thing I’m really disappointed in is there is no Keto/Paleo or other “diet” options in the food selections. There’s not even a low-carb option. The food plan is pretty moot if you’re following a specific diet. There’s really not a whole lot of recipes and it would be extraordinary helpful if in those few, you could like or save the ones you want to go back to later vs scrolling through them to find the one you wanted.
I paid for the 1 month service to get the full experience but dont see a point in resubscribing. I’ll be trying the paid version of Carb Manager since it’s specific to the Keto diet. —-I’ll miss the look of this app though.
Also very noteworthy—it counts carbs for what they are, not net carbs. This is why I was starving! LoL I thought me hanging an avocado was it. Well—on Keto, it’s only 2(net) carbs instead of 12! 🥴
One thing I’m really disappointed in is there is no Keto/Paleo or other “diet” options in the food selections. There’s not even a low-carb option. The food plan is pretty moot if you’re following a specific diet. There’s really not a whole lot of recipes and it would be extraordinary helpful if in those few, you could like or save the ones you want to go back to later vs scrolling through them to find the one you wanted.
I paid for the 1 month service to get the full experience but dont see a point in resubscribing. I’ll be trying the paid version of Carb Manager since it’s specific to the Keto diet. —-I’ll miss the look of this app though.
Also very noteworthy—it counts carbs for what they are, not net carbs. This is why I was starving! LoL I thought me hanging an avocado was it. Well—on Keto, it’s only 2(net) carbs instead of 12! 🥴
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By far one of the most useful apps I have on my phone!!!
So I’m starting a calorie deficit to try and lose some weight and this app is perfect for calculating calories. I’m also trying to stick to a 50:30:20 meal plan when it comes to carbs, proteins, and fats. It gives me a percentage of each for every meal I have and a total at the end of the day. I can enter my calorie goal and it will tell me how many calories I have left for each day. It also has other features I didn’t even know I needed but now rely on, like different articles addressing an assortment of nutritional topics or an entire meal plan where is gives you healthy recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. By far my favorite health & nutrition app I’ve ever used. I’ve tried MyFitnessPal, Noom, Weight Watchers, and MyPlate is by far my favorite and most useful. It also has little to no ad interferences so I’m never interrupted by them! Overall, 100% recommend it to anyone who wants to keep track of their calories and nutrition!
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Great app for tracking!
I really enjoy using this tracker, even with just the free version. The aesthetic is very nice to me compared to MFP. I like that you are able to connect your fitness tracker (Apple Watch for me) and I also like that it has meal recommendations depending on your goals. I love that you are able to put in your own food if it’s not listed and build your own meals so you can add all of its contents at once, making tracking oatmeal and smoothies and my other favorite food concoctions much easier. Only downside is that you can’t track only a portion of the meals if you make more than one serving (for example I made muffins and input all the ingredients I used into a meal, until I saw I would only be able to track eating the whole batch rather than 1/6 of the meal). Besides that, I like that there’s a notification option and how you can schedule daily reminders to track.
Overall, great calorie/macro tracker and I would highly recommend!
Overall, great calorie/macro tracker and I would highly recommend!
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Great, but with a Bad Change
I’ve been using this app for a long time, and generally, it’s awesome. The UI is really nice, and it makes it easy to track things quickly and keep tabs on nutrition. One key change, however, has disappointed me. In a recent update, they changed the weight progress chart from a scatter plot to bar graph. Not a big deal, right? Unfortunately, this UI change has made it look like my weight has hardly changed at all over time, while previously it showed weight changes as dramatic, which I found encouraging. This new change is frustrating and makes it harder to be excited about my progress. I’m not sure if this review will reach any devs, but I’d like to hear their thought process on this change.
Update: Thanks for the response! I really appreciate the fact that you all listen to feedback. And as a programmer myself, I get it - these things take time. Anyways, overall great app and it’s wonderful to actually hear from the developers.
Update: Thanks for the response! I really appreciate the fact that you all listen to feedback. And as a programmer myself, I get it - these things take time. Anyways, overall great app and it’s wonderful to actually hear from the developers.
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Saving my future
Before I had gotten this app, I seriously didn't feel confident in what I was eating at all. This is is saving me and here's why. I'm 14. Before you start yapping about how I shouldn't be dieting and blah blah blah, I have very good reasons so try to hear me out. Both of my parents have very bad health and struggle with their weight a lot. Cancer runs in the family pretty strongly, and my father has hearth issues. My mom is always in pain in her joints and we are pretty sure she has a type of arthritis. I'm currently 158 pounds which is a lot- especially for my age. If I continue eating the way I do, living the way I do, or drinking as little as I do now...I could potentially not live a long healthy life. If I eat healthy and I workout everyday and try to drink 80 oz of water, I think I would actually be a healthy human. Will it stop me from cancer, arthritis, and blood pressure issues? Maybe not, but when you are healthy and living a healthy lifestyle, I believe you have a bigger chance in survival. I have been using this app everyday for about a week and it makes me really happy to say that I am losing weight as we speak! My skin looks really nice and I am finally feeling confident in my body. I am so happy to have this app, it's a life changer and a life beginner. I love that it doesn't have pop up ads either. Thank you creators ✨💛✨.
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Response from developer
Hi there! Thank you for that awesome review. We're glad we can be a part of your commitment to a healthy lifestyle.
Great Concept
I like this app a lot, my biggest concern, is that you should be allowed to set your age, because teens and below need a certain amount of calories, and not being a leg to set this, can make it seem like it is okay to eat less than the necessary amount regularly. I also think that there are a lot of uneducated people in the chat feature. I understand that it is hard to educate everyone, but my suggestion, would be that when you sign up for the app, to have to go through a quick flip through, things like self confidence and doing it for you, and about children needing a specific amount of calories, balancing nutrition with exercise, drinking water, etc. I also think that this app should incorporate sleep, because sleep is very important to staying healthy, because we shouldn’t be doing these things to lose weight, or be pretty, we should be doing them to be healthy and have a better quality of life. I also think that maybe there should be a kids version that not only tracks basic health things, but also teaches kids about nutrition with fun games, and entertaining exercise, it could be a fun way to get they whole family involved.
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Response from developer
Hi emesm2! Thanks for the review. We appreciate your feedback. When you create your account, you are asked your birthday. This is how the app determines your age. The minimum age to use the app is 13. If you would like to update your birthday, you may do so by logging into your account on the desktop site (https://www.livestrong.com/myplate/dashboard/). Selecting Profile from the menu in the upper-left, click the Edit Profile button, and edit your birthday in the Profile Settings. If you have additional questions, feel free to reach out to us at support@livestrong.com.
Love it.
The app is helping me lose weight by helping me count carbs. At first I was using the free version just to count calories. I was doing great in the calorie department, but my weight wasn’t changing much. I dug a bit deeper, and thanks to the other features of the app I realized I was eating carbs mostly. The app opened my eyes to the macros, and I did more research online. I limited my carbs intake to under 50%, and mind you, I hadn’t been eating candy, cakes, cookies or snacks before, my weight started dropping off at about two pounds per week. The app taught me that there are carbs in beans and vegetables, and that I need to pay attention to the macros in all the foods, including those that I had thought healthy options; my vegan home cooked meals were packed with carbs. By balancing my diet better, I actually started feeling better almost immediately. The fogginess is gone, I have energy, I don’t drag myself from task to task, and I’m at my lowest weight in years, and my BMI is normal. I will reach my weight goal in a couple of weeks. I am eating differently, and I don’t miss my old food habits. I don’t crave sugar. I feel good. Thank you, App!
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Response from developer
Hi there! It's so great hearing your amazing story. We're glad we could be a part of it.
Solid tracking app
I have been using this app for a few days now after taking a break. The meal plan seemed like something fun to try, but I just don’t like it. The recipes are not cohesive, and there is a lot of waste with the ingredients (only using 1/2 cup blueberries for the whole week) if I were to actually use this for shopping. I don’t like contributing to so much food waste. Also, I did not get a list of the meals and recipes until the day I start. This is not good for planning my lunches at work, and puts me in a rush on Monday morning.
The meal planning option may be good for someone single, who has more red control over cooking, but it is not practical for families. I cancelled my premium membership and will continue to use the free app.
If MyPlate had a comprehensive recipe box where I could choose the recipes for the week and then print a shopping list, that would be ideal. I would love to be able to choose my meals for me and my family, that we like, and see how it affects my macros and calorie input before throwing down a lot of money on groceries.
Solid app for tracking calories. Wish the premium was better.
The meal planning option may be good for someone single, who has more red control over cooking, but it is not practical for families. I cancelled my premium membership and will continue to use the free app.
If MyPlate had a comprehensive recipe box where I could choose the recipes for the week and then print a shopping list, that would be ideal. I would love to be able to choose my meals for me and my family, that we like, and see how it affects my macros and calorie input before throwing down a lot of money on groceries.
Solid app for tracking calories. Wish the premium was better.
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Response from developer
Hi bs331467! We appreciate your honest feedback and have passed along your comments to our product development team. As we are always adding new content and features to the site and app, we love getting feedback as it helps guide our designs and tools moving forward. In the meantime, I encourage to search the catalogue of recipes at livestrong.com. You can search for recipes using the search field in the upper-right.
