MFP vs. LoseIT

rosebette

I'm considering switching from MFP to LoseIt, and I wonder if any other users have experience with this App or any other free calorie counting app that works with Fitbit. The reason I'm switching is that MFP has not sync'd properly with my FitBit since the last week of February. Many other threads are reporting the same problem, and MFP has done nothing. I've tried all the "fix" suggestions, such as disconnecting and reconnecting FitBit and MFP (on both the FitBit and MFP sides) on both my laptop and cell phone, but still no dice. Sometimes the steps show on MFP on my cell app, but no calorie adjustments at all, or very small ones (72 calories for 40 minutes on a treadmill, a yoga class, and 20 minutes of strength training?). Actually, since Sunday, there have been no calorie adjustments, and if I manually enter my exercise calories, MFP subtracts them from my allowed calories rather than adds them!
I already installed LoseIt on my phone and it sync'd immediately. However, it looks as if it doesn't have as many options (macro displays, etc.) as MFP.

annacole94

If it syncs better, honestly, I'd give it a shot. The crappy syncing drives me crazy (I'm just using Google Fit, but it's super buggy and they don't seem to care).

Jruzer

I use LoseIt to log - I like it and think it's pretty intuitive. I found it before I found MFP, and I had all my foods and recipes and exercises already in there. It gives me a few hundred kcal daily more than MFP does, but that suits my goals just about right. I also don't care too much about macro split, and I think MFP emphasizes that more than LI.

I don't have any experience with FitBit, but my understanding was that MFP tended to be better on connecting to other devices. I sync RunKeeper with LI and it works fine.

I mostly use MFP for the forums, which are much more lively and less prone to bro- pseudo- science than LI's forums.

Also, there's this: http://lifehacker.com/diet-tracker-showdown-myfitnesspal-vs-lose-it-1792754350

rosebette

Thanks for the link. LoseIt actually gives me fewer calories and fewer exercise calories, but it's still better than zero exercise calories, which is what I'm getting now from MFP. LoseIt might be giving me fewer because it's not so wed to the 1200 as the absolute minimum as MFP is. As an older, smaller woman, my BMR on an inactive day can be 1200 or even lower.

zyxst

I've had my Fitbit synced to LI for 3 years. I didn't like the negative adjustments on MFP - I'd have calories left over when I went to bed, then wake up to find myself in the red when I looked back. LI with Fitbit doesn't do that. Yes, you get fewer calories but I think that's because LI uses a different BMR formula.

newheavensearth

zyxst wrote: »

I've had my Fitbit synced to LI for 3 years. I didn't like the negative adjustments on MFP - I'd have calories left over when I went to bed, then wake up to find myself in the red when I looked back. LI with Fitbit doesn't do that. Yes, you get fewer calories but I think that's because LI uses a different BMR formula.

Agreed with getting fewer calories on Lose It, like 1000 and change for a 2lb per week loss. I thought diary was more attractive and user friendly. Scanner was iffy because sometimes it gave me the wrong product. I liked how it held on to frequent foods, meals, and portion sizes without having to actually save a meal. Easy to set measurement for foods to grams without actually looking for the entry with grams. But database, especially restaurants and fast foods, is not as vast as this one.