What do you use Cronometer for?

willsonjayram

I’ve been using Cronometer for several years to track calories, weight, and specific nutrients. This is my favorite nutrient tracker by far. I’m surprised this subreddit isn’t more active, so I thought I’d try to start a conversation.

What do you use Cronometer for? What are your goals? What’s your diet like?

Susan_RD_101

I can answer as a dietitian...

I use Cronometer daily in my practice to help me analyze clients diets and show them where (and why) they are running into issues. We can also individualize their account, add in some custom recipes, and set goals to help them in-between appointments. I find that clients who track their food intake using Cronometer are more likely to reach their goals compared to clients who do not track their food intake.

Kind regards,

tcolvinOH

TL;DR version - Accountability. Blood sugar control. Mostly carnivorous.

I use Cronometer primarily to hold myself accountable to maintaining my overall plan of keeping my blood sugar down. As a type 1 diabetic, I have found that my best control is done when I eat low carb/moderate protein/high fat consistently. I wouldnt necessarily say that I follow a keto diet, but its pretty close (probably too much protein). I dont test to see if Im in ketosis, because thats really not a concern of mine at the moment. Cronometer allows accountability for me in that I can see what it is Im eating and more easily evaluate areas where my blood sugar may be an issue or if I have some other issues going on.

I've gone back and forth with food logging in the past and have always been the most successful when I have. If I have a fault with it, its that I can get a bit obsessive with the data and forget why Im logging the data in the first place. Each time I've started logging after taking a hiatus, I try to remember what i did the last time and do something different to make the process easier. This time around, due to some other health issues related to what my cardiologist believes is POTS, I invested in a better scale and a Fitbit. The scale integrates to my Fitbit account and the Fitbit to Cronometer, so I can see all of the pertinent data right in Cronometer without having to go through a ton of effort to do so.

Being able to add in Custom Biometrics with the Gold subscription just adds another level of trackability that isnt normally available. You can really track just about anything at that point. I've been able to track insulin usage, supplement usage, and blood sugars/weight (already there in a free subscription). The possibilities here are endless.

I think I detoured a little, but I have to agree that Cronometer is one of the better tools for logging. Like every software application, it has some areas where I think there should be improvement and the team is certainly working to add additional functionality and improvements to the product.

Outside of application functionality, one thing that pretty much sold me on the Gold subscription is the customer support. The staff at Cronometer, at least in my experience so far, has been more than helpful in providing answers and guidance to make the user experience better. They provide good resources and are really receptive to feedback.

As far as the contents of my diet, I would say a lot of what I eat is generally meat. If I have a failure in my diet it is that Im not getting enough nutrient dense veggies. The primary reason for this is blood sugar. Even green veggies tend to spike me, depending on the amount I eat. Another issue I find with this is finding ways to prepare that are palatable to me. I try to keep the meat at a variety too. Beef, pork, chicken and some kind of fish/seafood at least once a week. I wish I liked salmon more, honestly. Its just not a flavor I've enjoyed. Salmon cakes is probably the only way I really enjoy it, if Im going to eat it at all.

Wow! Way longer of a post than I intended to write.

bracconiere

i use it to balance my calories like my checking book. (i'm still using the stand alone version though), make sure i'm getting all my nutrients from food, not supplements (or as sure as possible i guess)...

my usual food routine is my homemade granola for breakfast, (sunflower seeds, flax seeds, rice bran, wheat germ, and lentil flour to make it a complete protein), then I'll think up a creative way to get A & K, usually combined with some sort of bean flour/vital wheat gluten mix bread (another complete protein) Vit C i get from making a tea out of just about any plant out of the yard...now that i know it's in everything and not just citrus like they'd like you to believe..usually mesquite

I've been doing this since my 31st birthday in 2009 when i had a lot of health problems from not eating right and wanted to learn whats in what and what i need from it...i lost weight and even my dandruff went away! kept it off except one year where i had a measurement error, which i've since recovered from....it also helps me save money, my weekly grocery shopping only costs me about $10...bag of beans, milk, some A & K, and i'm set...

Jij

I use Cronometer for weight loss, and also to track my fasting blood glucose (FBG) level. I'm a post-menopausal woman who has T2 diabetes. I've gone into remission twice, as my weight goes up and down. I don't know if I can go into remission again even with the same weight loss, due to aging and other related health issues. I do know, however, that I can control my blood glucose better if I understand how the food choices I make affect it. So, I'm tracking carbs, seeing how many I can eat and still have my FBG in my target range. I'm tracking the impact of fiber, as diabetics are recommended to get 50 grams (!) of fiber a day. I'm watching my micronutrients, since magnesium supplementation can help diabetics, and tracking my calcium:magnesium ratio for bone and heart health. I'm also watching a few other micros, and I've learned so much. BTW, I run the reports, and bring them to my endocrinologist. Cronometer is a good tool for me.

bracconiere

DAMN 50g's of fiber! i eat beans for lunch and dinner and have trouble getting the 38g's the RDA says i need..i found the super beans , lentils(debatable with the SR28 release), navy, small reds, split peas (Mmmmm, split pea soup, ham cheese)....

And good luck with the 50g's fiber...they might be trying to sell Metamucil though...

BettyAnne_773

I'm using it to try and do a keto diet. Finding it difficult, but then again, have never used software of this sort. Recently had a stent placed, due to PAD, trying to fix things so I don't need another! In my future is a stress test and full body scan to look for other blockages. Need to schedule that soon as the vein with the stent was 80% blocked before I felt a problem. Not good. By the way, I am a fairly healthy 55 year old woman, 5'2", weight is 100 lbs. I am a smoker, although cutting back drastically because that is what caused the blockage. No genetic stuff for this at all in my family, just my stupid habit. Need help using this app!

tcolvinOH

@BettyAnne_773 - Good for you for taking the steps necessary to try to improve your health. I quit smoking a few years ago and I remember how much of a process that was in order to get past that. Ultimately, cutting back is not the same as quitting. But I understand all of the hurdles and wish you nothing but success with that.

Cronometer has a lot of documentation. If you navigate to the Help Menu at the top of the web version, or by clicking on the Profile button at the bottom and selecting "Get Help" on the mobile version, there is plenty of reference material there. In addition, this forum is great for asking questions, especially since the staff at Cronometer frequently respond to inquiries on a daily basis.

Changing a lifestyle is never an easy task, but is worthwhile. You'll make mistakes on the way, but you'll learn from them and push forward. If any of us can be any help, just ask.

BettyAnne_773

Thank you! I just need to get used to it. Will figure it out eventually, thanks for the navigation heads up!

BettyAnne_773

And the smoking issue is real. I love smoking, gonna be very hard to quit. I know it needs to be zero cigarettes!

bracconiere

not to nit pick but i found out you can edit your posts within like an hour of posting, so you don't have to make repeats...i had the same problem at first, we need to get this forum more active...welcome all the new posters....just click the gear at the top right of your last post to 'edit' it....if it's available....

i smoke too, grow my own baccy plants too, best of luck giving it up though...it ain't easy, not sure why...it don't have much effect...

tcolvinOH

This is probably not the best place to post this, but since its been mentioned....

The issue with smoking is more mental than physical. Once you quit smoking completely, the nicotine leaves your system after about 72 hours. But, like most smokers, you've developed the habit over time, and the mind is trained for that habit. In addition, there's the addiction side of things to deal with. Generally with addiction, there's a reason why we smoke instead of dealing with whatever pushed us down that avenue to begin with.

When I finally quit, I quit cold turkey and I spent a ton of time working through urges and cravings and retraining myself to no longer be a smoker. Like any addiction, probably the most important tool is a support structure.

I too enjoyed smoking, or so I used to tell myself. It took awhile for me to get in the mental state of being "ready" to quit. Once I was there, there was no turning back. I did a lot of what I would consider sub-par attempts.

I dont want to clutter this thread any longer, but this is certainly a good topic to discuss.

Susan_RD_101

Great insight @tcolvinOH !

With any craving, it's important to keep in mind that there is a lifespan. Most cravings for food/alcohol/smoking/etc. come on very strong and stay high for around 20-30 minutes (sometimes longer). However, with distraction, the craving can start to wane and eventually goes away. The longer you ride out cravings, the easier it gets.

Kind regards,