You Might Be Wondering...
Sometimes Cronometer might surprise you – either the way the app functions or when you see the nutrition information on a food that you think must be wrong. We’re here to set the record straight with answers to some of our most frequently asked questions.
- How do I track water?
- Why does it say coffee has carbs?
- Why don’t my macro calories add up?
- Why doesn’t this product contain a nutrient I know should be listed?
- What’s the difference between DV and RDA?
- How can I change my initial start weight?
- How can I edit or delete an entry?
- Why doesn’t my energy summary reflect my custom macro target?
- What are kcals?
How Do I Track Water?
You can track water the same way as adding a food to your diary. On mobile, tap the plus button > Add Food and search for Tap Water. On web, simply click Add Food. Then scroll to your nutrient targets and you will see the target bar for water begin to fill up.
We do it this way because whole food listings in our database from the NCCDB contain water in their nutrient profiles, and this will also contribute to your water total. This way you’ll get a much more accurate idea of how much water you’re actually consuming!
Why Does It Say Coffee Has Carbs?
We get asked this one a lot.
If you look closely, we report coffee as having some fiber, which is classified under total carbohydrates.
Some small particles from the beans make it through the brewing/filtering process and end up in the coffee and these particles contain a substantial amount of fiber.
Why Don't My Macro Calories Add Up?
The calories and the macronutrient values will be a bit off because each food is different in the actual amount of energy (calories) it contains.
What we mean here is that you were probably taught the rule that carbs and protein are 4 kcals per gram, and fat is 9 kcals per gram.
They are not. They are close but there is better data on some foods and we use that in the calculations for the macronutrients.
For example, some carbs are 3.8, 4.1, 4.3 kcals per gram etc. Same is true for protein and fats. That is why there will be a discrepancy, when our data is more accurate than the 4-4-9 crude estimation – which means you really can count on us for giving you the best nutrition information.
Why Doesn't This Branded Product Contain A Nutrient I Know Should Be Listed?
Branded products oftentimes do not list full nutrient profiles on their nutrition labels. Since we do not analyze foods for their data here at Cronometer we cannot fill in the blanks or know what the values are for nutrients not listed on the label.
The best way to get the most nutrition information is to use our most comprehensive database – the NCCDB. By performing text-based searches when adding foods, most whole foods can be found from the NCCDB which lists many, many more vitamins and minerals in their nutrient profiles.
We suggest taking a look at this blog as it should help you navigate Cronometer to it’s fullest capabilities to enable you to obtain more accurate information on both macro and micronutrients.
What's The Difference Between Daily Value (DV) And Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA)?
On food packaging, the nutrition label shows the % Daily Value (DV). This represents how much of a nutrient the food product provides relative to a total daily diet. For example, if a label has 50% DV for calcium, that means that it has 500 mg of calcium per serving, because the % DV for calcium is 1,000 mg per day. The % DVs are used for nutrition labeling purposes only, and are different from the personalized targets used in Cronometer.
You can learn more about % DVs here and your RDAs here.
How Can I Change My Initial Start Weight?
Your initial start weight will be logged as a biometric on the first day of your Cronometer journey. In order to change that, navigate back to the first day in the calendar and edit the number in the entry.
In the mobile app you can navigate to your previous days and change by following the instructions below:
1. Tap Today at the top to bring up the calendar
2. Navigate between the months using the arrows
3. Tap the day which contains your original weight entry on the calendar and select OK
4. Tap on the weight entry you would like to amend and change the value
5. Click Save
Alternatively, you can delete the entry by swiping left on the entry and tapping the bin, or swiping all the way to the left for a quick-delete.
On the web version, navigate to your previous days by using the calendar on the right hand side. You can then click on the weight entry to change it, or type over the original weight entry.
How Can I Edit Or Delete An Entry?
If you’ve added a food, biometric or exercise that needs to be changed, you can edit the entry on the mobile app by tapping on it, make your changes and tap save. Delete by swiping left on the entry in your Diary.
On web, right click on the entry to edit or delete. If you just need to edit the serving size, you can click on it and edit directly without leaving the diary screen.
Why Doesn't My Energy Summary Reflect My Custom Macronutrient Target?
Setting your targets using a custom energy target only applies it to the Macronutrients section. It does not apply this setting to your energy summary calculation.
The Energy Summary shows your Energy Balance = Consumed – Burned +/- Weight Goal. You can learn more in our user manual on how to customize your Energy Burn settings.
If you would like to use your own values calculated elsewhere, that’s ok too! To view your custom fixed energy target instead, swipe the top banner in the diary to the second page. These target bars will show your fixed values. You can learn more about setting custom energy targets in our user manual.
What Are KCals?
Where ever you see a number mentioning a kcal in Cronometer, this just means calories. 1 kcal is equal to 1 calorie.
