We’re on a mission to get more people in tune with their bodies. Why? Because when you know what you need to feel your best, you can make informed decisions that have a lasting positive impact on your personal health.
Our Know Yourself Ambassadors have been sharing why they think it’s so important to know yourself, and here are a few more reasons why we believe it’s the key to living your most joyful life.
Meet Gigi
“It’s exactly what I need to make my goals happen. To see where I can improve. To see if I’m meeting my targets. To set custom targets. To track my progress.”
How did you learn about Cronometer?
I don’t even remember anymore! I signed up for an account in March 2019, but didn’t start using it until November 21, 2021. I probably heard about it on reddit. I am watching my caffeine and added sugar intake, and when I read someone’s comment saying Cronometer tracks caffeine intake, it was an instant hit for me.
What is your favourite Cronometer feature?
Hmm, there are so many great features. I chose Cronometer in the first place because of the detailed micronutrient tracking. I find the Notes feature EXTREMELY helpful, which I use to snap a photo of my food and keep a visual food journal of sorts. (It’s like What I Ate combined with MyFitnessPal.)
Lately, I’ve been having fun with the custom Charts feature. For example, I measure my caffeine intake vs. sleep (imported from Fitbit), so I can see just how my caffeine intake impacts my sleep. I also have an added sugar vs. weight chart, just in case there’s any correlation there. I rely on the All Targets chart to see how I did for the day and what I need to eat next.
Oh! Don’t forget the Oracle! I love using the Oracle everyday, to give myself ideas for what I should eat next.
(Oh! Oh! Another thing I find SUPER cool about Cronometer is that you can log NEGATIVE values, say, if you have a burger from a fast food restaurant without the bun, and it doesn’t have that as an option, you can just log the burger in full, then log the bun in a -1 serving size value!!!)
Tell us about your diet!
Right now, I try to focus on whole foods first (instead of processed foods). So, a whole apple with skin instead of apple sauce or juice; nuts/almonds/seeds instead of nut or seed butters; kiwi fruit with skin; whole berries (I love berries, fresh or frozen); whole baked potato instead of skinned/store-bought/mashed, etc.
I also prioritize protein first – leucine, especially – since I’m currently playing a long-game of body recomposition, and building muscle over time for that. Not all protein is the same, which is why I rely on Cronometer to tell me the amino acid contents of the protein I eat!
Do you have any health tips or tricks to share that you’ve adopted along the way?
If you’re tracking calories or macros:
- Plan ahead by logging before you eat, whenever you can (you can always edit the amount and timestamp later)
- Get a food scale – and use it! 🙂
- You can use the Notes feature to take progress selfies, too!
- MAKE USE of the custom Biometrics!! I import my Fitbit data like sleep, heart rate, body fat % and weight, but you can totally do different Biometrics stats like mood (on a scale of 1-10, for example), temperature, waist, neck, hip, reps, etc.
- Cronometer has taught me to favour non-branded vs. branded items, since brands don’t tend to submit all their nutritional data. For example, I choose “unsalted butter” (generic NCCDB data) instead of “Kerrygold, Pure Irish Butter, Unsalted” since “butter, unsalted” has 78 listed nutrient data points, while Kerrygold only has 14.
Anything else you'd like to share?
I thank Cronometer for my progress. Since I started my weight-loss/body recomposition journey, I have learned to focus primarily on nutrition instead of overall weight or calorie counting. In just a month, Cronometer has shown me what meeting my nutrition needs actually look like in my regular diet.
And this is just the start – I’m still learning, and excited to move forward into my journey with Cronometer! Thank you again!
If you’re not using Cronometer yet, sign up today – it’s free! For access to all of the features Gigi has mentioned above, upgrade to our Gold subscription for just $3.75 USD per month (billed annually).
