Fitness apps that don't emphasize weight loss?

[jbsimmons]

@pasifika I haven't heard of Garmin at all, but the recs here have piqued my interest! I'll do some digging and see if it's something I want to invest in.

 

[haianhjumi]

@jbsimmons I was going to come here to say this sounds like what you want. I love the challenge badges too, like "be active 20 times in a month" etc. you can get one at a $150 price point

 

[ama11a]

@pasifika I love Garmin connect! Totally focused on fitness, no direct weight component.

 

[gracecalls]

@jbsimmons Caroline Girvan’s app. It has “Weekly workout streak” and “Step count” as well as some strength tests (pushups/squat jumps per minute) but otherwise not calorie related. There is a meal tab, where you can find recipes, that have the nutrition info, but not focused on the media spin lingo. You could try the app free for 2 weeks, but she also has 6 programs to follow on youtube for free.

 

[happygoluckydad]

@gracecalls It always stood out to me that she doesn't talk about losing weight or looking shredded or getting six-pack abs. She just talks about "feeling epic" and such, and it's the best.

 

[cd101]

@jbsimmons Les Mills on Demand, Caroline Girvan's app (I believe), Peloton

 

[thegreatquestioner]

@jbsimmons Peloton doesn't talk about weight loss at all.

 

[bronko]

@jbsimmons What kind of workouts do you do? Caliber is awesome and free but it's geared toward strength training. It gives a progress score based on increasing the weight you lift, reps, and sets. The cardio component of the app is pretty underdeveloped.

 

[jbsimmons]

@bronko I'm just starting out, but we're looking mostly at cardio with a little bit of core training specifically. I'm trying to improve my stamina and endurance so I can stand for longer periods of time. I'll look into Caliber if I get more into strength training as a whole!

 

[everlastinggift]

@jbsimmons FitNotes doesn't have a step counter but it does let you set goals and keeps track of all of your data that you manually put into it (except dietary, it has no place for tracking that unless you purposefully put it in your workout notes on your own). It doesn't prominently display your goals but you can always see them (and your progress toward them) on the goals tab, and it can organize your data into various charts or lists you can scroll through to see your progress over time. And it always notifies you of a new PR! It's not an app that guides you, though: it is just a very convenient tracker app.

Unfortunately it is an Android-only app, but I've had nothing but a positive experience with it!

 

[amycool]

@jbsimmons Definitely a garmin watch with the associated app! Very much focus on fitness not weight

 

[givemeareason]

@amycool Yeah, or a FitBit or an Android watch.

 

[lotharson]

@jbsimmons App only - Strava for tracking workouts.

For wearables consider these 2.

Garmin for tracking workouts and overall fitness performance.

Whoop for tracking health and performance (though doesn't do steps).

My Fitness Pal is a calorie tracking app - so I don't know why you'd even be considering that.

 

[johnnybars]

@lotharson Garmin connect app uses BMI for fitness age and recommends lowering BMI.

 

[lotharson]

@johnnybars You can choose to not enter that information. Or look at that section.

My Garmin recommends lowering my BMI which given that I’m obese - seems like a solid recommendation.

 

[psalm24healing]

@jbsimmons Macro Factor? If you want to track macros without a focus on calories or “going over” warnings. A nice sports watch like polar or Garmin also have more performance based options. Strava for distance, pace. And apple health app for steps. If you have an Apple Watch it can also do all the workout tracking without a focus on calories!

 

[carpenter0ad]

@psalm24healing Something to keep in mind if weighing yourself is triggering: MacroFactor is adherence neutral but the energy expenditure algorithm does depend on entering your scale weight regularly (everyday is recommended but once a week is the minimum).

 

[hidden_one]

@psalm24healing I used MyFitnessPal for a long time, but I'm really happy with MacroFactor. You get lots of data but it is absolutely a judgement free app. I didn't realize how much the MFP warnings bummed me out and messed with my adherence! The fact that MacroFactor calculates your real intake really makes me want to log everything, and its quick to use. I think I spent like 30 mins a day planning and logging stuff on MFP, it takes maybe 5-10 on MF. I'm on a weight-loss plan right now so seeing "oh, you ate nearly 1000 more calories than normal each day this week and still lost a bit? Here dear, have some more calories" is very nice, and it really motivates me to hit my steps and be more active each day because then I get to eat more every day with truly zero judgement (and not having to reset my friggin calories all the time, looking at you MFP)

Besides that, I have a fitbit and I find the app to be judgement free too.

 

[alex_alex]

@jbsimmons The Fitbit app has presets for goals and also completely configurable goals and day overview - you can simply configure away anything weight or calories. Also, the setup process does not assume weight-related goals.

 

[anniecat]

@jbsimmons If you have an Apple Watch and iPhone, the built-in health apps are actually pretty great for this. They automatically track your steps. If you track your workouts, it records how much time you've done, your heart rate, calories burned, etc, but there's no weight tracking at all. (Aside from what you put in on your profile so it can calculate your calories.) They notify you of trends over time, but it also automatically makes graphs for you so you can look anytime you want.

I got my husband an Apple Watch two Christmases ago because he liked walking a lot and tracking his steps on his phone, so I thought he would like more data... now he's going to run a half marathon in September and won't shut up about his average step count for the year, I created a monster