I used AI-powered calorie counting apps, and they were even worse than expected

Post by jmacd » Mon, Jun 09, 2025, 1:49 PM UTC

cj wrote: post #110

vjulian wrote: post #105

I use ChatGPT (4o model) to track my daily macros, specifically calories, protein, fat, and carbs. I have a prompt containing my macro targets and a list of the foods I typically eat or have at home. Throughout the day, I report my meals, for example five large eggs, two slices of sprouted wheat toast, and a cup of spinach with a pat of butter. It calculates the macros for each meal and keeps a running macros total s…

Do you find this easier than scanning barcodes with traditional calorie tracking apps?

Post by hooverd » Mon, Jun 09, 2025, 1:50 PM UTC

echelon wrote: post #126

vjulian wrote: post #105

I use ChatGPT (4o model) to track my daily macros, specifically calories, protein, fat, and carbs. I have a prompt containing my macro targets and a list of the foods I typically eat or have at home. Throughout the day, I report my meals, for example five large eggs, two slices of sprouted wheat toast, and a cup of spinach with a pat of butter. It calculates the macros for each meal and keeps a running macros total s…

I really don't get the bearish on AI folks. One company has a tool that can replace what we professionally do. This app would have taken person months to build, yet here it is, almost as an afterthought. The next ten years are going to be wild. Hope everyone has a plan for leveling up and riding this tsunami. Even if LLMs presently can't do intricate things, that doesn't matter. I know in my gut that my generous tota…

Post by reedf1 » Mon, Jun 09, 2025, 1:55 PM UTC

bandrami wrote: post #70

AI aside we don't really know how many calories a given person will get from eating a given piece of food. We measure food's calories by burning it, but we don't get nearly all that energy from dissolving it (just consider the fact that solid human waste burns, for instance). At best we've established some (fairly broad) minima and maxima.

Post by foobarian » Mon, Jun 09, 2025, 1:58 PM UTC

yreg wrote: post #134

malfist wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure six shots are 550 calories. But who drinks six shots of gin? You need to also include all the mixers as well and they're usually all sugar

> But who drinks six shots of gin? Haha, I'm from almost-eastern-europe, so pretty much all drinkers I know. (Actually "Borovička" is the most popular. It is not gin, but somewhat similar to gin.) But I mean, when someone is trying to reduce calorie intake, they don't consume whatever they want to. They need to make some concessions. So instead of a fancy cocktail or a bottle of wine, you can drink some vodka (provid…

Post by echelon » Mon, Jun 09, 2025, 2:00 PM UTC

hooverd wrote: post #133

echelon wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I really don't get the bearish on AI folks. One company has a tool that can replace what we professionally do. This app would have taken person months to build, yet here it is, almost as an afterthought. The next ten years are going to be wild. Hope everyone has a plan for leveling up and riding this tsunami. Even if LLMs presently can't do intricate things, that doesn't matter. I know in my gut that my generous tota…

It's that extra 20%. Everybody right now can do the hardware store and rewire their house for cheaper than an electrician, yet they'll still hire one to do it. That or maybe everyone will just except things being slightly more convenient but worse.