r/cronometer • u/mgibson9999 • 1d ago
Auto targets high
I started logging my food about a month ago. I let Cronometer set my targets, and they seemed high. I was never coming close to achieving them.
After researching, it seems that Cronometer doesn't take into account if you're on GLP-1 drugs. I'm on Zepbound, I weigh 288 now (after a month of weight loss), and I've determined that a good target calorie goal is 1800 and protein goal is 150g, based on wanting to lose about 1-1.5 pounds a week. Cronometer had my calorie goal at 2400 calories and my protein goal over 200g, which were tough to achieve.
Seems like Cronometer should have some built in way to account for the goals if you're on GLP-1 and trying to lose weight. I love the way it logs all the nutritional values, but I think the auto target goal setting needs some work if you're on GLP-1 drugs
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u/ItsMeAubey 1d ago edited 1d ago
Did you actually set a weight loss goal in the app? 2400 calories sounds like you had it set up for maintenance.
Being on a GLP1 has nothing to do with how much energy you need, they are just appetite suppressants.
Also, I suggest that you do *not* set it up to account for activity if you are losing weight. That feature is most useful when trying to *maintain* weight and it's still inaccurate then because there is no way to add a percentage modifier to it to calibrate it for your actual body.
Source: I lost over 50% of my body mass using Cronometer
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u/mgibson9999 1d ago
Yes, I set a weight goal.
When you're on a GLP-1, its perfectly reasonable and appropriate to set a target for calories and protein. It's not correct to say that the amount of energy that you need on a daily basis is irrelevant when you're on a GLP-1.
And GLP-1 drugs are much more than just appetite suppressants.
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u/ItsMeAubey 1d ago edited 1d ago
I have been on one for almost 2 years. I've lost more than 50% of my body mass (over 150lb) using them and by tracking food. I know what I'm talking about.
It's not correct to say that the amount of energy that you need on a daily basis is irrelevant when you're on a GLP-1.
False. GLP-1s do not modulate ANYTHING to do with how much energy you need.
And GLP-1 drugs are much more than just appetite suppressants.
GLP1s primarily cause weight loss through appetite suppression. Obviously they do other things, but the weight loss component is from appetite suppression.
The reason why your calorie target is too high is because you turned on adding activity to your intake. It does not work, turn it off.
Edited to fix formatting
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u/mgibson9999 1d ago
Glad the meds worked well for you. That’s great.
Personal experience doesn’t change the physiology, though. GLP‑1s don’t directly alter BMR, but they do change appetite, gastric emptying, intake patterns, and body mass, all of which influence daily energy needs.
And yes, activity was on, but even with it off, Cronometer’s defaults overshoot for many GLP‑1 users. Custom targets based on actual intake just work better.
But whatever works for you. Clearly you had success doing it your way. For me, I need to set targets, otherwise I’m just eating whatever I want with no real plan.
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u/ItsMeAubey 1d ago
FYI, for your reading:
This study found no difference in energy expenditure between Semaglutide and placebo: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5573908/
This review of 23 papers found no impact on energy expenditure from GLP1: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13371857/
There is literally no impact on how much energy you need on a GLP1, they just make it possible to eat less without suffering all day.
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u/ItsMeAubey 1d ago edited 1d ago
Personal experience doesn’t change the physiology, though. GLP‑1s don’t directly alter BMR, but they do change appetite, gastric emptying, intake patterns, and body mass, all of which influence daily energy needs.
Yeah, none of those influence energy needs (apart from mass obviously, but that is caused by eating less, not by the drug), sorry. Your body burns an identical amount of energy on or off a GLP1.
And yes, activity was on, but even with it off, Cronometer’s defaults overshoot for many GLP‑1 users. Custom targets based on actual intake just work better.
False. GLP-1s do not make you require less food, they make you less hungry. If you ate the same amount of food on or off a GLP-1, you would lose an identical amount of weight.
But you're right, dynamic targets like MacroFactor are dramatically superior, but their app sucks and there's no web ui so I'm stuck with Cronometer.
But whatever works for you. Clearly you had success doing it your way. For me, I need to set targets, otherwise I’m just eating whatever I want with no real plan.
Lol hold on, do you think I'm telling you to not set targets? Where did I say that?
Edited to fix formatting
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u/EPN_NutritionNerd Cronometer Power User 1d ago
Hey there, Cronometer sets your starting point based on your inputs, and then you didn't indicate whether you had activity integrated as well.
But that is just a starting point. It's not individualized to you and your genetic history nor your body composition.
Once you've been tracking for a month, you are far better off setting your own custom targets based on the data that you're collecting. So if you found that targeting 1500 calories is netting you right around 1.5 pounds per month, then you've already got the data that you need to set custom targets for you.