In the app

1. Tap the search bar at the top of your diary and ensure EXERCISE is highlighted at the top.
2. Type in the exercise and select from the search results.
3. Enter the duration and tap ADD TO DIARY.

On the website

1. Either use the Exercise Categories or click the search bar under the Add Exercise panel on the left hand side to type in your exercise and click the green Go button.
2. Select your exercise from the results and click the green Add button to the right of the correct duration to add to your diary.

You should be aiming to lose 1-2lbs per week. This is safe, sensible and importantly it is more likely you will keep the weight off. It is not unusual to lose at a rate of more than 2lbs a week in the first few weeks – especially if you have a fair amount to lose. But this will level off, and what you are looking for is an average of 2lbs per week over the duration that you are losing weight.

Our system sets sensible calorie targets that allow for a balanced diet and are sustainable. The lowest our system will automatically set as an ongoing target is 1,400 cals a day on the expert advice of our consultant Dr Campbell. In his experience, trying to stick to a lower target for any length of time results in a higher drop out rate – your diet becomes much more restrictive and therefore harder to sustain. The secret of success is to maintain a reduced calorie intake over a period of time. This approach is far more likely to result in weight loss success – and importantly long term maintenance.

Very low calorie regimes and crash diets may initially result in a big weight drop, but initial weight loss will be largely water (especially in low carb regimes), and you will also risk losing lean muscle mass, sometimes even from areas such as heart muscle which has a potentially hazardous effect on helath. Losing muscle also has the effect of increasing the proportion of fat in the body – which has a negative effect on metabolic rate (muscle being a more metabolically active tissue than fat).

Plus drastic food reduction causes the body to go into 'preserve' mode and become more efficient about calorie usage, your weight loss won't ever go into reverse if you lower your calorie intake drastically, but you will get into a situation of ever decreasing returns in which your weight loss becomes less efficient. In other words the extra pain involved in terms of hunger / risk of nutritional deficiency etc is not worth it matched against the only small benefit you get in terms of extra weight lost. And when you do return to eating normally, your body will want to grab hold of the extra food and store it in case of another lean period! So the overall effect is a slowing of metabolic rate, increase in overall percentage body fat and less efficiency at losing weight!

It sounds like stating the obvious, but weight loss should essentially be fat loss with minimal loss from other sources like water and muscle. Effective 'weight loss' is all about gradual reduction – this way it will be mainly body fat.

You will not be charged at the end of your 7 day free trial. There is no need to cancel – it will close automatically.

At the end of the 7 days, if you don't wish to upgrade, you can continue to use the Nutracheck app free of charge as a Lite member. Lite membership gives you unlimited searches for foods, but you can only add 5 items a day to your diary. Or if you don't want to use the App at all anymore, you can just delete it from your device.

We set you a personal food target. Plus an exercise target to burn 200 kcals a day.

You have a choice of two diary settings. Which one is right for you depends on your goal and lifestyle.

The view the app gives new members sets a daily goal which may start from 1,200 kcals. If you exercise a lot, you can earn extra calories. Because your exercise calories are added onto your food target, this is the Combined Diary.

If you feel 1,200 kcals is too low for you, try the Separate Diary. Your food target starts from 1,400 kcals and your exercise target is 200 kcals. This view tracks your food and exercise separately. 1,400 kcals is low enough to lose weight, even if you don't exercise.

Which diary option is right for you?

If you are active and need extra calories to refuel, the Combined Diary view will suit you. If you do very little exercise, try the Separate Diary view.

To switch, tap the blue menu button to the right of the search bar > Diary Preferences > Daily Totals.

To request to delete your Nutracheck account, go to More > My Profile & Account > Account & Billing > Close Account. Please note, if you have an active subscription in place, this will need to be cancelled first (How to cancel my subscription).

If you require assistance, you can email customercare@nutracheck.co.uk and we'll get this sorted.

No, you will never lose any remaining time you've previously paid for. How this is managed depends on what platform you used for your previous purchase and your new one.

Apple (iTunes) payments

If both your existing and new subscriptions are bought through iTunes, the new subscription will start when your current one ends. Once your remaining time finishes, the new subscription will automatically replace the old one.

Android (Google Play) payments

Any new subscription bought via Google Play will start straight away. Your remaining time is 'locked' onto your account, meaning that as and when you decide to cancel your subscription in the future, your remaining time will be used up before your account closes.

Also note that Google won't automatically cancel the older subscription if you buy a new one, so please ensure you cancel it via our app or your Google account beforehand.

Website (WorldPay) payments

Any new membership purchased via the website will automatically cancel and replace the older one (if that was also bought on the website).

If you've used a combination of iTunes, Google Play or WorldPay for your old and new subscriptions, please ensure the old subscription is cancelled with the platform it was originally set up with, as it won't stop automatically.

If you're unsure how you've previously paid, or have any other questions, please get in touch with our Customer Care Team (customercare@nutracheck.co.uk).

You will not be charged automatically at the end of your 7 day free trial. To subscribe, you actively need to sign into your iTunes / Google Play account and make the payment – it can't happen without your consent.

If you don't wish to upgrade, your account status automatically reverts to free Lite membership – this gives you unlimited searches for foods, but you can only add 5 items a day to your diary.

In the Nutracheck app tap More > Google Fit > follow the steps on-screen to ensure all permissions are set.

Yes – and you can also select your unit of measurement from g, oz, ml or fl oz. The default is set for grams.

For many foods, you will see Enter specific weight listed under the serving size options.

In the app

Tap on this, enter the weight of your food, then tap to highlight your unit of measurement.

On the website

Click to enter the weight of your food, then use the drop-down menu to select the unit of measurement.

On our homepage, tap the menu icon in the top right corner (3 horizontal lines) and select 'Sign in'.

Please note: for the best experience we strongly recommend using the Nutracheck app. The diary has been specifically designed for use on a mobile phone, with app only features such as barcode scanning to make adding food fast and easy.

To set your own calorie and nutrient targets, follow these steps:

In the app

1. Tap the blue menu button to the right of the search bar in your diary.
2. Select Nutrient Goals > Set My Own Goal. Enter your preferred target, scroll down and tap Apply Changes.

On the website

1. Sign in and click on the Settings link above your diary > Set a nutrient goal link' > Set My Own goal.
2. Click on the calorie target to override it with your own figure, press Apply changes.

Note! 1,200 calories is the minimum target allowed.

Buying a different membership doesn't automatically cancel an existing renewal (this is how Apple/Google manage subscriptions). For example, if you were on a monthly renewal then decided to switch to annual, the monthly payments need to be stopped manually to avoid further charges.

If you need to cancel the previous subscription, here's what to do:

Go to Progress > tap the menu in the top left corner > Link Weight Data > tap Set Permissions and allow all permissions.

There are two ways to get an overview of how you're doing:

Week View

In the app

Tap on the blue menu button to the right of the search bar > Week View.

This shows your kcals and the second nutrient you are tracking in your Diary.

On the website

Click on the Week View link above your Diary.

Barchart / Pie chart

In the app

Tap on the icon in the top right corner of the screen, above the blue menu button.

This barchart shows your daily progress for each nutrient as a percentage vs the recommended daily amount, and also in grams.

Tap on the switch above the chart to view 1 day, 1 week and 4 weeks. Or switch to the pie chart view and review the same periods.

On the website

Look in the Summary panel to the right of your Diary. Click on the small icons in the blue header to switch between a barchart and pie chart view.

One of the most common reasons for not losing weight is underestimating portion sizes. The best way to check your meals is to use the 'Meal/Recipes' tool, but if don't you have time to do this, then try the following:

1. Reduce the size of your portions by one third. To help you do this, try using a smaller plate or bowl for your meal.
2. Before having your main meal [of reduced portion size!], have a starter of a low cal vegetable or tomato soup to help fill you up.
3. Make a conscious effort to eat more slowly – and make sure that you are sat at the table concentrating on your meal – not watching TV at the same time.
4. Weigh – at least once – certain foods before you cook them and enter the exact calorie figures in your food diary. Foods we recommend weighing are jacket potatoes / potatoes in general / pasta / rice / breakfast cereals. It is so easy to just pour these out, and the actual calorie content is much higher than you think – breakfast cereal is a classic example. The manufacturer's suggested serving size of 35g or 40g looks like a very small amount in a bowl – especially if it's muesli!

Weighing food sounds like a pain, but we recommend leaving digital scales out on your worktop so it's really easy just to pop food on and check it. Once you have a visual reference, you may not need to do it every time.

When people say they are sticking to their diet but not losing, one of the first questions a dietitian will ask about is whether portion sizes are creeping up again! Try being really accurate for a week and see if this kick starts the weight loss. If it does, then you have your answer!

Your Reports can help you to see which foods are the biggest culprits in using up your calorie and fat allowance. You can check the food you've eaten in the previous 14 days ranked by...

• highest calorie
• lowest calorie
• highest fat
• lowest fat

Each report shows the top 20 foods in each category, and works on a 14-day rolling basis.

A good place to start is by looking at your highest fat foods. Fat is the most concentrated source of energy with 9 calories per gram, so reducing your total fat intake has twice the effect of cutting back on protein or carbohydrates.

Your Apple Watch will sync activity data including calories burned, steps, flights climbed and activities you've recorded such as running, cycling and swimming*.

*requires Watch series 2 or later

In the app

1. Tap the blue menu button on your Diary page > Diary Preferences > Traffic Light Guide.
2. You can turn the switch on/off to view the traffic lights in your diary and/or the serving page.

On the website

1. Click Settings above the food diary > Manage the traffic light guide.
2. You can turn the switch on/off to view the traffic lights in your diary and/or the serving page.

Google has discontinued the old integration with the Android Motion Sensor. To ensure continued tracking, we’ve switched to their new Health Connect system. This provides more advanced and accurate tracking for a better user experience. To set this up, tap More (bottom menu bar) > Google Fit.

In the Nutracheck app

Tap More > Fitbit and follow the instructions.

On the Nutracheck website

Click on Profile > Link devices. Click the green Link Accounts button and follow the instructions.

Nutracheck tracks calories, protein, carbs, sugar, fibre, fat, saturated fat and salt.

In the app

You can choose which nutrients to track by tapping the header of each column and selecting from the drop-down menu. Check how your overall diet measures up against recommended targets for each nutrient by tapping the white chart icon top right in your diary to see a bar chart or pie chart.

On the website

You can select which nutrients to track by clicking on the Settings link above your diary > Choose which nutrients to track in my food diary. Make your selection and drag and drop to set the order in your diary. The bar chart on the right of your diary shows a summary – click the small icons in the header to see different charts.

To link accounts with another user – Tap More (bottom navigation bar) > Link & Share Account > Create an invitation link. You will receive a notification once somebody accepts your invitation.

You can stop sharing your account with a user at any time – Tap More (bottom navigation bar) > Link & Share Account > select the user you wish to unlink with and press the unlink button at the bottom.

In the app

• To create a new post, go to Forums. Tap on the paper and pencil icon top right. Select the Forum board you wish to post in, type a subject line along with your message and tap the white arrows icon top right.
• To add a comment to an existing post, open the thread and tap the curved arrow top right. Type your comment and tap the arrows icon top right.

On the website

• To create a new post, go to the Forums and select the Forum board you wish to post in and click the green + Add a new post button top right. Type a subject line along with your message and click the green Post button bottom right.
• To add a commment to an existing post, open the thread and click the green + Add a comment button top right. Type your comment and click the green Send button at the bottom right.

Buying a different membership doesn't automatically cancel an existing renewal (this is how Apple/Google manage subscriptions). For example, if you were on a monthly renewal then decided to switch to annual, the monthly payments need to be stopped manually to avoid further charges.

If you need to cancel the previous subscription, here's what to do:

If you have any questions about any payments recently taken, please get in touch with our Customer Care Team. Our email is customercare@nutracheck.co.uk and our number is 0115 969 4660 (open 8:30am – 6:00pm, Monday to Friday, excluding UK bank holidays).

Yes, we currently read the following data:

• Active Energy
• Flights Climbed
• Steps
• Walking + Running Distance
• Workouts
• Weight

In the app

You can search for food in the following ways:

1. Search by Text – tap the search bar on your diary page and start to type the product you're looking for. As you type, the closest results will be displayed. Select the product you want from the results then the serving size and tap a meal occasion from the bottom of the page to add it to your diary.
2. Barcode Search – tap the barcode icon to the left of the search bar in your diary to open the barcode scanner. Now hold the phone up to a barcode so you can see it on the screen in front of you, and the product will be returned in the search results. Select the serving size you had, what meal occasion it's for and the item will be added to your diary.

On the website

Use the 'Add food/drink' panel on the left to find and add a food to your diary.

You can search for food in the following ways:

1. Search by Text – type in a short description. As you type, the closest results will be displayed. Select the product you want from the shortlist then press 'Add' (or click on the serving size) to add it to your diary.
2. Food Categories – if you're eating out or are searching for something very specific, you can find coffee shop foods, eating out establishments and popular foods here.
3. Barcode Search – enter the last 6 digits of a barcode. This option is best used for popular products – it brings up a short list of items making it easier to find what you are looking for.

There are two different ways you can view your Diary – with separate food and exercise targets or a combined food and exercise target.

Which setting you use, depends on your goal, and your activity level.

Separate Diary view – if your goal is to lose weight and you are just starting to try and exercise more, this is the best setting for you.

It keeps your food and exercise targets separate, so you can clearly see how many calories you've burned through additional activity. The exercise calories are not added onto your food target to eat back.

Combined Diary view – if you are trying to lose weight and already exercise a lot, this setting may suit you better as it gives you the option to eat calories back.

It assumes you are fairly active every day and deducts your 200 calorie exercise target from your food allowance at the start of the day, on the expectation you will always achieve this (which is why your GOAL is 200 calories less than the Separate Dairy view). Once you exceed your 200 calorie exercise target, the calories you burn are added onto your food allowance so you can eat these back. We recommend the Combined Diary view to people who do a lot of exercise, as they will require the extra calories to fuel their higher activity levels.

To change your diary

In the app

Tap the blue menu button to the right of the search bar > Diary Preferences > Diary Totals.

On the website

Click on Settings – link above your diary. Then click on the Change diary layout & daily totals link and select your preferred diary view under the Daily Totals heading.

The Widget shows the current day's kcal summary. At midnight the figures reset to the following day's diary data, including any foods you have already entered.

You will notice that the drop down list of goal weights also shows what percentage weight loss this constitutes in brackets. The system doesn't allow you to select more than 20% weight loss in one go – hence why you can't go lower as this is the maximum. Once you start losing weight, the drop down will allow you reset your target to be a lower amount.

When entering your weight loss target, we recommend that you set smaller steps of either of 10% or half a stone rather than going for the full amount. This is far more motivating than just focusing on a final goal weight which can seem a distant and daunting challenge, particularly if you have a lot of weight to lose.

When you reach a weight loss milestone of 10%, we recommend that you go back and update your Profile. (It doesn't update automatically because many members prefer to be in control of when they change it). To reset your target:

In the app

Go to Progress > Edit > green RESET button.

On the website

Go to Profile > Personal details, then manually enter your new starting weight and click the green + Update button at the bottom the page.

In the app

Tap the blue menu button on your Diary page > Diary Preferences > Food Database > UK/Ireland or United States.

Alternatively, get in touch with us at customercare@nutracheck.co.uk and we can change it for you.

In the app

1. Tap on My Meals from the menu at the bottom of the screen.
2. Tap on +Create in the top right corner or tap into a meal occasion and select + Create a new meal or recipe. Fill in the name, servings and meal occasion, then tap Next at the top of the page.
3. There will be a page with previous ingredients that you can select or to continue, tap Skip in the top right corner.
4. Use the search bar at the top of the screen to search for your ingredients. In the same way as the website, we will calculate the calories for you once you've added them.
5. When you're finished, tap on Save at the top of the screen.

On the website

1. Click on My Meals at the top of the page and click below Calorie count new meal.
2. Type in your recipe name, number of servings and meal occasion. Click Next once you've done this.
3. On the left of the page there is an Add ingredients panel. Use the search bar to look for the ingredients in your recipe – add the correct serving size and we'll calculate the calories for you.
4. Once you've added all of your ingredients, either click on Save Only or Save & add 1 serving to my diary.

In the app

Tap More > select Garmin Connect and follow the instructions.

On the website

Click on Profile and then Link devices. Click the green Link Accounts button and follow the instructions.

Tap More > iPhone Fitness Tracking > Set Permissions.

When you tap buy you’re taken through to your Apple ID or Google Play account (depending on your device) to verify the payment. If all of your account and payment details are up to date and you’re still struggling, here are some alternative ways to pay:

1. Our memberships are also available to buy through the website. Just visit www.nutracheck.co.uk and sign in with your registered email address and password. Then go to your 'Profile' followed by 'Membership Options'. Please note, if you access the website on your phone, you'll need to tap the menu icon in the top right corner of the homepage (3 horizontal lines) and select 'Sign in'.
2. We can take the payment over the telephone instead. If you're happy to do this, our number is 0115 969 4660 and we're open 8:30am – 6:00pm, Monday – Friday (excluding bank holidays). It only takes a couple of minutes and all you'll need is your bank card to hand.

Yes, you can edit and delete your posts.

In the app

Tap the 3 dots in the top right corner of your post. From the pop-up, select either Edit or Delete.

On the website

click the 3 dots in the top right corner of your post and select either Edit post or Delete post.

Yes, we currently send the following data:

• Active Energy
• Nutrient Data
• Water
• Workouts

Yes. Nutracheck tracks calories, fat, sat fat, carbs, sugar, protein, salt and fibre. If you have access to the website or an iPad, you can view all of these at once. On mobile app you can only track calories plus three other nutrients on the main Diary page – but you can switch between the nutrients at any time. Here's what do to:

In the app

Tap the top of the nutrient column (you should see a little downward arrow) and choose the nutrient you would like to track from the drop down menu.

Alternatively, select Diary Preferences > Nutrient Choices. Use the white arrows to select which nutrients you wish to track.

In the iPad app

Turn your iPad to landscape (this will ensure all 7 nutrients show on your screen) and tap on the blue menu button, next to the search bar. Now select Diary Preferences > Nutrient Choices. Use the white arrows to select which nutrients you wish to track.

On the website

Go to your Diary and click on the Settings link above your diary. Next select Choose which nutrients to track. You can then select the nutrients you'd like to show. Tip! Drag and drop the nutrients into the order you'd like them to show in your diary.

The sections of your account that can be shared with another user (and vice versa) are:

• Your diary entries (not including your Notes section)
• Recipes saved in your My Meals section
• Your weigh-ins added to your Progress chart (this currently does not include other body measurements).

You have full control over which of these sections each person can see. They can control what you see in their account too.

Your total steps and distance can be recorded in your Nutracheck diary from the Android Motion Sensor.

In the app

1. Go to My Meals and locate the recipe you want to edit.
2. Tap Edit in the top right corner.

On the website

1. Go to My Meals and locate the recipe you want to edit.
2. Scroll down and select Edit from the bottom of the page.

Our food database contains calorie counts for both raw and cooked food – as defined in the description.

It doesn't really matter which figure you use – as long as the weighed state of your product (raw or cooked) matches the description in our database.

From a practical point of view, it may be easiest to weigh the item raw, before cooking, to avoid dealing with hot food on the scales. But this is personal choice.

In the Nutracheck app tap More > Apple Watch > Set Permissions.

We do not automatically reset your targets. As you lose weight, we recommend updating your weight in your Profile to ensure your calorie allowance is recalculated accordingly. We suggest making these changes after every 10-14lbs you lose.

To update your weight follow the steps below:

In the app

1. Tap on Progress followed by Edit in the top right corner of the screen.
2. Select the green Reset button.
3. Follow the steps to check your Profile settings and update your current weight to match your most recent weigh-in.

On the website

1. Go to your Profile > Personal details
2. Click the box to update your weight.
3. Scroll down and click the green + Update button.

Your calorie allowance will then be recalculated where necessary and all your weight loss history to date will remain visible.

First and foremost don't give up! It's really frustrating to feel that you're sticking to your targets and the scales aren't moving, but the weight WILL come off if you keep going.

Here's a few things to check that may help:

1. Are you honestly entering everything you are eating and drinking? If yes, then check that you are being accurate with the portion sizes. It's very easy to eat more than you think of certain foods unless you weigh them. Examples are potatoes, pasta, rice, cereal, bread, cheese etc. The other source of 'hidden' calories is dressings and spreads, so make sure that you count these too (initially measure them out until you get a visual idea of how much a 'serving' is).
2. Don't be too impatient. Remember losing weight happens slowly over a period of time and so it's unrealistic to expect it to drop off overnight. If you are achieving a weight loss of half to one pound per week, that's good as you are far more likely to sustain it. Remember that for every pound lost you are one nearer to your goal.
3. Are you increasing your activity level? It is really important to try and 'up' your exercise level to achieve the calorie deficit required to lose weight. To lose 1lb a week you need to create a calorie deficit of between 500-600 calories a day. The best way to do this is through a combination of eating less and increasing your exercise level. The exercise part is not just important to burn extra calories while you are doing it, but it will also help to change your body's composition over time. As you start to lose the fat and build more muscle, it has a positive effect on your metabolism because muscle is an active tissue that will burn calories just by being there – as opposed to fat which doesn't.
4. Also remember that weight loss rarely follows an exact pattern. Rather than following a steady downwards curve, it is more often a series of stops and starts. So don't expect to lose exactly the same amount every week as it may be that one week you lose 3lbs and the next 1lb – it is down to your individual body. As long as you are consistently getting a green tick in your Week View, then your overall weight loss trend will be downwards, even if the odd week has a blip!
5. When it comes to your 'weigh-in', tempting as it is to jump on the scales every day(!), try to only weigh yourself once a week. And it is important that you follow the same 'weigh-in' routine to ensure that the weight you read is more easily compared to the previous week. So weigh yourself on the same scales, at the same time of day and after the same routine.
6. The hardest part of losing weight is getting started. It seems like a hard slog BUT when the weight does start to come off– and it WILL if you stick to your calorie targets and increase your activity level – it is motivation in itself to stick with the plan! You've made the commitment to try our service, so giving up would be a real shame as you've done the hard bit just by getting started.

The Samsung Health figures are obtained directly from your Health Connect app. They cannot be updated or deleted – this will need to be done through your Health Connect account.

Any problems removing a synced activity, please email customercare@nutracheck.co.uk.

No, at the moment it is only possible for us to pull your activity data (e.g. steps and workouts) from Samsung Health.

Yes – what you need to do is:

1. Sign in and hover over Profile in the top navigation bar then select any link under My Account.
2. In the 'Sign in details' section, click update where it says Automatic Log In.
3. Select Yes where it asks Do you wish to stay logged in when you leave Nutracheck? and click Confirm.

When you return to the website, just click on any navigation tab and you will be signed straight in.

NOTE! We don't recommend ticking this setting if more than one person in your household is a Nutracheck member and shares the same computer. This is to avoid being auto logged into the wrong account, which could result in one of you inadvertently over-writing the other person's food diary.

We offer monthly and annual membership options:

• 1 month subscription – £6.99
• 12 months subscription – £39.99

The auto renewal can be cancelled at any time. If you purchase in-app, this must be cancelled in your iTunes / Google Play account. You can find instructions here.

Memberships purchased through the website can be cancelled via the Nutracheck website – sign in and hover over Profile in the top navigation bar, select View payment history from the drop down menu and use the link at the bottom of the page to Cancel my auto-renewing subscription

We offer a no obligation 7 day free trial, so you can see if the service is for you before you join.

If you don't purchase a membership at the end of your free trial, your account will automatically revert to free Lite membership. Lite membership gives you unlimited searches for foods in the app, but you can only add 5 items a day to your diary. Or if you don't want to use the app at all anymore, you can just delete it from your phone.

In the app:

• Top 20 foods containing the highest Calories, Fat, Saturated Fat, Carbohydrates, Sugar, Fibre, Protein, and Salt.
• Top 20 foods containing the lowest Calories, Fat, Saturated Fat, Carbohydrates, Sugar, Fibre, Protein, and Salt.

On the website:

• Top 20 foods containing the highest Calories, Fat, Saturated Fat, Carbohydrates, Sugar, Fibre, Protein, and Salt.
• Top 20 foods containing the lowest Calories, Fat, Saturated Fat, Carbohydrates, Sugar, Fibre, Protein, and Salt.
• My Daily Calorie Intake.
• My % of Calories from Fat.
• My Exercise Expenditure.
• My Alcohol Intake.
• Food Triggers.

If you'd like to cancel your subscription, read below for instructions:

1. Tap More (to the right in the bottom navigation bar).
2. Select My Profile & Account > Account & Billing.
3. Press the Cancel Membership link and follow the on-screen prompts.

We sync activity data including calories burned, steps, flights climbed and workouts you've recorded.

Yes. If you wish to manually adjust your nutrient targets, here's what to do:

In the app

Tap the blue menu button to the right of the search bar, select Nutrient Goals > Set My Own Goal. Enter either the grams or percentage figure for each nutrient. When done, make sure you scroll down and press the green Apply Changes button to save your targets.

On the website

Go to your Food Diary page and click on the Settings link above your diary. Next select Set a nutrient goal, then Set My Own. Click on either the grams or percentage figure for each nutrient to enter your own value. When done, make sure you scroll down and click the green Apply Changes button to save your targets.

After you have successfully linked your Fitbit to your Nutracheck account, we can pull through the following:

• Total steps (Note! Nutracheck assumes an average adult takes 2,500 steps a day, so we only count calories burned by steps above this).
• The number of flights climbed.
• Activities automatically tracked by your Fitbit and the number of calories burned.
• Any other activity you manually add to your Fitbit account via the Fitbit app or website.
• Any weigh-ins you add to your Fitbit account from your Aria scales.

We will also send your total daily calorie totals to Fitbit – this appears in your online Fitbit account as 'Nutracheck Diary'.

Weight entries from Apple Health will sync from the date you set permissions, and update whenever you visit the Progress section in the Nutracheck app. Data does not currently sync in the background, you need to go into the Progress section for your latest weight to be pulled in.

We have the nutritional information for over 200 eating out places in our food database. Most of the big chain restaurants and popular coffee shops are listed.

To find the Eating Out category:

In the app

Tap the blue menu button to the right of the search box > Eating Out.

On the website

Go to your diary and look in the Add Food/Drink panel on the left > Eating Out.

If the restaurant you are looking is not listed, you can try two things:

1. Use one of the restaurants we do have data for, which offers the same type of food, and try to find a similar dish.
2. Failing that, try searching for the meal you ate by typing it into the search bar to see if anything similar is found. A luxury version of a ready meal (the supermarket 'Best' or 'Finest' brand) can be a useful benchmark, although the restaurant portion size might be 50% or 100% bigger than the ready meal, so you may need to double it. It's not perfect, but it will give you a rough idea, and it is better to record something than leave a meal occasion out of your diary.

That said – a meal out is a treat, so enjoy! Remember Nutracheck is all about balance – if you go over one day, make adjustments for your food and exercise levels over the next few days by using the Week View.

You can plan for a night out in advance by using Easier Days. This redistributes your calories over the week to give you a few more on your chosen day(s).

In the app

Tap the blue menu button to the right of the search bar > Diary Preferences > Easier Days.

On the website

Go to Settings (link above your food diary) > Set an easier calorie target for certain days.

The data is synced from the in-built motion sensor in your iPhone. We pull through the following data:

• Steps
• Flights climbed
• Distance
• Calories burned*

*calculated by Nutracheck.

The colours give you a quick visual guide to the nutritional content of a food. Green means the food is low in that particular nutrient, amber is neither high nor low, and red means it is high.

Try to choose foods with green and amber traffic lights where you can, and moderate your intake of foods highlighted in red.

There is no right or wrong way – see what works best for you. The options are:

Fill it in advance

Some people like to plan what they are going to eat and enter it into their food diary at the start of the day (or night before) so they can check they will stay within their daily target. The good thing about this approach is if it looks like you might go over, you can take action before the damage is done! If you are new to calorie counting, this might be the best approach for you.

Fill it in as you go

This is the best way to ensure you don't forget anything. It also makes you aware of how many calories you have left for the day.

Fill it in at the end of the day

You can enter everything in one go at the end of the day – it's quick and easy using 'Copy' and your 'Favourites' however the risk is that you forget adding something.

If you exceed your daily calorie target, try to 'up' your exercise and/or reduce your calorie intake over the next few days to get back on track (as long as you don't go below 1,200 cals).

In the mobile app

You can have up to 4 nutrient columns in your diary. To manage these, tap the blue menu button at the top of your diary (next to the search bar) > Diary Preferences > Nutrient Choices. Tap the arrow above the dash (or it may say 'None') to scroll through and select an additional nutrient column.

How many columns you have will affect the number of trackers showing at the bottom of your diary (5-a-day, water, alcohol units and alcohol kcals). For example, if you have 1-2 nutrient columns, you’ll see two trackers. With 3-4 nutrient columns, you’ll see one diary tracker (due to screen space).

You can manage your trackers either by tapping on the current one > Discover more trackers. Or you can tap the blue menu button in your diary > Diary Preferences > Diary Trackers.

In the Nutracheck app, tap More from the bottom menu bar – Samsung Health – follow the steps on-screen to ensure all permissions are set.

Please check your email Junk folder. If the password reset email has definitely not arrived, you may have misspelled your email address when registering. Please email the Customer Care Team at customercare@nutracheck.co.uk and we will assist you.

In the app

To change your password, tap on the Forgotten your password? link below the sign in boxes to request a reset email. Please check your email Junk folder in case it has been filtered there.

If you're already signed into your account, tap More in the bottom menu bar > My Profile & Account > Change password.

On the website

Click the forgotten password link beneath the sign in boxes to request a reset email.

If you're already signed into your account, hover over Profile in the top navigation bar and select Change my password from the drop down menu.

If you do not receive the password reset email please contact the Customer Care Team at customercare@nutracheck.co.uk.

We will sync the following activity data from Samsung Health: Active Energy, Walking + Running Distance, Workouts and Steps.

In the Nutracheck app, tap More from the bottom menu bar – Samsung Health – follow the steps on-screen to ensure all permissions are set.

Via the app

1. Tap the blue menu button (next to the search bar in your Diary).
2. Select Diary Preferences > Start Of Week.

Via the website

1. Click Settings (top left just above food diary).
2. Click Set the day my week view starts on.
3. Select the day you want your week to start from the drop down and press the green Apply Changes button.

Yes!

In the app

Tap the blue menu button to the right of the search bar in your diary. Select Nutrient Goals > Set My Own Goal. Enter your preferred target, scroll down and tap Apply Changes.

On the website

Click on the Settings link above your diary > Set a nutrient goal > Set My Own goal. Click on the calorie target to override it with your own figure, press Apply changes.

Note! 1,200 calories is the minimum target allowed.

The short answer is, yes. But it's important to take note of the type of activity you're recording as exercise. If you are logging exercise which is above and beyond your every day routine, such as a gym session, long walk or a jog, then yes, you should be eating back your exercise calories. Not doing so could mean you end up with a very low net intake, which is not helpful to long term weight loss success.

Alternatively, if you tend to log all your daily steps and these are generally just you pottering around, then it may be better not to eat these calories back unless you feel you need to. Exercise calories can be hard to estimate, so it's necessary to be a bit cautious about the type of activity we count as 'exercise' and when it's appropriate to eat back some calories.

The tracker is to encourage you to eat more fresh fruit and vegetables. Fruit and veg are a valuable source of vitamins, minerals and fiber. Most are low in calories, making them a great way to bulk out meals.

For the Apple icon to light up, you need to add a portion of fruit or veg to your Diary.

What counts as a portion?

• 80g fresh, frozen or tinned fruit (no portion limit)
• 80g fresh, frozen or tinned vegetables (no portion limit)
• 150ml of 100% fruit juice, vegetable juice or smoothies (limit to 1 portion per day)
• 80g beans and other pulses (limit to 1 portion per day)
• 30g dried fruit (limit to 1 portion per day)
• 80g concentrated purees (limit to1 portion per day)

Healthy tips

• Ideally choose fruit and vegetables in their fresh, natural state, not part of a processed product that has had other ingredients added
• Aim for variety. Eat a 'rainbow 'of different coloured fruit and vegetables

What doesn't count?

• Fruit and vegetables with any added fats, sugars, or salt
• Potatoes and other starchy 'staples', such as yams, cassava and plaintains (sweet potatoes DO count)
• Nuts, seeds, coconut, marmalades and jams
• Fruit drinks with added ingredients, such as juice 'drinks' and squashes
• Fruit and herb teas; wines & other alcoholic drinks made from fruit and vegetables

Many of us are emotional eaters, so we've added Food Triggers to the website to help.

We eat for many reasons other than being hungry. If your diet goes off track, you can tag the culprit food with the trigger that caused you to eat – for example you were feeling stressed, or perhaps you were just bored.

How it works:

1. Look for the emoticon above your search results when adding a food to your diary and select your Food Trigger.
2. Add the food to your diary.
3. Click on the emoticon in your food diary to get helpful tips and practical advice on how to manage that trigger better next time.

If a bar on your chart turns red, it means you have exceeded the guide amount for that nutrient. If you exceed total calories, we recommend using your Week View to offset the excess over the rest of the week to stay on track. To find this:

In the app

Tap the blue menu button (next to the search bar in your diary) > Diary Week View.

On the website

Go to your Food Diary page and click on the Week View link above your diary.

We currently have two Widgets which keep track of your kcal consumption, however we are open to suggestions for additional Widget functionality.

The difference is mainly due to water loss or gain. Cooking methods like baking, grilling and roasting will cause a food to lose water compared to say steaming and boiling. In fact boiling may cause the food to gain weight – as in the case of rice and pasta.

When a food loses water it will become lighter in weight and more calorie dense – so the cooked food will contain more calories than the raw when comparing weight for weight. An example being a jacket potato. As the potato loses water during baking, it becomes more calorie dense – which is why when comparing weight for weight, a jacket potato contains more calories than boiled.

On the other hand, if a food absorbs water, the calories will be lower compared to the same weight raw – because the food has become less calorie dense. This is true of rice and pasta.

In most cases, it is probably easiest to weigh the raw food and use these figures. If you then cook the item and add any extra ingredients such as sugar or oil, you need to measure and enter these ingredients separately e.g. if you fried your mushrooms in oil or stewed apples with added sugar.

In summary, it doesn't really matter which figure you use – as long as the weighed state of your product (raw or cooked) matches the description in our database.

No, at the moment it is only possible for us to pull your activity data (e.g. steps and workouts) from Health Connect.

Congratulations on hitting your goal weight! The good news is, you can now start to increase the number of calories you are eating – but it is advisable to do this gradually, and make sure you keep weighing in regularly.

The recommended daily number of calories recommended for an 'average' female is 1,950 per day and 2,500 for a male. Of course 'average' varies a lot – and your age, height, activity levels and lifestyle will all have a bearing. Nutracheck will set a guideline maintenance figure for you based on your personal details.

Go back to your Profile and select the option for 'Maintain Weight'. If it feels like a big jump up from your weight loss target, then increase your calorie allowance slowly – adding say 150 extra calories each week. Keep weighing in and recording your weight in your 'Progress' chart. Finding the right number of calories to not gain and not lose takes a little trial and error. It's quite normal that your weight will fluctuate from week to week, so we recommend setting yourself an upper limit of 3lbs – 5lbs above your goal weight that you will not allow yourself to exceed. If you hit this upper limit, immediately switch back to weight loss until you've lost the extra pounds. There's a saying – "watch the pounds, the stones will take care of themselves".

At this point it might be tempting to think you don't need the App or website any more, but we suggest you keep using it – especially during the initial stages of maintenance. It can be tough to go it alone straight away – many people find they miss the 'high' of losing weight and other people commenting on their loss, so getting support from the forum community can really help too. So we'd encourage you to keep using Nutracheck until you feel confident that you are comfortably maintaining.

If your exercise isn't showing, firstly, ensure you have set the permissions to 'All' in your Health Connect app for your activity tracker (open Health Connect and select 'App Permissions' > select your tracker from the list and it will open the permissions > ensure 'ALL' is selected). Please bear in mind it can take up to 24 hours for your data to start syncing via Health Connect once the permissions have been set.

If you have given permissions and your data isn't showing, ensure your exercise data is showing in the Health Connect app. Here's what to do:

1. Open Health Connect.
2. Select 'Data and Access'.
3. At the top, press 'Activity'.
4. Tap 'Exercise'.

If the data is showing here and we still aren't receiving it, email the Customer Care Team at customercare@nutracheck.co.uk with a screenshot of your activity data in Health Connect and we can take a look for you.

Unfortunately not. If you have a Fitbit account linked to Nutracheck, you cannot sync data from other sources such as the iPhone or Apple Watch. If you wish to do this, please unlink your Fitbit account first and then set the permissions for the other devices or apps you wish to sync.

Yes, you can group together foods and save them as a combo – ideal for your favourite meals.

In the app

Tap on each food entry in your diary you would like to group, then tap CREATE MEAL from the pop-up menu at the bottom of your screen.

On the website

Click Group items above your diary and tick the items you'd like to group. Now click Confirm.

To find your combo after saving, go into My Meals and select the recipe from the meal occasion you have saved it to.

If you use the same computer each time to access Nutracheck:

Check that the Automatic Log In setting on your account is still set. To do this:

1. Click on the Profile tab > My Account.
2. In the Sign in details section, click Update where it says Automatic Log In.
3. Select Yes where it asks Do you wish to stay logged in when you leave Nutracheck? and click Confirm.

When you return to the website, click on any navigation tab to be signed straight in. If you have tried this and the problem persists, contact us at customercare@nutracheck.co.uk.

We cannot pull through any historic data unfortunately, we can only sync data going forward from the date permissions are set.

Your weight entries are pulled from your Apple Health app so the entry you wish to delete needs to be removed from Apple Health. Synced weight entries cannot be updated or deleted in the Nutracheck app.

To remove an entry, open the Apple Health app and tap Browse (bottom right) > Body Measurements > Weight.

There are a few ways you can purchase a membership:

1. Via the app. To do this, tap More in the bottom menu bar > Upgrade Options. Select a membership, then press Buy Now.
2. Via the website. Just visit nutracheck.co.uk and sign in with your registered email address and password. You will either be automatically directed to our purchase page, or you can select My Profile at the top, then Membership Options. Please note, if you access the website on your phone, you'll need to tap the menu icon in the top right corner of the homepage (3 horizontal lines) and select 'Sign in'.
3. Over the telephone. Our number is 0115 969 4660 and we're open 8:30am - 6:00pm, Monday - Friday (excluding UK bank holidays). It only takes a few minutes and you'll just need your bank card to hand.

The main benefits of linking your account with other users are:

1. Motivation – sharing your journey means you can encourage and motivate each other.
2. Accountability – knowing someone can see your diary is an incentive to make sure you've used it and made good choices.
3. Inspiration – seeing others' interesting meals and workouts give you fresh ideas.

All of the above have the benefit of helping to keep you more engaged with the app, and the more you use your diary, the more effective it is in achieving your goals.

Yes. When you link your Fitbit account with Nutracheck, you will be able to sync activity data for calories burned and steps from your Fitbit to your Nutracheck exercise diary. We also send your total daily calorie totals back to your online Fitbit account. This shows as 'Nutracheck Diary'. However please note – any activities you add to your Nutracheck diary will not be sent to your Fitbit account.

Nutracheck tracks calories plus 7 nutrients: protein, fat, saturated fat, carbs, sugar, fibre and salt. You can choose which nutrients you track in your diary

In the app

Tap on the small black arrow at the top of the column and select the nutrient you would like to track from the drop down.

Alternatively, select Diary Preferences > Nutrient Choices. Use the white arrows to select which nutrients you wish to track.

You can also view a daily bar chart breakdown of all nutrients by tapping the white icon at the top right of your Diary screen. Tap the pie chart icon to check your macro nutrients vs healthy guide amounts. You can view this data for 1 day, 1 week and 4 weeks.

On an iPad

1. Tap on the blue menu button at the top (next to the search bar).
2. Select Diary Preferences.
3. Tap Nutrient Choices.
4. Use the arrows to select which nutrients to track.

No, this function is not available for activities added from linked devices.

If you'd like to cancel your subscription, please contact us at customercare@nutracheck.co.uk and we'll cancel it for you.

We recommend you cancel at least 48 hours before your next payment is due, as we regret that no refunds can be made if you cancel once the renewal date has passed and your next membership month has started. If you wish, you can cancel the monthly renewal arrangement straight after purchasing and no further payments will be taken when your initial membership term is up. For more information see Terms & Conditions.

To cancel under our Refund Policy

To obtain a full refund on your membership, you must contact us within 7 days of joining. Send an email including your registered email address to customercare@nutracheck.co.uk clearly stating 'Full Refund on Membership'. Alternatively call us on +44 (0)115 969 4660 (open Monday to Friday, 8.30am - 6.00pm, excl Bank Holidays).

The principle behind 5-a-day is to get us all eating more fresh fruit and vegetables. Ideally this should be fruit and veg in its natural state – not part of a processed product that has had other ingredients added. However we do recognise that it's not always easy to just eat fresh, dried or frozen fruit and veg, so fruit and veg within other foods such as cereal bars can count towards our 5-a-day.

The NHS 5-a-day guidelines say that certain processed foods can count towards your 5-a-day (if the quantity of ingredient complies – a portion is around 80g of the fresh fruit, and 30g dried), but they also state that ready meals for example should be eaten in moderation because of the other ingredients that will have been added, such as fat and salt. Further information can be here.

In a quest to highlight positive health benefits of processed products, manufacturers and retailers may highlight that an item contains one of your 'fruit & veg portions' – although the official 5-a-day logo cannot be used on packaging unless the product fully complies with the NHS guidelines. The good news is that many of the major retailers in the UK also have strict criteria about when a 5-a-day logo can be used, so in general if any logo or statement is on pack, then this usually means that you will find 'a portion' within the food. While it is good that the product contains some fruit or vegetables, it is still a better option to just eat pure fruit or vegetables with no extra ingredients such as salt, sugar or saturated fat.

At present, our policy at Nutracheck is based on the purist view of supporting the principle of 5-a-day. You will find that the 5-a-day symbol shows on fresh fruit and vegetables, dried fruits, pulses etc – basically the natural foods, but it may not show on other products.

The reason is that we don't want members to become overly reliant on eating processed products to achieve their 5-a-day intake as this kind of dilutes the principle of the 5-a-day initiative. Remember that you should be getting a good variety (or a rainbow!) of different fruits and vegetables to make up your 5 a day – fresh, frozen, dried, juiced and canned all count.

Yes. Here's what to do:

In the app

1. Go to My Meals – find the recipe you'd like to share.
2. Tap the share symbol top right (left of Edit) > Share with contacts > select the method you wish to send the recipe through (e.g. WhatsApp, Text, Email, Facebook) > Send.
3. When your chosen contact receives the recipe, they will tap Accept and it will save to their Shared Meals folder in the My Meals section of the App.

On the website

1. Click My Meals and select from the left the meal you wish to send. Then click on the share link towards the bottom of the page.
2. Choose either Copy link to clipboard or Send link via email.
3. Your partner will be able to copy and edit the meals you share in their personal account.

To collect a recipe that has been sent to you, click on the link you have received and this will take you to the meal. You may need to click to Sign in just above the recipe. A pop-up will show on your screen, click Accept all and the recipe will be saved to your personal recipe book.

Your previous weight history may have disappeared if you have recently reset your start weight in the Progress section. You just need to change the date of your start weight back to what it was originally.

To do this, tap on Progress in the bottom menu bar. Tap Edit in the top right corner followed by the orange Reset button – confirm your original start weight and start date, and your previous weight history will display again.

If you wish to update your Profile weight to recalculate your calorie allowance, follow these steps:

1. Tap on Progress followed by Edit in the top right corner of the screen.
2. Select the green Reset button.
3. Follow the steps to check your Profile settings and set your new weight.

Your calorie allowance will then be recalculated where necessary and all your weight loss history to date will remain visible.

In the app

Tap More in the bottom menu bar > My Profile & Account > tap the email address currently registered. If you require further assistance, contact the Customer Care Team at customercare@nutracheck.co.uk.

On the website

Sign in with the email address you registered with, hover over Profile in the top navigation bar and select Change my email address from the drop down menu.