Allow us to create custom meals on Fitbit app

[michelle.c]

Given that the community has been asking for this for 10 years, and now you will no longer have access to "create a meal" via the web version of the dashboard, it's making it harder for me to a fan and supporter of Fitbit, and I've been a fan for more than a decade. Please have the app have at least the same features as the web version (e.g., create a meal), but since it doesn't already exist, add the feature for # of servings to make our lives easier please!

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject and updated label

[jjtexas]

I have already listed my support/request to have the ability to add meals.  This post is to add my ire that goggle has seen fit to delete the few meals I had created before you disbanded the dashboard.  I had been limping along using those with last minute changes to keep track of my  nutrition until yesterday.  Today they are gone.  This really complicates things for me and my T2D.  

If you are unwilling to make the change then I must try to find a platform and device to fit my needs.  

Please have the courtesy to respond to this email and let us know your intentions.

We had all purchased a good product, but your actions have messed it up.

[uberetalis]

It's the same web developers that rolled out Obamacare😐

[SunsetRunner]

I agree with jjtexas and have yet another complaint about the "updated" nutrition space. I used to be able to take a photo of the bar code on a product and the nutritional label and the food would be added to my food list. But recently, after taking the photo, the app just spins and spins with no joy. Eventually I just close the window and put the food in manually, what a pia. 

So, get your s!@# together and make the app better or at least what it was when you appropriated it.

[uberetalis]

Hear Hear!! Can't believe Google put so little effort into this launch. My
pet peeves are many. I've listed them before but just crickets from Google.

The Frequent and Recent tabs are useless and the My foods tab can't be
added to.

[Chadmgeek]

Man, I was hoping I was just missing something. I was really hoping there was an integration with other apps, such as yumily, but fully expected to have to type in all of the recipes. I am flabbergasted that I can't even do that!

[bcruzin]

You need to bring back the create a meal. It is a pain to put in each item. Since I am watching my weight, I have standard meals I eat consistently. Bring it back! . 

[ebcal]

Adding another voice in the hopes that someone at Google will listen. Fitbit user for 12 years, and the app is - has always been - useless for tracking food unless you've already set up your meals. Full agreement that a bar code scanner does nothing for someone who is trying to actually eat real food. BRING BACK THE WEB BASED DASHBOARD! We need the ability to add recipes and custom meals - or at least modify the ones that managed to escape deletion from the Google gods. Thanks to those who have suggested alternatives - I'll be exploring. 

[uberetalis]

User complaints have been piling up for months. Google's response??
CRICKETS!!! From A to Z the App is a disaster. Thankfully Google hasn't
destroyed the MY Foods column yet.

[SunsetRunner]

Well, it’s clunky but my workaround is to create the meal or recipe in MyfitnessPal and transcribe one serving into the Fitbit app as a custom food.  I may switch to myfitnesspal entirely but the free version does not support barcode reading, so for now I’m enduring this tiresome exercise.  Thankfully, I eat the same stuff a lot so I only have to do it once and then that particular recipe is set.  

[owk]

Could I ask why Google find adding meal management to the FitBit App so difficult ? It seems obvious that a lot of users rely on this functionality, yet Google took this away by withdrawing the website dashboard.  Incidentally the management of meals was not perfect prior to Google purchasing Fitbit. Come on Google lets take a couple of steps forward and improve meal management in FitBit. Thanks

[farrerroy]

Without this functionality I won't use fitbit after my premium subscription expires. 

[uberetalis]

What an unforced error on Google's part.

[TreloarJim]

I wholeheartedly agree that either the web interface should be brought back or added to the mobile app. To me, Google is only supporting a fast convent food option rather than those of us who carefully cook our own meals. Heck, even a salad with multiple toppings can be a chore to add one item at a time. 
Please bring back the ability to create custom meals. 

[fishtrish]

So many people have complained about this change and nothing has been done. It is clear that custom meals and the dashboard were used by so many people as well as myself. I can only assume that google do not care about supporting the fitbit customers that they have acquired. It is interesting that none of their moderators have replied to this thread for a long time. So does anyone have any alternatives? Someone has mentioned Myfitnesspal above, so I'll have a look at that. I don't think I will continue with Fitbit. My device is on the way out anyway and I'm not going to buy another one. Does anyone have any experience of any other apps or preferably web-based platforms that will allow me to track my nutrition easily?

[uberetalis]

What amazes me is the lack of concern on Google's part. The custom meal
problem is just one of the
app's failings. Look at the RECENT and FREQUENT columns--they make no
logical sense. The MY FOODS column is frozen. From a to z Google has
failed. AND THEY DON'T CARE.

[DJ07]

Agreed! This is one of the things I miss the most and the reason I didn't track my food all the time. I was so much easier when you could create a meal that you regularly make with multiple food items in it. Now I have to list every item or I just cheat and fine something similar. Not great if you need to track macros.

[Rlexa]

Recent foods is not listed in any logical order. I can't save new "My Foods" to quickly assemble meals from favorite ingredients. I can't rely on many of the meals I already built because my recipes change constantly and we've had to switch out some ingredient-products.

If I'd known we'd lose access to meal construction, I would have prepared a few "bulk" meals with all my usual fresh ingredients because deleting an extra is much easier than adding something missing. But no. FitBit/Google is just banking on everyone wanting the app that connects to their device. But honestly, my household may switch to simple high-accuracy fitness trackers and a separate meal app over this.

[uberetalis]

Well said. I can't even begin to list the deficiencies in the App compared
to the PC version. The *recent column* is arguably the most useless feature
on the app.

This fiasco has been going on since July and all we hear from
Fitbit---crickets.

[Chelonidae]

I fully agree! I meal prep and repeat recipes and meal groups often. It's very frustrating to have to do this on the app ingredient by ingredient over and over now that the web dashboard has been discontinued.

Otherwise I enjoy Fitbit, but will consider other companies that offer meal grouping when it's time to replace the one I have now.

[Rlmatus]

Is anyone at Fitbit even reading these requests?  This particular feature was a very helpful feature on the web. Now that we can't easily log a repeated "meal" or "recipe" on the app, what's the sense in even using this app for food logging .... especially since it won't even import meals logged in other apps such as Weight Watchers.  Fitbit has taken a giant step backward lately .... And I agree with davidinkansas about the ease of using this feature on a regular pc that has a regular keyboard for the many of us who type with all fingers.  Fitbit .... please put this feature back and make it accessible on the web!

[kelliann1]

Over and over and over people have told them they want the grouping feature back. They completely ignore the requests as if they don’t exist. I would encourage them to respond to the many customers who have asked about this.

[uberetalis]

>From A-Z the app sucks. Name feature we used on the Web version that they
haven't botched. You can't add favorites to My Foods. The recent column
shows foods that I may have entered three years ago. Obviously they killed
the Custom Meals feature. How they decide what qualifies as a frequent
food is a complete mystery.

Fortunately they haven't wrecked the data I entered in the MY FOODS column
or I would have cancelled long ago.

[Runningthrulife]

Absolutely agree with this. Most of what I eat is homemade meals, and I often eat the same lunch, or have leftovers from dinner etc. It's very hampering to not have the ability to create custom recipes anymore or make a "meal" out of everything I input for lunch. Another feature that disappeared is if I pre-logged my lunch for today but then decided to save it for tomorrow, I can no longer change the date and move the foods to another day. I have to just delete one by one and reenter it all. Super annoying. Google please fix. Bring back the dashboard!!

[kelliann1]

It is just such a shame they took a great product and damaged it to this extent. Very sad. I used to recommend this to every single person who could use it but I can’t do that anymore! What a huge loss all the way around.

[uberetalis]

Google app developer instruction manual--Shoot, Ready, Aim