My Review of Fitday PC 2.0
I am a Fitday junkie and have been for awhile. There are a few things I do on a regular basis and Fitday is one of them. Every evening, I’ll enter my food and exercise numbers into the program on my computer. So, having gotten so much use out of the original Fitday PC, I was intrigued by the coming of version 2.0. I downloaded it pretty much sight unseen and here are my thoughts.
First, it’s an amazing piece of software. Fitday does so much in a user friendly way. It tracks calories, major nutrients, exercise, mood, body measurements, and other things. It has a huge database, allows for custom foods and created recipes, and runs numerous reports that show progress or lack thereof. It allows you to set a weight goal and tells you how much you need to consume to lose. It also figures out your metabolism. Now that I’m more on maintenance mode, I personally monitor fiber, protein, calories, vitamins/minerals and a comparison between calories burned and calories consumed. I can say that I would not have lost the 30 pounds I did and kept it off for over a year without Fitday PC. Thus, I’m pretty pleased with it.
However, what I’ve described could easily be referencing Fitday 1.0. What has changed from version to version? It appears the color scheme has changed slightly, the food database has been expanded and updated, and you can sync the software with your online premium account (which costs). So, is the software worth the current 29.99 price? For a first time buyer, I would say absolutely. Fitday PC is user friendly, powerful, and if used, effective. What about those who already have Fitday 1.0? I would say possibly. I don’t sync with the web and don’t care about color schemes. Is the food database worth 30 dollars? So far, it’s hard to tell. It’s much more accurate than Fitday 1.o at least. For example, Fitday 1.0 had an extra large bagel at 270 calories. Now, anyone whose been to Panera, Cosi, or another bagel shop could tell you that number is way off (too low). Fitday 2.0 has a large bagel at 337 calories, which is much more realistic. The new food database also has many more brand name items such as McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Snickers Marathon bars, etc.
My final word on Fitday PC 2.0 is this: if you don’t have 1.0, buy it. It’s great. If you have 1.0, ask yourself if $30.00 is worth the price for the sync feature (itself costs over $5.00 a month) and an updated database because everything else is pretty much the same.
David gives his thoughts on Fitday PC 2.0 (and some screen shots) here
I was using the online Fitday free account to track cals, not exercise. But I think I’m switching to the Daily Plate, which is much faster, and seems more web 2.0, in that I can access what other people manually enter.
Thanks for the review. I have been waiting for a further version of Fitday to come out, but I have no real need to sync with the web, so I’m not sure I’ll bother.
But it’s the monthly fee that’s putting me off.
A couple of questions.
Does 2.0 handle the custom foods database differently than 1.06. That is, can I organize the foods alphabetically or by frequency of use? Or, are the foods still listed in the order entered?
Also, can I delete foods from the database that I would never use so that food I do eat may be selected more quickly?
Thanks
I just purchased Version 1.06 last May 2008. I was at the very least expecting to see a few minor improvements along the way. I even asked about a feature and they said that it would be added in a future update. Seven months later and they jump to version 2.0. Nothing tells you what the new features are and not even the FAQ mentions anything about upgrades.
Having said all of that – I appreciate your post and unless they come up with a discount or more features – I will stick with version 1 – Thanks
Kristen,
I don’t see a way to arrange the custom foods alphabetically. Also, I don’t see a way to delete foods from the fitday database (although you can always delete custom foods). One feature I have used recently (that is also present in Fitday 1.06) is the history feature (a tab next to the customs, etc). It allows you to see the foods you have used recently. It saves me time since I use a lot of the same foods.
Barry,
Fitday emailed me and said they would be “rolling out” 2.0 soon. When that is, I don’t know. I too am disappointed that there aren’t more new features after 5+ years since the original was released. Personally, I am glad I got Fitday 2.0 because the food database is more extensive and more accurate, but I definitely wish they added more features. 2.0 seems more like a 1.5 than a 2.0.
I have been waiting for this! I have FitDay 1.06 but here is why I must upgrade:
I now have a Computer with Vista operating system. Version 1.06 is not Vista compatible. I tried everything to get around it to no avail. So even if everything else remained the same, at least now I can get to it again!!!
Thanks Barry, I’m going to try using Fitday again, so I’ll try the history feature.