About My Calorie Pal

My Calorie Pal is a free calorie tracker that adds up your week instead of judging you by the day. It's made in the UK by one person, and has been running since 2019.

Who makes it

I'm Jamie Preece, an independent developer in the UK. I'd tracked calories for years, but it got serious in the run-up to a bodybuilding competition. My calories sat only just under my maintenance most days, and I was always hungry.

I logged food in one app and calories burned on my fitness watch. Most weekdays came in on target or close to it, and Saturday was almost always over. Neither app could tell me what that did to my week, so I kept a running total on a whiteboard to see whether the week still added up, and whether anything had to carry into the next one as a bigger deficit.

My Calorie Pal is that whiteboard, done properly. The weekly total and the carry-over both come straight from it.

There's no company or investors behind it. I write and check every feature, chart and guide chapter myself.

Why by the week

Your weight responds to your balance over days and weeks, not any single day. Counting by the week means a birthday dinner or a big Saturday is part of the plan rather than the end of it. Everything in the app follows from that:

• No streaks to break. A missed day is just a missed day.
• No running debt. A surplus carries over for one week only, so it can't pile up.
• No banking good weeks. A deficit doesn't turn into permission to overdo the next one.

How it's paid for

It isn't, yet. The tracker, the tools and the guide are free, with no paid tier.

Your data

• No account, no upload. Without an account, your weeks and meals are kept in your browser on this device and never sent anywhere.
• With an account, your weeks, saved meals and settings are stored on our server so they sync between your devices. They aren't shared or sold.
• Visits are counted with Google Analytics, so I can see which pages and features get used. It records things like "a day was logged", never your calories, goals or weight.
• Charts and insights are worked out on your device, which is also why they work offline.

Where the facts come from

The calorie deficit guide and the tools are based on NHS guidance and published research, and each chapter lists its sources. They're general information, not medical advice. If you have a health condition, are pregnant or have a history of disordered eating, speak to your GP or a registered dietitian before changing how you eat.