Comparisons
Eat This Much alternatives: the best meal planners in 2026
Need an Eat This Much alternative? Our pick for planning meals to your calorie and protein targets, plus Prospre, Strongr Fastr and Samsung Food compared.
Blog
Nutrition science and meal planning, without the noise.
Nutrition science
How many calories should I eat to lose weight? A dietitian's guide
Work out your maintenance calories, then eat about 20% less, but not under 1,200 kcal (women) or 1,500 (men) unsupervised. Worked examples and safety limits.
Nutrition science
How much protein do you need? A dietitian's guide
Most healthy adults need 0.8–1.0 g of protein per kg of body weight a day. Losing weight, training hard or being over 65 pushes that to roughly 1.0–1.6 g/kg. How to work out your number, for weight loss, muscle, vegetarian diets and older age.
Comparisons
Mealime has closed: the best alternatives
Mealime shut down on 21 October 2026. Our pick for planning your week and shopping from one list, the other options, and how to keep your Mealime recipes.
Comparisons
BiteSync vs MyFitnessPal: planning your week vs logging your day
MyFitnessPal logs what you've eaten; BiteSync plans what you'll eat so you hit your targets. How they compare on features and price, and why planning wins if your goal is hitting your macros.
Comparisons
BiteSync vs Eat This Much: meal plans built to your macros
Both plan meals around calorie and macro targets. BiteSync builds the week from food you actually cook, with the planner and grocery list free and vitamins and minerals checked across the week. How they compare.
Comparisons
The best meal planner apps for hitting your macros in 2026
Our pick for planning meals to your calorie and macro targets, and how it compares with Eat This Much, Cronometer, MacroFactor, Samsung Food and MyFitnessPal. What each does, what it costs, and who it suits.
Comparisons
BiteSync vs Cronometer: planning your meals vs tracking every nutrient
Cronometer records the nutrients in what you've eaten; BiteSync plans the week so you hit your targets, and checks 12 key vitamins and minerals across it before you shop. How they compare, and which suits your goal.
Comparisons
BiteSync vs MacroFactor: planning ahead vs adaptive tracking
MacroFactor adjusts your targets from your food log; BiteSync sets your targets for you and plans the meals that hit them, with no daily logging needed. How they compare, prices, and which suits your goal.
Comparisons
BiteSync vs Samsung Food: planning to your macros vs a recipe organiser
Samsung Food is a recipe organiser and meal planner, with personal nutrition targets on its paid Food+ plan; BiteSync plans your week to calorie and protein targets, which are free. How they compare, and which suits your goal.
Nutrition science
Does meal planning actually help you eat better? What a study of 40,000 adults found
In a study of 40,554 French adults, people who planned meals a few days ahead ate a more varied, better-quality diet and were less likely to be obese. Here's what it found, what it can't tell us, and how to plan in a way that helps.
Nutrition science
Raw or cooked weight? How to weigh rice, pasta and chicken for accurate macros
Weigh food and log it in the same state. Rice triples in weight when cooked and chicken loses about 30%, so mixing raw and cooked figures can put your numbers out by a factor of three.
Nutrition science
Which meal planners show micronutrient gaps — and why most can't
Calories and macros are the easy part. The gaps that actually affect how you feel are in iron, iodine, vitamin D and B12 — and most apps have no way to see them. Here's what a planner needs to do it properly.
Nutrition science
Why protein keeps you fuller for longer
Protein has a higher thermic effect than carbs or fat, and spreading it across the day does more for satiety than loading it at dinner.
Sustainable shopping
How meal planning cuts food waste
Shopping from a list built from the meals you actually planned means buying what you'll use — and less ends up in the bin.