This post is about my intermittent fasting tracker – the Zero App!
I sure wish I were paid $1 every time I was asked to share the app I use to track my fasts. I understand why; I am regularly sharing screen shots of the data it tracks. However, I need to get better about also briefly mentioning where the data is stored.
I track each of my daily fasts in an app called “Zero: Fasting & Health Tracker”. My phone is an iPhone so runs on iOS; below is a screenshot
I downloaded this app in July 2020, shortly after I began fasting. The app also offers a Plus option, but I am satisfied with the free capabilities and do not see a need to purchase the plus.
Within the app you get to set your own goals. The photo above shows the options, including the option to set your own custom goal. This is a wonderful feature because it counts down and alerts you when you meet your goal. I select the 18:6 option. With this selection, I am alerted 17 hours that I have 1 hour to go. At 18 hours, I get notified when I hit my goal.
The picture above shows what the countdown window looks like. It shows me how long I’ve been fasting, what percentage of my goal is done as well as the time I will meet my goal. All of these items help me as I plan my eating and fast schedules. You can see another example pictured in this post about my first fast of 2022!
My schedule varies day-to-day, which I discuss in this video. The fasting app helps me track my hours so I can meet my goal on a daily basis. Without a tool, it’d be much harder to track!
One Complaint on the App
The free version of the Zero App that I use shows “hours since my last fast” (which can be used to see how long my eating window is). However, there is no historical data stored on my eating window. Unlike the hours fasted, it doesn’t track cumulative nor average eating window hours. This isn’t a concern to me since I personally focus on maintaining longer fasts. However, other uses have mentioned they’re disappointed there is no tracking of eating hours on the free version of the app.
One of the fun parts of the app is the achievements you can collect. I don’t participate in any of their challenges (they offer some!), but I do love having the streaks and total fasts tracked. I am personally in between the 500 fasts streak and the 1,000 fasts. That’s quite a gap! I’ll update you when I get to the 1,000th fast… imagine, nearly 3 years in!
Past & Present Fasts!
As someone who loves data, I love to look back at what I was doing in the past. This is potentially my favorite part of the Zero App. Not only does it track my daily fasts in the present, it keeps record of all my previous fasts! I can at a glance see how prior months have been. Not only can you see if you met goals (green fasts are where you met the goal, gray indicates a goal unmet), but I can see overall hours fasted by month.
If you would like to see a live walkthrough of my favorite intermittent fasting tracker, the Zero Health and Fasting App, you can check out a video I made on it here!
