calorie_tracker/calorie_tracker_app

Calorie Tracker - Filipino Food Edition 🍽️

A web application for tracking calories, macros, and water intake with special focus on Filipino foods. Perfect for weight loss and muscle gain goals!

Features

✅ Macro Tracking: Track calories, protein, carbs, and fat ✅ Filipino Food Database: Pre-loaded with 25+ common Filipino foods ✅ Water Intake Tracking: Quick-add water logging ✅ Weight Tracking: Daily weight logs with trend analysis ✅ Meal Planning: Plan meals ahead (coming soon!) ✅ Smart Suggestions: Get food recommendations based on remaining macros ✅ API Integration: Search international foods via API Ninjas ✅ Beautiful UI: Red/blue color scheme inspired by Filipino flag ✅ Charts & Trends: Visualize your progress with Chart.js

Filipino Foods Included

• Kanin (Rice): White rice, Sinangag
• Ulam (Main Dishes): Adobo, Sinigang, Sisig, Bicol Express, Kare-kare, Menudo, Lechon Kawali
• Sabaw (Soups): Tinola, Nilaga, Bulalo
• Gulay (Vegetables): Pinakbet, Laing, Ginisang Monggo
• Almusal (Breakfast): Tapsilog, Longsilog, Tocilog
• Meryenda (Snacks): Pandesal, Turon, Bibingka, Puto, Lumpia

🐳 Docker Support

Want to self-host this on CasaOS or your own server? 👉 Read the Docker Guide

Tech Stack

• Backend: Flask (Python)
• Database: SQLite
• Frontend: HTML, Tailwind CSS, Vanilla JavaScript
• Charts: Chart.js
• API: API Ninjas Nutrition API

Installation

Prerequisites

• Python 3.10 or higher
• pip (Python package manager)

Step 1: Clone or Download

cd calorie_tracker_app

Step 2: Create Virtual Environment

python -m venv venv

# On Windows:
venv\Scripts\activate

# On Mac/Linux:
source venv/bin/activate

Step 3: Install Dependencies

pip install -r requirements.txt

Step 4: Get API Key (Optional but Recommended)

1. Go to API Ninjas
2. Sign up for a free account
3. Get your API key (50 requests/day free tier)
4. Create .env file:

cp .env.example .env

Edit .env and add your API key:

API_NINJAS_KEY=your_api_key_here
SECRET_KEY=your_secret_key_here

Step 5: Initialize Database

Run the app for the first time:

# Windows (Double click run_app.bat OR run):
venv\Scripts\python app.py

# Mac/Linux:
./venv/bin/python app.py

This will create the database. Then in another terminal, seed Filipino foods:

# Windows (Double click seed_db.bat OR run):
venv\Scripts\python seed_data.py

# Mac/Linux:
./venv/bin/python seed_data.py

Step 6: Run the Application

# Windows (Double click run_app.bat OR run):
venv\Scripts\python app.py

# Mac/Linux:
./venv/bin/python app.py

Open your browser and go to: http://localhost:5001

Usage

First Time Setup

1. Register: Create an account at /register
2. Login: Sign in with your credentials
3. Set Goals: Go to Goals page and enter:
   • Age, gender, height, weight
   • Activity level
   • Goal type (weight loss, muscle gain, or recomp)
   • Target weight

The app will automatically calculate your:

• BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate)
• TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure)
• Calorie target
• Macro targets

Daily Tracking

Add a Meal

1. Click "Add Meal" button
2. Select date, meal type, and time
3. Search for foods (Filipino or international)
4. Add foods and adjust servings
5. See real-time nutrition summary
6. Save meal

Log Water

• Quick buttons on dashboard: +250ml, +500ml
• Or use custom amount

Log Weight

• Enter weight on dashboard
• Track daily to see trends

Food Search

The app searches in this order:

1. Filipino foods (local database) - fastest
2. Cached foods (previously searched)
3. API Ninjas (if API key configured)
4. Manual entry (if food not found)

Search supports both English and Tagalog:

• "Adobo" or "Chicken Adobo"
• "Kanin" or "Rice"
• "Sinigang" works

Understanding the Dashboard

Top Cards

• Calories: Shows consumed vs target with progress bar
• Protein: Your protein intake vs target
• Carbs & Fat: Dual progress bars
• Water & Weight: Quick water logging + today's weight

Macro Distribution

• Pie chart showing protein/carbs/fat percentages
• Ideal for recomp: 30-35% protein, 40-45% carbs, 20-25% fat

Smart Suggestions

Based on remaining macros, suggests:

• High protein foods if protein is low
• Carb sources if carbs are low
• Balanced meals if everything is balanced

Today's Meals

• Shows all logged meals
• Color-coded by meal type
• Displays nutrition breakdown

Weekly Trends

• 7-day calorie trend vs target
• 7-day weight trend

Database Schema

Tables

• users - User accounts
• food_items - All foods (Filipino + API)
• meals - Meal entries
• meal_foods - Foods in each meal
• water_logs - Water intake
• weight_logs - Weight tracking
• meal_plans - Future meal planning
• user_goals - Macro targets
• daily_summary - Daily totals
• api_cache - API response caching

API Rate Limits

Free Tier (API Ninjas):

• 50 requests per day
• App caches all results
• Once cached, no API calls needed

Tips to conserve API calls:

• Use Filipino foods when possible (no API calls)
• Search once, use favorites
• API searches are cached for 30 days

Customization

Adding Custom Foods

1. Go to Foods page
2. Click "Add Custom Food"
3. Enter nutrition information
4. Save

Adjusting Targets

Go to Goals page to adjust:

• Daily calorie target
• Macro targets (protein/carbs/fat)
• Water intake goal
• Weight goal

Meal Templates (Coming Soon!)

Save common meal combinations:

• "My typical breakfast"
• "Post-workout meal"
• "Quick lunch"

Tips for Body Recomposition

Protein Priority

• 2.0-2.4g per kg body weight
• Example: 70kg person = 140-168g daily
• Spread across all meals

Carb Timing

• Higher carbs on training days
• Lower carbs on rest days

Calorie Cycling

• Training days: Maintenance (+100 cal)
• Rest days: Deficit (-300 to -500 cal)

Track Weight Daily

• Weigh same time each day (morning, after bathroom)
• Look at weekly average, not daily fluctuations
• Aim for 0.5-1% body weight loss per week

Troubleshooting

Database Locked Error

# Stop the app, then:
rm calorie_tracker.db
python app.py
python seed_data.py

API Not Working

• Check if API key is in .env file
• Verify API key is valid
• App works without API (Filipino foods + manual entry)

Foods Not Showing

python seed_data.py

Port Already in Use

# Change port in app.py:
app.run(debug=True, host='0.0.0.0', port=5001)

Future Enhancements

• Meal planner with calendar view
• Barcode scanning (Open Food Facts API)
• Recipe builder
• Meal templates
• Export to CSV/PDF
• Photo food logging
• Workout integration
• Body measurements tracking
• Progress photos
• Mobile app version

Project Structure

calorie_tracker_app/
├── app.py                 # Main Flask application
├── models.py              # Database models
├── config.py              # Configuration
├── api_client.py          # API integration
├── utils.py               # Helper functions
├── seed_data.py           # Filipino foods data
├── requirements.txt       # Python dependencies
├── .env.example           # Environment variables template
├── templates/             # HTML templates
│   ├── base.html
│   ├── dashboard.html
│   ├── add_meal.html
│   ├── login.html
│   ├── register.html
│   ├── foods.html
│   ├── meal_planner.html
│   ├── progress.html
│   └── goals.html
└── static/                # CSS, JS, images
    ├── css/
    ├── js/
    └── images/

Contributing

This is a personal project, but suggestions are welcome!

License

MIT License - Feel free to use and modify for your own needs.

Credits

• API Ninjas for nutrition data
• Tailwind CSS for styling
• Chart.js for visualizations
• Filipino food data compiled from various nutrition sources

Support

For issues or questions:

1. Check this README
2. Check the troubleshooting section
3. Review the code comments

---

Made with ❤️ for Filipino food lovers and fitness enthusiasts!

Quick Start Summary

# 1. Setup
python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # or venv\Scripts\activate on Windows
pip install -r requirements.txt

# 2. Configure (optional)
cp .env.example .env
# Add your API key to .env

# 3. Initialize
python app.py  # Creates database
python seed_data.py  # Adds Filipino foods

# 4. Run
python app.py

# 5. Open browser
# Go to http://localhost:5000

Enjoy tracking your nutrition! 🎉