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Midline vs Calorie Counting Apps: Which Fits You?
By Midline. Last reviewed .
The question
How is Midline different from a calorie counting app?
Short answer
A calorie counting app is built to log what you eat and total your calories. Midline is built around one daily schedule of habits, with your supplements on time and a tick for each. You don't have to count calories to start with Midline. Changing what you eat can lower how much you eat. Experts disagree on counting, so counting can help if you choose it.
Midline cannot measure visceral fat and is not medical advice. Check with a doctor before making medical decisions.
We can't promise a result. Healthy weight loss is slow and varies from person to person. Your waist is a rough guide, not a scan.
What is each one built for?
This compares two kinds of app. It does not name or rate any single app.
| Calorie counting apps | Midline | |
|---|---|---|
| Built around | Logging what you eat and a calorie total. | One daily schedule of habits, with supplements on time and a tick for each. |
| Counting | Counting is the method. | You don't have to count calories to start. |
| Expert views | Experts disagree on counting. Layne Norton says calories still decide weight, and weighing your food for a while shows how big portions really are. Robert Lustig says people who count usually lose a little, then plateau. | Midline has not been tested in a trial. The habits on it have sources. |
| Visceral fat | No app can measure it directly. Only a scan, like an MRI or DEXA, does. | No app can measure it directly. Only a scan, like an MRI or DEXA, does. Midline can't measure it. |
| Supplements | Varies by app. We don't compare named apps. | Expert timing for vitamin D and K2, omega-3, creatine, a multivitamin and caffeine. For the rest, follow the label for the dose. |
| Price | Varies by app. We don't compare named apps. | 14 days free with no card, then $59.99 a year or $9.99 a month. |
When might a calorie counter suit you better?
If you want to log what you eat and see a calorie total, a calorie counting app is built for that. Midline doesn't count calories.
You do not have to count calories to start. Changing what you eat can lower how much you eat. Experts disagree on counting.
If you take insulin or another diabetes medicine, are pregnant, or have had an eating disorder, don't set food rules without your doctor.
When might Midline suit you better?
If you would rather work through one schedule than log every meal, Midline is built for that. These are the habits it puts on the schedule, and what the sources say about each:
- Walking is the easiest way to move more. For weight, what you eat matters more than exercise.
- Swapping sugary soda for diet soda or water helps with weight. Experts split on diet drinks, so treat them as a bridge.
- Short sleep turns up your appetite, and the waistline tends to grow. Dieting on too little sleep means more of the weight you lose comes from muscle.
- Soluble fiber helps your gut make the signals that tell you you're full. Soft, heavily processed food goes down so easily that you can overeat before those signals catch up.
We can't promise a result. Healthy weight loss is slow and varies from person to person. Your waist is a rough guide, not a scan.
Can you use both?
Yes. Midline doesn't need counting, and it doesn't stop you from counting.
See the habits in detail on the visceral fat guide, or take the quick middle check to find a first habit.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to count calories to use Midline?
You do not have to count calories to start. Changing what you eat can lower how much you eat. Experts disagree on counting.
Does counting calories work?
Experts disagree. Layne Norton says calories still decide weight, and weighing your food for a while shows how big portions really are. Robert Lustig says people who count calories usually lose a little, then plateau, and the weight comes back.
Will Midline help me lose weight?
We can't promise any weight result. Midline is a daily habit plan, and we haven't tested the app itself. Its habits come from health experts on YouTube: morning daylight and a walk after your biggest meal (Thomas DeLauer), at least 7 hours of sleep (Matthew Walker) and cutting sugary drinks (Robert Lustig). The Sources page links each video. Alan Aragon says to aim for slow, steady change. Midline isn't medical advice, so check with your doctor before changing anything, especially if you take medication.
Can Midline measure my visceral fat?
No. Only a scan, like an MRI or DEXA, measures visceral fat. Midline can't measure it.
Keep reading
- Visceral fat guideWhat it is, and the habits experts recommend.
- The quick middle checkYour waist result and a first habit.
- Walking after mealsWhat a short walk really does.
- Eat vegetables firstDoes food order change blood sugar spikes?
- Midline vs supplement tracker appsThe other comparison.
- Midline vs Shape vs a generic habit appA named app, with dated facts.
More answers
Sources
- Alan Aragon on The Diary Of A CEO. Alan Aragon, The Diary Of A CEOLose about half a percent to one percent of your body weight a week at most, roughly a pound a week, so you do not lose too much muscle.
- Andrew Huberman on The Diary Of A CEO. Andrew Huberman, The Diary Of A CEOIn the first 30 minutes after waking, get outside in the sunlight, move and drink water.
- Benjamin Bikman on The Diary Of A CEO. Benjamin Bikman, The Diary Of A CEOStart with carbs and protein, not calories: cut carbs from packets and eat protein and fat, which help you feel full.
- David Unwin on The Diary Of A CEO. David Unwin, The Diary Of A CEOTaking in more sugar than he needed gave him a belly and a liver filling with fat.
- Jason Fung on The Diary Of A CEO. Jason Fung, The Diary Of A CEOAgrees most weight loss comes from diet. Exercise is good for you, but it is hard to exercise enough to lose weight.
- Jessie Inchauspé on The Diary Of A CEO. Jessie Inchauspé, The Diary Of A CEOMove after you eat, even calf raises in your chair. Five minutes is good, but one minute still helps.
- Layne Norton on The Diary Of A CEO. Layne Norton, The Diary Of A CEODisagrees: calories still decide weight, and weighing your food for a while shows how big portions really are.
- Matthew Walker on The Diary Of A CEO. Matthew Walker, The Diary Of A CEOWhen sleep runs short, appetite chemicals rise and the waistline tends to expand. Dieting underslept, more of the weight lost comes from muscle.
- Matthew Walker on The Diary Of A CEO. Matthew Walker, The Diary Of A CEOSeven to nine hours is the range, with seven as the minimum. Go to bed and wake at the same time every day, weekends too.
- Michael Breus on Thomas DeLauer (YouTube). Michael Breus, Thomas DeLauer (YouTube)When you wake, sunlight reaching your eyes tells your brain to switch off melatonin.
- Peter Attia on The Diary Of A CEO. Peter Attia, The Diary Of A CEOHis clinic measures visceral fat with a DEXA scan.
- Pradeep Jamnadas on The Diary Of A CEO. Pradeep Jamnadas, The Diary Of A CEOYou have to sleep seven hours a night.
- Rhonda Patrick on The Diary Of A CEO. Rhonda Patrick, The Diary Of A CEOWaist size is a rough proxy for visceral fat. To measure it directly you would get a DEXA scan.
- Robert Lustig on The Diary Of A CEO. Robert Lustig, The Diary Of A CEOPeople who count calories usually lose a little, then plateau, and the weight comes back.
- Robert Lustig on The Diary Of A CEO. Robert Lustig, The Diary Of A CEOSugar substitutes are not harmless. He described a new paper linking sweetener intake to dementia.
- Sarah Berry on The Diary Of A CEO. Sarah Berry, The Diary Of A CEOSoft, heavily processed food can be eaten about 50% faster than harder, unprocessed food, so you overeat before your fullness signals catch up.
- Sean O'Mara on YouTube. Sean O'Mara, YouTubeShows two MRI scans with the same waist size and very different visceral fat. Tracking waist alone misses that.
- Thomas DeLauer on YouTube. Thomas DeLauer, YouTubeDescribed a study where people ate about 500 more calories a day on ultra-processed food without noticing.Study they described: Ultra-Processed Diets Cause Excess Calorie Intake and Weight Gain: An Inpatient Randomized Controlled Trial of Ad Libitum Food Intake (Hall et al.) (Cell Metabolism, 2019).
- Thomas DeLauer on YouTube. Thomas DeLauer, YouTubeWalking is the most accessible kind of exercise: no gym and no program needed. He says walking did the most for his own 100-pound loss.
- Thomas DeLauer on YouTube. Thomas DeLauer, YouTubeAbout 10 minutes of outdoor light within the first 30 to 60 minutes after waking; he says to start here.
- Thomas DeLauer on YouTube. Thomas DeLauer, YouTubeBright sunlight for 10 to 15 minutes shortly after waking.
- Thomas DeLauer on YouTube. Thomas DeLauer, YouTubeMorning light sets your body clock earlier, so you get sleepy on time that night. Skip it and you fall asleep later.
- Thomas DeLauer on YouTube. Thomas DeLauer, YouTubeDescribed a 2023 meta-analysis of eight trials: walking after a meal lowered blood sugar more than walking before it or doing nothing.Study they described: After Dinner Rest a While, After Supper Walk a Mile? A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis on the Acute Postprandial Glycemic Response to Exercise Before and After Meal Ingestion (Engeroff et al.) (Sports Medicine, 2023).
- Thomas DeLauer on YouTube. Thomas DeLauer, YouTubeA wall sit after eating works on the same muscle pathway as walking.
- Tim Spector on The Diary Of A CEO. Tim Spector, The Diary Of A CEOArtificial sweeteners are among the additives he says harm gut microbes.
All sources across the site are listed on the sources page.
Last reviewed . Educational only, not medical advice. Check with your pharmacist if you take medication.
We draft articles with AI help. A reviewer checks every health statement against the expert's own words in the video before it goes up.