Frequently Asked Questions

When you first open the app, you'll go through a quick onboarding where you enter your basic info (height, weight, age, activity level) and GLP-1 history. The app calculates your personalized bite goal automatically. Then just start tapping bites at your next meal! Most people get comfortable with the system within 2–3 days.

The AI Coach provides a personalized daily nudge based on your recent tracking data — your bites, hydration, hunger trends, and mood. It offers encouragement, gentle suggestions, and context about what your data means. Think of it as a friendly accountability partner, not a medical advisor.

No. BiteBuddy is a general wellness and lifestyle tracking tool. It is not FDA-approved, not a medical device, and not a substitute for professional healthcare. Always consult your doctor before making significant changes to your diet or medication. The app is designed to complement — not replace — your healthcare provider's guidance.

There's no set timeframe. Many users find that after 2–4 weeks of consistent tracking, they develop an intuitive sense of portion sizes and can maintain their weight with less active counting. Others prefer to keep tracking indefinitely as a simple daily habit. Use it as long as it's helpful for you.

Research estimates that one average bite of food contains roughly 25–30 calories. This varies depending on the food — a bite of salad might be 5–10 calories, while a bite of pizza or chocolate could be 40–60 calories. Over a full day, these differences tend to average out. BiteBuddy uses 25 kcal per bite as the default estimate for calorie approximations.

BiteBuddy calculates a personalized bite goal based on your height, weight, age, gender, activity level, and weight maintenance goal. A typical range is 60–100 bites per day. During onboarding, the app sets your goal automatically. You can always adjust it in Settings if your needs change.

BiteBuddy divides your daily goal across 4 meals: Breakfast (20%), Lunch (30%), Dinner (35%), and Snacks (15%). For example, if your daily goal is 80 bites, that's about 16 for breakfast, 24 for lunch, 28 for dinner, and 12 for snacks. These are guidelines — you can distribute bites however works best for your routine.

A bite is one mouthful of solid food — roughly what fits on a fork or spoon. Sips of drinks (other than water) count too: one sip ≈ one bite. Chewing gum, mints, and zero-calorie drinks generally don't count. The goal is simplicity: if it has calories and goes in your mouth, it's a bite.

Yes. Smoothies, juices, sodas, alcohol, coffee with cream/sugar, and protein shakes all contain calories. Count each sip as one bite. Plain water, black coffee, and unsweetened tea do not count. This is important because liquid calories can add up quickly without feeling filling.

GLP-1 medications suppress appetite by slowing stomach emptying and signaling fullness to your brain. When you stop, those artificial signals disappear and your body's natural hunger cues return — often more intensely at first. This "rebound hunger" typically peaks in the first 1–2 weeks and gradually normalizes. BiteBuddy helps you manage intake during this transition.

Studies show that without a structured plan, many people regain a significant portion of weight within 12 months of stopping GLP-1 medications. However, this is not inevitable. Having a behavioral strategy — like bite counting — to replace the medication's appetite-suppressing effect significantly improves your chances of maintaining your weight loss.

BiteBuddy was designed specifically for post-GLP-1 weight maintenance, but bite counting works for anyone. If you want a simpler alternative to calorie counting for managing portion sizes, BiteBuddy can work for you regardless of your medication history.

Yes. Some users start bite counting while still tapering their medication to build the habit before fully stopping. This can make the transition smoother. BiteBuddy's onboarding asks about your GLP-1 status (on, tapering, or stopped) to tailor your experience.