A calorie is defined as a unit of energy or, more precisely, the energy that we get from our food.
As has been proven by many researchers and dietitians, a calorie itself is not something unhealthy but an essential part of your survival.
It, however, does play a significant role in your weight loss or weight gain.
Therefore, most people try to limit their calorie intake by cutting down on certain foods or other means, as a calorie deficit helps in weight loss.
This is also where calorie counting, a popular method to keep track of the food we eat and the calories that we consume every day, comes in.
Back when it first gained popularity, there were no online tools to aid people in calorie counting.
The development of the website, CalorieCount.com, changed this greatly and contributed a lot to the community. However, the unexpected closure of the site came as a surprise to everyone.
Read this article to find out what exactly happened!
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CalorieCount – A one stop solution
Keeping logs and tracks regarding the information of food that is consumed makes up a large part of calorie counting.
Different people have varying preferences about how to go on with this step.
Some may choose to record it in journals or spreadsheets and even in online apps.
The Calorie Count website provided one such platform for people to stay in line with their health and fitness goals.
It accomplished this by allowing people to enter their foods and drinks, either manually or by scanning the barcode.
Then, it would keep a record of all the numbers and also provide a nutrition grade for each food along with its pros and cons.
In addition to that, you could check out daily blogs that contained useful tips and advice and also take part in community forums, through the website.
All in all, the site was a complete package for people who followed tailored diet plans or were just conscious about their calorie intake.
Why did the site close down?
It would be wrong to say that the news of the site shutting down came as a surprise.
Not because it was not surprising but mainly because there was no news.
As reported by several CalorieCount users, it happened close to march 2017, when out of nowhere, the original CalorieCount site started to redirect to other affiliate links and pages when accessed.
Up until this point, the company hadn’t made any official announcement related to this matter.
The majority of users complained about not receiving any prior notification regarding the sudden change and were left confused as to why the site kept on redirecting to verywell.com.
Then on March 15, 2017, CalorieCount published an official announcement on the forum that the site would be permanently shutting down.
The news was not well received in the community that had remained loyal to the company, due to its sudden nature.
Moreover, nothing of substance was revealed about the company’s decision to close down the site but most speculated that it was done in the interest of good business.
After effects of the closure
The whole thing about the site shutting down and redirecting was a huge disappointment to the community.
People who had spent their precious time entering details about their food into the website’s database became increasingly worried about the data getting lost into oblivion.
Some were also concerned about not coming across any other site as good as CalorieCount.
Thankfully, an export tool option was developed for the site that allowed people to transfer their data onto another site.
It was done to effectively minimize the loss of data as a result of this change. However, the export option also received mixed reviews from the users.
Some found it up-to-no good, while some regarded it as a better option than losing everything.
Verywell Fit – The new website
Verywell Fit is the name of the new website that replaced CalorieCount, owned by the same company.
The website is a brilliant resource for authentic and up-to-date information on all topics related to nutrition and exercise.
A review board that includes board-certified physicians and recognized health and wellness leaders, all the more, increases the website’s credibility.
Moreover, the website also features a recipe nutrition calculator, which is a great source to know the nutritional value of your food.
While the website did mimic some features of the previous site, CalorieCount, it failed to deliver an equally good experience.
In the opinion of several people, CalorieCount provided information in a much better format, and Verywell Fit was no match for it.
Popular alternatives for calorie counting
If calorie counting is still a big part of your fitness routine, then you might want to check out these two websites.
- ‘MyFitnessPal‘ has been around for a long time. It focuses on making the process of calorie counting easy and quick so that you may stay on track.
Features such as a personalized diet profile and a searchable database of food items help the site deliver on its promise.
- ‘Lose It!‘ was founded in 2008, to help members reach a healthy weight through a simple calorie counting process.
It provides countless tools, both paid and free, supporting the mindset that losing weight shouldn’t be expensive.
The company also claims that it has helped over 40 million members lose more than 100 million pounds.
