Inside the CalCoach app

Welcome and initial setup

The CalCoach app begins with an invitation from your gym or coach. If you’ve been sent an invite link, tapping it opens a short sign-up page: enter your name and email, choose a username and password, then verify your email. Download the app and log in with the details you’ve just entered.

If you’ve been sent a coach connection email instead, download the app first and choose sign up rather than log in. You go through the same steps, then accept your coach’s connection request at the end.

This initial setup is crucial, as it allows Cal, the AI nutrition assistant, to tailor its support to your goals, challenges and daily activity level. The app further refines your resting calorie needs using your work situation and your desired pace of progress.

You’re then prompted to connect your health apps or devices to automatically sync data like weight, steps, workouts and body fat. Optional daily reminders can be switched on for motivational nudges throughout the day.

Key features for logging and interaction

CalCoach offers several quick ways to log what you eat:

• Photo logging: Snap a photo of your meal, even while travelling, and Cal estimates the calories and macronutrients.
• Barcode scanning: A database of over 4 million products quickly identifies and saves packaged foods.
• Voice logging: Say what you ate, such as “one glass of fresh apple juice”, and Cal logs it immediately.

Beyond logging, Cal acts as your nutrition coach in the chat window, answering questions and suggesting meals tailored to your protein goals and food preferences. Cal can generate recipes with full ingredient lists and preparation steps, and log those meals instantly. You can also ask for complete meal plans that go straight into your food diary for seamless daily tracking.

Diary and progress tracking

The diary tab gives you a complete overview of your daily nutrition and activity:

• Calories and macros consumed so far today.
• Steps and other metrics synced directly from your connected health devices.
• Habits to track, whether you set them yourself or your coach sets them.
• Planned meals alongside everything logged so far, so you can see how closely you’re sticking to your goals.

This central view keeps your focus on overall progress and adherence.

Challenges and community

CalCoach builds motivation through challenges:

• Join challenges run by your coach, your gym or CalCoach itself.
• Current examples include a collaboration with The Good Prep, with prizes worth £225 in healthy meals.
• A leaderboard tracks points for hitting your tracking and protein goals, with sprint periods that award double points.
• Share the leaderboard, and use the group chat to keep each other accountable and motivated.
• Active challenges are clearly displayed, and joining one takes a single tap.

This social element boosts engagement and supports consistent tracking.

Account settings and health data

The account tab lets you tailor the app to you:

• Adjust your daily calorie and macro targets as your goals change.
• Update your nutritional preferences, including likes, dislikes and dietary restrictions.
• Browse a recipe library of over 400 meals, grouped by dietary need such as high protein, vegetarian or gluten-free.
• Connect external health apps and wearables if you skipped this during setup. Syncing pulls in your historical data, so all past activity and meals are reflected.

Exercise sessions, like a 45 minute HIIT workout, count towards your daily nutrition and energy expenditure totals, giving you more accurate feedback on your progress.