How to Switch from Lose It! to MyFitnessPal (2026 Guide)

Reasons for Switching from Lose It! to MyFitnessPal

The main factor typically is the breadth of the database. Lose It! has 7M entries, which works well for users in North America, but may not be as effective for those outside the region. The common trend we found in our reader survey is as follows:

• A user initiates Lose It! due to its more streamlined user experience.
• They travel abroad or relocate, discovering that the barcode and chain coverage is insufficient.
• They find themselves searching for specific food items more frequently than expected, leading to a decline in result quality.
• They switch to MyFitnessPal to benefit from its 14M-entry database.

Additional reasons include:

• A desire to connect with MyFitnessPal’s larger community and feed.
• A preference for MyFitnessPal’s Meal Scan feature over Lose It!‘s Snap It (while both features are average, some users have a clear preference).
• Returning after a break and discovering that their old MyFitnessPal account is still active.

This switch is somewhat atypical, as it involves paying a higher price ($79.99 compared to $39.99 for Premium) for a slightly less accurate app that offers greater coverage. Ensure that this compromise addresses a genuine need before proceeding.

Important Considerations Before Migrating

Both Lose It! and MyFitnessPal are categorized as similar apps and share comparable database frameworks (mostly user-generated, with layers of verification). The distinctions are marginal:

• Database breadth: MyFitnessPal has the advantage.
• User experience (UX): Lose It! is superior.
• Cost for Premium: Lose It! is more affordable ($39.99 versus $79.99).
• Precision: Lose It! is marginally better (±12.4% compared to ±18% MAPE according to the DAI Six-App Validation Study).
• Coverage of restaurant chains: MyFitnessPal excels.
• Global coverage: MyFitnessPal is more robust.
• Community features: MyFitnessPal leads.
• Photo AI functionality: About equal.
• Value of free tier: About equal.

If the sole motivation for switching is to access certain restaurant chains that MyFitnessPal covers but Lose It! does not, you might want to keep using Lose It! while selectively utilizing a free MyFitnessPal account for those specific entries.

Step 1: Export Your Data from Lose It!

Exporting from Lose It! is only available via the web and requires a Premium account for complete history. The free version allows export of only the last 30 days.

1. Log in to loseit.com on your web browser.
2. Navigate to Settings → Export Data.
3. Select the date range as All Time.
4. Choose the format as CSV.
5. Submit, and the CSV will download in about a minute (no email needed).

If you are using the free version, consider upgrading to Premium for one month ($39.99 prorated, or just obtain a one-month subscription) to enable full export.

Step 2: Import to MyFitnessPal

MyFitnessPal does not offer a dedicated importer for Lose It! as of 2026. Instead, utilize the generic CSV process along with the community converter:

1. Run loseit-to-mfp from github.com/calorie-tools/loseit-to-mfp on your Lose It! CSV file.
2. Log in to myfitnesspal.com.
3. Go to Settings → Import.
4. Upload the converted CSV file.
5. Check the Pending folder for any unmatched items.
6. For each unmatched item, resolve by mapping it to the MyFitnessPal database, creating a custom food entry, or opting to skip it.

A MyFitnessPal Premium subscription is necessary for CSV imports. If you do not have it, upgrade for one billing cycle to facilitate the migration.

What You Will Lose

• The sleek user experience of Lose It!.
• Snap It photo logs: Only calorie entries transfer; the actual photo logs do not.
• Recipes: You will need to recreate them in MyFitnessPal.
• Custom food entries: You will need to modify serving sizes to fit MyFitnessPal’s format.
• Community features unique to Lose It!: The community within MyFitnessPal is distinct.
• Your streaks.
• Half of your annual Premium cost savings: $79.99 compared to $39.99.

Advantages of MyFitnessPal

• Database breadth: 14M entries.
• International coverage: Better barcode and restaurant chain coverage outside North America.
• Community feed: More active engagement.
• Integrations: Slightly broader options available.

Disadvantages of MyFitnessPal

• User experience: More cluttered, increased ads for free users, and more pressure to upgrade.
• Price of Premium: Double the cost.
• Accuracy: Slightly inferior.
• Free tier: More features are behind a paywall (like recipe URL import, verified-entry filter, micros, data export).

Setting Up in Your First Week on MyFitnessPal

1. Establish your goals.
2. Address the Pending folder for the top 30 most frequently imported items.
3. Set the verified-entry filter to default (available for Premium users).
4. Pin your frequently used foods.
5. Connect your integrations under the Apps section.
6. Evaluate if the broader database truly addresses your concerns. If it does not, reverting to Lose It! within the initial 30 days is a reasonable option.

Conclusion

The transition from Lose It! to MyFitnessPal is somewhat unique, as Lose It! tends to be the better-designed application at a significantly lower Premium price. The primary justification for switching is the extensive database and restaurant coverage. If that is your specific requirement, MyFitnessPal meets it. However, if your priority is accuracy, consider exploring Cronometer (±5.2%) or Nutrola (±1.2%), both of which are significantly more precise than these mid-tier choices.

Step 1: Export from Lose It!

1. Access Lose It! via the web at loseit.com, as the mobile app does not support full export.
2. Log in and navigate to Settings → Export Data.
3. Select the date range, choosing 'All Time' for complete history.
4. Choose the export format as: CSV.
5. Submit. The CSV file will download directly within a minute (no email needed).
6. Premium access is required for complete export; the free version only allows a limited 30-day export.

Step 2: Import to MyFitnessPal

1. As of 2026, MyFitnessPal does not provide a guided importer for Lose It!
2. Use the generic MyFitnessPal CSV importer found at myfitnesspal.com → Settings → Import.
3. The community converter 'loseit-to-mfp' at github.com/calorie-tools/loseit-to-mfp reformats Lose It! CSVs to align with MyFitnessPal's required column headers.
4. Upload the reformatted CSV to MyFitnessPal through the web.
5. Check the Pending folder for any unmatched items.
6. Assign each pending item to a MyFitnessPal database match, create a custom food entry, or skip it.
7. MyFitnessPal Premium is necessary for importing CSV files.

What you'll lose in migration

• Lose It! Snap It photo logs will not transfer; only resulting calorie/macro entries will.
• Custom food entries will require adjustments to MyFitnessPal's serving size formats.
• Recipes will need to be recreated using MyFitnessPal's recipe editor.
• Lose It!'s community features and any saved meal plans will not carry over.
• Streaks will reset in the new app.
• Certain entries from Lose It! may not have a direct equivalent in MyFitnessPal and will need manual mapping in Pending.