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8fit is one of the most popular workout and meal planning apps on the market, which has caught the attention of many of my nutrition clients. I decided to try it out for a month to give my clients my honest opinion of the app. The app definitely has a lot going for it, but its feature set will limit some users.
Key Takeaways
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- 8fit has one of the best meal planning features I’ve seen because of its attention to detail in making the meal plans work for different users’ lifestyles. This feature alone could be a great reason to use the app long-term.
- 8Fit also has excellent workouts for all skill levels and built-in features that help users progress in difficulty as they become fitter. 8fit is likely not a great option though for those who want to build their own workouts.
- Also, those who need advanced nutrition tracking features, such as calorie and macro tracking, will be disappointed, as 8fit falls short compared with nutrition-specific apps. If that’s what you’re interested in, check out my review of Macrofactor.
Overall Rating: 4.3/5
Overview
Features
Best For
Medical Disclaimer: The content of this article is provided for educational insights only. It should not be used as medical guidance. Individuals with a past of disordered eating should refrain from weight loss programs or calorie tracking. For medical advice, consult a certified healthcare professional. If you’re struggling with eating disorders, contact NEDA for assistance.
What Is 8Fit?
8Fit is a fitness and nutrition app that provides workouts, meal plans, and meditations to users to help them work towards their health and fitness goals.
8fit strives to help its users feel better inside and out. 8fit’s mission is to:
“Transform the concept of fitness from the pursuit of perfection, to a liberating journey of healthy, body-positive and lasting changes.”
How Does 8Fit Work?
8fit works by collecting data about the user’s goals, body composition, preferred exercise frequency, and meal preferences to suggest workouts and a meal plan that will help the user reach their goals.
The user is expected to log all activity, workouts, meals, meditations, and body weight changes into the app so that it can track how the user is progressing.
The 8fit dashboard is designed so that users can see how consistent they’ve been with their workouts, meals, steps, and meditations based on the goals they have set for each category.
The dashboard also has recommended programs, classes, and meditations that users can take part in to inspire them to engage in healthy behaviors.
What’s unique about 8fit is that it doesn’t ask you for a goal weight, instead, it asks you for a target body fat percentage and calculates a goal weight and a target calorie intake based on this information.
To keep users on track with their goals the meal plans will update their calorie content when the user’s bodyweight changes.
For this reason, it would be important to log your bodyweight changes into the app at least twice per week so the app can evaluate how you’re progressing (However, it appears this feature isn’t as accurate as I’d hoped, more on this later).
What I Liked About 8Fit
1. It Focuses On Habit Tracking To Promote Behavior Change
I like that 8fit uses habit tracking to help encourage users to stay consistent with new health-promoting behaviors. Research has shown that feelings of accomplishment play an important role in behavior change, so giving users a sense of accomplishment when they fill the progress bar tracking their goals is smart.
As a nutrition coach, I know how important it is for clients to make lifestyle changes that they can sustain over time rather than engaging in quick fixes that will lead to fast results.
So, I appreciate that 8fit is encouraging users to practice new behaviors related to movement, nutrition, and mindfulness to make positive changes in different avenues of health.
2. There Are Workouts For All Levels Of Fitness
Another thing I enjoyed about 8fit was that there were workouts and classes for all skill levels which is essential for beginners to feel capable and advanced exercisers to feel challenged.
What’s even better is that the app will naturally progress you from beginner levels to more advanced levels based on how difficult you find each workout.
If workouts are becoming easier, then the app will start recommending more challenging workouts to help the user progress.
I also like that there are tons of different classes and workouts available to provide exercise options for those who enjoy different styles of workouts, like barre classes, free weight, yoga, stretching, HIIT, and low-impact options.
3. The Meal Plans Are Customizable So That You Can Make It Your Own
The meal planning features that 8fit has are top-notch with built-in structure based on user preferences but still lots of opportunities to customize further to change meals based on what you’re craving or what is more convenient in the moment.
8fit is one of two apps (FatSecret being the other) that I’ve used that allows you to customize your meal plan. Other meal planning apps just send you pre-made generic meal plans, which aren’t very helpful in the long run.
I appreciate how much thought has gone into 8fit’s meal planning system from the questions that ask to tailor the meal plan to the user’s preferences, the ability to swap recipes, and the collection of amazing recipes they have in their database to choose from.
I would rate 8fit’s meal planning feature a solid 5/5.
8Fit App
8fit is worth it for those who want help being more consistent with workouts, and need a highly flexible meal plan.
What I Didn’t Like About 8Fit
1. It Doesn’t Summarize How Many Calories Or Macronutrients You’ve Consumed
What I find weird about the app is that it tracks your calories and macros but does not show you what these values are for the day.
You can see calories and macros for each recipe but the app doesn’t show you the total for everything you’ve eaten, you would have to go and calculate it yourself based on every recipe you used.
I know that 8fit does calculate your daily totals because my profile shows my daily calorie target is set to 2028 calories per day. When I click on this number, it says “this value will adjust as you change weight and we’ll adapt your meal plans to match”
While using the app, I went through and adjusted my meal plan to include recipes that I would prefer rather than some they recommended, but this would mean that my calorie intake would no longer align with the one they had set.
With the app not summarizing the day it would be unclear for the users whether they were hitting the recommended calorie target or not. It also brings less awareness to the user’s overall macronutrient intake (protein, carbs, and fat intake).
2. It Doesn’t Adjust Calories Correctly Based On Bodyweight Changes
One thing that I noticed while using the app is that the automatic calorie adjustments based on changes in bodyweight don’t appear to be working correctly.
When I input that my bodyweight increased while using the app, my target calories also increased. This doesn’t make sense because my goal is to lower my body fat percentage, and if I’m gaining weight then my calories should decrease to help me reach that goal rather than increase further.
For example, I had my current bodyweight set to 70kg, and my target calories based on this bodyweight and my goal to lower my body fat percentage were set to 2000 calories per day. When I logged my bodyweight as having increased to 74kg, the app adjusted my calorie intake to 2084 calories.
An appropriate response would have been to decrease my calories by 250-500 calories to get me to a point where I’m losing weight rather than gaining, but instead, the app increased my intake by 84 calories, which makes zero sense.
I’m disappointed because an app that adjusts your calorie target based on how your bodyweight is responding is valuable for those who don’t have a coach, but clearly, this one isn’t reliable.
So unless you know how to adjust your calories manually based on bodyweight changes, unfortunately, I don’t think the app is going to work for you.
3. It Doesn’t Adjust Workout Recommendations Based On What You’ve Done Previously
One feature that I wish could be improved is the app’s ability to adjust the recommended workouts based on what muscle groups have already been worked that week to facilitate better training plans and recovery.
As it is right now, users could train the same muscle group over and over and neglect other muscle groups simply because they aren’t aware of what exercises work which muscles.
The average beginner won’t have the knowledge to discern which exercises target which muscles and how to lay out their workouts throughout the week to target each muscle group equally.
After each workout and class, the users get an opportunity to rate how difficult the workout was and how much they enjoyed it, but it would be cool if at this time the app also suggested which workout the user should do next to guide the user to target different muscle groups and rest the ones they just worked.
4. The App Is Pricey Compared To Apps With Similar Capabilities
One downside to using 8fit is that it is more expensive than other health and fitness apps on the market. The most comparable apps to 8fit are BetterMe (workouts and nutrition tracking) and Asana Rebel (workouts and recipes), which are both more cost-effective than 8fit.
You can get a 3-month BetterMe subscription for $38.50 ($12.83/month), or a 1-month subscription for Asana Rebel for $9.99, but a 1-month subscription for 8fit is $24.99.
Although the meal planning features that 8fit offers are very impressive, I’m not sure that they’re worth the extra costs considering other meal planning apps, like Lifesum (click to read my review), only cost $9.99 per month.
In 8Fit’s defense, they do have some unique workout features, including guided workouts with an instructor, which I’ll explain next.
Key Features
The key features of 8Fit are:
Workouts & Classes To Get In Shape
The app has both “Workouts” and “Classes”, both ranging from 5-40-min long.
- Workouts are a list of exercises and the number of repetitions that you need to perform. Workouts are best if you want to go at your own pace and don’t require as much instruction or encouragement.
- Classes are guided workouts with an instructor who is performing the movements along with you and giving directions. Classes are better if you want someone there to demonstrate the movement and give technique cues and encouragement along the way.
The styles of classes and workouts available are:
- HIIT
- Barre
- Free Weight Workout
- Band Workouts
- Yoga Flows
- Stretching
Some workouts specify that they are low-impact for those who cannot tolerate or don’t enjoy higher-impact movements.
The workouts and classes are also categorized based on the level of difficulty so that you can choose a level that’s appropriate for you.
The levels of difficulty are:
- Beginner
- Intermediate
- Advanced
- All Levels
One thing that’s cool about 8fit is that it allows you to rate the classes and workouts after they’re over to see how difficult you found it and to evaluate whether you enjoyed it or not.
Based on this information, 8fit will change the workouts that are recommended for you (varying in difficulty and style of workout), which I appreciate because one of the main issues I have with workout apps is that there isn’t typically built-in progression that encourages the user to challenge themselves enough to achieve the results they’re looking for.
Meal Plans & Recipes For Inspiration
Another key feature of the 8fit app is the meal plan and recipe section where you can view your daily or weekly plan and make adjustments to your meals based on your preferences.
What I liked about the meal planning feature is that the app tailors the meal plan to your preferences by asking the following questions:
- What’s your diet type? (standard, pescetarian, vegetarian, vegan, paleo, custom)
- Which foods do you dislike? (select all that apply)
- What kind of recipes do you want? (quick, simple, affordable, family-friendly, meal, prep, gourmet)(select all that apply)
- How many meals do you have per day? (2, 3, 3+snack, 3+2 snacks)
- How much variety do you want? (same all week, low variety, medium variety, high variety, always different)
As a nutrition coach, I would ask the same questions to my client who wanted to follow a meal plan because these questions are so important to ensure you’re delivering a meal plan that is actually going to work for the client.
I was really impressed by 8fit’s attention to detail with the meal plan development, and even more impressed with the recipe selection that is available.
Once you receive your meal plan, you can sort through your recipes for the week and swap any recipes that don’t suit you for any other recipe in the 8fit database.
However, when you swap a recipe it’s probably best to choose a similar recipe (calories and macros) to replace it if you want to stay close to the calorie target that 8fit has recommended for you.
Guided Meditations For Mindfulness
8fit also has meditations for users to choose from running from 3 minutes to 13 minutes long. These are guided meditations where an instructor talks you through the process.
The meditations available in the app have different themes based on why you may want to meditate.
These themes include:
- Stress relief (x1)
- Anxiety relief (x1)
- Focus (x1)
- Breathing (x1)
- Sleep (x7)
However, even with the premium version, there are only 11 meditations to choose from so I can see users getting bored with these options over time.
Note: I recently tried Asana Rebel which also has a guided meditation feature and I have to say that Asana’s meditations were better and had more options to choose from.
Habit Tracking and Programs To Encourage Adherence
Last but not least, 8fit encourages users to be more consistent with their activity, nutrition, and meditation practice by including habit-tracking features and programs.
With the habit tracking feature on the homepage, users have the ability to edit the frequency of each habit to make it more specific to them.
For example, if you only want to meditate 2 times a week rather than 7 days a week, you can adjust it in the habit tracker.
The habits that you can track are:
- Workouts/Classes
- Steps per day
- Number of meals logged
- Meditation sessions
I really like this feature because having a visual reminder in the form of a progress bar of how well you’ve reached your weekly goals is a powerful motivator to complete each task.
If that’s not enough, then you can set reminders that will pop up on your phone to tell you to complete each task.
There are also programs that users can choose to participate in to encourage them to be more consistent with new habits.
There are many different programs to choose from but they’re all around 4 weeks long and contain a collection of workouts, classes, and recipes curated based on the overall goal of the program.
Some examples of the programs are:
- Healthier together (4-weeks of strength, flexibility, and plant-based recipes)
- Fall into self-care (4-weeks of self-care)
- Sunshine program (4-week to get summer ready)
- Stay accountable (4-weeks of staying accountable with workouts and recipes)
What Other Customers Think
After trying the app for myself, I was curious how others felt about the app, particularly concerning the meal plan and workouts, so I read through the reviews in Google Play to gather some information.
According to Google Play, the app has an impressive 4.3/5 stars from 146,000 reviews and over 10 million downloads.
When reading the reviews, it seemed as though users were very impressed with the workouts, meal-planning features, and recipes that 8fit has to offer.
Surprisingly, I never read any negative reviews about the meal planning features or workouts. This shocked me because it’s hard to cater to everyone’s preferences and typically people love to complain.
The only negative reviews that I read were related to issues users were having when trying to cancel the subscription. Apparently, users were continuing to be charged for the subscription even after having canceled.
Typically you can cancel a subscription in the app store quite easily, but it appears that many people have had issues with this so it’s something to be aware of.
How Much Does 8Fit Cost?
8fit requires a payment plan to take advantage of all the features that it has to offer.
The free version of the app only has workouts, whereas the “pro version” has all other features like meal plans, classes, recipes, and more.
There are 3 payment plans available for the premium version of the app:
- Monthly Payments: $24.99 USD
- Quarterly Payment Plan: $39.99 ($13.33/month) USD
- Annual Payments: $79.99 ($6.67/month) USD
Who Should Use 8Fit?
- Those who enjoy using a meal plan to reach their nutrition goals
- Those who value a large recipe database
- Those who want to workout at home
- Those who enjoy multiple styles of workouts
Who Should NOT Use 8Fit
- Those who want to track their calories and macros
- Those who don’t enjoy following meal plans
Sign Up For 8Fit
The sign-up process for 8fit was very easy, and simply requires you to create an account and answer questions about your height, weight, current body fat percentage (based on images provided) your goal body fat percentage (based on images provided), and your main focus with your workouts (get fitter, gain muscle, lose weight).
Lastly, you will have to decide whether you want to keep the free version of the app with limited features or upgrade to the pro version for full capabilities (I recommend upgrading).
8Fit Alternatives
I’ve tested 18+ nutrition apps (click to check out the full list). Based on my experience, here are some top 2 alternatives:
BetterMe
The best alternative for 8Fit is the BetterMe app which has plenty of workouts to choose from but also allows you to track your intake to get more detailed information about your calorie, macro (protein, carb, fat), and micro (vitamin & mineral) intakes.
The BetterMe app is a great option for those who would rather log their own foods rather than follow a meal plan. The app is designed to be a “built-in personal trainer, nutrition coach, and health coach”.
To learn more about BetterMe to see if it’s a good fit for you, check out my full review here.
Asana Rebel
Another alternative for 8Fit is Asana rebel, which is great for those who want to emphasize different health avenues like meditation, sleep, focus, yoga-based workouts, and recipes.
However, Asana Rebel’s nutrition features are limited so it’s not the best option for those who want more than just recipes.
You can see my full review of Asana Rebel and its features here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 8Fit Good For Weight Loss?
8fit is good for weight loss because it promotes increased activity which will help users to burn more calories. Its meal plans and recipes can also help users make better nutritional decisions that lead to weight loss; however, I don’t recommend relying on its calorie targets as they don’t appear to be accurate.
Is 8Fit Free?
There is a free version of 8fit that gives users access to workouts (but not classes) but to take advantage of the meal plans, recipes, and other features users would need to upgrade to the pro version of the app.
Is 8Fit Compatible With Apple Watch?
8fit isn’t compatible with the Apple watch. It’s only compatible with Google Fit and Apple Health for step counting.
How Do I Cancel My 8Fit Subscription?
You should be able to cancel your 8fit subscription in the app store by managing your subscriptions; however, many reviewers had issues trying to cancel their subscriptions. If you run into issues, you can contact 8fit’s support team for assistance.
How To Contact 8Fit?
You can contact 8fit in the app by clicking on your profile > settings > support, or you can contact them on their website.
8Fit App
8fit is worth it for those who want help being more consistent with workouts, and need a highly flexible meal plan.
About The Author
Amanda Parker is an author, nutrition coach, and Certified Naturopath. She works with bodybuilders, Olympic weightlifters, and powerlifters to increase performance through nutrition and lifestyle coaching.
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