Calkpedia

Some parts of Calk may feel unfamiliar at first: you assemble a dish, amount buttons set proportions, and your target adapts as evidence accumulates. Here you can see why those choices were made and find practical help for using them.

Why Calk works this way

How Calk counts food5

Why you assemble a dish instead of photographing itCalk calculates from the ingredients and proportions you select instead of guessing them from an image.
Why there is no giant food database and no barcode scannerCalk uses a verified ingredient set and reusable dish templates instead of relying on crowd-sourced product entries.
Why you do not need to weigh every gramTemplates use practical portion choices, with more detail for ingredients that can change a total substantially.
Why only the edible part countsStones, bones and thick peel are not food, so they are in neither the numbers nor the portion buttons.
Why an amount button sometimes leaves the total unchangedAmount buttons set a proportion inside the dish, not a weight in grams.

Time and rhythm4

Why it helps to log before eatingLogging first lets you see how the meal fits the day while you can still adjust it.
Why conclusions come by the week, not by the dayA single day can be unusual. Repeated days reveal a more stable pattern.
Why the day ends at midnight and past days cannot be editedFixed calendar days keep weekly comparisons consistent; leaving a gap is safer than reconstructing one from memory.
A missed day and two silent weeks are different thingsOccasional gaps are expected. After a long break, Calk relies on fresh data before extending the old trend.

Screens and what they show5

Why templates are not in alphabetical orderCommon templates come first because alphabetical order changes with each locale and says nothing about usefulness.
Why the home screen does not show everythingThe home screen keeps today's actions and key signals close; detailed breakdowns open on their own screens.
Why water has three numbersDrinks shows poured beverages; Water combines those beverages with water contained in food. The reference applies to the total.
Why variety is counted in cells, not in productsClosely related foods share a cell, so the counter rewards a broader mix rather than more entries of the same kind.
Why the report needs a month of dataThe report talks about a trend, and three days do not contain one. Readiness is counted in data, not in calendar days.

Your data1

Why the food diary works offlineThe food catalog and meal calculations stay on the device, so logging does not depend on a connection.

Your target and how it is found5

Why the target is a range, not a single numberA range reflects day-to-day variation and uncertainty better than one exact-looking number.
Why the target changes on its ownCalk updates its estimate of your daily expenditure from logged food and the weight trend, and the target follows.
What a yellow number meansYellow means the displayed value is above its target; Calk does not label that as good or bad.
Why some answers take a few weeksCalk starts with a formula-based estimate, then waits for enough history before calling it personal.
Why you are asked to weigh more often than seems necessaryOne reading is a point in the noise. The calculation needs a trend.

How Calk talks to you3

Why advice is limited and rarely repeatedCalk waits for a repeated pattern and offers one relevant action instead of commenting on every day.
Why positive feedback stays factualCalk points out specific positive patterns without grading your behavior.
Why the app sends almost no notificationsCalk reserves notifications for a ready report or an enabled weight-trend alert, not daily engagement prompts.

What Calk does not do5

Why there is no ready-made meal planCalk measures what you eat. It does not prescribe what you should eat.
Why there is no friend feed and no competitionCalk has no feed, leaderboards or challenges; it compares your current record with your own history.
Why there are so few settingsCalk lets you change how the app looks and feels. Its calculation rules stay consistent.
Why Calk does not use AI to calculate your foodMeal calculations need to be fast, inspectable and repeatable, so Calk uses the composition you select.
Why Calk gives no medical adviceCalk counts food. Diagnosis, treatment and personal prescriptions are not its job.

How to use Calk

Getting started3

How to find and save a meal templateUse search to find a template, set it up for your meal, save it with the heart and keep it on a tab.
What to do when your exact product is missingChoose the closest match by composition and use it consistently. Leaving the item out loses the whole contribution.
How to log something that has no template of its ownChoose a template with the right structure, assemble the parts you ate, and save it for next time.

Adjusting a dish5

How template defaults and favorites workA template opens with its defaults. Use the heart to save your own version.
How to remove selected optionsA long press leaves one button selected; a short tap clears just that one.
When to average items and when to log them separatelyCombine similar items as a weighted mixture. Split items whose composition differs substantially.
How to take a template off a tabRemove a template from its tab in arrange mode; it remains available in the catalog and search.
Where the units come fromCalk chooses metric or imperial from the device region, and you can change it in Settings.

Days and history3

How to review a recent dayOpen Day analysis from the home screen, then use the seven-day strip to choose a date.
How to change your goal and what happens when you doA new goal changes future target ranges without rewriting your history or resetting expenditure.
What to do after a break — and what not to doJust start again. There is no catching up on missed days, and no need for it.

Reading the numbers4

Where to look at the analysisUse Day for nutrient sources, Week for food variety, History for trends and the report for a 30-day synthesis.
What the weekly variety screen showsThe weekly variety screen focuses on food variety: covered cells, gaps, recent changes and the Variety Map.
How to read an indicatorAn indicator names a pattern in your data, then may suggest one action.
How Calk shows that it needs more dataThe app says so itself: a dash, a wide interval, or a plain sentence in the status line.

Your data2

What Calk reads from Health Connect and Apple HealthThe first import can use weight, activity, height and body composition; later syncs add weight readings only.
What is included when you share a dishThe image contains the assembled dish and its nutrition, without your name, weight, goals or diary history.

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