Why Onboarding Matters
Most calorie apps give everyone the same generic plan.
Hoot does the opposite.
Our onboarding process uses evidence-based formulas, your personal data, and your goals to build a custom nutrition plan that actually fits your life. The result: a calorie target, macro breakdown, and estimated timeline built uniquely for you.
What Hoot Asks You — and Why
During onboarding, Hoot collects the following information:
1. Your current weight & goal weight
Hoot uses these to determine the size of the change you want to make. This sets your overall direction—lose, maintain, or gain.
2. Your preferred pace of progress
You choose how fast you want to move:
0.5 lbs/week — slow & steady
1 lb/week — balanced
2 lbs/week — aggressive
Your pace determines the size of your daily calorie deficit (or surplus). Hoot never forces an aggressive pace, and won’t allow unsafe calorie levels.
3. Your age, gender, height & activity level
These inputs power the Mifflin–St. Jeor equation, the gold standard for estimating your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR).
Then we apply an activity multiplier (PAL) so your daily calorie target reflects real life—not a lab experiment.
This gives Hoot a highly accurate estimate of the energy your body burns each day.
4. Your eating style or diet preference
You can choose from:
Balanced / No preference
Mediterranean / Flexitarian
High-protein
Low-carb
Pescatarian
Plant-based
Custom restrictions
This ensures Hoot avoids recommendations that clash with your dietary needs and gives insights that match how you actually eat.
5. Foods you don’t eat
If you avoid certain foods or ingredients, Hoot notes that in your profile. This helps the AI tailor insights and avoid irrelevant suggestions.
6. Your past experience with calorie tracking
We ask whether you’ve used a calorie tracker before.
This helps determine how much guidance, education, and support you'll benefit from as you start using Hoot.
7. What you want to accomplish (beyond weight)
Users often have broader goals, such as:
Living a healthier lifestyle
Feeling more energized
Eating more mindfully
Improving health markers
Building better routines
Hoot uses these to shape your feedback, nudges, and “Hoot Says” insights.
8. Obstacles that typically get in your way
Common struggles include:
Losing consistency
Not knowing what to eat
A chaotic schedule
Cravings
Lack of support
This helps Hoot tailor support, reminders, streak messaging, and insights that match your real-life challenges.
How Hoot Uses This Data to Create Your Plan
1. Your personalized calorie target
Hoot calculates your daily calorie target using:
Your BMR (Mifflin–St. Jeor formula)
Your activity level
Your chosen pace (deficit or surplus)
We never let your calorie target drop below safe thresholds:
1,200 calories/day for women
1,500 calories/day for men
2. Your personalized macro targets
Once calories are set, Hoot calculates your macros:
Protein: 0.8g per pound of body weight
Fat: ~30% of total calories
Carbs: The remainder after protein and fat
Users can edit any macro target at any time.
3. Estimated date to reach your goal
Based on your calorie deficit, starting weight, and target weight, Hoot provides an estimated timeline—not a promise. Real-world progress varies based on consistency, stress, sleep, hydration, and lifestyle factors.
4. Personalized insights & guidance
Your answers help shape:
Your Nutrition Score
Your Hoot Says insights
Streak celebration messages
The type of feedback and nudges you receive
What swaps or improvements Hoot recommends
How your diet style influences suggestions
Hoot isn’t just tracking your food—it’s learning how to support you.
What Happens After Onboarding?
Once your plan is ready, you’ll be prompted to choose a subscription:
$9.99 monthly
$39.99 annual (best value)
Seasonal discounts or promo codes may be available.
After choosing a plan, you can create your account using:
Email
Apple Sign-In
Google Sign-In
Facebook Sign-In
Then you’re ready to start logging and building momentum.
The Bottom Line
Hoot’s onboarding takes just a couple of minutes, but the data you provide powers a deeply personalized plan that’s science-based, flexible, and built around your real life—not someone else’s.
It’s nutrition guidance that feels like it was made for you—because it was.