TOPS Help Center > TOPS Food Exchange Tracker Help

TOPS Food Exchange Tracker Help

How do I download the app?

You can download the app for Apple devices from the App Store or use Google Play for Android devices.

How do I report a problem with the app?

You can go to Contact Us and fill out the form and send us an email. Please include details like the type of phone you are using and the steps you took prior to encountering the problem.

Why does the app keep opening to the profile?

You must completely fill out all of the fields in the Profile tab for the app to work properly. Scroll down and verify that you have filled in all of the fields and tap on Save Data.

Can I reset my data or start over?

Yes, you can reset by clearing your history on the Profile tab.

  1. Tap on Profile in the tab menu.
  2. Tap the Clear History button.
  3. A message pops up asking you if you are sure you want to clear your data history. Tap on Clear History to confirm that you want to clear out all of your saved exchanges, activities and weight history.  Once cleared, this data cannot be retrieved.

How do I change my water goal?

  1. Tap on Profile in the tab menu.
  2. Enter a new number in the My Water Goal field.
  3. Tap on Save Data.
  4. Your updated daily goal should now appear in the Tracker.

How do I use the Tracker?

The tracker page allows you to record, edit and see at a glance how many exchanges and glasses of water you have had compared to your daily target range over the past seven days.

How do I enter my daily exchanges?

  1. Tap on the Date/Calendar to choose the date you would like to enter or update.
  2. Tap on the plus or minus signs next to any icon to adjust your daily total.
  3. Tap on Save Data.

How can I be over my exchanges and on target at the same time?

  • When you go over on any exchange, even by a little, that entry will be highlighted yellow to indicate caution.
  • When you are within 1/2 exchange of your daily target — either under or over — the target icon will appear to let you know that you are within range.
  • If you are over by 1/2 or less, you will see both the yellow highlighting and the target icon.
  • It's OK to not eat exactly the same number of exchanges every day. Some days you may have a little more protein and other days you may have more carbohydrates. Balance over time is the goal.

Understanding the Dashboard

The Dashboard tab displays:

  • How many glasses of water you drank today
  • Number of minutes of activity recorded
  • The average number of exchanges in each category you had daily over the last seven days
  • PLEASE NOTE: Your 7-day average exchanges will not display accurately until you have tracked 7 days in a row. You can go back at any time and enter exchanges for the previous 7 days.

Why does the dashboard show average exchanges for the last week?

Seeing your average number of exchanges for the last seven days is a way to take a longer look at your progress over time. For example, if you ate a bit more one day, you can watch your average go down over the week as you make healthier choices on other days. Or, if you need to eat more vegetables, you can see your average veggie consumption going up as you learn to incorporate more of them into your meal plan. Without excessive measuring, it is nearly impossible to eat exactly a certain number of exchanges (or calories) each day. Instead, strive to stay within a certain range.

Remember: neither a single meal nor a single day will do permanent damage to your long term weight loss efforts. Keep at it, and you will see progress over time.


What if I want to track calories or macros?

One of the great things about the Food Exchange System is that when you are tracking exchanges, you are also tracking calories and macros. (Macros are carbohydrates, fat and protein.)

  • The Food Exchange System sorts all types of food into categories (Nonstarchy Vegetable, Fruit, Milk, Protein, Starch/Other Carbohydrates, Fat, and Free) based on the proportion of macros they contain.
  • The Food Exchange System also sets a portion size for each food so that food items in each category contain approximately the same number of calories. For example, all nonstarchy vegetable exchanges are 25 calories each while starch exchanges are 80 calories each.
  • Many people new to the Food Exchange System confuse exchanges with portion sizes. For example, if you stop by the drive-thru for a bagel on your way to work, that bagel is not 1 starch exchange. It's generally 3 1/2 to 4 starch exchanges (plus fat exchanges for whatever spread might be added). That's about half your daily starch allotment. Same goes for the bun on most 6-inch subs and dinner-sized pasta meals.

Updating your weight

The app tracks your weight change over time but not in a table that you can see. It only shows your weight change from month to month in the History tab.

How do I enter my goal weight?

  1. Tap on Profile in the tab menu.
  2. Enter a Goal Weight.
  3. Tap on Save Data.

How do I enter a new goal weight?

  1. Tap on Profile in the tab menu.
  2. Enter a new Goal Weight.
  3. Tap on Save Data. Your Weight Change displays on the History tab.

Adding and deleting your activities

How do I add an activity that isn’t listed?

  1. Tap on Tracker in the tab menu.
  2. Tap on Activities.
  3. Tap the Clear History button.
  4. Select Other in the Activities drop down list.
  5. Enter the Activity in the text field that appears.
  6. Enter the Duration (number of minutes spent on the activity).
  7. Tap on the Add Activity button to save.

How do I delete an activity?

  1. Tap on Tracker in the tab menu.
  2. Tap on Activities.
  3. Select an activity to delete.
  4. A message pops up asking you if you are sure you want to delete the following activity. Confirm that you want to delete it and tap on Delete. The activity is removed.

How do I change the date of an existing activity?

You can’t change the date of a previously saved activity. To change the date, delete the activity and reenter.

Where can I find more information on the Food Exchanges?

Members will find more information about how to use Food Exchange System in the Members Area under My TOPS Resources. Non-members can use these three different eating plans to help you build your healthy lifestyle with the app.