Solo app · 2026 · In progress

Deficit PH started at home — watching my wife figure out caloric deficit for the first time. Most apps assume you already know TDEE, macros, and why a 500 kcal gap matters. She didn't. Neither do a lot of people.

Built for people who want to lose weight sustainably — not crash, not guess, not give up on day three.

Deficit PH
CALORIE DEFICITSUSTAINABLEEASY TO USEMOBILE FIRSTEXPOPH FOCUSMOCK → SHIPCALORIE DEFICITSUSTAINABLEEASY TO USEMOBILE FIRSTEXPOPH FOCUSMOCK → SHIP

The problem

Most people don't know how deficit actually works.

They hear 'eat less, move more' — but not what a safe deficit looks like, how to track it daily, or why the scale moves some weeks and not others.

TDEE?

Apps talk like you're already a coach

Maintenance calories, macro splits, BMR — my wife opened three trackers and closed them all. The UI assumed knowledge she was still building. If you're new to deficit, you're lost before you log your first meal.

Day 3

Too strict, too fast, too easy to quit

Extreme cuts feel productive until they're not. Without a clear daily target and progress that makes sense, people bounce between crash diets and giving up entirely.

12 taps

Logging food shouldn't feel like homework

If recording lunch takes longer than eating it, the app loses. Beginners need a flow that's forgiving, quick, and clear — not a spreadsheet disguised as a mobile app.

Inside the build

Simple flows. Real habits.

Onboarding → daily target → log → progress. No feature bloat — just what someone new to deficit actually needs.

Onboarding goal and macro target

Basic info, activity level, goal — the app calculates a deficit target without making you do the math. You see your daily calories and macros before you hit the dashboard.

Screens

scroll the build →

Tap any frame to zoom.

Under the hood

UI-first, integration-ready.

The full flow runs on mock data today — so patterns get validated before backend work. Architecture is wired so auth, APIs, and persistence plug in without tearing the screens apart.

  • Beginner-first onboarding

    Three guided steps translate body stats and activity into a daily deficit target — no external calculator, no YouTube tutorial required.

  • Reusable screen patterns

    Shared sections and form layouts across 14+ screens keep the experience consistent and make backend hookup a swap, not a rewrite.

  • Realistic mock datasets

    Logs, streaks, and progress history use believable data so flows feel like a real app during design iteration — not empty placeholders.

Built with

  • React Native
  • TypeScript
  • Expo
  • Nutrition Tracking
  • Mobile UX
01React Native
02TypeScript
03Expo
04Nutrition Tracking
05Mobile UX

Why I built it

My wife's journey became the brief.

She wanted to lose weight the right way — caloric deficit, not starvation. Watching her try existing apps showed me the gap: they're built for people who already speak the language. TDEE, macros, net calories — she was learning all of it while trying to use tools that assumed she already knew.

Deficit PH is the app I wanted for her. Explain the target simply. Make logging fast. Show progress in a way that keeps you honest without making you feel dumb. If you've never done deficit before, you should still know what to do today.

Right now it's a high-fidelity UI prototype — every major screen, mock-driven, ready for backend and auth. The product thesis is locked: easier for beginners, sustainable by design, PH-friendly and mobile-first.

14+
Screens built
3-step
Onboarding
UI
Current stage
Her
Main inspiration

Stack

Tools that shipped this build.

  • React Native
  • TypeScript
  • Expo
  • Nutrition Tracking
  • Mobile UX

Outcomes & next

What landed — and what's still on the list.

  • Backend, auth, and real food database integration
  • Barcode scan for packaged PH grocery items
  • Gentle education — what deficit is, why it works, what to expect
  • Meal templates and repeat logs for Filipino home-cooked meals

Building a health or fitness product?

I've done beginner-friendly mobile UX from personal motivation — happy to talk apps that need to be simple, not clever.