How It Felt vs
How It Felt vs Recovery Record.
Recovery Record is a recognised clinical tool for eating-disorder recovery — used alongside therapists and clinicians, with meal plans, monitoring, and shared data. How It Felt is not a clinical tool. It's a private mindful eating journal that some recovery-minded users find calming, but it doesn't replace treatment and doesn't connect to a care team.
What each app optimises for
Recovery Record
Structured eating-disorder recovery alongside a clinical care team.
How It Felt
Private, judgement-free reflection — explicitly not a substitute for treatment.
Side-by-side
| Feature | Recovery Record | How It Felt |
|---|---|---|
| Designed for clinical recovery | Recovery Record Yes | How It Felt No — explicitly not clinical |
| Clinician sharing / linked clinician | Recovery Record Yes | How It Felt No |
| Meal plan / prescribed meals | Recovery Record Yes | How It Felt No |
| Symptom and behaviour logging | Recovery Record Yes | How It Felt No symptom checklist |
| Emotional + sensory journaling | Recovery Record Some | How It Felt Yes — central |
| Calorie / weight tracking | Recovery Record Variable | How It Felt None |
| Account required | Recovery Record Yes | How It Felt No |
| Data location | Recovery Record Cloud | How It Felt Local-only |
When to pick which
Pick Recovery Record if…
- You're in active eating-disorder treatment with a clinician.
- Your care team has asked for shared logging.
- You want a tool that's been built specifically for recovery protocols.
Pick How It Felt if…
- You're not in clinical care and want a calm place to notice meals.
- You'd like to write less about symptoms and more about how things felt.
- You want everything to stay on your phone, with no clinician portal.
Verdict
Recovery Record is a clinical tool — please use it with a clinician. How It Felt is a journal — please don't use it as a substitute for one.
Frequently asked
Is How It Felt safe to use during eating-disorder recovery?
Some users in recovery find a no-numbers, judgement-free journal calming. Others find any food-adjacent app activating. It is not a clinical tool and shouldn't replace treatment — please discuss with your care team before adding any food-related app to your routine.
Can my therapist see my entries?
No. There's no sharing feature, no clinician portal, no cloud. You can manually export to PDF or CSV and share that yourself if you choose.
Does the app track triggers or symptoms?
No. The journal captures hunger, fullness, emotions, and sensory notes — it does not have a symptom checklist or a behaviour log.
Is there a crisis or safety feature?
No. How It Felt is a journal, not a clinical or safety tool. If you're in crisis, please contact a qualified clinician or your local crisis line.
Sources and review date
Comparison claims are based on the public product information linked below and the How It Felt feature set on this site.
Last reviewed: May 1, 2026.
Learn the concepts
Plain-language explainers behind the comparison.
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