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Jul 18, 2024 · When it comes to choosing the best calorie counting app for you, consider factors like monthly or yearly cost, if the app has a free version and how many foods are included in its database.
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How do I choose the best calorie counting app?
Are calorie counter apps free?
What is the track calorie counter app?
Are calorie counter apps accurate?
- MyFitnessPal. Best Overall. This app is not only easy to use, but comes with a large food database and a supportive online community. Pros.
- Argus Calorie Counter & Step. Best for Fitness-Focused Tracking. If your goals are more fitness-focused, this app is right for you.
- Lifesum. Best for Specialized Diet Patterns. Try nutritious recipes and diet tips from this specialized app. Pros. Easy to use. Built in dietary eating patterns.
- Lose It. Best for No-Fuss Tracking. The barcode scanner feature on this app makes it easy to grocery shop. Pros. Easy to use. Use food photos for tracking.
Aug 22, 2024 · Best Overall Calorie Counter App: Cronometer. Best Free Calorie Counter App: Lose It! Best Calorie Counter App With Barcode Scanner: MacroFactor. Best Calorie Counter App for Weight Loss: FatSecret. Best Calorie Counter App for Muscle Gain: MyFitnessPal. Best Calorie Counter App With Recipes: WeightWatchers.
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- Overview
- A quick look at the best calorie counter apps
- How we chose
- Healthline’s picks of the best calorie counter apps
- A word of caution
- A comparison of the best calorie counter websites and apps
- Why use a calorie counter app?
- How to choose
- Frequently asked questions about calorie counter apps
- The bottom line
•How we chose
•Our picks
•Word of caution
•Comparison chart
•Purpose
•How to choose
•Best overall: MyFitnessPal
•Best free features: Lose It!
•Best fully free: FatSecret
•Best for specific diets: Cronometer
•Best for weight loss: Noom
•Best for building healthy habits: Lifesum
Here’s what we took into account to select the best calorie counter apps:
•Transparency: We selected apps with websites that are transparent about the apps’ features, frequently asked questions, and subscription or billing options to help you avoid unwanted surprises on your calorie-tracking journey.
•User reviews: We focused on highly rated apps with user reviews no more than a few months old.
•User-friendliness: We did our best to choose the most user-friendly apps to ensure that you’d have the best possible experience.
•Price: We included options suitable for all budgets, from fully free to subscription-only apps.
•Features: We carefully chose apps that offer the best possible features in their free versions or have features worth paying for.
Best overall MyFitnessPal
•Price: $20 per month or $80 per year; basic version available for free •iPhone rating: 4.6 •Android rating: 4.1 MyFitnessPal is one of the most popular calorie counters right now. It tracks your weight and calculates a recommended daily calorie intake. It also has a well-designed food diary and an exercise log. The home page provides a clear picture of how many calories you’ve consumed during the day. In addition, it shows your remaining recommended intake and how many calories you’ve burned by exercising. If you’re using a fitness tracking device, MyFitnessPal can likely sync with it to include its data in the exercise log. The app tracks your progress toward your goals and offers chat forums with fellow users. The forums include: •conversations •recipes •tips •personal success stories MyFitnessPal’s nutrition database is extensive, containing more than 11 million foods. You can also download recipes from the internet or create custom foods and dishes. The app even saves your favorite meals for convenient logging. Additionally, MyFitnessPal’s barcode scanner allows you to enter the nutritional information of some packaged foods instantly. Each day is presented as a pie chart, showing your breakdown of carbs, protein, and fat. You can also write a note for each day, recording how things went or how you were feeling. MyFitnessPal does offer a free version. However, some features are available only in the premium version, such as: •meal prep and recipes •macronutrient counters •guided fitness Get started with MyFitnessPal
Pros
•largest database available in a diet tracker •includes many restaurant foods •ability to download recipes online and calculate the calorie content of each serving •ability to “quick add” calories when you don’t have time to log the whole meal
Cons
•Since users upload most foods, calorie counts may not always be entirely accurate. •Multiple entries may exist for the same product. •Serving sizes in the database may be hard to edit, creating difficulties if your serving is smaller or larger than the one listed. •Studies have linked MyFitnessPal usage to eating disorders (3, 4). Was this helpful?
Heads-up
Trying to “do it right” when it comes to nutrition may feel tempting, but it can backfire. If you are preoccupied with food or your weight, feel guilt surrounding your food choices, or routinely engage in restrictive diets, consider reaching out for support. These behaviors may indicate a disordered relationship with food or an eating disorder. Disordered eating and eating disorders can affect anyone, regardless of: •gender identity •race •age •body size •socioeconomic status •other identities They can be caused by any combination of biological, social, cultural, and environmental factors — not just by exposure to diet culture. Feel empowered to talk with a qualified healthcare professional, such as a registered dietitian, if you’re having a hard time. You can also chat, call, or text anonymously with trained volunteers at the National Eating Disorders Association helpline for free or explore the organization’s free and low cost resources. Was this helpful?
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Calorie-counting apps and other self-monitoring technologies are great tools that allow users to monitor their food intake and dietary choices.
While most research on the impact of calorie counter apps and body weight centers on their beneficial effects for weight loss, some studies also point out other highly valuable benefits.
For instance, food logging may also encourage behavior changes that help modify unhealthy habits — one of the main goals of nutrition interventions (5).
In addition, just as it recommends a maximum number of calories to consume to reach your target weight, a calorie monitor can help you find out whether you’re eating too little, which could cause your resting metabolic rate (RMR) to slow down after weight loss (6).
Your RMR is the number of calories your body burns at rest. A slowing of this rate helps prevents excessive weight loss, which may lead to weight regain (6).
Lastly, some apps also provide accountability, which is key when aiming for consistency, a determining factor for weight loss success (7).
Here are some important factors to consider when choosing a calorie counter app:
•Preferences: Every calorie counter app is different. Some are more individualistic and straightforward, while others connect you with a community of users. Be sure to choose the app that best suits your needs.
•Special diets: Some apps are specially designed to help you reach your dietary goals when following a specific dietary pattern, such as keto, vegan, vegetarian, paleo, or low carb.
•Membership billing: Take the app’s billing method into account if you decide to upgrade to a premium version. While most apps list their monthly fees, some may charge you annually.
What even is a calorie?
Most people have a negative perception of the word “calorie,” but a calorie is simply a unit of measure for energy. A splash of milk in your coffee might have 5 calories — that’s 5 energies, in other words. If you consume enough energy, your body uses it as fuel. If you consume more energy than your body needs, your body stores the extra. Scientifically, a calorie is an estimate of the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius. You consume calories through food, and they provide you with energy to maintain life and fuel physical work (8, 9). The calories you consume each day make up your calorie intake, while the ones your body burns through physical activity, digestion, or basal metabolic rate are your calorie expenditure (10). “Energy balance” is a term used to indicate that your calorie intake matches your expenditure. According to the “calories in, calories out” paradigm, energy balance helps maintain your body weight (9, 10). But weight loss is sometimes difficult because your body has mechanisms to protect you from losing weight. A calorie deficit can lead to weight loss, while a calorie excess or surplus leads to weight gain (9, 10). You can reach a calorie deficit by reducing your calorie intake or increasing your expenditure — or both. In contrast, you can create a calorie surplus by increasing intake, reducing expenditure, or both.
Is it safe to count calories for weight loss?
Research shows that calorie counting by logging your food intake may be a helpful weight loss strategy because it helps increase awareness of current and desired eating behaviors (1). However, studies also note that people who use apps to self-monitor diet and physical activity are more likely to engage in disordered eating behaviors (11, 12, 13). Counting calories may be especially unsafe for people with a history of disordered eating. In fact, one study found that calorie-counting apps may increase the desire to be underweight, and some users even acknowledge the apps’ role in worsening their disordered eating behaviors (12). If you’re concerned about safety, shifting the focus from counting calories for weight loss to eating intuitively to improve well-being may be a healthier and more beneficial approach in the long run (14). Among weight loss apps, one such as Noom may be preferred because it focuses on the psychology behind personal food consumption and making lifestyle changes.
How accurate are calorie counter apps?
Calorie counter apps often have millions of foods to choose from, with different available serving sizes to match what’s on your plate. But they are not 100% accurate for multiple reasons, which ultimately come down to human error. Food logging requires time and effort. While technology has made it easier, the process still relies on users’ discipline — and even their memory, if they log their intake afterward. Additionally, users may incorrectly track their food intake, either by inaccurately logging or estimating amounts or by neglecting to track some ingredients, which may add or subtract calories from their calorie budget. Restaurant food preparation methods can vary greatly as well. Chain restaurants will often have calorie and nutrition information on their websites and on actual menus.
Calorie counters and nutrient trackers are incredibly useful if you’re trying to lose, maintain, or even gain weight.
They can also help you make specific changes to your diet, such as eating more protein or fewer carbs.
However, there is no need to track your intake constantly.
You can try tracking it occasionally or for a few days or weeks to get a more nuanced view of your diet.
Jul 7, 2022 · Want to track your food and know how many calories you consume each day? Download the best calorie counter apps for Android and track them yourself.
Nov 28, 2023 · We chose the top calorie counter apps including the best free, basic and private apps that log foods, scan barcodes and work with iPhones and Apple Watches.
May 29, 2024 · Dietitians share their favorite calorie-counter apps including Lose It, WW, Noom and more. Find an easier way to track your calories with these free and paid apps.
