Apps to Track Calories

When it comes to dieting, many people find it difficult to keep up with their calorie intake. For those who like to count their calories, it can be laborious to take notes before every meal. Don’t worry, there’s an app for that!

Today, there are many different apps available that cater to every diet you can think of. These apps make it easy and convenient to stay on top of your weight loss goals. When picking the right app, it is important to consider your goals, the type of diet you’re on, and whether you’re incorporating exercise into your weight loss plan. Here are a few of the top apps to count calories with your smartphone.

Count Calories with MyFitnessPal

MyFitnessPal is one of the most popular calorie counting apps on the market. With over six million food items in its database from all over the world, this app also contains a barcode scanner which makes tracking your meals easier than ever. Another great feature from MyFitnessPal is the ability to import recipes and nutritional facts from homemade meals. This  helps you focus on making healthier food choices by showing you the potential calorie count for each serving in your recipes. On top of everything, MyFitnessPal has a large database of restaurants so that you can track your favorite menu items when dining out.

MyFitnessPal is great for someone who wants to track their calorie count but doesn’t necessarily have the time to keep a calorie journal. For those who meal prep or plan ahead, this app can be used to log breakfast, lunch, and dinner ahead of time. MyFitnessPal allows you to set calorie goals for the day, and premium members can set a calorie goal per meal. 

To take things a step farther, MyFitnessPal Premium will break down your food items by nutrient, as well as track and manage intake levels for carbohydrates, protein, fats, vitamins, sodium, and other key macronutrients. This is great for those who need to manage their blood sugar or blood pressure with a healthy diet. Learn which foods rank the highest in each nutrient type and adjust your food choices accordingly. 

If your weight loss plan includes regular exercise, MyFitnessPal also serves as an exercise tracker. Enter in your daily exercise activities to estimate the calories burned each day. You can then choose whether or not to add any calories burned to your daily calorie goal. After all, you should be rewarded for your hard work. 

Perhaps one of the best things about MyFitnessPal is their many integrations with other top apps. They have over 50 different integrations with essential apps like Apple Health, Samsung Health, MapMyRun, and Fitbit. Sync all of your health, food, and exercise data with your phone to get a bird’s eye view of your weight loss efforts. 

MyFitnessPal is free to download with premium membership for $9.99 a month or $49.99 a year. It is available in both the App Store and Google Play Store.

Lose Weight with Lose It! 

Lose It! is another food tracker that has been around for over a decade. Created in 2008, this app has a database of over 27 million searchable foods. You can also log calories for lots of tasty menu items at your favorite restaurants, so there’s no excuse for falling off the wagon. 

Unlike other popular food tracking apps, Lose It! already has thousands of recipes in their system with the ability to adjust the recipe for substitutions and serving sizes. The app’s recipe database depends on user submissions, so you’ll also be able to add in your own culinary secrets and share them with the community. Lose It! has a barcode scanner to pull calorie and nutrient information directly from the food label. You can also submit a picture of your food so others can match items visually.

The weight loss community on this app is probably one of the greatest tools offered. The Lose It! community tab is a great way to connect with others who can provide support, guidance, and motivation to keep pushing. You can even join their Facebook group to find and connect with members near you. Participate in challenges, make new friends, and share your progress with those who are on the same weight loss journey as you. 

The Lose It! app is able to connect many other apps and devices to help track calories and fitness goals. Sync exercises, calorie, and nutrient info with apps like Apple Health, Google Fit, Apple Watch, Fitbit, and others for a completely integrated weight loss plan. Set daily calorie goals and crush them with the app’s annoyingly persistent reminders to stay on track throughout the day. It can also connect and sync with wifi-supported scales.

Premium subscribers get added features like access to curated meal plans, water intake tracking, macronutrient goals, and more. The premium version of Lose It! costs $39.99 per year via the App Store and Google Play Store.

Cron-o-meter Macronutrient Tracker

Cron-o-meter is catered to individuals on a specific dietary restrictions like vegan or keto diets. This app prides itself on having detailed, accurate data. In fact, Cron-o-meter has an entire staff to check calorie and other macronutrient information for each and every item in their database. Unlike other apps that just touch on the subject, this app can track over 60 different macronutrients and vitamins including carbohydrates, protein, iron, zinc, amino acids, saturated and trans fats, and others. Scan your meals and track calories automatically with their convenient barcode scanner. If you’re looking for inspiration, search their database of over 100,000 meals and ingredients for healthy meal options.

Cron-o-meter also fulfills all the other basic calorie counting essentials. Log food, water, and exercise all in one app, and scan food with the barcode scanner. You are also able to sync this app with major activity trackers like Garmin and Fitbit. A user-friendly reports tab lets you track trends and keep up with your weight loss progress over time. 

The Cron-o-meter app is available in all major app stores and is free to download. There is a gold subscription with added features available for $5.99 monthly, $24.95 bi-annually, and $34.95 annually.

Calorie Counting Made Easy

Long gone are the days of keeping a pocket notebook and calculator handy to stay on top of your diet. Calorie counting apps have made it easier than ever to develop healthy eating habits whether you’re staying in or eating out. Try the free versions of any of these apps and upgrade when you’re ready to take your weight loss journey to the next level.