Noom is a calorie counter but also helps people lose weight and sustain weight loss using psychological approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy. All MyFitnessPal members can track their weight goals, exercise, and water intake alongside calories and nutrition. MyFitnessPal Premium members have many additional features, including our NEW Intermittent Fasting Tracker. Carb Manager can suggest a meal plan, track various types of intermittent fasting, and include an easy-to-use barcode scanner. It also offers thousands of low-carb, keto-friendly recipes to try, and educational content for those new to the keto diet.

Your Daily Calories Calculator

The reason macronutrient percentages are popular is because they’re a simple way to communicate targets, and they can be a good starting point for thinking about nutrition. However, they can be unnecessarily restrictive, and if you’re using a platform like Eat This Much to handle your calculations for you, there’s no reason to limit yourself by trying to hit an exact percentage. We make some macronutrient suggestions based on your goals, physical stats, and selected diet type. Our goal with these suggestions is to make sure you’re getting at least a minimum amount of each macronutrient, while leaving you plenty of flexibility to get food suggestions that you enjoy. “Humanity should have maximum benefits from AI technology, and we’re committed to making that happen – one free calorie count at a time.” Unlike other apps that charge $10-20/month for AI features, we keep everything free.

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The right app can simplify the task of tracking what you eat, providing insights that empower your dietary decisions.But let’s be honest—choosing one from the sea of apps out there can feel like finding a needle in a haystack. Below, we’ll take you through the best calorie calculator apps of 2024 that cater to different needs and lifestyles. While basic membership is free, the premium membership offers upgrades like a barcode scanner (which used to be part of the free subscription), a new https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/best-weight-loss-apps intermittent fasting guide, custom macro tracking and an ad-free experience. But if the paid version isn’t in your budget, the app also offers a lot of great features for free. Just take note that while this app has a large food database, many dishes have been added by individual users and entries are not verified for accuracy, which can leave room for error.

Originally launched for the European market, YAZIO has made its way to the U.S. — though users may still find a few kinks (converting calories can be tricky, after all). That being said, we still recommend this app for those traveling abroad or who are looking for super-detailed food tracking. It breaks down both macronutrients and micronutrients for the foods you log, and it’s customizable depending on your diet. It also claims to have more than 2 million foods in its database, with more than 2,000 recipes created by nutrition experts. The app contains an easy-to-use barcode scanner, and if a food isn’t in its database, the scanner offers the ability to offer entries logged by other WW members.

Best Overall Calorie Counter App: Cronometer

We also give preference to apps that easily sync with other health-tracking devices to measure physical activity, sleep and hydration, and whether the apps are available on both Android and iOS devices. Comes up with a personalized calorie budget based on your height, weight and age. It also claims to be the “first weight management app to offer gender inclusivity in profile settings,” the company said in a statement. The app also gives Fitbit wearers detailed data on their heart rate, sleep quality and more, while upgrading to the premium subscription also gets you access to workouts from Fitbit’s expert trainers.

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Aside from helping you reach your weight goals, calorie-counting apps are a great tool to help you modify unwanted habits and find out whether you’re eating too little or too much. They also provide accountability, which helps with consistency. 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. It also helps you create diet plans without limiting or restricting certain food items. Instead, the app focuses on calories and nutrients as a way to promote weight loss.

But keep in mind that you build muscle with strength training exercises. Such workouts require energy, which means calories, so you may need to maintain only a small deficit. Also, your calorie needs will be greater on the days you work out, so you’ll have to plan for that.

So if you want to lose weight, it’s better to underestimate your needs a bit, and if reviews on unimeal you want to gain weight, it’s better to overestimate. If you’re interested in a more specific macronutrient breakdown, we suggest you consult a dietitian. They can help you determine the best macronutrient targets for your specific goals and lifestyle. You can also use any other calculator you like, and plug your numbers into Eat This Much to get meal plans that match.

• FatSecret, as the name implies, is a good app for managing calorie intake for anyone currently focusing on weight loss goals—although registered dietitian Perry Nix isn’t a fan of the name.
• Research shows that people who log calories lose more weight and are more likely to keep the weight off in the long run.
• However, some people may prefer to take a non-diet approach altogether and look at weight management more holistically.
• They can help you determine the best macronutrient targets for your specific goals and lifestyle.
• If you’re changing your normal eating habits, you’ll probably be eating different food, and constantly tracking down new recipes to avoid food boredom isn’t always easy.
• Whether you’re trying to lose weight, maintain a healthy lifestyle, or just keep a record of your daily nutrition, calorie calculator apps have become indispensable.

Personalized Meal Planning Solutions

You also don’t have to own a Fitbit to use the app — it can work with your existing smartphone to track steps. That said, we’ve found it’s more of a seamless experience with a Fitbit device. Perhaps you’ll notice on the days you skip a meal that you feel a little foggy and not totally on your game.

Tracking

It tracks your weight and calculates a recommended daily calorie intake. On the other hand, paid apps like MacroFactor may not be free, but the verified food database can save you plenty of time when logging your calories. Other notable features in this free app include a barcode scanner, image recognition that allows you to track your food by taking a photo of it, an exercise diary, fitness tracker integration, and more. FatSecret, as the name implies, is a good app for managing calorie intake for anyone currently focusing on weight loss goals—although registered dietitian Perry Nix isn’t a fan of the name.

Best Nutrition Apps Comparison Table

I also talked with GGR expert panelist Perry Nix, MS, RD, LD, to understand the pros and cons of each app. Without further ado, here are the best calorie-counting apps to help you reach any fitness goals you may have. Destini Moody, RD, CSSD, LD is a sports dietitian and the head of performance nutrition for the NBA G League Ignite. In addition to working with pro athletes, Destini has ghostwritten four weight loss and wellness cookbooks. She also authors online content covering fitness and nutrition topics. It’s an estimate of how many Calories your body burns in a day, including your Basal Metabolic Rate, any exercise you do, and even the energy your body uses to digest food (called the Thermic Effect of Food).

A comparison of the best calorie counter websites and apps

It is easy to log meals and find calorie estimates for food that doesn’t have labels, for example like a bell peppers. But your body may not need to use all that energy right after you eat. It stores those extra calories – mostly as fat but also as carbohydrates – for later use. When you go to the gym, study hard for a test, or find yourself involved in any other energy-demanding activity, those stores provide the energy you need to power through.

Calorie-counting apps and other self-monitoring technologies are great tools that allow users to monitor their food intake and dietary choices. The app features a comprehensive food database and an icon representing each food entry. Many apps use verified food databases only and don’t allow users to upload foods to the public database. If you’re using an app with a public food database, be sure to carefully check each entry for accuracy before recording the food. Every app on our list allows you to do this, but some apps only allow premium members to change their macro targets. If you’re going to be using a free app, you’ll want to make sure this feature is available if custom macros are important for your goals.

Essential Guide to Food Logging

If you thrive with external support, you may benefit from apps that include real coaches, dietitians, or structured check-ins; if you’re more self-directed, simple reminders, streaks, and progress graphs might be enough. Matching accountability style to your preferences helps you avoid apps that feel either too hands-off or too intense, which often leads to quitting. The app does not include built-in educational content or structured meal plans, though a paid feature—the Recipe Importer—lets you paste recipe URLs to create custom recipes with verified nutritional data.

These behaviors may indicate a disordered relationship with food or an eating disorder. For some people, tracking food and calorie intake can be helpful for promoting weight loss or management. Then you can quickly look up calories and nutrients for any food AND track it all to see the impact of food on your health and fitness goals. The MyFitnessPal app does a lot more than track calories in foods. You can also track macros, vitamins, and other micronutrients and see how everything you eat supports your goals. While calorie counter apps can be very useful, Destini Moody, RD, CSSD, LD, cautions that those with eating disorders should be careful.