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. They also provide accountability, which helps with consistency.

Here are some important factors to consider when choosing a calorie counter app:. 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 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 , 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. 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 , Counting calories may be especially unsafe for people with a history of disordered eating.

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.

Food logging requires time and effort. 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.

You may want to try one of these if you find calorie-counting apps too tedious or burdensome. Common tools include 15 :. Still, keep in mind that whether you rely on an app or not, calorie counting is more of an estimation than an exact measurement.

In either case, it will take practice and patience to improve your estimates. Calorie counting apps may be safe for some people but are not recommended for those with a history of disordered eating.

You can always try other tools to estimate your calorie intake. They can also help you make specific changes to your diet, such as eating more protein or fewer carbs.

You can try tracking it occasionally or for a few days or weeks to get a more nuanced view of your diet. Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available.

VIEW ALL HISTORY. Eating fewer calories than you burn is needed to lose weight. Here is a detailed guide that explains how to count calories for weight loss. Counting your daily calorie intake is a common tactic if you're trying to lose weight.

But does it actually work? This article explores the research. Some believe that all calories are created equal and that the sources of those calories don't matter.

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Playing "Just Dance" is a fun way to stay active and lose weight. The key is to play the game in a way that will help you create a calorie deficit. The Mirror is an interactive home fitness device that streams a variety of live and on-demand workout classes.

This article takes a closer look at the…. A Quiz for Teens Are You a Workaholic? How Well Do You Sleep? Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Nutrition Evidence Based The 8 Best Calorie Counter Apps.

Medically reviewed by Kathy W. Warwick, R. On this page How we chose Our picks Word of caution Comparison chart Purpose How to choose FAQs Bottom line.

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Fact-check all health claims: Do they align with the current body of scientific evidence? Assess the brand: Does it operate with integrity and adhere to industry best practices?

We do the research so you can find trusted products for your health and wellness. Read more about our vetting process. MyNetDiary offers a large database of foods with an easy-to-navigate interface that scores big points with users. The app assigns a weekly weight goal or target date after assessing for weight, height and age.

Many users claim that logging food with this app has helped them to create more balanced meals and adequate portion sizes as well as to keep sodium levels and saturated fat intake in check. The free subscription service contains ads and pop-ups, but you can upgrade to the premium ad-free version, which offers more functions such as helpful charts like macronutrient percentages protein, fat and carbohydrates along with access to recipes to fit multiple dietary needs such as vegan, high protein, low-carb, and Mediterranean, among others.

A free barcode scanner makes tracking food easy by pulling in data and calculating nutrition for you. WW formerly Weight Watchers offers a huge database of food and makes tracking easy.

Enter specific brand names and meals from popular restaurants, choose your portion size and the app will calculate the nutritional breakdown for you.

You can also track your activity, water intake and sleep. The app offers more than 4, recipes, multiple filter options dietary needs, SmartPoints , prep time, etc. By saving your most popular meal items, this app makes it easier than ever to track that iced coffee with almond milk or apple-with-peanut-butter combo you have for your snack each day.

Take note that WW requires a subscription to join and can be expensive for some although they often offer discounts on their programs. Also, many companies offer corporate discounts. Noom wants you to become more mindful of your eating decisions and how they impact your health. The app's program aims to help to modify the behaviors that might have contributed to weight gain.

Get-to-know-yourself quizzes and questionnaires — along with food and activity tracking — delve further into your eating psyche. A health coach guides you toward meeting an agreed-upon goal through a customized plan and also provides advice and support.

Noom uses a modified "traffic light" food color system to assign each food a color so that all foods can fit your diet. Green means go and is assigned to foods that are less calorically dense, such as fruits and veggies. Yellow indicates foods that should be consumed in moderate portions.

Orange is used for foods that should be mostly avoided or used sparingly as well as those that are mostly processed and may be higher in saturated fats. Keep in mind the personalized attention comes at a higher cost: While the app is free to download, Noom is useable only with a fee and is more expensive than most on our list.

Founded in Germany, the YAZIO app is new to the U. as of this year. YAZIO claims to be one of the most successful nutrition apps in the world, and it may be the best choice for travelers because it offers a large selection of international choices in its food and recipe database.

With a simple and easy-to-use interface, the app strives to improve nutrition goals with realistic and sustainable nutrition habits. It's free to download and includes calorie-counting functions, and the paid pro version comes with features including more than 2, recipes that have been cooked, tested and photographed by the YAZIO team.

The app also offers information on intermittent fasting with fasting trackers, as well as motivational success stories. YAZIO connects easily to other health and fitness trackers including Apple Health, Fitbit and Garmin. Cronometer stands out by offering easy tracking of calories and micro- and macronutrients, with the goal of encouraging healthier eating strategies.

Users can personalize diet settings such as by tracking single nutrients although this feature is only available on the paid version. For example, if you want to increase fiber in your diet, you can track how much you consume daily and the app can suggest foods to help you increase your intake.

There is a free barcode scanner, food submissions are verified for accuracy and the app offers a community component through Facebook. There is a pro version for healthcare providers, and if your doctor or dietitian is a subscriber, you can link to them for further feedback.

The app integrates with other fitness tracking apps such as Apple Health and Fitbit. And Cronometer now integrates with WHOOP so users can get an even broader perspective on how nutrition affects recovery and sleep.

Sign-up is free and while the free version scores high points with users, you can upgrade to the Gold subscription for ad-free use, custom charts and fasting timers.

Lose It! not only tracks nutrients and calories, it also provides an intermittent fasting tracker to meet a wider variety of dietary goals. This app now offers dietitian-curated strategies to support multiple types of diets including low-carb and plant-based.

According to the company, it contains a large searchable database of foods, more than 50 million — the largest database on our list. It also contains a barcode scanner for easy calorie counting and a community tab where you can find support from other users. is unique thanks to its award-winning Snap It feature, which allows users to snap photos of their food so the app can use image recognition to detect food in the picture and track it.

For example, take and upload a picture of your hummus and carrots, confirm your food and serving size and let the app track it. Upgrade to the premium version for the most features and to integrate with other health and fitness devices, including Apple Health and Fitbit.

If you are new to intermittent fasting IF , this is the app for you. Simple provides a guide to IF along with different fasting periods including the most common — fasting for 16 hours and eating during an 8-hour period — as well as shorter and longer times and Circadian Rhythm Fasting, which typically involves consuming meals during daylight hours.

The app also provides an easy way to track steps, meals, eating habits, hydration and sleep, although at an extra cost. It is compatible with Apple Health and Fitbit, and it provides motivational resources including videos from dietitians, educational articles, recipes and information on topics such as mindful eating.

The app is free to download and offers a seven-day free trial to test it out before committing to the premium version. MyPlate has an intuitive interface that allows for simple tracking of meals and snacks, exercise, weight and hydration — you can even see which foods you consumed that were highest in calories per day and week.

The app contains a large food database and easy-to-use barcode scanner to help users track calories consumed and burned. Track up to 84 nutrients and other compounds.

Log your meals and track all your macro and micronutrients. Log meals, exercise and health metrics. Plus, you can create custom foods, recipes, exercises and metrics. Get valuable health reports and charts. Learn how nutrients and metrics correlate over time.

Custom diet settings. Set weight, macro and nutrient targets to meet your goals. Fasting timer. Track your intermittent fasts and see their effect over time. Diet support. Discover your nutrition Cronometer encourages you to not just count your calories but to focus on your nutrition as a whole.

Over 8 million users Join the community to get tips and inspiration from other users on our forums and Facebook group. Accurate nutrition data Be confident that the food you log has the correct nutrition data.

Find out if you're getting the vitamins and minerals you need with our food diary app. Sync with apps and devices. Cronometer reviews.