Over the past few years, there has been a lot of debate about the fact that a calorie is not always just a calorie. This means that just because a person cuts down his caloric intake, that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have to focus on the quality of the food he’s eating. While cutting down those calories, the person should also eat more foods which make him feel good and not just focus on losing weight in the short-term.
For those who want to control their diet to lose weight, making use of calorie counter websites and apps can be very beneficial. When a person is able to keep track of everything he eats, he’ll learn more about his eating habits. Also, it will help highlight any misconceptions about foods one eats as well as the portion sizes the person consumes too much of. Such websites and apps can help highlight one’s normal eating habits so he can find out where he should make improvements.
There are a lot of different options out there which will help one count his calories. The challenge isn’t looking for the right tool but choosing the right one which will suit the person’s own needs and preferences. In this article, we’ll go through some of the best calorie counter websites out there now. Hopefully, after one reads this article, he will know exactly what he needs.
What Are Calorie Counter Websites and Apps?
People who want to start dieting or eating healthier would benefit a lot from calorie counting websites and apps. A person can get the assistance he needs with these calorie counters so he can regulate his diet plan in order to stay healthy and fit. These apps and websites can also be very useful in terms of maintaining a diet chart so that one can stay on track especially if he’s trying to lose some weight.
Generally, calorie counter websites and apps keep a record of all the calories a person consumed each and every day. Whenever one consumes a meal, he can use the website or app to count the calories and add the information to the log. This way, the person can determine if he’s eating healthy foods and if he’s meeting his diet goals or not.
The best calorie counter websites and apps will provide one with various ways to scan food items. One can take a photo, scan the barcode, and more. These will also create an extensive database regarding the person’s diet plans, eating habits, and so on. That’s why these websites and apps are very popular with weight watchers and fitness enthusiasts.
Some people though, don’t really see the point of such calorie trackers. But they can be very beneficial especially for those who want to monitor what they eat for whatever reason.
The Benefits of Using Calorie Counting Websites and Apps
As we’ve mentioned, there are a lot of choices out there for calorie counter websites and apps. This is because they’re also becoming more popular and so there’s a high demand for them. But why does one need such a tracker? Would one really benefit from using them? The short answer is yes. But in order to see the importance of these apps and websites, let’s take a look at their different benefits:
Keep track of food and exercise. With some websites or apps, all the person has to do is type in the name of the food he wants to eat and it will show how many calories that food contains. If a person watches the calorie count of the foods he eats, he will definitely lose weight. The more advanced versions can also help keep track of exercise which, when used properly, will improve a person’s health in the long run.
Stay on track. If a person has a goal or target weight, all he has to do is input that information on the website or the app. Then it will come up with a well-balanced nutrition plan. After this, the person can easily stay on track by following the plan. The great thing is that one doesn’t have to follow the whole plan strictly. Since these apps are only meant to guide the person, he can choose to skip a day or two when he’s feeling overwhelmed or he just wants to indulge.
Stay motivated. When a person is following a proper plan, he will be more motivated to keep on going. This is especially true if the person sees the progress he is making as time goes by. Depending on the person’s health goals, calorie counter websites and apps can increase motivation. Even more so if a person finds one which is highly inspiring, fun, and interesting.
Mobilize. With these calorie counters, one can count the calories of the food he’s eating no matter where he is. This will help the person mobilize in order to achieve his goal weight. One excellent thing about these apps is that they’re usually compatible with Android and iOS devices and this makes them very convenient.
With a calorie counter website or app, one will be able to achieve better health. Along with exercise, anyone will be able to plan and track all the proteins, fats, carbs, and nutrients he eats at every meal. Some apps can even help one measure his biometrics which is very beneficial for those who have specific medical conditions. From simple apps to more complex ones, there’s something for everyone. Now let’s take a look at the best calorie counter websites and apps out there:
MyFitnessPal
When searching for the best calorie counter websites and apps online, you’ll always run into this one. This is a phenomenally successful app which is compatible with Android, iOS, Windows, and even Blackberry. When compared to others out there, it’s leagues ahead in terms of diet management and, of course, calorie counting. With this app, you input your vitals as well as your goals. Then, MyFitnessPall will estimate the number of calories your body is able to burn without having to exercise. All you have to do is record all the foods and beverages you consume.
The layout of this app is simple, clean, and easy to navigate. This is very important especially for those who tend to feel lazy when it comes to recording everything they’ve consumed each and every day. Also, since the database contains more than 3 million food items, this makes monitoring your calories and achieving your targets extremely simple. If one wants to get the most out of this app, he should log all his daily activities in it too. One can do this manually or he can also sync the information with other health apps out there.
MyFitnessPal is both a calorie counter and a diet tracker. It’s mainly oriented towards weight loss and it’s one of the most popular apps out there for those who want to keep track of their food intake. Because of the huge database, one can use it to log his meals quickly while taking advantage of the intuitively simple interface. Anyone who is looking for a good calorie counter would have already heard of MyFitnessPal.
Originally, it was created for users in America as it can read the barcodes of items which one can find in the local supermarkets. But now, it’s being used by people all over the world. Anyone who’s serious about nutrition will definitely benefit from this app. As the person clicks on the food section, he can choose the food item he has eaten. Then, the person types in the serving of his meal. As the person keeps on doing this throughout the day, he will be able to find out how many calories he consumes regularly. One can also take advantage of the fitness log feature. To use it, simply select or type the exercise category one is planning to do. Then he will be able to learn how much he has burned after each workout.
The biggest advantage of this app is that it’s very effective for those who want to lose weight because it will help them keep track of their exercises and the food they eat. For a lot of people, losing weight is a challenge. Fortunately, this calorie counter can help make things easier. If the person is really disciplined and uses the information he gets from the app, he’ll definitely see noticeable results after some time.
Another advantage of this app is its user-friendliness. The app and the site are so easy to use. It can even save the person’s favorite meals so he won’t have to keep on searching them each time. And if the person’s choice of sport isn’t in the app, all he has to do is type it and the app will search for it. And of course, one of the best advantages of MyFitnessApp is that it’s free!
But just like any other app or site, this one also comes with some disadvantages. For one, there’s a possibility for inaccuracy. A lot of the foods in the database have actually been uploaded by the other users so there’s really no guarantee that the information is accurate. Also, MyFitnessPal isn’t calorie-specific. This means that the serving the person is about to consume may be bigger or smaller than the information listed. Finally, if one wants to take advantage of some of the app’s handiest features, he would have to pay for the subscription.
Nutracheck Calorie Counter +
Most of the calorie counter apps and sites available are geared towards the users in America. This one, however, is targeted at a UK audience. With it, the person can search for meals or food items from different restaurants and supermarkets in the UK. It can also be used to scan different food items using the barcode. With this app, the person can set his nutrient intake and calorie goals based on his weight, height, activity levels, and even his personal goals. One can choose to track his daily protein, sugar, salt, intake, and more.
Lifesum
This is another popular app among health and fitness enthusiasts. It has cool features such as nutritional information breakdown, syncing with third-party fitness trackers, and of course, calorie counting. This app is simple to use and it has an appealing design compared to the competition. This makes it perfect for those who are looking for consistency and simplicity in their calorie counter. It’s also free which is great news for a lot of people.
Diet Point · Weight Loss
Sure, calorie counting and food tracking are very helpful features. But if a person also wants to determine which food items to eat, then this app would be perfect. The app comes with over 130 diet plans which are geared towards weight loss. These plans include easy and delicious breakfasts, lunches, and dinners to suit the person’s dietary preferences and weight loss goals. Some of the plans are free but if one wants to avail of the “pro” version, he would have to pay for it.
Calorie Counter PRO
Although this app comes with the word “PRO” in it, it’s actually a great choice for beginners. This app offers food tracking, calorie counting, and diet advice features. It’s great at educating the users on their food choices. When the person uses the barcode scanner, he can also acquire nutritional advice on more than 600,000 various food items. The app can also adjust to suit the specific diet of the user. This will help the person determine if he’s getting sufficient nutrients daily or if he’s in danger of nutrient deficiencies. The downside of this app though is that it doesn’t come free.
Spark People
This website can help the person keep track of calories, nutrition, daily activity, and progress. It comes with a barcode scanner one can use to count the calories of packaged foods as well as a pie chart which includes a breakdown of the person’s fat, carbs, protein, and calories. After one navigates through the site, he will notice that it’s really an interactive one. It even has “Spark TV” where the person can see view dance showcases, yoga videos, and other workout videos too.
When a person signs up, he will be able to keep track of his weight, the foods he eats, and his exercise activities. As time goes by, the person will receive “Spark Points” as a reward for his progress. Also, the site comes with additional features such as Spark Recipes and Spark Mail. The biggest benefit of this site is its interactive community. Through this, one will be able to learn about other people’s success stories, write messages on the message board, and even access different challenges. Also, this interactive community can help the person stay motivated until he reaches his goals.
Another advantage of this site is that it has a lot of resources. These include blog feeds, recipes, articles, videos, and more all related to health, fitness, and nutrition. Finally, the site is extremely user-friendly. In fact, one would be able to navigate through the website and the app easily. On the other hand, the downside of Spark People is that it’s too spread out. This makes it quite difficult to find specific forums which one would be interested in. Also, a lot of people find it hard to log food on the app.
Cron-O-Meter
This is available as an app and on a website. On this, people can keep track of their calories as well as their progress towards their goals for weight loss. Aside from being able to view the caloric information of the food eaten, one can also make use of the charts and reports to see how many calories he is consuming and how many he’s burning.
The Cron-O-Meter keeps track of a person’s body weight, exercise, and diet too. Since this is considered as a calorie counter, one can use it to count calories as the basic feature. But people can also use it to create a whole diet plan that’s in-line with his goals. To use the app, the person needs to indicate if he’s following a certain diet. Then the app will provide some new information about the diet. After the person shares his profile, diet, and goals, the app will come up with a customized plan for him to lose weight.
One can acquire the Gold Upgrade by paying for it. This comes with a deeper analysis feature, no advertisements, and other handy features too. A huge advantage of this app is it offers precision. With it, the person can log the exact serving of the food he eats each and every time. Therefore, one will be able to keep track of the accurate amount of calories he consumes at each meal. Also, the app and site will provide the person with his own individualized plan. In fact, it’s more than just a calorie counter as one can customize it fully. It even comes with profile options for pregnant or lactating women.
The disadvantage of this app is that you have to pay for it. Although using the website is free, the app comes at a price. Also, the calorie counting doesn’t apply to homemade meals. This means that people can only count their calories if they consume purchased food items and foods from restaurants.
FatSecret
Here’s another great app that’s free with Android and iOS. And the great part about this app is that you won’t have to pay for any upgrades because it’s a basic app. It’s very effective for people who want to count calories, keep track of their exercises, and monitor their weight loss too. This also comes with a journal and the option to connect with other people who are also using the app. This app will allow the person to break down their meal-by-meal intake, daily intake or monthly intake too.
Signing up with this app is easy as one can use his Facebook account, Google+ account or email. Then all he has to do is type in the meals he’s planning to consume or some of the most popular food brands available out there. The standout benefit of this app is that it has accessible features. It has a huge database which means that people can easily track their meals, snacks, and even their desserts. The features of the app and the site are easy to use and easy to adjust as well.
FatSecret offers its users a great breakdown. It’s a very specific app which makes it easier for people to keep track of their progress. Also, it will allow the person to view his daily or monthly progress which showcases the nutrients he has consumed for each of his meals. This also comes with an interactive chat community. This is a unique feature because it allows people to chat with each other in order to share recipes, advice, success stories, and more. However, the website version is fairly cluttered which means that new users may need some time to learn all about it and adjust to all the features.
Lose It!
Just like most calorie counters out there, this one is mainly geared towards users who want to lose weight. The app will provide the person with a calorie budget to follow daily. Once installed on one’s phone, the person can use it to log meals, scan barcodes, and even calculate the number of calories he has burned from a gym session. The app also takes into consideration various factors such as sleep, macronutrient intake, and more. It’s another socially interactive app which will allow the users to communicate with each other in order to stay motivated.
People who use this app have the option to upgrade to a premium package. This will unlock a lot of additional features including a nutrient breakdown, recording one’s body measurements, and more. It’s both a calorie counter and a food diary and it’s very useful as it also provides a caloric intake recommendation based on the person’s weight, height, age, and weight loss goals. After the person sets up his profile, he also has to input his gender, age, weight, and height. Then he will set up his personal goals so that the app can recommend a plan for weight loss. With this app, keeping track of food is a lot easier. It provides people with 3 different ways to track his food intake all of which are simple and straightforward.
The app also provides enough motivation to the users mainly because of the online community. When a person is able to communicate about his goals with others, he tends to become more inspired to achieve his health and fitness goals. One downside of this app is that one has to pay for all the additional features which are also very useful. For people who are looking for a free calorie counter, this won’t be an ideal choice. Also, there’s a lot of clutter on the website. Yes, it’s user-friendly but it’s fairly hard to navigate especially if you’re trying to search for specific information.
Other Great Calorie Counter Apps
There you have it, the best and most popular calorie counter websites and apps available now. Of course, since there are so many different choices out there, it would be unfair to claim that the others aren’t too effective. With that in mind, here are other great apps and websites one can consider if the first 9 aren’t what they’re looking for:
Jawbone UP
While a lot of trackers out there work the same way, with this one, you can also input the information about the meals you consume each and every day. In fact, doing this is very easy through this app. People can split their logs into food groups and meal times. The app also comes with a barcode scanner so that one can just take photos of his meals, input the nutritional information, as well as the portion size.
This will help improve the database and maintain the accuracy of the food diary. This is a free app which rates the person’s food choices and it even comes with a cool Smart Coach feature. This will provide the person with valuable insight so that he can reach his fitness goals. It also provides the person with helpful recommendations and tips to help with his progress.
Shopwell
This is another standout app which will help people make better, healthier choices while shopping at grocery stores. With it, the person enters his fitness goals, his nutritional requirements, and even his food sensitivities. These are the first steps one must do to set up the app.
Then as the person starts shopping, he can scan the barcodes of the different food items to get valuable information such as the nutritional content, added sugar and sodium, and more. One can even click a photo of his receipt for a complete analysis of all the food items he has purchased and how all of them align with the person’s nutritional goals.
MyPlate Calories Tracker
This is a full-featured app for dieting that’s subscription-based. It has a huge nutritional database which includes up to 2 million different food items. With this app, one can count his calories and keep track of his macronutrient and water intake. All these will help him determine if he’s progressing towards his diet goals.
Also, the person can also generate charts and apps which will help him assess and visualize his food habits. However, even though the app has a huge database, some claim that it’s not very comprehensive. Also, one cannot use this app to track exercises and physical activities unlike some of the other websites and apps available.
Carbs Control
The main function of this calorie counter is to help the person monitor his carbohydrate intake. This makes it perfect for people who follow low-carb diets or even for diabetics. With this app, a person can monitor his daily intake of carbohydrates and he can also view the breakdown of all his meals. As the person records the carb totals of all his meals, it would automatically create a food diary.
This also has a fairly large database with up to 100,000 foods but it doesn’t come free. It’s a great choice for those who want to keep a food diary which focuses on carbohydrates and is willing to spend on a calorie counter app. However, it’s not suitable for those who want a more comprehensive app which provides a lot of information.
MyNetDiary
This, on the other hand, is a free app which comes with so many cool features. It comes with basic features such as calorie counting but one can also use it to keep track of more than 40 macronutrients as well as several snack and meal times. It’s easy to log information in this app since it comes with serving sizes that are flexible, a barcode scanner, and the choice to take photos of food and add those photos to the database. One can also get advice daily as well as an analysis to help fine-tune the approach to weight loss and remain on track to achieve one’s goals.
My Diet Diary Calorie Counter
A lot of calorie counters out there have simple, utilitarian designs. This one, however, comes with a beautiful interface which appeals to a lot of users. Of course, it’s highly effective too as it comes with different features. This includes counting calories, keeping track of hydration and exercise, and so much more. One can also use the forums in order to get support from others and have their common questions answered.
Fooducate Weight Loss Coach
Tracking calories and losing weight is a long process of learning. This app will help people monitor what they eat but also educate them about the nutrition of the different food items as well. Aside from keeping track of one’s caloric intake, this app can also track the person’s sleep, exercise, hunger levels, and mood. It’s very informative as it also teaches people about food additives and how to read the list of ingredients more effectively.
HAPIcoach
The makers of this app claim that it can help people eat better in a matter of 5 days. With this app, the person takes photos of everything he eats and logs at least 10 different meals over those days. Then, a nutrition expert will analyze the person’s eating habits and gradually help him make worthwhile and substantial changes in his diet. Mind you, we aren’t talking about a nutritionist powered by artificial intelligence. The analysis and insight are provided by a licensed nutritionist who will provide the person with personal feedback and suggestions based on his data. Also, one can keep track of his weight and his daily activities through the app which means that he is basically getting the whole package in a simple app that’s easy to use too.
Weight Watchers
This app helps teach people to make smarter choices in the long-run. It helps those who want to lose weight to identify and select food items which promote weight loss. After evaluating the person’s weight and goals for weight loss, this app will provide him with a “point range” to guide him. With this app, each food comes with a point value and all this information can be viewed on the app. If the person stays within his given point range, he’s guaranteed to lose those unwanted pounds in no time.
People who use this app can log everything they eat and also keep track of their exercises and the progress of their weight loss. Through the app, they can also get support from other users and plan their meals rather than just counting their calories after consuming them. As a bonus, people who use this app can also swap the point they’ve earned for when they want to indulge once in a while. While this app will teach users to make better food choices in the long run, the app itself comes at a price and it doesn’t have as many options in terms of connecting with other fitness apps.
Noom Coach
Finally, this free app will keep the users motivated as it comes with the basic capabilities along with helpful tricks and tips for healthy eating. The app comes with a pedometer that’s already built-in as well as an exercise log with the food diary. With it, keeping track of the food intake is made a lot easier. It comes with broad search options, a barcode scanner, and it even gives people the chance to custom-create their calorie and food counter.
This app also has a Pro version available but it comes at a price. Of course, this version comes with additional options such as recipe idea, a customized support group, and more. When used with iOS 8, one can integrate the app with the HealthKit and Apple Health app. This will allow the apps to sync and update automatically using the information from some of the fitness trackers.
Conclusion
A lot of people want to lose weight fast. Unfortunately, a lot of people also get tired and frustrated when they step on the scale and don’t see the results they want even though they feel like they’ve put in a lot of effort already. For this reason (and many others), people can turn to calorie counter websites and apps for help. There are plenty of choices out there and they each come with their own standout features. When it comes to weight loss, calorie counting can be very helpful but it takes more than this. The important thing everyone should remember is to do what’s best for himself.
