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Ready to smash your goals? Thought so
Nutrition and a balanced diet can be something people look to when a new year rolls around. When downloading a calorie counting app though, it’s important to remember that calories alone won’t take into account whether your food is nutrient-dense, satiating or just out-and-out healthy. For example, you could hit your daily calorie target but in actuality have eaten twice your daily sugar allowance.
So, what to do if you’re looking to track?
First of all, while being mindful of the above, you don’t have to dismiss calorie counting totally. Calories can be a handy resource – the NHS maintain that a calorie counting diet is still a good overall way to understand your food intake and can be an invaluable tool if you’re trying to lose weight in a sustainable, healthy way. When it comes to weight loss and learning how to lose body fat, CICO (calories in, calories out) is a tried and tested measure.
Not everyone who goes looking for information about calorie counting apps should be using them. If you’re already a healthy weight for your height and are still trying to lose weight, consider reaching out to a medical or mental health professional to work with you on creating a healthy body image and moving away from unnecessary weight loss. If you find these apps triggering it is best to avoid them.
If you, or anyone you know, is struggling with an eating disorder, contact Beat, the UK-based charity who hope to end the pain and suffering caused by eating disorders.
T: 0808 801 0677
E: help@beateatingdisorders.org.uk, under-18s: fyp@beateatingdisorders.org.uk
First up, let’s get clear on what a calorie actually is: a unit of measurement used to establish the amount of energy in our food. To get really technical, it’s the exact amount of energy it would take to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water by 1 degree Celsius.
Some foods have more calories than others – e.g. an apple vs. a steak – as well as being made up of different macronutrients (protein, fat or carbohydrates). Learning how to count calories can be the difference between fuelling your goals or accidentally overeating a certain macro, like protein or fat.
To make the whole thing easier (and give you a more detailed snapshot of how rounded your eating is), it’s worth downloading an app that goes beyond just numbers and gives you an insight into exactly how your food fuels you.
How many calories you eat a day will be dependent on your age, weight, lifestyle and activity level. The number of calories you need to eat to lose weight will be different to the next person, to the next person, to the… well, you get it. Basically, it’s highly individual.
The equation to calculate how many calories you need to eat to lose weight is fairly simple but many calorie counting apps will do this for you when you sign up. One of the many perks of technology.
This calculation is to determine an appropriate calorie deficit for you. A calorie deficit is when you consume up to 500 calories fewer than what your body needs for maintenance. Consuming less than you expend like this forces your body to use other energy for fuel – usually body fat.
Most calorie counting apps (including free calorie counting apps) will do this calculation for you but, if you’d prefer to work it out for yourself, use our handy calorie deficit infographic below:
For sure. Most of the calorie counting apps WH recommends below are free – though some have ‘premium’ options, while others cost a few quid a month. It’s what works for you and your monthly budget.
While no app is going to be 100% accurate, the best ones are going to be around 99%. It’s tricky to not factor in a little human error when it comes to calculating super precise amounts. Even the best calorie counting app will only be as accurate as you make it – if you’re trying to keenly track your calorie intake, you’ll need to be more precise. Looking for a looser evaluation? Estimates can give you a good idea of how much you’re eating and from what sources.
The kaiser of food calorie counter apps, MyFitnessPal has long been the go-to tracker of everything from calories to macros. Flexible for whatever health goals you’re looking to achieve, it will track your weight and height and then calculate a recommended daily calorie and macro intake dependent on your fitness goals.
For the IIFYM pros, you can set macro goals dependent on your fitness goals. The biggest win? The MyFitnessPal blog offers nutritional tips and fitness coaching. Check-in daily for free workouts and recipes. Plus, you can use it on your Apple Watch.
Download MyFitnessPal
This calorie counter free app helps you reach a targeted weight by giving you progress updates and telling you the amount of fat, carbs and sugar you have consumed throughout the day.
If you’re someone who likes to eat pre-made healthy snacks, you’ll make good use of the barcode scanner to take the faff out of food tracking. But, on evenings when you have more time to cook, log whole recipes easily using the ingredients functions.
This free fitness app also helps to revamp your diet, by suggesting foods to add and discard. Winner.
Download: Control My Weight
This app to scan food for calories allows you to scan the barcodes of your food, calculating calorie intake on the spot. According to MND they have more than 988,000 foods in their database – pretty impressive.
It beats most other diet apps as it has a community forum that gives you the chance to speak with fellow users looking to share tips, motivation, and recipe ideas. A perfect tool for those on the go.
Download: MyNetDiary PRO Calorie Counter
Noom sets itself apart from day one: this app isn’t about quick or rash fixes, the goal is to make lasting change.
‘We work with customers across the globe to help them create healthier habits, reduce their risk of chronic health problems, reverse disease, and foster healthier relationships with themselves in the process,’ says the brand.
Great marketing spiel, but what does that actually mean for you? A loss of 5% or more of body weight and a reduction in risk of diabetes and other conditions, according to research published in journal British Medical Journal (BMJ).
To get you started on your journey you’ll answer an online survey so Noom’s 360-degree team can gather information about your health and environment. Your results then inform a plan that’s delivered to your inbox.
The app links you up with an interactive coach, giving you access to your recorded exercise and food diary and ensuring you’re making progress.
Link it up to your Apple Watch to get daily breakdowns of your meals. Now that’s easy.
Download: Noom Coach Weight Loss Plan
This food calorie counter app is not just another calorie counter app, it takes your grocery shopping to another level. With a detailed database of what you may be putting into your body, this app also works as a food diary with its barcode scanner. (Adding new foods also isn’t a big task).
On Lose It! you can check your fat loss journey through graphs and keep in touch with a community online.
With over 250,000 products with photos of their UK food database, this is the app for anyone trying to log food and being caught out by the ‘Americanisms’ of some of the big apps.
Over your 7-day free trial, track your carbs, sugar, protein, fat, saturated fat, salt and fibre and be secure in the knowledge each product has been verified for accuracy.
Link up with your activity tracker via Apple Health to bring all your goals into one place – just remember, if counting calories ever begins to feel restrictive or a bit too much, take a break. Come back when you feel ready or leave it for a little longer depending on how you feel. These tools are there to help you, not rule your life or cause anxiety.
As part of the NHS’ Better Health initiative, they’ve created a free app that provides a 12-week guide to help maintain a balanced diet which is also super simple to use. You can keep track of eating habits with the daily diary, helping keep to your recommended calorie target (if that’s your aim). Not only this but it includes motivational advice and tips for reaching your goals as well as ways you can achieve a more active lifestyle.
With an attractive and easy to use design, Lifesum is made to help adjust your eating habits by creating personalised nutrition that is flexible and highly customisable, whether you want to lose weight, maintain or gain weight, or just feel a little healthier. It works alongside numerous types of diets, with meal plans suited to individual dietary restrictions and lifestyle, as well as encouraging healthy habits like water intake – all of which helping reach those personal health goals.
With a huge database of hundreds of recipe ideas, it’s also a great source of inspiration for when you’re stuck on ideas for your weekly dinner plans.
Before you jump two feet into the world of calorie counting apps, let’s cover a few things it’s good to know beforehand.
We don’t say this to be a downer on your health goals, more to be realistic. Calorie counting apps are not for everyone. Because, whilst documenting your meals and diet on your phone can be an incredibly accessible way to track your daily intake, it can also start to feel like a chore for many people.
If this is the case, don’t feel any shame. Not everything works for everyone. Instead, try a different technique to reach your goals like trying to add a fistful of protein to every meal you eat, filling half of your plate with leafy green vegetables and increasing the amount of water you drink each day. There’s more than one way to do the health thing, it’s about doing what works for you.
Some calorie counting apps have the option to input your weight. This can be useful if you’re trying to maintain a calorie deficit as the number of calories you’re aiming for will change as your body weight changes.
Either use the app to calculate how many calories you should aim to eat each day or scroll back up to use our calorie deficit calculator again.
Finally, last but very much not least, your calories should mostly be coming from nutrient-dense wholefood food sources. Yes, protein shakes and protein bars can be handy in helping you hit your goals but they shouldn’t make up the majority of your diet. In fact, your main focus should be on eating feel-good foods and fueling your life, not eating foods because they fit into your daily calorie allowance. This can lead to nutrient deficiencies fairly quickly and cause you to feel sub-par.
Try to make sure you’re getting a wide variety of fruits, vegetables and lean protein in your weekly nutrition, saving 20% of your diet for things that aren’t so nutritionally rewarding.