Or how many calories in sugar? Or how many calories or fat grams in a cupcake? Search FitWatch's free online calorie counter for your favorite foods.

You'll get not only the number of calories for the foods you eat, but the complete nutrition facts: carb, protein and fat grams, plus vitamins and minerals.

Tired of dieting? Join the F ck the Food Police movement. Disconnect from diet culture — and reconnect with yourself.

Check out these 10 healthy slow cooker recipes perfect for the whole family. If you are striving to eat from more plant-based sources, you may be curious about how to use tofu in everyday cooking.

Tofu is versatile, nutritious, and adapts well to many different kinds of recipes. Did you know you can create a personalized nutrition plan tracking more than nutrients with MyNetDiary Premium?

Learn how to get started and meet the nutrient goals that are important to you. When it feels like sitting is the new smoking, wondering how to counteract sitting all day becomes as much a health concern as limiting calories and avoiding carcinogens.

The good news is a study that included around 8, people showed Be Healthy for Life! Your weight loss, diet, and nutrition assistant. What it takes to succeed Find your Diet Find a diet that fits your lifestyle: Calorie Counting, Low-Carb, Keto, Vegan, Vegetarian and more.

Set Your Targets Choose your desired weekly weight loss rate, target date, and source of calories like fat, carbs, and proteins. Reach Your Goals Monitor your daily progress, check your weight loss forecast, and receive ongoing advice and feedback. It is best to base your diet on high-quality foods from plants or animals that have been minimally processed.

High-quality foods not only provide health benefits, but they also make it a lot easier to consume fewer calories in the long run. Basing your diet on minimally processed foods is beneficial for long-term health and weight loss.

Aim for slow and steady weight loss, and make sure you have a plan. Reading food labels and keeping less junk food in the house can also be helpful for success. Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available. Calories matter, but counting them is not at all necessary to lose weight.

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Nutrition Evidence Based Counting Calories How to Count Calories to Lose Weight. By Helen West, RD on June 7, How we vet brands and products Healthline only shows you brands and products that we stand behind.

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Read more about our vetting process. Was this helpful?

The Katch-McArdle Formula is slightly different in that it calculates resting daily energy expenditure RDEE , which takes lean body mass into account, something that neither the Mifflin-St Jeor nor the Harris-Benedict Equation do.

Of these equations, the Mifflin-St Jeor Equation is considered the most accurate equation for calculating BMR with the exception that the Katch-McArdle Formula can be more accurate for people who are leaner and know their body fat percentage.

The three equations used by the calculator are listed below:. where: W is body weight in kg H is body height in cm A is age F is body fat in percentage. The value obtained from these equations is the estimated number of calories a person can consume in a day to maintain their body-weight, assuming they remain at rest.

This value is multiplied by an activity factor generally 1. As such, in order to lose 1 pound per week, it is recommended that calories be shaved off the estimate of calories necessary for weight maintenance per day.

For example, if a person has an estimated allotment of 2, calories per day to maintain body-weight, consuming 2, calories per day for one week would theoretically result in 3, calories or 1 pound lost during the period.

It is important to remember that proper diet and exercise is largely accepted as the best way to lose weight. It is inadvisable to lower calorie intake by more than 1, calories per day, as losing more than 2 pounds per week can be unhealthy, and can result in the opposite effect in the near future by reducing metabolism.

Losing more than 2 pounds a week will likely involve muscle loss, which in turn lowers BMR, since more muscle mass results in higher BMR. Excessive weight loss can also be due to dehydration, which is unhealthy. Furthermore, particularly when exercising in conjunction with dieting, maintaining a good diet is important, since the body needs to be able to support its metabolic processes and replenish itself.

Depriving the body of the nutrients it requires as part of heavily unhealthy diets can have serious detrimental effects, and weight lost in this manner has been shown in some studies to be unsustainable, since the weight is often regained in the form of fat putting the participant in a worse state than when beginning the diet.

As such, in addition to monitoring calorie intake, it is important to maintain levels of fiber intake as well as other nutritional necessities to balance the needs of the body.

Calorie counting with the intent of losing weight, on its simplest levels, can be broken down into a few general steps:. The above steps are an attempt at the most basic form of calorie counting. Calorie counting is not an exact science, and can be as complex as you want to make it.

The above does not consider the proportions of macronutrients consumed. While there is no exactly known, ideal proportion of macronutrients fats, proteins, carbohydrates , some balance is certainly advisable, and different foods have been found to have different effects on health, feelings of hunger, and number of calories burned.

Generally, minimally processed plant and animal foods tend to be more conducive to healthy weight loss and maintenance. There are many approaches to weight loss and there is no set ideal method that works for all people, which is why so many different diets and exercise regimens exist.

While some methods are more effective for each individual person, not all weight loss methods are equivalent, and studies suggest that some approaches are healthier than others. That being said, one of the most commonly effective weight loss methods is counting calories.

In its most basic form, calories consumed minus calories expended will result in weight gain if the result is positive, or weight loss if the result is negative. However, this is far from a comprehensive picture, and many other factors play a role in affecting healthy, sustainable weight loss.

For example, there exist conflicting studies addressing whether or not the type of calories or foods consumed, or how they are consumed, affects weight loss. Studies have shown that foods that require a person to chew more and are more difficult to digest result in the body burning more calories, sometimes referred to as the thermic effect of food.

While the increase in burned calories may be marginal, foods that are more difficult to digest such as vegetables generally tend to be healthier and provide more nutrients for fewer calories than many processed foods.

Consistent with the view that in regards to weight loss, only net calories are important and not their source, there exist cases such as the Twinkie diet, where a person that solely counted calories while eating a variety of cake snacks managed to lose 27 pounds over two months.

As effective as this can be, it is certainly not suggested. While the participant did not seem to suffer any noticeable health detriments in this particular case, there are other less measurable factors that should be considered such as long-term effects of such a diet on potential for developing cancers, heart disease, and diabetes.

However, ignoring efficiency and health, sustained, significant reduction of caloric intake or increase of physical activity should result in weight loss, and counting calories can be an effective way to achieve this sole result.

Aside from being one viable method for facilitating weight loss, calorie counting has other somewhat less quantifiable advantages including helping to increase nutritional awareness. Many people are completely unaware of, or grossly underestimate their daily caloric intake.

Counting calories can help raise awareness of different types of foods, the number of calories they contain, and how these calories have a different effect on a person's feelings of satiety.

Once a person has a better understanding of how many calories are actually in that bag of chips that they can so easily inhale within minutes, how much of their daily caloric intake it consumes, and how little the chips do to satiate their hunger, portion control and avoidance of foods with empty calories tends to become easier.

Having actual caloric measurements can also assist in weight loss, since tangible calorie goals can be set, rather than simply trying to eat less. Also, although this is not necessarily directly related to calorie counting, studies have shown that portion control by simply eating from a smaller plate can help reduce calorie intake, since people tend to fill their plates and eat everything on their plates.

Many people do not realize that they are overeating, since they have become accustomed to restaurant-sized portions being the norm, when said portions can be up to three or more times larger than necessary for a typical meal. Once a link is made between the amount of exercise that some snack equates to, many people find abstaining from that bag of chips to be the preferred option rather than performing an equivalent amount of exercise — which can lead to healthier eating habits.

In the end, however, what's important is picking a strategy that works for you. First, you set your targets and plan by answering a few questions that MyNetDiary uses to create your daily calorie budget.

You also get to choose your desired weekly weight loss rate, macronutrient intake, and target weight loss completion date. In addition to its great calorie counting features, MyNetDiary also boasts extreme connectivity: you can connect the app to products from Fitbit, Apple Watch, Withings, Garmin, Google Fit, and Samsung.

Lose It! took the top spot for weight loss because of its large database of food, focus on calorie counting, and community support. Overall, Lose It! is a great weight loss app , largely because it provides such a simple way to log and count calories. has a food database boasting more than 50 million food products, from produce to packaged foods to restaurant meals.

You can also create your own recipes to quickly log calories in one touch for recipes you eat often. For example, if you eat two eggs and two pieces of whole-wheat toast every morning, you can create a recipe and log the entire meal at once, rather than logging the individual items each morning.

Did you know that logging your food with photos helps you become even more aware of your eating habits? To keep you on track with your goals, Lose It! provides weekly and monthly reports of your calorie and nutrient intake, as well as graphs to show your weight loss over time.

Carb Manager makes it easier to stay in ketosis and maintain or lose weight with three different calculators: a keto calculator allows you to track carbs and net carbs, a nutrient calculator allows you to track protein, fats, and other nutrients, and a calorie calculator brings it all together and shows you your total food consumption for the day.

ControlMyWeight is all about logging and counting calories, earning it our top spot for simplicity. The app also features very simple weight charts so you can visualize your progress.

Budget-conscious calorie counters will enjoy this fast and easy calorie counting app from FatSecret. We covered this great app as one of our picks for best keto apps , but it also works as a calorie counter and food diary for any diet.

Calorie Counter by FatSecret is fast, simple, and comprehensive: enjoy a food diary, large food database, exercise diary, weight chart and journal, and a vast collection of healthy recipes to support your efforts. This app also features image recognition of food, making it easier than ever to log and track calories, as well as a unique diet calendar to visualize when you eat and burn the most calories.

MyPlate Calorie Counter is our choice for best calorie counter with recipes because it offers an eight-week meal plan with nutritionally balanced snacks and meals and suggests recipes based on how many calories you burn in a given day.

Paid subscription required for premium features like some recipes and detailed nutritional information. If you are ready to change your eating habits, but unsure where to start, MyPlate by Livestrong can help by offering an eight-week meal plan—even with its free version.

The app, available for both Android and iOS devices, tracks not only how many calories you are eating with each meal, but detailed nutritional information.

Simple graphs and charts make tracking your progress toward your custom goal easy. Plus, the app connects you to other users and success story videos to help you stay motivated.

MyPlate also has a database of exercise routines and tracks how many calories you burn with each. Ate Food Diary is our pick for a non-judgmental alternative to a calorie counter because it focuses on changing eating habits and how food makes you feel.

Ate Food Diary was designed with mindfulness around food as its mission. The app allows you to document your meals and snacks in photos and log why and when you ate them, how your food made you feel, and whether your choices were in line with your wellness goals.

Ate food diary is free for a seven-day trial period. Calorie counter apps make it easy and convenient to keep up with your eating habits and track your progress toward your goals, whether you are trying to lose weight, maintain, or eat a more balanced diet.

If you are looking for detailed insights into your eating habits to help you make a sustainable change with meal plans and community support, download Lifesum, our pick for healthy eating.

Lifesum is easy to use and stick to, with motivational and educational features. A calorie counter app is a program you can use on your mobile device to keep track of all the calories you consume and burn throughout the day. The main feature of calorie counter apps is the ability to record calories and nutritional information.

But many calorie counter apps have other helpful tools, such as activity trackers, barcode scanners, meal planners , support forums, workout videos, and the ability to sync with wearable trackers or other devices or apps.

Many apps can count calories, but good ones should do more by offering a broader insight into overall nutritional health. Our top pick, Lifesum, focuses more broadly on healthy eating by emphasizing food quality and including features such as meal plans and shopping lists.

This app and others also allow you to log foods with a barcode scanner. You should also consider which app balances your calorie-counting needs and budget. For basic needs, free apps like Calorie Counter by FatSecret should suffice, while Lifesum offers a compromise with calorie counting as well as educational features for just a few dollars a month.

If motivation is your biggest hurdle, you may want to opt for a calorie counter that sends you reminders. ControlMyWeight is also a good option for a more pared-down calorie counter with push notifications. Calorie counter apps are designed to turn your smartphone into a food and activity calculator and tracker.

Nutrition apps—also referred to as macro tracking apps—are very similar to calorie counter apps as they give you one place to log and monitor calories and nutrients.

Where they may differ is in the charts, graphs, and data they display. Many experts and studies point to counting calories as one of the best ways to lose weight.

However, it's often more complex than that, and a sustainable plan should include a broader approach to diet and exercise, with a goal of losing no more than one or two pounds per week.

But any such plan still should start with a consultation with a doctor or registered dietitian. The best apps do the calculating for you. What you need to do is accurately enter the foods you eat.

Many apps even have barcode scanners that allow you to scan packaged foods for quick calculations. It's still important to remember that not all calories are created equal.

A healthy diet also needs to consider nutritional content, activity level, and more. Most apps calculate how many calories you should eat each day based on your current weight, height, age, gender, and goal weight.

Some also base this number on how much exercise you are getting. It is always a good idea to consult a doctor or nutritionist about whether your goals and calorie intake are right for you, especially if you have any medical conditions. To be considered for this list, a calorie counter app must have a free version that provides enough features to make it helpful and worth using.

We also considered the food database, and if it included a barcode scanner for quick entry. Apps that allow you to track calories from popular restaurants and grocery-store items were also given priority.

Other features that helped in our reviews included recipe ideas, meal plans, and the ability to track exercise or other activities. And finally, we looked at several online reviews and customer ratings to gain insight into the daily use of the calorie counter apps.

Zhao D, Guallar E, Woolf TB, et al. Association of eating and sleeping intervals with weight change over time: the daily24 cohort. J Am Heart Assoc. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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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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.

Share on Pinterest Getty Images. How we vet brands and products Healthline only shows you brands and products that we stand behind. Our team thoroughly researches and evaluates the recommendations we make on our site.

To establish that the product manufacturers addressed safety and efficacy standards, we: Evaluate ingredients and composition: Do they have the potential to cause harm? 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. Was this helpful? A quick look at the best calorie counter apps.

How we chose. Get started with MyFitnessPal. Cons Since users upload most foods, calorie counts may not always be entirely accurate. Multiple entries may exist for the same product.