
This 2019 study by Brown University, for example, found that people who monitored their food intake better lost more weight. What gets measured gets improved Click To TweetĪnd research supports this for weight loss. No one wants to be scanning barcodes in a calorie counting app and weighing every ingredient for the rest of their lives, after all.īut calorie or macro-counting is a tool you can always come back to, whether you decide you want to lose a little weight again, fuel your fitness better, track your intake of a certain nutrient like fibre or protein, or focus on building muscle by eating in a calorie surplus.Īs the saying goes: What gets measured gets improved. But learning about the energy density of different foods can teach you about healthy portion sizes and give you the knowledge you need to maintain weight loss without tracking afterwards. In fact, doing so isn’t for everyone, and for some can lead to over-restriction, obsession and an unhealthy relationship with food.įor those who can maintain a balanced approach, however, counting calories can be an incredibly useful method for achieving your fitness goals, as well as a fascinating educational tool.Ĭounting calories shouldn’t be forever. While you do need to be in a calorie deficit to lose fat, you don’t necessarily need to count calories. Read on to find out whether Nutracheck or MyFitnessPal is the best calorie counting app and which would best help you achieve your fitness and fat loss goals. It’s often the first calorie-counting app people try - so I was intrigued to download Nutracheck and see how it compares.Ī month later, I found myself pleasantly surprised by Nutracheck. Having used MyFitnessPal on and off for over a decade, I know the app really well.

To help you make that decision, I’ve used both apps and reviewed them for ease of use and practicality, health guidance, cost, extra features, and more. Two of the biggest players in the field are MyFitnessPal and Nutracheck, but it might be that one of the two suits you better than the other, so choosing the right app for you could be the key to your fat loss success. Tracking your food intake by counting calories or macros (AKA macronutrients, which are protein, carbs, and fat) can be a really helpful way to ensure you’re in a calorie deficit (essential if you're trying to lose weight) - or surplus or at maintenance, depending on your goal - and a calorie counting app is a handy way to do that.
