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CALORIE-COUNTING-APPS

5 Calorie Counting Apps That Actually Work

A free pizza or stray piece of birthday cake sits on the kitchen counter at work. It’s inviting you in for just a taste. It’s like you’re in some kind of Death Star tractor beam that won’t let you out of its grasp. Before you know it, you’ve just eaten three slices.

You’re not the only one who’s been abducted by empty calories.

Listen: Indulge all you want! But if you’re also plagued with regret because you just don’t have time to hit the gym either, there are fitness apps that make guilty pleasures feel a little less guilty. Counting calories, which all the time-efficient apps below do, is not for everyone. The important thing is to get the body moving and the heart rate up for a balanced lifestyle. Should you want to know how many miles you need to run to work off that piece of cake, well, you can do that, too.

MyFitnessPal

Consider MyFitnessPal to be the cream of the crop — the ultimate app that keeps you in check. It’s extremely easy to use and easy to update, based on how much you’ve gained or lost. Tell the app how much you weigh and how much you want to lose, and it’ll give you a goal number of calories for each day. When you hit that number, you can see how much you’ll weigh in a month if you keep hitting your goal. Using MyFitnessPal kept this writer from overeating and snacking, but also showed what was being eaten in the past. Three slices of pizza and four highballs really add up.

Available for: iOS and Android

Cost: Free; Premium upgrade is $9.99 per month or $49.99 per year

Nike Run Club

The best thing about this fitness app is that it’s essentially a game. Download the app, input your specs, press start, and just go. You’ll eventually want to challenge yourself and beat your previous goals. The app tracks every second of your run, telling you your average time and pace, and will even pause if you get an unexpected phone call or have to stop and take a breather. FYI: There’s also Nike Training Club, which is absolutely chock-full of downloadable exercise tutorials for the gym or home.

Available for: iOS and Android

Cost: Free

Motiv Ring

Let’s be honest: Fitness tracking bands can get gross, especially as it accumulates sweat. This one, however, is comparably unnoticeable — but comes in at a steep price ($200). Motiv Ring slips over your finger and tracks your activity, sleep, and heart rate. The accompanying free app makes it super easy to view your progress and allows you to see how much or little sleep you’re getting. A big part of living a healthier lifestyle is ensuring you’re getting enough sleep for your body to naturally restore itself. You know, to make sure you’re actually in REM and not spending an hour before bedtime on Reddit.

Available for: iOS and Android

Cost: The app is free, but the ring itself is $200.

Sworkit

This one is perfect for the constant jet-setter. Not every hotel has a state-of-the-art or even decent gym. For those long weekends away, Sworkit is a life saver. Each of their fitness plans are created by authentic personal trainers who want you to succeed as badly as you do. There are a number of workouts to make it happen, including 50 workouts to choose from. We’re big fans of the 7-Minute Workout...for the obvious, efficient reasons.

Available for: iOS and Android

Cost: Free 7-day subscription; $14.99 a month or $89.99 a year

FitOnApp

Made for busybodies and those who don’t want to spend $30 for one cycle class. This membership fitness app provides pre-recorded and live-stream fitness classes for you to follow in the comfort of your home. The classes are taught by Insta-famous fitness trainers like Blogilates’ Cassey Ho and Hollywood pro Jeanette Jenkins. Not to mention, you can create your own virtual workout class, inviting friends to join and see where you stand on a live leaderboard (friendly competition never hurts, right?). The app also tracks calories and pushes your heart rate up just a little more.

Available for: iOS and Android

Cost: Free 7-day subscription; $14.99 a month or $59.99 a year