If you are serious about losing some weight, you are going to have to consume fewer calories than you burn off between your resting metabolism and your activity. Its that simple, if not necessarily easy. But calorie counting can be a cumbersome, time consuming and, lets just say it, annoying chore. So much so that most people simply won't do it. This is a shame because it works.
But today you can find a host of apps that take most of the drudgery out of counting calories. Yes, you still have to enter what you eat and your activities each day. But the modern herd of apps have such improved user interfaces and large databases of foods and activities that you can do so in just minutes per day. Also, most apps will track your progress (motivating!) and report your overall nutritional status as well (educational!). They will usually allow you to create custom foods or activities for things that you enter often and most offer a free version that is probably all you will ever need..
Here are four of the most popular apps for you to consider. (I have used Chronometer for almost 2 years, lost 30 pounds, am stable at my goal weight and spend maybe 15 - 20 minutes a day using it - but I am a retired engineer and enjoy that sort of stuff. All four offer a free version with the option to upgrade to Premium for a cost. Personally, I think the free version is all you will need. In any case you can try the free versions and see which is the best fit for you.
All Data Verified? No.
All Entries Complete? No. Mostly just the info on the nutrition label.
Pros: Extensive chain restaurant data, built-in local restaurant locator, free syncing with popular health and fitness apps and tools.
Cons: Calorie estimates for non-chain restaurants can be grossly inaccurate, the "projected weight loss" feature is simplistic and not very accurate.
All Data Verified? No.
All Entries Complete? No. All contain calorie counts but some nothing else.
Pros: Very easy to adjust the serving sizes to what you actually eat, desktop and mobile versions that are automatically synced and nearly identical.
Cons: Pushy ads for the company's other products can be annoying, tool that is intended to match photos of your food to the database is unreliable (its new so likely will get better).
All Data Verified? Yes.
All Entries Complete? Yes. Some entries do have more detail than others.
Pros: easy to search for common foods both generic and brand name, Freeform feature lets you type in what you ate rather than searching for it item by item, and it has a voice entry feature.
Cons: Using Freeform requires additional inputs to adjust serving sizes, does not track progress over time (they are working on it).
All Data Verified? Yes.
All Entries Complete? Yes.
Pros: Most complete nutritional breakdown, very comprehensive database, graphically tracks progress over time, super easy set up.
Cons: Pop up ads can be annoying, not simple to set custom nutrition goals.
The odds are good that one of these will suit your needs and give you a powerful new weapon in your personal Battle of the Bulge.
I'd love to have your feedback if you use any of these, and welcome other suggestions as well.
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