No matter what diet you choose, it’s important to track what you are eating so you can ensure you get fit. There are a ton of different programs and apps that offer calorie counting services, so it can be hard to decide which one is best for you.
Amongst these apps are two very popular calorie counting apps: MyFitnessPal and Lose It!. While these two apps share many similarities, they do differ in quite a few areas. We’ll compare both, then go over the Modern Fit Program in our comparison.
MyFitnessPal
MyFitnessPal is a food diary app that helps keeps track of food intake. After setting up your profile, it will evaluate your information and give a baseline net calorie target to try and hit each day. Users are able to log food and exercise in their Food Diary and Exercise Diary. Foods and recipes can be saved for easier logging in the future. MyFitnessPal is often touted as one of the best calorie counting apps on the market because it has a huge food database and is easily compatible with most devices.
MyFitnessPal does offer a premium version at $9.99 a month, or $49.99 a year. With the free version you can track calories, exercises, and weight and a few other metrics. The big plus that comes with the premium version is the ability to track macros and nutritional content. This goes a long way and provides a lot more information than just calories. When you pay you are also able to track many more metrics and goals. With the premium version you are also able to import data through CSV files, and you will gain access to some exclusive content such as motivational and workout videos.
You can sync a ton of apps with MyFitnessPal as well. These apps include: activity trackers, step trackers, scales, lifestyle, wearables, fitness apps, exercise equipment, and fertility.
Pros:
- Easy to add food
- Basic services like counting calories are free
- Not too expensive
- Syncs with a lot of apps
Cons:
- Tracking macros requires premium
- Exclusive content is underwhelming
- Database can sometimes be inaccurate
Lose It!
Weight loss is not solved by a one size fits all program. That’s why Lose It! develops a personalized weight-loss plan and calculates a daily calorie intake limit based on your age, weight, and fitness goals. The company even boasts that it makes weight loss personal on its website. The app is available for iOS and android, and allows users to track food intake, set goals, and join communities that can provide help and motivation.
The company’s food database – which contains more than 7 million food items from supermarkets, various food brands, and restaurants – is verified for each item’s nutrition information by a team of highly qualified experts. You can easily use the built in scanner to scan items at the store and instantly log the calories from the food, or you can even take a picture and have the app identify the food. The only problem about logging food is that the app does not monitor intake of vitamins and minerals.
Like most apps, Lose It! offers a free version along with a premium version. The premium version, which is around $40 a year, offers meal planning, nutritional insights based on what you ate, data analysis, more goals, and better synchronization with apps.
Lose It! claims that users have had better success when switching to the premium version, and even boasts users have lost three times more weight with the version. However, this has not been substantiated with hard evidence.
Pros
- Basic services like calorie counting are free
- Barcode scanner
- Exercise tracker
- Personal database of foods
Cons
- Only tracks calories, so users must make healthy choices
- Tracking macros and other metrics not free
- Food nutrients aren’t broken down well
Comparing the Two
While MyFitnessPal can offer more overall content, reviews say Lose It! is more fun to use and can be much more intuitive. Moreover, tracking can be much quicker and easier with Lose It!. Another concern is planning ahead. Lose It! users complain that they cannot log days in advance, which can be very helpful for those with very busy schedules.
However, those who eat out a lot will enjoy a more robust food database when it comes to restaurants with MyFitnessPal.
In the end, both calorie counting apps offer similar services but with slightly different user integrations. It might be best to try both and decide which one is more friendly to you.
If you’re looking for a bit more than just a calorie counting service, then Modern Fit could be perfect for you. They offer tailored meal and fitness plans based on your lifestyle, and online coaching to make sure you stay motivated and on track. Sign up for a 7-day trial today!
