Diet guide
Calorie Counting: A Practical Guide to Doing It Well
In short
Calorie counting means setting a daily energy target and logging the calories in what you eat and drink, so intake can be compared with the target.
By CalorTracker Team. Published .
What calorie counting is
It is the oldest form of dietary self-monitoring: write down what you eat, add up the energy, and compare it with a number. Every other pattern in this section can sit on top of it, which is why it is a method rather than a diet. Nothing is excluded, and the same method works with a vegan plate or a steak.
Systematic reviews of self-monitoring in weight loss link regular tracking with better results. They do not show that every method works for everyone, and they leave open the question of how long people keep it up, which is the real test.
Setting the target
Start from an estimate of the energy you use: your basal metabolic rate, scaled by activity, which is your total daily energy expenditure. Eating below that creates a deficit, and eating above it a surplus. The calorie calculator, the TDEE calculator and the BMR calculator on this site do the arithmetic, and the glossary shows each formula.
Treat the result as a starting estimate, not a verdict. Real expenditure varies between people, so the useful step is to compare your target with what the scale does over several weeks and adjust, rather than defend the number.
Keeping the log honest
The log is only as good as its entries. Cooking oil, drinks, bites while cooking and weekend meals are the usual gaps. Weigh energy-dense foods such as oils, nuts and cheese, and accept an estimate for the rest rather than skipping the meal.
Photo and text estimates are fast and approximate. Our post on how accurate AI calorie counting is explains why they should be checked, and the per-100 g figures on a food page are the fixed point to compare against.
Foods that fit, per 100 g
Counting is easier once you know which foods are dense and which are bulky. The table puts a few of each side by side: compare calories per 100 g, not per bite.
| Food | Calories | Protein (g) | Carbs (g) | Fat (g) | Fibre (g) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broccoli | 34 | 2.8 | 6.6 | 0.4 | 2.6 | Very few calories for its weight. |
| Apple | 52 | 0.3 | 13.8 | 0.2 | 2.4 | Moderate calories, plenty of volume. |
| Oatmeal (Cooked) | 71 | 2.5 | 12 | 1.5 | 1.7 | Mostly water once cooked, so it is light per bowl. |
| Chicken Breast (Roasted) | 165 | 31 | 0 | 3.6 | 0 | Protein-dense and easy to weigh. |
| White Rice (Cooked) | 130 | 2.7 | 28.2 | 0.3 | 0.4 | A staple whose calories depend on a cooked weight. |
| Almonds | 579 | 21.2 | 21.6 | 49.9 | 12.5 | Small and dense, so it is easy to undercount. |
| Peanut Butter | 598 | 22.2 | 22.3 | 51.4 | 5 | A spoon holds a large share of a snack's calories. |
| Olive Oil | 884 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 | The most calorie-dense food in the kitchen. |
| Butter | 717 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 81.1 | 0 | Close to oil in density, often spread without measuring. |
Values are USDA FoodData Central figures for the food as listed, per 100 g. Each food name opens its own page with portions and every nutrient.
Calculators for this way of eating
These run on the same formulas as the rest of the site, so the numbers match what you see in the app.
- Calorie CalculatorTurns your maintenance calories and a goal (lose, maintain or gain) into one daily calorie target, a weekly pace and a per-meal split.
- TDEE CalculatorEstimates the calories you burn in a day: your BMR from the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, multiplied by an activity factor.
- BMR CalculatorEstimates the calories your body uses at rest with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, from your weight, height, age and sex.
- Calorie Deficit CalculatorTurns your maintenance calories and a goal weight into a daily calorie target, a weekly rate of loss and a rough timeline.
Food lists to browse
Ranked tables of foods by a nutrient, computed from the same USDA data.
Side-by-side food comparisons
Two foods at the same weight, so a swap is one glance.
Read next
Guides from the CalorTracker blog.
Terms used on this page
Short definitions with worked examples.
Safety and who this is not for
Counting can become unhelpful for some people, especially anyone with a history of disordered eating, for whom detailed logging may feed an unhelpful fixation on food. If tracking makes you anxious, stop and speak to a professional. Calculators give estimates, and they should not push you below the minimum intake they display.
This page is general information, not medical advice. If you have a medical condition, take medication, are pregnant or are under eighteen, talk to a doctor or registered dietitian before you change how you eat.
Tracking calorie counting in CalorTracker
- Set your goal and the app builds a daily calorie target from your profile, which you can see on the dashboard.
- Log by photo, text or voice, and check the estimate on the review screen before saving. You can edit any value.
- Record your weight in the app and read the trend alongside your logging, which is how to tell whether the target is right.
Calorie counting: common questions
How accurate does calorie counting need to be?
Do I count calories forever?
Sources
- Burke LE, Wang J, Sevick MA. Self-monitoring in weight loss: a systematic review of the literature. J Am Diet Assoc. 2011;111(1):92-102.
- Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST, Hill LA, et al. A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals. Am J Clin Nutr 1990;51(2):241-247.
- U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025. 9th Edition. December 2020.
- Food values: USDA FoodData Central, as described on how we calculate. Every outside source we use is on sources.
Count calorie counting without the arithmetic
Log a meal from a photo, by text or by voice, check the estimate, and watch the day against your own targets. Free to start, no card needed to explore.
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