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In today’s technology driven world, we can use macro tracking apps to help provide an easy way to count our daily calorie and macronutrient intakes.
These macro counting apps/tools are a fantastic way to see almost exactly what you are putting into your bodies. But, at first, counting your calories, carbs, fats, and proteins can be a huge transition, especially when you’re new to the ketogenic way of eating.
By setting up a tracker app with the below suggestions, you will be able to use the many benefits to knowing exactly what is going in your body and how much of each macronutrient you need to eat to reach your goals.
If you ask the Keto Community “how do you track your carbs on keto?” You’ll be flooded with a chorus of MFPs (MyFitnessPal) and Carb Manager. Both these apps have free versions that are very helpful when following a ketogenic lifestyle.
In this article, I’ll be outlining how to use each one to track carbs on the ketogenic diet. But first, what is the difference between MyFitnessPal and Carb Manager.
Pros and Cons of MyFitnessPal
MyFitnessPal is one of the most popular calorie tracking apps, and it’s free (unless you want extra features that are helpful for keto dieters).
With a massive food database, you can find almost any food you desire on MyFitnessPal. However, the main reason for their massive database is that anyone who uses the app can submit anything they want. This makes it difficult to know which food item in the database you should choose.
The free MyFitnessPal app also doesn’t know how to track net carbs, only total carbohydrates and fiber. This makes it a bit more difficult for keto dieters to use because they have to make their own net carb calculations.
Here’s a quick list of the pros and cons of MyFitnessPal:
Pros:
- Weight loss/gain progress graph
- Huge food database
- Great for tracking packaged foods with barcodes
- Option to add recipes directly from your favorite keto recipe websites
Cons:
- Inaccurate food database
- Can’t track net carbs on the free app
- Can only use macronutrient percentages (not specific gram targets)
- Advertisements throughout the app
Pros and Cons of Carb Manager
Carb Manager is another popular calorie tracking apps, and it’s free (unless you want extra features that are helpful for keto dieters).
With an extensive food database, you can find almost any food you desire on Carb Manager.
Here’s a quick list of the pros and cons of Carb Manager:
Pros
- Includes a vast database of more than 100,000 food items
- Set up net carb allowances to ensure you don’t overeat
- Great for tracking packaged foods with barcodes
- View a progress bar of your carb consumption each day
- All of the content is stored locally on your device so there is no need for an Internet connection
- Imperial and Metric systems are both fully supported
Cons
- Advertisements throughout the app
- Searching “generic” foods difficult
Is Carb Manager or MyFitnessPal Better?
Both apps will give you everything you need to track calories and carbs on keto. The fact that MyFitnessPal doesn’t track net carbs and tends to be less accurate gives Carb Manager a slight edge.
However, there is one thing that we can help you decide. Whether you choose MyFitnessPal or Carb Manager (or any other calorie tracking app), make sure you use it. By tracking your carbs every day, great results are well within your reach! Keep tracking and working toward your goals
Why Track Your Carbs?
You might be asking, “What’s the point of using a macro tracker?” Well, there are numerous reasons to, including:
- Portion Control: As you read more and more nutrition labels, you’ll start to realize that serving sizes are really small. Manufacturers do this on purpose in order to get their “macros” low, and to get more people to buy. These apps can help you follow proper portion control, resulting in proper diet control and therefore better results.
- Hidden Carbs: Some labels show that their products have 0 carbs, but you’d be surprised at how many things actually have carbs in them. Remember, 1g of carbs can really add up over a day’s worth of eating! Splenda used to be one of my favorite sweeteners I would use in my coffee because it had no carbs in it, but it actually has quite a few carbs if you are using it a lot. (**Splenda also has a filler maltodextrin which has a high glycemic index)
- Delusional Beliefs: We’ve all done this. You might drink a glass of milk and call it a cup – most of the time we don’t measure our foods out and that can be a big problem.
These are the main reasons why some keto dieters don’t get the results they are expecting. Luckily, we all have access to macro trackers like MyFitnessPal or Carb Manager, so you won’t have to worry about any of these issues getting in your way.
