Calorie Counter [Download]

In my Calorie Counter program you can enter simple information about yourself and keep a track of what you eat and what effect your current eating habits may have on your future. The program calculates how many calories you need to eat per day to hopefully reach or maintain your target weight. There is a database of just under 1,000 foods to help you see just what you are eating and what to avoid. Calorie Counter also allows you to keep a daily diary of your food intake and it can display a graph showing your progress.

It is very important for us to realise the amount of calories we need each day to maintain a healthy body chemistry and prevent the symptoms of feeling too tired, a lack of energy etc. Eating too few calories is just a bad as eating too many, as our bodies need a constant calorie intake to function correctly.

The program automatically calculates your BMI (Body Mass Index) and your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate). It then gives you a 'Calories Needed Per Day' figure to help you maintain your current weight or reach a target weight, whether that is up or down.

The Body Mass Index (BMI), is a statistical measurement which compares a person's weight and height. Though it does not actually measure the percentage of body fat, it is a useful tool to estimate a healthy body weight based on how tall a person is. Due to its ease of measurement and calculation, it is the most widely used diagnostic tool to identify weight problems within a population including, underweight, overweight and obesity.

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the amount of energy used while at rest in a neutral environment, in the post-absorptive state (meaning that the digestive system is inactive, which requires about twelve hours of fasting in humans). The release of energy in this state is sufficient only for the functioning of the vital organs, such as the heart, lungs, brain and the rest of the nervous system, liver, kidneys, sex organs, muscles and skin. BMR decreases with age and with the loss of lean body mass. Increasing muscle mass increases BMR.