A Lean Life is a reader-supported site. Any purchases made through links might earn a commission at no cost to you.

Calorie Counter Watch

Published by David Williams

As an engineer, David loves technical product comparison and analyzing the data to assess top products.

Table of Contents

A calorie counter watch is a very effective fitness tracker to help you get control of your calories. If you’re one of the millions of people struggling with weight loss, then a calorie counter watch might be exactly what you need. At least it was for me.

I started using this type of watch in 2016 that tracks all the key fit metrics each day. This includes calories, steps, distance, and more. It was a revelation for me! It opened my eyes to this valuable world of info, and how it affected my weight loss.

Some of the simple, everyday ways it influenced my daily life? 

Before I wore a calorie counter watch, I only thought about fitness and burning calories during my workouts. And now that I had this mini computer tracking all of this data throughout the day, I became very aware of the impact of daily life on these important fit metrics.

Achieving Your Daily Fit Metrics is More Than Just Your Gym Time

Calorie Counter Watch StepsAgain, I never considered step count during the day. But now that I had a goal of 10,000 steps a day, it was always in my subconscious. And even though I went for a 30 minute or even 45 minute jog-walk in the morning, there was no guarantee that I would get to 10,000 steps. It’s more than you think!

So I started parking in the very back of the parking lot at the grocery to log another 500-1,000 steps. Or I would take a 5-minute walking break at work several times a day to log another 1,000 steps. 

When shopping at Walmart, I would go out of my way to take a few extra laps around the store, or sometimes even multiple laps. And what I realized, is that these were all key to getting to that 10,000 steps a day.

When I spend a day a the beach, I always go for a 30 to 60-minute power walk down the beach (30 minutes out, and 30 minutes back). All of these extra bumps in my steps don’t mean much by themselves. But over the course of a year, the impact is monumental. And these little bumps also help you to achieve your daily goals!

Choose Three Daily Goals for Your Calorie Counter Watch (These Are Your 3 Key Metrics)

These are my daily goals on my calorie counter watch:

  • Steps: 10,000 steps
  • Calories: 3,000 calories
  • Distance: 5 miles

I don’t use “stairs climbed” because I have a bad left knee, and stairs in general are just not on my radar. I don’t use them for anything in my daily life. But if they’re in your daily life somehow or someway, then absolutely include them! 

I suggest targeting three metrics that fit well into your daily life. Too many goals (or metrics) can become overwhelming and hard to manage. So keep it simple, and you can easily manage and stay on track withe your daily goals. 

Calorie Counter Watch to Help You Track Your Calories

Best Calorie Counter Watch

Fitness trackers are a truly incredible way to help you get very aware of your calorie journey. And how this journey can affect weight loss and weight control. 

Tracking these metrics over the course of a day has very little impact on the big picture. But walking an additional 30,000 or 50,000 steps over the course of a month starts to have a real impact. (1)

And they are incredibly accurate. I have double checked my Fitbit on many occasions. Over short distances, and long distances. Counting my steps manually, and then comparing to my Fitbit. It’s uncanny how accurate the step count is, and the best calorie counter you can try.

I have also done a great deal of studying about my BMR for calories burned. And based my age, height, weight, body frame, and body type, I am 100% certain that the calories burned is extremely accurate as well.

What do I mean and how do I know? 

On days when I have been sick and lied around all day, my Fitbit shows that I burn around 2,000 calories, give or take 100. This lines up exactly with my calculated BMR for my age, height, and weight. So it’s just another “cross check” that this little computer on my wrist is a fitness tracking dynamo.

Calorie Tracking is the Secret Sauce to Long-Term Weight Control

Calorie tracking is the absolute best way to get control of your weight. And this comes from a lot of baggage and experience. More than I care to admit. 

I tried Atkins, South Beach, Weight Watchers, juicing, fasting, low carb, high fat, keto, and everything in between. And they all have merit in their own right. (2)

However, until I got very cognizant of my calories burned, as well as calories consumed, everything else was mainly a fad. I would lose, I would gain. 

But using fitness trackers is a powerful lifestyle change for the long-term. It might take a little getting used to (about a week), but once you do after a week or so, it’s like breathing. And it’s life-changing in terms of weight control. It’s the foundation that controls a great deal about your fit journey.

Other Ways to Use Fitness Trackers

Another great benefit of fitness trackers is understanding your sleep tracking. So quality watches are not only fitness trackers, but also sleep monitors. I have a goal for sleep as well, and that is 6 hours. My watch gives me a reminder 30 minutes before bedtime to start winding down. And when I sleep it does not bother me having it on my wrist.

David Williams

David Williams

A diet and fitness enthusiast, David is an ex-Army Airborne Ranger and Infantry soldier with decades of fitness and wellness experience. A West Point graduate with a degree in engineering, he focuses on technical research related to fitness, nutrition, and wellness. He loves the beach, and spending time with his wife and daughters.

References

  1. 5 surprising benefits of walking. Harvard Health. (2022, August 25).
    https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/5-surprising-benefits-of-walking
  2. West, H. (2016, June 7). Counting calories 101: How to count calories to lose weight. Healthline.
    https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/counting-calories-101#TOC_TITLE_HDR_1