Best Watch to Use as a Calorie Tracker for 2025

With the many advancements in the tech industry, wearables have become particularly popular. While many people wear them for style, many other people invest in smartwatches and activity trackers due to their functionality. If you don’t own one, you probably know someone who does. Smartwatches can help you do many things, as they are the most technologically advanced watches that have ever been created and a staple of the century for health and fitness.

They can help keep track of our daily activity by measuring the number of different metrics, including the number of calories burned. However, you might know what smartwatches can do, but do you know how they work? We’ll take you through how they work and some of the best calorie tracker watches available in the market.

What Are Calories?

A calorie is simply a unit of measurement, a unit of energy, to be precise. In general, you can define a calorie as the amount of heat required to increase the temperature of one liter of water by one-degree celsius. It is not the same as the calories in the food you consume. These ones are referred to as small calories or kilocalories (kcal). Calories measure energy. There are calories in all the food we consume, and they help our body parts to perform their various functions.

How Do Smartwatches Keep Track Of Calories?

Once you have your smartwatch, you’ll need to create an account for it. Next, you’ll be asked to fill in some necessary information such as your height, usual activity level, weight, sex, and age. The data collected by the smartwatch company are used to calculate your basal metabolic rate (BMR). Every activity that occurs in your body depends on energy. Even the ordinary things you do to survive, such as breathing, digestion, and even blinking, will consume calories. Therefore, even when you think you’re seated doing nothing, your body is still burning calories.

The number of calories your body can burn depends on your body’s details that you input into your account. The most common example is that bigger people tend to have a higher BMR than smaller ones. Also, men’s BMR is higher than that of women too. Your smartwatch takes your details and uses them to calculate the amount of energy you use when engaging in a daily activity; it’s also known as energy expenditure. Smartwatches primarily rely on third-party apps for calorie counting.

The movements are measured by the accelerometer that’s in-built in the smartwatches. The accelerometer is also what measures your step count. Your heart rate is tracked by the heart rate monitor found in the watch as well. It checks how fast your heart beats to track the approximate amount of calories burned; you tend to burn more calories when your heart beats fast. The technique used usually varies depending on the manufacturer.

For example, for the Fitbit Versa, Artificial Intelligence is used at the core of the calorie burn algorithms that take physical activity into account. Other mechanisms to make it work include machine learning and biometric data. The data is collected from different people, and it’s used to create the company’s calorie calculator algorithm.

It’s important to note that the data you get from your smartwatches is only an estimate. It can never be 100% correct. You won’t have a scientifically accurate number on the number of calories you’ve burned. This is because they don’t measure calories directly. They only estimate the calorie count using their algorithm, heart rate monitor, and accelerometer. In addition, the smartwatch does not consider all of the factors that influence how many calories you’ve burned.

Is a calorie counter useful to lose weight?

Some smartwatches and apps will also include a weight loss calculator. Depending on your body weight, the caloric intake will vary. The key to weight loss is ending the day in a calorie deficit and limiting your daily calorie intake.

Exercise is also a great way to reach your goal weight. Improving your nutrition and eating habits can also be improved when using a calorie counter app.

Even though calorie tracking can be tedious, smartwatches now offer the possibility to automatically estimate your calorie needs, calorie intake, and exercise level.

Some smartwatches and associated calorie counting app also include a food database and meal plans that will help in reducing body fat and increase muscle mass.

Gamification is key for successful weight management. By giving a fun way to track daily calorie intake, weight loss has never been so easy…even though we all know it requires will and constant motivation.

Best Calorie Tracker Watches For 2021

Since you now know how smartwatches help you keep track of your calories, it’s also essential to learn more about some of the best smartwatches on the market. We’ve reviewed several different types of calorie tracker watches based on their attributes. The following are some of the best calorie tracker watches you can spend your hard-earned money on in 2021.

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Healbe GoBe 3

Best overall

This wearable takes the title of best calorie tracker. It’s the best overall due to several reasons. It claims to track calories burned through your skin, and the accuracy level of the algorithm is up to 89%. It also tracks your hydration over two weeks. According to Healbe, the smartwatch not only tracks calorie intake and hydration but can also be used for sleep tracking and stress tracking. It can also keep track of your emotional state—a solid choice. The only true calorie intake counter on the market.

Healbe uses an algorithm’s technology to count both calories burned and absorbed. Specifically, the company created a piezoelectric impedance sensor to push high and low-frequency signals through wrist wearables. The signals are modified using water that’s released as glucose is absorbed by cells. As a result, the sensor in the watch tracks calories hours after digestion within a ballpark range.

The predecessor GoBe 2 had a lot of improvements and more sensors, unlike the earlier generation. For example, the accuracy level was 80-85%, but it had bulkiness issues. However, Healbe addressed the concerns with the GoBe 3. As a result, the GoBe 3 has a more sleek design and looks like a smartwatch.

Features

• It uses a bioelectrical impedance sensor to measure all the fluid that moves both in and out of your body cells for automatic calorie tracking. It has an in-built HEALBE FLOW Technology that utilizes an advanced algorithm for analyzing impedance data, and the calories burned calculation using your glucose curves.
• Your body hydration is tracked 24/7, and it notifies you when you need to hydrate. After putting on your GoBe 3 wearable, it starts to collect data immediately to analyze your typical hydration level. It learns about your hydration levels between two days and two weeks. After learning, it calculates your hydration levels using the bioimpedance sensor and the HEALBE FLOW Technology.
• It understands your emotions and helps you keep your stress levels under control. Your pulse data is analyzed every hour to estimate your stress levels. It also analyzes your sleep quality data and anthropometric parameter. The app has an hourly diagram that shows stress levels recorded in 24 hours. Five is the highest stress level, and one is the lowest.

• The device also helps you to keep track of calories. It helps in fitness tracking through personalized reporting. Getting enough sleep is essential in maintaining good health. With the GoBe 3, you’ll barely have problems getting enough sleep. It measures your sleep through skin contact with the sensor. It works as a heart rate monitor by measuring motion behavior and your heart rate.
• It also can track your steps. So for any fitness enthusiasts, that is an essential ability.
• While the heart is the most critical organ in the body since it provides the body with essential nutrients and oxygen, the Healbe GoBe 3 keeps track of the pulse and blood oxygen levels.  The piezo-sensor is used to determine the heart’s frequency.

Pros

• All your body’s necessary facets are monitored for fitness
• It has a sleek design that can attract anyone.
• All of its unique features are presented in the form of a compact smart band to offer you maximum comfort.
• The energy balance features help with weight loss through managing water and diet balance.
• It tracks your stress level. It detects stress peaks and helps prevent physical exertion.
• You can track your sleep quality.
• Step count is available for health and fitness.
• It has MIP Color Display with a QTouch sensor and swipes available.

Cons

• It’s not a fitness watch.
• The calorie tracker is not always 100% correct.

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Huawei Band 4 Pro

Best For Price

At its price point, Huawei Band 4 Pro works very well. It has a heart rate monitor, and it also records routes. It includes a built-in GPS module that helps with recording tracks even without a smartphone. In addition, it monitors calories burned during your workouts. Some countries offer NFC (Near Field Communication). This feature enables payments when combined with Apple Pay or Google Pay. For less than $60, the Band 4 Pro is hard to beat. We use it daily, and except for the need for an Android Phone to change the watch faces, we have no complaints.

Features

• The Huawei Truslee 2.0 helps with sleep tracking. It keeps track of your heart rate to recognize the four phases of sleep and to check on the sleep quality while you’re asleep. It also identifies the six types of sleep problems.
• It has the Huawei TruSeen 3.5, which monitors your heart rate 24/7. If your heart rate goes above the heart rate limit, it provides intelligent vibration reminders.
• The built-in GPS helps track swimming, walking, running, cycling, among other activities, without you having to carry your phone. You can leave it at home and view GPS data on the map.
• It includes multiple different sports modes, including both indoor and outdoor running, cycling, and it can also track swimming, among others.

Pros

• Provides excellent visual experience with a 0.95 inch AMOLED touchscreen which offers impressive color and contrast. There are a variety of watch faces available in a variety of styles.
• It provides healthy living through sleep tracking and identifying sleeping disorders like sleep apnea.
• The built-in GPS is efficient in enabling fitness tracking without carrying your smartphone around.
• It has a long battery life that can last 5-12 days.
• It Has a great affordable price point.

Cons

• It’s not entirely accurate.
• The smart band is region locked.
• Need for an Android Phone to change the watch faces.

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Fitbit Charge 4

Best For Accuracy

The Fitbit Charge 4 is much more advanced than its predecessors. It’s built with Fitbit Pay, Spotify Support, and standalone GPS. Fitbit has been able to produce some excellent fitness trackers that a lot of people like. One of the unique features of the Fitbit Charge 4 is the metric called Active Zone Minutes, which allows for tracking the time spent actively burning fat. Not only are the Active Zone Minutes informative. They are also great for motivation.

Features

• It measures half an inch at its thickest point, offering a sleek design. The style of the Special Edition is beautiful. It has a reflective black granite woven band. If you’re doing sweaty workouts, you can use the black flexible plastic band provided.
• It has a grayscale touch screen that is one inch diagonally in measurements. It’s much easier to read when outside under a shade than in the sun.
• Has a screen timeout setting. You can adjust how long you want the screen to stay on.
• It can be switched to different watch faces depending on your mood.
• The interface isn’t cluttered; you can easily keep track of your fitness, heart rate, Active Zone Minutes, sleep data, calories burned, among others, by simply swiping up.

Pros

• It has a decent battery life that can last up to 7 days.
• It’s water-resistant to 164 feet. It doesn’t cause skin irritation when the tracker is dried.
• You can see your real-time pace and distance as well while your phone is at home through the GPS.

Cons

• It doesn’t have a color display.
• The interface is fundamental.
• The screen wake can be a bit finicky.

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Also to consider

Fitbit Versa 3

This is yet another fitness tracker that’s most certainly worth considering. It has several features that are highly beneficial, including tracking blood oxygen level, it charges pretty fast, the battery life can last up to six days, you can download third-party apps, offers voice assistant, you get real-time stats from the available 20+ goal-based exercises, menstrual health tracking and guided breathing as well.

Pros

• Onboard GPS.
• AMOLED display.
• Mic and speaker for text dictation.

Cons

• Slow to sync.
• The notification replies are Android-only.
• Health metrics aren’t easy to find.

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Garmin Lilly

If you have a small wrist, this is the ideal smartwatch for you. Unlike most fitness trackers, it has a jewelry-inspired design and is perfect to combine style and fitness. The price point is very reasonable for a premium smartwatch, plus it includes a lot of health-tracking features.

Pros

• The design is stylish.
• It has a lot of useful widgets.
• It can measure stress, energy level, and breathing pattern.
• It has a Blood oxygen level sensor.
• The companion app is excellent.

Cons

• It doesn’t have a color display.
• It doesn’t have a built-in GPS.