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Practical calorie guidance, without the noise.

Clear answers about food, weight trends, and targets. Written for normal life and backed by sources.

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About these guides

Clear guidance. Appropriate limits.

Ori articles explain food and weight topics in everyday language and link to the research behind them.

These guides are general education.

If your situation involves pregnancy, an eating disorder, medication, or a clinical nutrition need, a qualified professional can give advice tailored to you.

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Latest articles

Choosing an app · 6 min read

Simple Calorie Counter Apps for Beginners

The simplest calorie counter apps make logging quick and show one clear number. Lose It!, MyNetDiary, the NHS Weight Loss Plan, Cal AI and Ori compared.

Adaptive weekly target · 6 min read

What Is a Calorie Deficit? A Simple Guide

A calorie deficit means using more calories than you eat and drink, so your body uses its fat stores. How it works, how big it should be, and how to tell.

Adaptive weekly target · 6 min read

How Many Calories Should I Eat to Lose Weight?

The NHS suggests eating about 600 calories a day less than now. Targets by weight for women and men, how fast you'll lose, and what to do if you stall.

Tracking accuracy · 6 min read

How to Count Calories: A Beginner's Guide

How to count calories, with or without an app: count a normal day, set a target, read UK or US food labels, weigh portions at first and check your trend.

Choosing an app · 6 min read

Best Free Calorie Counter App (2026)

MyNetDiary and Cronometer give you the most for free, including a barcode scanner. What MyFitnessPal, Lose It!, FatSecret and Ori offer free, and what's paid.

Adaptive weekly target · 5 min read

How Many Calories Should a Man Eat a Day?

The NHS says an average man needs about 2,500 calories a day. Tables by age, activity and weight, how much to eat to lose weight, and how to find your number.

Adaptive weekly target · 5 min read

How Much Weight Can You Lose in a Month?

It depends on how much you have to lose and how big your cut is. A steady pace is 2 to 4 kg (5 to 9 lb) a month. Why month one shows more, and a stone a month.

Adaptive weekly target · 5 min read

How Many Calories Should a Woman Eat a Day?

The NHS says an average woman needs about 2,000 calories a day. Tables by age, activity and weight, how much to eat to lose weight, and how to find your number.

Adaptive weekly target · 5 min read

How Many Calories Are in a Pound of Fat?

About 3,500 calories (7,700 per kg). Where the 1958 rule comes from, how many calories it takes to lose a pound, and why it overestimates weight loss.

Adaptive weekly target · 6 min read

Reverse Dieting: What It Is and Does It Work?

Reverse dieting means adding calories back slowly after a diet. What it involves, what a 2025 trial found, and how to come off a diet without regaining.

Weighing and the scale · 5 min read

Why Do I Gain Weight Before My Period?

Gaining weight before your period is common. How much is normal, why it happens, how long it lasts, and how to weigh yourself so it doesn't throw you.

Adaptive weekly target · 5 min read

Not Gaining Weight in a Calorie Surplus?

Eating more but the scale won't move? 5 common reasons you're not gaining weight in a calorie surplus, how long to wait, and how much more to eat.

Adaptive weekly target · 5 min read

Why Am I Tired and Weak in a Calorie Deficit?

Tired or weak in a calorie deficit? Usually the gap is too big, sleep is short or training outpaces food. How to tell which, simple fixes, and when to see a GP.

Choosing an app · 6 min read

Best Calorie Counter and Weight Loss Apps UK

Free and paid calorie counter and weight loss apps for the UK: NHS Weight Loss Plan, Nutracheck, MyFitnessPal, Cronometer, MyNetDiary, FatSecret and Ori.

Tracking accuracy · 6 min read

Cooking Oil Calories: Should You Count Them?

Yes. 1 tbsp of oil is about 120 calories and 1 tsp about 40, but not all of it ends up in your food. How much to count when you fry, roast or bake.

Calm tracking · 6 min read

How Long Do You Have to Track Calories?

You don't have to track calories forever. We found no study on how long is enough, but experts suggest lighter options. Here is the research.

Choosing an app · 6 min read

Best Apps for Gaining Weight in 2026

The best calorie tracker and nutrition apps for gaining weight. MyFitnessPal, Cronometer, MacroFactor and Ori compared on gain goals and free versions.

Adaptive weekly target · 5 min read

Is 1,200 Calories Enough, or Too Little?

Is 1,200 calories enough? Not for most men. For most women it's a bigger cut than the NHS suggests, and UK guidance calls it a low-calorie diet.

Adaptive weekly target · 7 min read

Does a Calorie Deficit Make You Lose Muscle?

How much muscle you lose in a calorie deficit depends on how lean you are and how fast you lose weight. Strength work, protein and a slower pace help.

Adaptive weekly target · 6 min read

Is It Normal to Be Hungry in a Calorie Deficit?

Yes, some hunger is normal in a calorie deficit. Constantly hungry? The gap may be too big, or meals low in protein or bulk. How to tell and feel fuller.

Weighing and the scale · 6 min read

When Is the Best Time to Weigh Yourself?

The best time of day to weigh yourself is the morning, after the toilet and before food or drink. The worst times, the best day of the week, and why.

Weighing and the scale · 5 min read

Why Am I Gaining Weight in a Calorie Deficit?

Gaining weight in a calorie deficit is usually water and food: carbs, salt, a new workout or your period. If it keeps rising for a month, check your numbers.

Tracking accuracy · 5 min read

How Accurate Are AI Photo Calorie Counters?

How accurate are AI photo calorie counters? Good at spotting food, but photos alone miss hidden oil and big portions. A short description helps.

Adaptive weekly target · 6 min read

How to Find Your Maintenance Calories

How to find your maintenance calories: the formula calculators use, why it can be off, and how a few weeks of logging gets a number that fits you.

Adaptive weekly target · 5 min read

Weight Loss Plateau: Why Has It Stopped?

A weight loss plateau usually means water is hiding fat loss, you're eating a bit more without noticing, or your target is out of date. What to do.

Choosing an app · 5 min read

Calorie Apps That Let You Hide the Numbers

Some calorie apps let you hide the numbers, and some make calories optional or skip them. What Cronometer, Gympal, Meelo, Ori and others offer.

Calm tracking · 4 min read

Is Going Over Your Calories One Day Bad?

No. A day 1,000 calories over still leaves about 70% of your week's progress, and the next-morning jump is mostly water. What to do the day after.

Adaptive weekly target · 10 min read

Diet Breaks: Do They Work for Weight Loss?

Four randomised trials tested planned breaks from a calorie deficit. None showed faster fat loss in lean dieters, and the evidence they feel easier is mixed.

Tracking accuracy · 6 min read

Should You Eat Back Your Exercise Calories?

Whether to eat back exercise calories depends on how your target was set. When to eat none, when to eat some, and how to check it using your weight trend.

Tracking accuracy · 4 min read

Should You Weigh Food Raw or Cooked?

Raw or cooked both work if the entry matches. 200 g of cooked rice logged as dry counts 730 calories, not 260. Rice, meat and packet labels explained.

Calm tracking · 7 min read

Why Are Nutrition Labels So Confusing?

Reading a label properly means doing arithmetic in a supermarket aisle. What % Daily Value means, where people come unstuck, and what works better.

Choosing an app · 5 min read

Simpler MyFitnessPal Alternatives

Looking for a simpler MyFitnessPal alternative? We compare apps like MyFitnessPal by what each one makes simpler, and who it suits.

Weighing and the scale · 4 min read

How Often Should You Weigh Yourself?

Weighing more often tends to help while actively changing your weight. For keeping it off, the evidence on ideal frequency is less settled.

Adaptive weekly target · 4 min read

Why Do People Lose Weight at Different Rates?

In a 609-person trial, results on the same diets ranged from a 30 kg loss to a 10 kg gain. Why your rate differs, and why it's rarely about willpower.

Tracking accuracy · 5 min read

Are Restaurant Calorie Counts Accurate?

In a lab test of 269 restaurant meals, 1 in 5 had at least 100 more calories than listed. Which dishes run high, and how far off UK law allows.

Adaptive weekly target · 4 min read

What Is NEAT? The Calories You Burn Unnoticed

NEAT calories are what you burn through everyday movement, not exercise. They can shift by hundreds a day without you noticing, in either direction.

Weighing and the scale · 5 min read

Is It Bad to Weigh Yourself Every Day?

Daily weighing helps most adults but can backfire for some. Here's what the research says, who's at risk, and how to get the benefit without the number.

Calm tracking · 4 min read

Is Calorie Counting Bad for Your Anxiety?

Research on calorie counting and anxiety is genuinely mixed. Here's what the evidence shows, and how Ori's Stealth Health mode lets you skip the numbers.

Weighing and the scale · 6 min read

Why Does My Weight Fluctuate So Much?

Your weight fluctuates day to day mostly because of water, not fat, and part follows your menstrual cycle. What moves the scale, and when daily weighing helps.