5 ways to track what you're eating on the go

Lose It!
This is one of those apps people are just crazy about, and not just because it's free. It's got a sleek, simple interface with a huge database of food and exercises to track, with the kind of charts and graphs that make you feel like you're really getting somewhere. If you're the type that likes to buddy up, Lose It! combines a food journal with the buddy system: you can share your exercise goals and weight-loss successes with your friends to help stay motivated and keep each other on track. It's only on iPhone for now, but the developers are working on an Android version.

Calorie Tracker by LIVESTRONG
With an Android, Blackberry, or iPhone, you can use this app to determine a daily calorie target based on your personal goals, and then search the giant LIVESTRONG database to keep track of your meals throughout the day. Want to keep track of that whole calories-in, calories out equation? You can also track workouts and be presented with a dazzling chart of your progress.

Diet and Food Tracker by SparkPeople
This has long been a favorite online destination with a vibrant and active community for people looking to get healthy, and now you can access your account via your phone when you're away from your computer. Available on Android, Blackberry, and iPhone, this application suggests meal plans based on your goals, and tracks food and exercise. Oh, and it's free.

Calorie Counter
The interface is a bit no-frills with it's stern black and white color scheme, but you can't beat the simplicity of this free application available for iPhone, Android, and Blackberry. They list supermarket brands (great news for you Trader Joe's junkies), plus, it has a built-in barcode scanner to make finding all kinds of prepared foods a cinch.

Foodpics log
If counting every calorie sends you into deprivation mode and makes you go a little wacko, this might be the app for the iPhone for you. It's all the fun of having a blog where you post pictures of what you eat everyday, without all the embarrassment of, well, posting pictures of what you eat everyday on the internet. Developed by a diabetes patient who found he was fudging here and there on his written food log, Foodpics Log uses your phone's camera to snap a pic of what you're eating (with a function to add notes). Export the photos to your computer to print a log for your dietitian or keep as a memento of the best pasta sauce you ever made.


Do you use diet tracking applications on your phone? Or you do you kick it old school with pen and paper?


More from Real-Life Makeover:

• 5 things Jillian Michaels wants us to learn from "Losing It"
• Mastering the art of mindful eating
• 5 steps to help overcome binge eating
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