Is MyPlate a free calorie counter app?
Free to download, try every feature free. 3-day free trial. The calculators on myplate.world are free.
FAQ
MyPlate — questions, answered
The app, calorie tracking, fat loss and a calorie deficit, building muscle in a surplus, calories in protein, carbs and fat, and nutrition basics. Looking for tools? See the calculators.
The MyPlate app
How does the AI food scanner count calories?
Snap a photo of any meal — home-cooked, takeout, or restaurant — and MyPlate's AI identifies the food and instantly returns calories, protein, carbs, fats, and fiber. You can also scan a barcode or food label at the store to see nutrition before you buy.
Is this the USDA MyPlate app?
No. MyPlate by K-UBE is an independent AI calorie-tracking app, not affiliated with the USDA's MyPlate nutrition guide (myplate.gov) or its "Start Simple with MyPlate" app. The name reflects the same idea — knowing what's on your plate — but this app adds AI photo logging, barcode scanning, and automatic calorie targets. The App Store lists it as "MyPlate: Calorie Deficit App" and Google Play as "MyPlate: AI Food Tracker, Log".
Who makes the MyPlate app?
K-UBE LLC. The App Store name is "MyPlate: Calorie Deficit App" and the Google Play name is "MyPlate: AI Food Tracker, Log". It is not USDA MyPlate and it is not Livestrong MyPlate.
Does MyPlate work as a MyFitnessPal alternative?
It is a separate calorie-tracking app. Free to download, try every feature free. 3-day free trial. Compare the workflow on the MyFitnessPal alternative page.
Calories & tracking
How many calories should I eat a day to lose weight?
It depends on your age, weight, height, sex, and activity. MyPlate calculates your daily target, TDEE, and a safe deficit. A 500-750 calorie daily deficit typically yields 1-1.5 lbs of loss per week. Preview the math with the free calorie calculator on this site.
Can I track macros and protein, not just calories?
Yes. MyPlate includes a macro calculator and protein tracker. Set goals for keto, high-protein, low-carb, or balanced diets and see grams of protein, carbs, fats, and fiber per meal with daily summaries.
What is a MyPlate plan?
In the app, your MyPlate plan is a personal calorie and macro target: the app calculates your TDEE and builds a daily plan for your goal — losing, maintaining, or gaining weight by a chosen date — then tracks every meal against it. Preview it with the free calorie calculator here.
How accurate is AI calorie counting?
AI photo estimation is very good for common foods and portion sizes and improves with clear photos. For packaged items, the barcode scanner reads exact label data. Use photo logging for speed and barcodes when you want precision — both beat guessing or skipping logging entirely.
Nutrition basics
What is MyPlate (the USDA guide)?
MyPlate is the USDA's official nutrition guide, introduced in 2011 to replace the food pyramid. It shows a plate divided into fruits, vegetables, grains, and protein, with dairy on the side — a visual of healthy meal proportions. See our full "What is MyPlate?" guide.
What are the 5 food groups?
Fruits, vegetables, grains, protein foods, and dairy. A balanced plate is about half fruits and vegetables, a quarter grains (at least half whole), and a quarter protein, plus dairy.
What replaced the food pyramid?
MyPlate replaced the food pyramid (MyPyramid) in 2011 because a plate is easier to apply to real meals than stacked bands. See our food pyramid vs MyPlate comparison.
Losing fat & calorie deficit
What is the fastest safe way to lose fat?
Set a moderate calorie deficit — about 500 calories a day for roughly 1 lb of loss per week — keep protein high to protect muscle, and add resistance training. Faster is not better: aggressive deficits cost muscle and tend to rebound. Our calorie deficit guide walks through the numbers, and the calorie deficit calculator finds your target.
How many calories should I cut to lose weight?
Cut about 500 calories below your maintenance level (TDEE) for a sustainable loss of around 1 lb per week, or up to 750-1,000 for faster loss if you have more to lose and keep protein high. Do not drop below roughly 1,200 calories (women) or 1,500 (men) without medical advice.
Can an app help me lose belly fat?
You cannot spot-reduce belly fat, but it comes off as part of the overall calorie deficit that tracking helps you maintain. Logging meals by photo or barcode keeps your intake honest, which is usually the missing piece. See the calorie deficit guide for the full picture.
Why am I not losing weight even though I eat less?
Usually it is untracked calories (oils, drinks, and bites), water retention hiding fat loss on the scale, or a maintenance level that dropped as you lost weight. Track accurately for two weeks, judge the trend over 2-3 weeks rather than day to day, and recalculate your target. Accurate logging is exactly where an AI food scanner helps.
Gaining weight & building muscle
How many calories do I need to build muscle?
Eat a modest surplus of 250-500 calories above maintenance, get 1.6-2.2 g of protein per kg of body weight, and train with weights. Bigger surpluses mostly add fat, not muscle, because muscle can only be built so fast. Our calorie surplus guide covers lean bulking and the macro calculator sets your protein.
Do I need to eat more to gain muscle?
For steady muscle gain, yes — a slight calorie surplus supplies the extra energy to build new tissue. Beginners and people with higher body fat can sometimes build muscle at maintenance ("body recomposition"), but a small surplus is the reliable path for most people.
How do I gain weight without getting fat?
Keep the surplus small (250-500 calories), prioritize protein, train with progressive overload so the energy builds muscle, and eat mostly nutrient-dense whole foods. Track your weekly weight trend and trim the surplus if you are gaining faster than about 0.5-1% of body weight per week. This is often called a lean bulk.
How much protein do I need for muscle?
Around 1.6-2.2 g of protein per kg of body weight (roughly 0.7-1 g per pound), spread across the day. See our calories in protein, carbs and fat guide for how that translates into calories and meals.
Calories in protein, carbs & fat
How many calories are in protein, carbs and fat?
Protein and carbohydrate each have 4 calories per gram; fat has 9; alcohol has 7. Fat is the most calorie-dense, which is why oils and fatty foods add up so fast. Full breakdown in our calories in protein, carbs and fat guide.
How do I calculate calories from macros?
Multiply grams by calories per gram: protein × 4, carbs × 4, fat × 9, then add them up. A meal of 30 g protein, 40 g carbs and 15 g fat is 415 calories. MyPlate totals this for you automatically when you log a meal.
Is fat bad because it has more calories?
No — fat is essential for hormones and absorbing vitamins A, D, E and K. It simply has 9 calories per gram versus 4 for protein and carbs, so small amounts add up quickly. The goal is the right amount for your target, which the macro calculator sets.
What are macros?
Macros (macronutrients) are protein, carbohydrate and fat — the three nutrients that provide calories. Tracking macros, not just total calories, helps you get enough protein for muscle and balance your energy for your goal. Set yours with the macro calculator.
AI calorie tracking & apps
How does AI calorie counting work?
You photograph a meal and the AI identifies the foods and portions and returns calories and macros in seconds. For packaged foods, the barcode scanner reads exact label data. It removes the manual searching that makes most people quit tracking. See our AI calorie counter guide.
Is MyPlate a free alternative to Cal AI?
Free to download, try every feature free. 3-day free trial. The calculators on myplate.world are free.
How accurate is a photo calorie counter?
Very good for common foods and normal portions, and better with clear, top-down photos. It is an estimate, so use the barcode scanner for packaged foods when you want precision. Consistency matters more than perfection — a quick log every day beats perfect tracking you abandon.
Which is the best calorie counter app?
The one you will actually use every day. AI photo apps remove the friction of manual logging; MyPlate combines AI photo logging with barcode scanning.