# Calorie tracking with Apple Health and Apple Watch

By Ryan Bulcher, CalTrak developer. Updated November 3, 2026.

Source: https://caltrak.app/guides/apple-health-calorie-tracking

If you wear an Apple Watch, it's already measuring how much you move. CalTrak can use that to make your daily calorie budget more realistic, and write your food back to the Health app so it's all in one spot.

## What CalTrak reads from Apple Health

- Active and resting energy, which is what your Watch or iPhone estimates you burned
- Workouts from your Apple Watch or other apps that save to Health. It knows over 50 workout types by name and shows route maps for walks, runs and rides if you allow it.
- Weight, waist and body fat, if you track those somewhere else

## What CalTrak writes back

- The calories and macros you log
- Weight and body measurements you enter in CalTrak

CalTrak doesn't write workouts. You pick each permission in the Health prompt and can change them later in the Health app.

## The Calorie Burn Bonus

Most calorie targets already assume a normal amount of activity. If an app then adds every calorie your Watch measures on top of that, you end up counting your exercise twice and eating back more than you burned.

The Calorie Burn Bonus only adds activity *above* your normal maintenance burn. On a quiet day your budget doesn't change. On a day with a long run or a hike, the extra gets added to that day.

More on workouts, Golf Mode and the bonus on the [Apple Watch and exercise page](https://caltrak.app/features/apple-watch-and-exercise).

## Setting it up

1. CalTrak asks about Apple Health during setup. Pick what to share in the permissions prompt.
2. Your activity and workouts then show up alongside your log.
3. To control whether food gets written to Health, use **Sync Food to Apple Health** on the Profile tab.

You can check or turn off access any time in the Health app: tap your profile, then Apps, then CalTrak.

## Privacy

Health is optional. CalTrak uses your Health data on your phone to work out your budget and show workouts. It doesn't upload your Health data to CalTrak's server. More on the [privacy page](https://caltrak.app/private-calorie-tracker).

## On Android?

CalTrak for Android does the same thing with Health Connect. See [calorie tracking on Android](https://caltrak.app/guides/calorie-tracking-on-android).

## Questions people ask

**Does CalTrak have an Apple Watch app?**

CalTrak works with Apple Watch through Apple Health. It uses your Watch's activity and workouts to adjust your daily budget. You log food on your iPhone.

**Should I eat back my exercise calories?**

Not all of them, because most calorie targets already include normal activity. CalTrak's Calorie Burn Bonus only adds activity above your usual maintenance burn, so nothing gets counted twice.

**Does CalTrak write my food to Apple Health?**

Yes, if you allow it. The calories and macros you log, plus any weight and body measurements you enter, get written to Apple Health.

## Get CalTrak

CalTrak is free on iPhone and Android. No account, no ads, no subscription, and AI logging is free. Your food log stays on your phone.

4.9-star App Store rating from 99 ratings; 4,000+ downloads across the App Store and Google Play.

- App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/id6764352979
- Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ryanbulcher.caltrak
- Support: support@caltrak.app