I’ve spent over 1,000 hours reviewing clients’ food diary entries.
Most people think they’re tracking correctly but there’s a number of obvious and not so obvious mistakes that keep them in a calorie surplus, and prevent them from losing weight.
Here are the five biggest mistakes I see again and again:
- Logging generic foods instead of brand-specific: For example, “cheddar cheese” might show 400 calories per 100g, while your brand is actually 450.
- Using inaccurate nutrition information: Apps allows user-submitted foods, which are often unverified and contain errors. Many people log the first option without checking the nutritional information.
- Recording at the end of the day: Logging after eating makes it harder to stay on track if you exceed your daily targets. Pre-logging helps you plan and stick to your limits.
- Not customising serving sizes: “1 medium apple” can range from 60 to 120 calories. Weighing your food and verifying serving sizes ensures you stay within your targets.
- Adjusting for activity: Apps often overestimate calories burned during exercise. Eating back those calories can erase your deficit.
Small tracking errors can stall progress for weeks.
The good news? They’re easy to spot and fix once you know what to look for.
Master the basics, and weight loss becomes much simpler.