Blog
Notes on tracking food from a photo
What photo estimates can do, where they go wrong, and how to get useful numbers anyway.
Calorie Calculators Explained: TDEE, BMR and More
A plain-English guide to BMR, TDEE, deficit and macro calculators: what each one measures, how they connect, and which to use first.
Orange chicken calories, and what the sauce adds
Orange chicken calories are 262 per 100 g, a figure two separate USDA datasets agree on exactly. Here is what that means for a plate with rice alongside.
A Diwali Eating Guide: Sweets, Snacks and Calories
A Diwali eating guide focused on logging honestly, not restricting: what has a real calorie figure, what does not, and how to log mithai either way.
Fried rice calories, by what is actually in it
Fried rice calories sit near 174 per 100 g whatever the protein, per USDA. The oil is the variable no table can capture, and here is how to handle that.
Protein and Calorie Tracking: The Complete Guide
How much protein do I need is a common question with only general answers. Here are those ranges, plus sourced high-protein foods and real meal totals.
Ramen calories: instant packet vs restaurant bowl
Ramen calories split two ways: dry instant noodles are 440 per 100 g, a prepared bowl is 108 to 137. Here is the USDA table and why the gap confuses people.
Chipotle, Starbucks and Subway: Official Calorie Data
Chipotle, Starbucks and Subway calories compared side by side, using each chain's own published nutrition data rather than a photo estimate.
Pho calories: what a bowl actually costs you
Pho calories are about 77 per 100 g with meat and 37 without, per USDA. The bowl size is what decides your number, so here is how to count it properly.
Restaurant Calories: A Guide to Every Major Chain
This restaurant calories guide sources every figure from a chain's own published nutrition data, and says plainly where no such figure exists yet.
Miso soup calories, and why the number is so low
Miso soup calories come to about 24 per 100 g, or 59 for a standard cup, per USDA. Here is what the entry covers, what it does not, and how to log it.
Breakfast Foods and Their Calories: A Quick Guide
Breakfast food calories for eggs, oatmeal, toast, fruit and milk, sourced from USDA FoodData Central, plus three real combinations added up.
Sushi calories: rolls and nigiri, piece by piece
Sushi calories run from about 20 to 60 a piece depending on what is inside. Here is the USDA table for eight rolls and four nigiri, with the gram basis stated.
Everyday Foods and Their Calories: The Full Guide
Everyday food calories for the staples most people eat weekly: eggs, chicken, rice, oats, fruit and dairy, sourced from USDA FoodData Central.
Indian Sweets and Desserts: A Calorie Guide
Indian sweets calories are genuinely hard to pin down. Here is why, organized by how each mithai is made, and how to log one honestly anyway.
Indian Food Calories: The Complete Guide
A sourced, dish-by-dish guide to indian food calories: breads, rice, dal, paneer, curries and snacks, plus the ghee and oil most trackers miss.
Logging every day and the weight is not moving
A calorie tracker not working for weight loss is frustrating and usually explainable. Here is where to look before assuming the method has failed.
Where calorie databases get their numbers, and where they do not
Calorie database accuracy depends on where a figure originally came from: a lab test, a manufacturer's panel, or an unverified entry someone typed in.
Why a rough log every day beats a perfect log twice a week
Calorie tracking consistency matters more than precision. A rough log kept every day beats a careful one you only manage on your best two days.
Logging a Chinese takeaway without guessing at the sauce
Logging a Chinese takeaway means naming the rice, the protein and the sauce as separate items, since the wok oil is invisible in every photo.
Setting macro targets you will actually keep to
Protein, carbs and fat targets only help if you can hit them most days. Here is how to set numbers that fit your life, not a spreadsheet ideal.
Where the big chains publish their nutrition data
Building a fast food calories comparison starts with finding each chain's own published nutrition PDF or tool, not with a photo estimate.
When to scan a barcode instead of taking a photo
A barcode calorie scanner reads the manufacturer's own printed figure instead of estimating one. Here is when to reach for it over a meal photo.
How to photograph a meal so a calorie app gets it right
How to photograph food for a calorie app so the estimate starts closer to right, covering angle, a size reference and the timing that matters most.
How to log a restaurant meal when there is no barcode
Restaurant plates are where photo estimates miss hardest. Published figures exist for more of the menu than you think, and they beat any estimate.
Logging Indian food in a calorie tracker that was not built for it
Most calorie databases were built around American supermarkets. Here is where that breaks for Indian cooking, and how to get numbers you can trust anyway.
Why photo calorie estimates run low, and what to do about it
Photo calorie tools do not miss at random. They miss in one direction, for a reason you can work around once you know what it is.