Calorie or macro tracking can be a useful tool for some people. Notice I said “tool.” Like any tool, it’s neither inherently good nor bad. Its effects—whether helpful or harmful—depend entirely on how it’s used and by whom. For some, tracking calories might provide structure or insight into eating habits. For others, it can spiral into obsessive behaviours or even contribute to disordered eating. That’s why it’s so important to approach this topic with nuance and look at what the evidence says about how accurate… or inaccurate… calorie tracking really is.
The Hidden Errors in Food Labels
Let’s start with food labels. Did you know that food manufacturers are legally allowed to have a margin of error in their calorie counts? In Australia, for example, calorie counts can vary significantly due to factors like processing and portion sizes.[1] In the United States, food labels can be off by as much as 20%. That means your 200-calorie snack could actually contain anywhere between 160 and 240 calories—and you’d never know. This isn’t because companies are trying to trick you (usually); it’s just that calculating exact calories is incredibly complex.
Things get even murkier when it comes to eating out. Studies have shown that calorie information for meals at fast food and chain restaurants is often wildly inaccurate.[2] A meal labeled as 600 calories might actually be closer to 800. Add in sauces, condiments, or sides that aren’t factored into the menu’s calorie counts, and you can see how even the most diligent tracker might be off by hundreds of calories without realising it.
Logging: Harder Than It Looks
Even if food labels were perfectly accurate (spoiler: they’re not), the way we log food introduces its own errors. In one study, experienced dietitians—experts in food and nutrition—were asked to track their own calories. Despite their knowledge and training, they were off by an average of 200 to 400 calories per day.[3] If the pros can’t get it right, how can we expect the average person to?
Think about how many variables you’d need to consider to track “perfectly”: Was that apple small, medium, or large? How much oil was really used to cook that stir-fry? Did you weigh that chicken breast before or after cooking it? All these tiny details add up, and most of us simply don’t have the time or energy to be that precise—nor should we.
The Great Mystery of Calorie Burn
Now let’s talk about the other side of the equation: how many calories you burn. The truth is, we have no accurate way to measure this. Fitness trackers and gym equipment might give you a number, but those numbers are estimates—and not very reliable ones at that. Studies have shown that fitness trackers can be off by as much as 50% when it comes to calorie burn.[4]
And it’s not just the trackers. Your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) includes things like your basal metabolic rate (BMR)—the calories you burn just existing—as well as calories burned through movement and digestion. Even with fancy calculations or metabolic tests, we’re still making educated guesses.
When Tracking Becomes a Problem
Here’s the thing: if calorie tracking works for you, that’s totally fine. Some people find it helpful to track for a short period to learn about portion sizes or understand how their diet measures up to their goals. But if you find yourself meticulously logging every bite down to the gram, I want to gently remind you that this level of precision is completely unnecessary. The human body doesn’t operate like a bank account where every calorie in and out is perfectly balanced.
And if calorie tracking is taking up too much of your time, energy, or brain space, it might be time to reconsider your relationship with your tracking app. Ask yourself: Is this tool serving me, or am I serving it? If it’s the latter, it might be worth exploring other ways to approach your nutrition and fitness goals that feel less stressful and more sustainable.
At the end of the day, food isn’t just numbers on a screen. It’s fuel, it’s culture, it’s connection, and—let’s not forget—it’s meant to be enjoyed. So if you’re ready to break up with your calorie-tracking app, know that you’re not failing. You’re simply choosing a different tool—one that might suit you better.
[1]: Australian Government Department of Health. (2019). Food Standards Code – Nutritional Information Panel Requirements.
[2]: Urban, L. E., et al. (2011). Accuracy of stated energy contents of restaurant foods. Journal of the American Medical Association, 306(3), 287-293.
[3]: Lichtman, S. W., et al. (1992). Discrepancy between self-reported and actual caloric intake and exercise in obese subjects. The New England Journal of Medicine, 327(27), 1893-1898.
[4]: Shcherbina, A., et al. (2017). Accuracy in wrist-worn, sensor-based measurements of heart rate and energy expenditure in a diverse cohort. Journal of Personalized Medicine, 7(2), 3.
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