Counting Macros: How to Log Your Food and Track Your Calories

If you’ve ever tried to reach a health, performance, or body composition goal, you’ve probably tried some method of tracking your food or counting macros. Maybe you’ve cut carbs, avoided “unhealthy” foods, or just eyeballed portions. But if you’re reading this, it’s possible those methods didn’t deliver the results you were hoping to achieve.

The good news? Counting macros or more focused logging doesn’t have to be complicated or overwhelming. And it can be pretty rewarding when it ramps up your ability to achieve your goals. This article isn’t just about counting Calories or keeping tabs on your macros, it’s about learning how to log your food effectively. From reading nutrition labels to tips on using food scales, you’ll pick up the skills you need to track with confidence and get more results. Because ultimately, we are looking to achieve results. And no matter where you’re starting from, you’ll see how a little effort in logging can lead to big progress.

With that, let’s dig in!

Quick pep-talk for counting macros 

Before we dive into the details of counting macros, I want to start with a reminder: Like anything new, there’s an initial period of learning and effort to get comfortable with the process. Some people feel overwhelmed by logging or tracking food, much like budgeting their income or managing their time. The more attention we give to these tasks, the more they can start to feel like too much work.

My advice is to be patient with yourself and ease into it. If this all feels too much, but you’re determined to reach your goals, start small. For example, you could begin by logging rough Calorie estimates each day. It’s more important to focus on building the habit of tracking your food, even if your entries aren’t perfectly accurate yet.

You’ll see me say this throughout this article: Consistency beats perfection. Trying is always better than not trying. If this feels overwhelming, remember it’s okay to start simple.

What are macros?

Food contains macronutrients or “macros” – chemical structures that provide energy in the form of Calories. These macronutrients include carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Each macro plays a role in supporting your health, performance, or body composition.

Table of macronutrients
Macronutrient	Primary function	Examples	Calories per gram
Protein	Growth and repair	Meat, eggs, whey	4*
Carbohydrates	Energy	Grains, fruits, vegetables	4*
Fats	Energy storage, cell health	Oils, butter, seeds	9*

* Caloric amount per gram can vary a bit from food to food, but these are the currently accepted rounded numbers. 

It is important to understand that dietary macronutrient intake comes with Calories. These Calories contribute to your total daily energy consumption, and (as we will discuss more later) balancing your expenditure will be important to achieving your goals.

Protein overview

Dietary proteins are molecules made up of amino acids essential for many bodily functions, including muscle growth, hormone production, tissue repair, and genetic regulation. Proteins are built from 20 amino acids, with at least nine considered essential because your body can’t produce them, so you must ingest them in your diet. Each amino acid plays a unique role and falls into one of three categories: essential, non-essential, or conditionally essential.

Amino Acid Type	Description	Examples
Essential amino acids	These amino acids, which the human body cannot synthesize, must be obtained through diet.	Histidine, Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Threonine, Tryptophan, Valine
Non-essential amino acids	Amino acids that the body can produce on its own and usually do not depend on dietary intake.	Alanine, Asparagine, Aspartic acid, Glutamic acid, Serine
Conditionally essential	Some health conditions and illnesses may require the dietary intake of these amino acids. The specific needs can vary depending on age, the nature of the illness, and other variables.	Arginine, Cysteine, Glutamine, Glycine, Proline, Tyrosine

Carbohydrate overview

When people think of carbohydrates, they often picture fun options like pasta or sweet candies. However, carbohydrates are found in many foods, including vegetables, fruits, and even dairy. They serve as the body’s primary energy source for cellular activity, especially during more intense exercise. Beyond energy, carbohydrates also support satiety, regulate blood glucose levels, and maintain gastrointestinal health.

Carbohydrate Type	Description	Examples
Simple	Rapidly digestible and made up of shorter sugar chains, they offer an immediate surge in energy.	Glucose, fructose, sucrose, lactose, honey, fruit juices, and candy
Complex	Made up of longer sugar chains, they take longer to break down and deliver prolonged and steadier energy.	Potatoes, brown rice, whole wheat bread, broccoli, oats, and beans
Dietary Fiber	Mostly non-absorbable material that becomes digestive waste.	Soluble fiber: mostly the inner flesh or pulp of plant foods Insoluble fiber: mostly the outer husks, shells, and tough outer layers of plant foods

Fat overview

Fats are a dense energy source, providing more than twice the Calories per gram compared to carbohydrates or proteins. They are essential for cell structure because every cell in your body is surrounded by a semipermeable lipid (fat) bilayer. This layer controls what enters and leaves the cell. Additionally, certain vitamins — like A, D, E, and K — require fat for absorption and storage, making dietary fat important for processing fat-soluble nutrients.

Fat types	Description	Examples
Saturated fats	Due to their structure, most saturated fats remain solid at room temperature. Typically found in animal-based foods, saturated fats provide energy and also aid in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins.	Fatty portions of meat, cheese, and butter
Unsaturated fats	Due to their structure, most unsaturated fats remain liquid at room temperature. They are typically found in higher quantities in plant-based food and come in two forms: monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats. Some polyunsaturated fats are essential fatty acids: omega-6 linoleic acid, and omega-3 EPA and DHA.	Monounsaturated fats: Olive oil, pumpkin seeds, and nuts Polyunsaturated fats: Avocados, chia seeds, plant oils Essential fatty acids found in: Salmon, flax seeds, and walnuts
Trans fats	Trans fats can be formed through a process of partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs). This process can stabilize the fat to decrease spoiling or withstand repeated frying. Banned in many countries.	In some countries, artificial trans fats are still used in frying, shortening, and packaged foods

This might all seem dull and dry, but when you combine these elements, you create meals, recipes, and lasting memories. As you go through this learning process, take the time to explore your food and the variety within each category. For example, notice how much protein is in a lentil or the fiber content of a fatty avocado. The more you understand the complexity of your food, the better it can work for you.

Why count macros?

Different goals will require unique approaches to macronutrients and overall Calorie manipulation. Here’s a quick rundown of different goals and how counting macros can play a role in each one. 

Body composition goals

Generally speaking, these goals focus on building muscle or reducing fat. While individuals can attempt to do both of these goals at one time, usually people are centered on one goal. So, if you’re trying to lose body fat, you will want to focus on being in a Calorie deficit and allocate your macros to protect muscle or general health during the time of your goal. To gain muscle, you have to eat enough overall Calories and protein to support muscle growth and repair. 

Performance goals

Exercise-related goals can vary depending on the type of training you’re doing. For example, strength athletes can explore more fat-heavy diets and neglect higher carbohydrate intake since they aren’t as reliant on continuous glycogen energy. On the other hand, endurance runners might need to consider the role carbohydrates play in their macronutrient plan. This is in addition to ensuring they have the overall Calories to support their goals. 

Developing better eating habits

Performance and body composition aren’t the only reasons to consider counting macros. For instance, fiber intake is low in many countries, which can lead to poor health outcomes. Trying to eat foods with higher fiber content and tracking it consistently can help with gut health and overall well-being. Tracking macronutrients can provide a lot of insight into overall Calorie intake that can assist health from multiple angles. 

Overall, there are many reasons and incentives to embrace counting macros on even the most basic level to gain an advantage in everything from body composition to health. 

How do we set personalized macro goals & targets? 

Now that you understand why counting macros can support your goals, let’s discuss how many Calories and macronutrients you should eat daily to achieve them.

Note: If you’re using MacroFactor, the app will handle this for you. It walks you through a few questions about your goals and provides a macro program for what you need to eat. From there, you can log in and track everything directly in the app. That said, we still want you to understand the process behind these calculations, even if you’re not using the app.

Determining your TDEE

Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is the number of Calories your body uses in a day to breathe, move, heal, think, and run your body.

Calorie targets are personalized based on your energy use and the rate at which you want to lose or gain weight. For a deeper dive, this article explains it in more detail. In summary, your daily energy expenditure comes from four main components:

• Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR): the energy your body needs to function at rest.
• Thermic Effect of Feeding (TEF): the Calories burned digesting and processing food.
• Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (EAT): the Calories burned during exercise.
• Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT): the Calories burned through non-exercise activities like walking or fidgeting.

These factors determine how many Calories you burn daily, with each contributing a specific percentage to your total energy expenditure.

MacroFactor calculates your initial Calorie targets using details like age, weight, height, sex, and activity level. This starting point is then refined over time. As you log your weight and food intake, the app dynamically adjusts your targets to get closer to your actual energy needs. After about 3-4 weeks, it has a pretty good idea of what your expenditure is and the Calorie amount you’ll need to hit your goals. 

If you don’t have MacroFactor, you can use this calculator: MacroFactor BMR Calculator.

From there, you can multiply your BMR using these factors to obtain a rough estimate of the overall TDEE.

In this multiplier, general activity is kept separate from exercise activity. Keep that in mind if your activity outside of training is lower or higher. 

Let’s run through a quick example of using the MacroFactor correction factors.

Example: The BMR calculator provided you with a BMR of 1938. You’re moderately active and train three sessions a week. Your calculations would roughly be:

BMR × Moderate Activity  = 1938 × (1.4+0.1) = 2907

The estimated TDEE with calculations only and no dynamic algorithm adjustment for this person would be roughly 2907 Calories.

How should we determine our rate of gain or loss?

Once you have an estimate of your TDEE, you can use that to determine the rate of weight gain or loss you aim for, which should match your goals and lifestyle. Generally, slower rates are more sustainable and minimize risks like muscle loss during fat loss or unnecessary fat gain during bulking. 

If you’re using the MacroFactor app, you will get your assessment based on your information and the dynamic energy expenditure algorithm. However, if you don’t have the ability to use the app, you can use these calculators for more guidance. 

MacroFactor Cutting Calculator
MacroFactor Bulking Calculator

How should we determine how many of each macro to eat for performance or general health?

Some people focus on maintaining their weight, while others work on losing fat or building muscle. It’s pretty common to juggle performance or health goals alongside body composition changes. The important thing is to remember that TDEE will be your first step in determining your overall macronutrient intake. From there, you can look at each macronutrient and its relevance to your goals. 

The articles linked below discuss each macronutrient and what numbers are relevant per goal. For example, the recommendation for protein intake for bulking will differ from that of the general population that exercises lightly. Again, the app does all of this for you, but if you want to know more about the numbers, these articles are good reads. 

How much protein should I eat in a day?
How many carbohydrates should I eat in a day?
How much fat should I eat in a day?

Quick recap: Macronutrients and TDEE

You’ve already learned quite a lot of information. So far you’ve learned: 

• Macros include protein, carbs, and fats, each with specific functions and caloric values.
• If you want to achieve your goals, it’s important to tailor your macronutrient intake to achieve them.
• Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) determines Calorie needs and includes factors like BMR, TEF, EAT, and NEAT.
• No matter the goal, make sure to focus on adequate amounts of each macronutrient for your goals.
• The MacroFactor app provides all these personalized suggestions, but we want you to be able to understand it even without the app.  

Finding and tracking macronutrients  

Now that we’ve defined macronutrients and explained why tracking them can help you reach your goals, let’s move on to figuring out how to find the macronutrients in your food.

There are two main categories when shopping for food: items without labels (like fresh produce, pre-made meals, or fresh deli meats) and those with nutrition labels. The first step is identifying whether your food has a label or other information sources to guide you.

Nutrition labels

Note that nutrition labels can vary by location. For example, the UK uses a traffic light style that alerts customers if the food is high, medium, or low in fat, saturated fat, sugar, and salt. In Japan, labels usually list nutrition information per 100 grams instead of per serving. Japan also doesn’t have a “% Daily Value” figure. This section focuses on a US-based nutrition label style, but most concepts are similar.

Typically, nutrition labels are broken down into three main sections: 

Serving size 

Energy & macronutrient content 

Micronutrient information 

Serving size 

The serving size section of a nutrition label tells you two key things: how many servings are in the entire package and the specific serving size, including its weight. This information forms the basis for understanding that item’s total energy, macronutrient, and micronutrient values.

A pasta package might tell you it contains eight servings, each serving size listed as 2oz or 56g. From this, you can see the Calories, macronutrients, and micronutrients per serving, and by multiplying these values by the total number of servings (in this case, eight), you can calculate the totals for the entire package. Example:

• 8 x 200 Calories
• 8 x 1 g of Fat
• 8 x 42 g of Carbohydrates
• 8 x 7 g of Protein

The result would show you that the entire package contains: 

Nutrient	Per Serving	Total Package
Calories	200	1600
Fat (g)	1	8
Carbohydrates (g)	42	336
Protein (g)	7	56

While there are easier ways to track macros than manually calculating totals like this, it’s still valuable to understand how the process works, even if you never dive into the math yourself. It’s also important to pay attention to serving sizes, not just the Calories or nutrient numbers, to get a clearer picture of what you’re actually eating. Paying attention to serving sizes can be illuminating, because the standard serving sizes for many foods might be much smaller than you expect. For example, the standard serving size for ice cream used to be half a cup (4fl oz, or 118ml). So, if you just ignore the serving size, you might think you’re having a reasonable 200-Calorie snack, when you’re really (inadvertently) having a 600-Calorie meal.

Energy & macronutrient content 

The serving size informs you about the energy and macronutrient content of the package. Now, let’s break down the key components to understand better what’s listed:

• Calories: This is the amount of energy you get from that serving.
• Total Fat: Includes all types of fats in the serving, such as saturated and unsaturated fats.
• Total Carbohydrates: This number represents all carbs and will include fiber and sugar totals.
• Protein: This lists the protein content per serving.

You might notice other items in this section, like sodium or cholesterol. While we won’t dive into these right now, it’s worth mentioning that they can provide helpful information for making decisions about your overall health. However, they’re not directly tied to counting macros.

Lastly, it’s important to know that nutrition labels aren’t always 100% accurate for various reasons. Companies can round and estimate within certain margins. But, don’t let that deter you – the net effect of this rounding is typically quite small. For example, a sandwich may list 400 Calories on the nutrition label, when it really has 411 Calories. These trivial differences won’t have a tangible impact on the overall accuracy and usefulness of your logging.

Micronutrient information 

The last section of the nutrition label is dedicated to covering the micronutrients in items – such as vitamins and minerals. While these aren’t directly relevant for macronutrient tracking, monitoring your intake of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients is important for overall health and goals. MacroFactor makes tracking micronutrients easy, especially when logging common foods. I’ll dive into how to search for and track these micronutrients in a moment, but this article is good for micronutrients you might consider tracking. 

Finding nutrition information with online databases

When your food doesn’t come with a package providing serving sizes, Calories, or macronutrient details, you’ll need to look up this information in a database. One reliable option is the USDA FoodData Central database. It offers detailed information on a variety of whole foods, including both macronutrients and micronutrients.

For example, if you bought a couple of Fuji apples, you could type “Fuji apples” into the database. The search might return “Apples, fuji, with skin, raw.” From there, you’d see macronutrient details per portion weight, micronutrient information, and even details about where the apple samples were taken.

Using apps like MacroFactor

While many databases are available, one of the biggest challenges for most people is the lack of convenience or the ability to access and log the information quickly. While the USDA’s database is robust, it can be difficult to navigate. That’s where apps like MacroFactor come in.

With MacroFactor, you get comprehensive food data with international and regional support. With over 1.36 million verified entries, the database includes approximately 26,500 micronutrient-complete common foods sourced from trusted research institutions. A significant contribution comes from the NCC Food and Nutrient Database, a widely respected resource for its accuracy and detail in scientific research. The database also offers coverage for branded foods in regions such as the US, Canada, UK, Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand. 

Additionally, users can contribute to the database, and all new validated submissions are shared with Open Food Facts, a non-profit organization committed to providing free and accessible food information to the public.

What are tips for searching for foods?

Here are some tips and things to remember when searching for food to keep things as easy as possible.

Label and barcode scanning 

Tracking food doesn’t have to feel like endless manual searches. One of the simplest ways to log food is using MacroFactor’s barcode and label scanning feature.

Barcode scanning: Point your camera at the product’s barcode, and MacroFactor will instantly display its nutritional information. If the app doesn’t recognize the barcode, it will switch to label scanning and allow you to capture the nutrition information from the packaging.

Label scanning: Aim your camera at the nutrition label, and the app will populate the nutrition data into a mock label. From there you can log the food item, make adjustments, or add it as a custom food entry. Once saved, your custom foods can be reused so you don’t have to re-enter the same recipe or meal every time.

Tips for label scanning:

• Ensure good lighting and reduce glare from shiny labels.
• Adjust angles or distances to help the scanner capture the label cleanly.
• Avoid scanning on curved surfaces, as they can distort the text.

Consider how or if it’s cooked 

One of the most common pitfalls in food logging is not matching the food’s cooked (or uncooked) state to the database entry. For example, if you’re logging chicken breast and the Calories seem off, it’s probably because you chose a cooked entry instead of raw (or vice versa). Double-check the state of the food (raw or cooked) to ensure you’re logging accurately. You can also look for tips like “grilled,” “fried,” or “shredded” that imply the item has been cooked. Additionally, sometimes how a food is cooked can give insight into alteration to the energy value of the item. For example, fried food has more Calories and a presence of extra fat versus an item that is steamed.  When searching for uncooked foods, try different terms if your first search comes up empty (for example, if “raw” doesn’t return any results when searching for rice, try “uncooked” and “dry” as alternative descriptors). 

Simplify searches

When preparation doesn’t significantly alter macronutrient content, being less specific can save you time and effort. For example, when logging hard-boiled eggs, it’s better to focus on the egg size (e.g., large or medium) instead of searching for “hard-boiled egg.” The cooking method won’t significantly change the Calories or macronutrient values, so streamlining your search makes the process easier. However, for fried eggs, you would want to specify the cooking method (unless you’re already logging the fat separately) because frying an egg will affect its Calorie and macronutrient content.

Use common food items first

For MacroFactor users, start with “common” foods instead of branded entries. Common food entries are sourced from research-grade databases and offer more complete micronutrient profiles. These entries are especially helpful for logging whole foods like raw chicken breast, oats, or fresh produce. Branded entries are a reasonable fallback if you can’t find what you need in the common food database.

Quick recap: Finding and tracking macronutrients

• Food can be categorized as having labels (such as packaged goods) or no labels (such as fresh produce).
• Nutrition labels in the US provide details about serving sizes, Calories, macronutrient content, and micronutrient information. While helpful, these labels aren’t always 100% accurate.
• Online databases like USDA FoodData Central can provide detailed information on unlabeled foods.
• Apps like MacroFactor simplify the tracking process by providing a place to keep track of verified entries, international food data, and user contributions. 

Logging your macros

We are approaching the end of the article, and you have learned about macronutrients, how to read labels, and how to use searches or apps. Now, I will discuss the actual logging, including how to measure your meals and where to put the information. I will then end with some common questions and typical hiccups users face with their logging.  

Journal or apps?

Determine how you want to keep track of your daily nutrition. Ideally, you choose a convenient system to track as much food intake as possible to give yourself the best chance at achieving your results. Convenience is a big reason apps have become the most popular method of logging and counting macros since most people have smartphones on them throughout the day. With that said, there is nothing wrong with paper and pen, either. If the system works for you, use it. 

Because you’re on the MacroFactor website, I’m obviously going to discuss logging features that use the app. However, remember that most of these tips are useful regardless. 

Best practices for measuring food intake 

As I discussed with nutrition labels or research food in online databases, energy and macronutrient amounts are based on the item’s weight proportionate to its energy level. This will vary among not just types of macronutrients but different foods within those macronutrients. For example, a cup full of spinach will have a significantly different Calorie amount versus a cup of dry, uncooked rice. The “accuracy” of your food logs will mostly be made in this section. Because once you find the stats and technical data of an item, it’s now your job to measure it as best you can. However, don’t get stressed. Trying at all usually gets you pretty close. 

Food scales 

Most people should use a food scale at some point in their nutrition journey, even if only for a short time. Most food scales are digital, and various brands and options are available. For example, small, pocket-sized scales are often used for precise baking or fine gastronomy. However, most people opt for a basic countertop scale.

Let’s put this into practical context with an example.

Imagine your goal is to lose body fat. You already understand Calories, know you need more protein, and have been monitoring your food intake. But progress isn’t happening as quickly or easily as you expected. The first step is understanding your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) and having a reliable estimate of how many Calories you burn each day and how many Calories you should aim for to reach your goals (something the MacroFactor algorithm can help with). Once you have those numbers, the challenge becomes putting it into practice and consistently hitting your daily targets.

If you can meet those targets by eyeballing portions or using tools like measuring cups and spoons, that’s great! You can continue logging and tracking in the app this way. But if you’re struggling to hit your goals or want to speed up your progress, a food scale can be a game-changer for achieving body composition, performance, or health goals.

It improves portion awareness.
When people start using a food scale, they often realize they’ve been underestimating or overestimating the Calories in certain foods. A scale helps you see the actual proportion of Calorie content to portion size.

It increases accuracy.
You don’t need to obsess over perfection, but weighing your food makes it easier to stay on track if you’re trying to reach your macro or Calorie targets. Even small adjustments can add up over time.

It builds consistency.
Learning the weight of common portions helps you develop a better sense of serving sizes. This makes it easier to estimate portions when you’re eating out or when a scale isn’t available. Think of it as creating a baseline for making more informed choices in the future.

Remember, you don’t have to use a scale forever. But it’s a great tool for understanding your nutrition intake on a different, eye-opening level. 

Tips for using a food scale 

Here are a few tips to help you get the most out of your food scale and integrate it into your routine.

Get a quality food scale 

A low-cost food scale will suffice for most people, especially if they prepare smaller portions. However, investing in a heavy-duty kitchen scale with a higher weight capacity is a smart choice if you cook for a family, meal prep, or portion food from larger batches. This is particularly important if you plan to weigh food directly in cookware or storage containers.

Look for models with at least a 22-pound capacity when shopping for a scale. If you’re cooking for larger families or handling big batches, consider scales with a 40-pound capacity to accommodate your needs.

Understand the tare function 

The tare function resets the scale to “zero” by removing the weight of the current item. This makes it easy to measure food using tools like measuring cups or to add ingredients directly to containers or plates without starting over. For example, if you’re measuring a cup of rice, you can place the empty cup on the scale, tare it to remove the cup’s weight, and then measure the rice. The same applies when adding food to a bowl, pot, skillet, or storage container. It’s a simple technique that can make food prep go a little faster. 

Example: “Zeroing” a cup or bowl to only measure the food item

1. Place an empty measuring cup on the scale.
2. Press the “tare” button to reset the scale to “zero,” accounting for the weight of the cup.
3. Scoop your dry, uncooked rice into the measuring cup. The scale will now display only the weight of the rice.
4. Record the weight of the rice.
5. To log the rice, search for “rice, uncooked” in the app and enter the weight and unit of measure shown on the scale.

Example: How to use reverse taring for accurate tracking — measuring oil from the bottle

1. Grab a bottle of oil (like olive oil) and place it on your food scale.
2. Press the “tare” button to reset the scale to “0,” accounting for the bottle’s weight.
3. Pour the desired amount of oil (e.g., for cooking eggs) and return the bottle to the scale.
4. The negative number displayed on the scale represents the amount of oil used. For example, if the scale shows “-7g,” you’ve used 7g of oil.
5. Log the oil in your tracking app by searching for it and entering the amount shown on the scale.

Example: Reverse measuring for other ingredients

This method isn’t just for oil. You can use it with any ingredient while cooking. For example:

• Making a cheesy omelet with salsa on the side?
  • Tare a bag of shredded cheese, pinch out what you need, and log the amount removed.
  • Tare a jar of salsa, pour out your serving, and log that amount as well.

Reverse measuring is especially useful for those who feel overwhelmed or restricted by the need to pre-measure everything before cooking. It’s a simple, flexible way to track ingredients without disrupting your flow in the kitchen.

Example of tracking a large recipe: Measuring vegetable soup using tare + total recipe weight

1. Gather all your soup ingredients.
2. Place your soup pot on the food scale and note the pot’s weight for reference.
3. Zero the scale with the pot on it (tare).
4. Add your first ingredient, record its weight, and then press tare to reset the scale to zero.
5. Repeat this process for each ingredient, logging the weight of each one as you go.
6. Cook your soup to completion.
7. After cooking, place the pot with the soup back on the scale. Subtract the pot’s empty weight to calculate the total weight of the finished soup. Enter this as the “total weight” in your recipe tracker.

To serve, place your bowl on the scale and zero it out. Ladle in your portion of soup, log the weight, and enjoy your meal! This method is simple and accurate, and it works well when you’re making a big batch and want to track servings without guesswork.

Example of portioning servings for meal prep

Let’s start off where our last example ended. You have a completed soup and know the total weight of the recipe. 

1. Start with your completed soup and the total weight of the recipe. For this example, let’s say the total serving weight is 3000g. 
2. Decide how many servings you want (e.g., six servings). Divide the total weight by the number of servings to calculate the weight of each portion. For this example, that would be 500g per serving. 
3. Place an empty meal prep container on the food scale and zero it out (tare).
4. Add soup to the container until it reaches the serving weight. For this example, that is 500g. 
5. Repeat for each container.
6. Refrigerate or freeze them for later.

You can also do this with individual items (such as keeping your protein and vegetables separate) or allotting pre-portioned amounts of food for the day like nuts, fruit, or peanut butter. 

Measuring cups and spoons 

If a scale isn’t available or affordable, measuring cups and utensils are a reliable alternative, especially if they’re used correctly. For liquids, clear, lined measuring cups work best, and measurements should be taken at eye level for accuracy. For dry ingredients, opaque measuring cups and spoons are ideal; just ensure they’re leveled off with a straight edge, such as the flat side of a knife, after filling.

Lastly, you can also use spoons and cups to help you better visualize food portions. What does a cup of cooked rice look like? An actual tablespoon of peanut butter? Have you poured 1tbsp of oil into a skillet? Added 1tbsp of mayo onto a sandwich? These types of things can help create a better Calorie reality. 

A few more logging tips

Log as you go
Whenever possible, log your food immediately after prepping or eating it. This reduces the chance of forgetting what you’ve eaten or partially logging your intake.

Don’t forget condiments and liquids
It’s a common habit to overlook liquid Calories, condiments, or alcohol. If it has Calories, make an effort to track it.

Don’t sweat the small stuff
At the end of the day, tracking isn’t about perfection — it’s about improving your consistency and understanding of your intake. If you find yourself stressing over every tiny detail, take a step back. The goal is to get better, not to burn yourself out.

Common hurdles and questions with counting macros

How accurately do I need to log my macros?

The most important thing when counting macros is to focus on consistency, not perfection. While we share many tips about using a food scale or understanding nutrition labels, it’s not about perfectly measuring every morsel. The truth is, if you stay consistent, you can make progress toward your goals, even if your logging isn’t 100% accurate.

That’s one of the great things about MacroFactor and its dynamic algorithm. Over time, it adjusts to reflect your patterns and provides intake targets that help you move toward your goals. However, it’s worth noting that these targets might not be perfectly accurate; they’re just based on what’s needed to drive progress.

For example, let’s say someone is trying to lose body fat but isn’t great at measuring their food intake or has some partial logging days that don’t paint a complete picture. This might lead MacroFactor to suggest a much lower energy expenditure than their actual expenditure. They might feel frustrated, thinking those lower Calories are all they’re “allowed.”

But here’s the interesting part: The numbers don’t need to be perfect to work. Even if their targets aren’t 100% accurate, they can still aim for them and make progress. The key is not to get too caught up in seeing the numbers as absolute truths but instead use them as tools to guide consistent action.

If desired, you can read more on this topic here regarding MacroFactor specifically. 

Measuring foods raw vs. cooked

You’re not alone if you’re confused about whether to weigh and log something raw or cooked. This is easily one of the most confusing topics for people new to counting macros. Here are a few simple tips to help you navigate it:

• The default for most nutrition databases is that foods are listed in their raw state unless explicitly labeled otherwise. And this makes sense if you think about it. If you search for an apple in common foods, you’ll see things like “Apple, fresh, with skin.”
• If you’re looking up something like “Chicken breast,” try to match the item to the state you’re working with. If you search for “chicken breast,” it comes up with “Chicken breast, Grilled, Boneless, Skinless,” and that item has been cooked because it says “Grilled” in the title. Otherwise, it would say “raw” or “uncooked.”
• Be consistent with how you log foods. Consistency is key when you decide to weigh and log foods raw or cooked. If you switch back and forth, you’ll have less accurate data that can mess with your macro tracking. Pick one approach and stick with it.
• Check the serving size listed. Sometimes, the database or packaging tells you whether the food is raw or cooked by the serving size listed, such as “4oz raw” or “3oz cooked.” If the serving size is unclear, look for another entry that matches the state of your food.
• Technically, weighing foods raw can be slightly more accurate. When you grill a burger or saute zucchini, the burger and vegetables may lose more or less total water weight when cooking than a standard “grilled hamburger” or “sauteed zucchini” entry in a food database. Similarly, steamed rice or boiled pasta may absorb more or less water than a standard “steamed rice” or “boiled pasta” entry in a food database. However, the difference in accuracy isn’t large enough to matter in most contexts. If it’s more convenient for you to weigh foods after you’ve already cooked them, that’s perfectly fine.
• When logging foods, remember that the weights listed in food databases typically refer to the edible portion of the item. For example, 100g of banana represents the weight without the peel, and 200g of pork ribs excludes the bones. 

Partial logging 

When you log part of the Calories you consume for the day but not all of them, we call that partial logging. For instance, let’s say you log breakfast and lunch in the MacroFactor app but skip logging your dinner. The app won’t know that your actual intake was 30-40% higher than what’s recorded. This gap can throw off the app’s energy expenditure calculations, affecting its Calorie and macro recommendations. 

The same can be said for simple paper journaling. If you calculate your intake needs based on your food entries and look back at your logs, you might think you ate 60% below your TDEE when, in reality, it was closer to 20%. This could lead you to believe something is wrong with your metabolism or that deficits don’t work.

So, if you find yourself in a partial logging position, these are the best ways to handle it. 

1. Good option: If tracking the day feels like a lost cause, you can clear everything you’ve logged so far and leave the day blank. MacroFactor’s algorithms will skip the untracked day when updating your expenditure and coaching recommendations. To keep your updates reliable, though, aim to log your intake at least six days a week.
2. Better: Instead of deleting the whole day, try using the ​quick edit​ feature to provide a rough estimate of your total Calorie intake. This can be a simple guess that covers all the meals you’ve eaten, even the ones that were tricky to log.
3. Best: If only one meal is causing trouble, focus on estimating just that. For instance, if the meal seems like it was around 1500 Calories, use the ​quick-add​ tool to log those Calories (and the approximate macronutrients, if you’d like). This keeps your records as close to accurate as possible with minimal effort.

Struggling with “unknowns” like restaurants or family dinners

Sometimes, estimating your food intake is unavoidable, but you can improve your accuracy by relying on a few simple strategies. 

1. When you can, order something easier to estimate. Estimating a steak or chicken breast with sides is generally easier than a pasta dish or a loaded salad. 
2. Look up the Calories online. Most fast-serve food places have macronutrient information online. Restaurants have fewer options at times, but you can also use similar items when the exact match isn’t available. For example, if you’re eating Pad Thai with chicken, choose an entry that resembles your meal. It might not be the exact thing, but it can get you close. 
3. Draw from previous logging experiences. Reflect on meals you’ve tracked before and use them as a guide. For example, thinking, “This steak looks about the same size as the 6-ounce portion I logged last week.” You can then use a MacroFactor feature like AI Describe to describe the meal visually: “6 ounces of steak, 1 cup of mashed potatoes, and 1.5 cups of green beans.” 
4. Explode the meal. MacroFactor has an explode feature that allows you to break up a recipe back into its individual items. It’s a pretty great recipe feature. However, let’s take this principle and do the same thing with the meal you’re eating. For this example, I’m going to use a turkey sandwich:
   
   Bread: 2 slices of whole-grain bread
   Turkey: 4 ounces of deli turkey
   Cheese: 1 slice of cheddar cheese
   Mayo: 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise
   Lettuce and Tomato: A handful of lettuce and two slices of tomato
   
   If possible, include this level of detail to improve accuracy. For example, searching “Turkey Sandwich” will give you a simplified entry with general macronutrient information, but it might not be the best reflection of what you actually ate. Logging each ingredient individually, such as the bread, turkey, and mayonnaise, will provide macronutrient stats that may closely reflect your actual sandwich (unless it’s a very small one with little to no mayonnaise).

Having a hard time eating less/eating more

Adhering to a program can be challenging for everyone. You might understand the Calories you need to hit or how to log them, but putting that knowledge into practice isn’t always easy. If you’re struggling with the application, here are two MacroFactor articles that provide detailed guidance on how to eat less or more, depending on your goals:

Tips for Hitting Lower Calorie and Macro Goals
Tips for Hitting Your Macros When Bulking

Conclusion

The goal of this article is to help people who are new to macro tracking or perhaps are doing a little troubleshooting on their tracking to improve their skills and habits. Whether you’re trying to improve your body composition or just your health, this will give you a better insight into macro tracking and some tips on how to make it easier. Ultimately, anything that makes hitting your nutrition goals easier should be the goal, be it a food scale you really like or an app that makes logging easier.

Counting macros might initially feel overwhelming, but it gets easier with time. Start small, focus on consistency, and remember that progress doesn’t require perfection.