The fastest way to log is to send DietPal a photo of your meal. Your coach identifies what's on the plate, estimates the portions, and logs the nutrition for you.
How to do it
- Take a photo of your meal and send it to DietPal.
- Add a short caption if you like — e.g. "large bowl" or "no oil." It helps with portions.
- DietPal replies with the items it found, the calories and macros, and adds them to today's total.
You can send several photos in a row (for a few dishes) and DietPal handles them together.
Getting the best results
- Frame the whole plate from slightly above, with everyday objects in shot (a fork, a glass) — they help DietPal judge size.
- Mention anything hidden — cooking oil, butter, sauces and dressings change the calories a lot and can't always be seen.
- Say how much when you can. "About 200 g of rice" is more accurate than a photo alone, because judging portion size from a flat photo is the hardest part of calorie tracking.
What DietPal does behind the scenes
DietPal never invents the numbers. It identifies the food from your photo, then looks up the nutrition in a verified database and shows you the result with a confidence level. If a portion is genuinely unclear, it asks you one quick question rather than guessing.
If something's identified wrong, just tell your coach — see How do I correct or delete something I logged? For why a photo estimate is a range rather than an exact number, see Why is my calorie estimate different from what I expected?