Portion size is the lever: estimate fast without breaking your deficit

When the bot is off, it’s often not because it “didn’t recognize the meal”, but because the portion size looks different on camera than it was in real life.

Good news: portion is the easiest thing to fix — one tap can improve accuracy more than overthinking everything else.

Why portion is the main lever

If the meal itself is recognized correctly, numbers usually drift because of:

• plate/bowl size (big vs small),
• height/layers (pasta, bowls, rice dishes),
• hidden volume (outside the frame, deep containers).

So the error is often scale, not ingredients.

The fast scale: 0.5× / 1× / 1.5×

Use it as a “reality dial”:

• 0.5×: half portion (small plate, snack, “just a bit”).
• 1×: standard portion (typical home/cafe serving).
• 1.5×: large portion (big pasta bowl, deep plate, lots of sides).

You don’t need perfect — you need the right direction (it’s usually safer to slightly overestimate than underestimate).

5 quick cues to avoid misses

1. Containers vs plates: containers often hold more than they look from the top.
2. Pasta/rice/noodles: a “heap” is often closer to 1.5× than 1×.
3. Salads: without dressing can be light; with oil/sauce it becomes calorie-dense.
4. Restaurant meals: if it felt very filling, size/oil is often the reason.
5. If unsure: pick 1×, but make sure to mark oil/sauce/drink (second biggest lever).

Read next: Confidence & assumptions: how to increase accuracy.

A simple rule for fat loss

If your goal is weight loss: consistency across the week beats one “perfect” day. Portion multiplier helps you stay consistent without turning tracking into a full-time job.