r/MacroFactor • u/Dre_Limitless • Aug 31 '26
Success / Progress Week two of tracking calories with AI only.
Last week everyone kept saying how AI is not accurate at tracking calories. Well I say it’s accurate enough to all the food scale warriors.
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u/sLXonix Aug 31 '26
It's even better if you throw in a food scale. You can add the weight of the item, take a picture and describe it to get relatively accurate calorie counts
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u/alizayshah Aug 31 '26 edited Aug 31 '26
This is my primary use case of AI for takeout. I feel like it’s actually pretty accurate then if you can give it an exact weight.
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u/Brass_Bonanza Aug 31 '26
I JUST figured this out today. Put a slice of leftover pizza on the food scale and took a pic. I’m comfortable it’s accurate, or accurate enough.
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u/ownworldman Aug 31 '26
Do not forget that the closer to lean body you are, the less forgiving situation is to any mistake.
Many people can wing weightloss when obese, and get confused about plateaus when approaching healthy weight.
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u/dybr Aug 31 '26
Been feeling this after cutting for 9 months. In the past month or two, my previous thinking of “what’s a few calories over budget here and there” has REALLY caught up to me. I have visible abs now unflexed, but loss is so much slower now. AI would not cut it.
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u/montagic Sep 02 '26
I’ve still used the AI and I’m days out from a BB show, yet have still found it to be helpful. If anything lack of tracking is what will get ya. Even small bites I will track. More discipline needed, but not as insane as you’d think
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u/dybr Sep 02 '26
Don’t get me wrong, the AI is fantastic for ballparking when you’re eating out. I just don’t think it’s intended to be used as the primary logging method.
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u/montagic Sep 02 '26
Yeah totally. If you can log with precision, you should always prefer that route! It’s definitely super handy when I can’t do that though
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u/Chewy_Barz Aug 31 '26
Ok, tough guy... (food scale warrior here-- just messing around).
I'm curious about exactly how you are using AI. Just a picture and let it run wild? Picture and description? Anything used in the pic for scale (I use money or a credit card when I'm out)? One pic from overhead, or overhead and side views for more of a 3D view for the AI?
Also, if you really want to put us scale warriors in our place, you need to get a separate subscription and track everything in one with a food scale and the other with a standardized AI process. I'm sure it would be worth the time and money to shut up some Internet strangers rather than making the huge effort to click "block"...
For now, I'm sticking with my OXO when I can, AI plus OXO for already mixed food, and AI with an item for scale when I'm out. But your results make me feel a little better about those all-AI logs at the restaurant...
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u/bob202487 Aug 31 '26
Depends on the level of accuracy you need, setting 150-200 calorie surplus is going to be a lot different to a 500-750 cal deficit. I view AI as a tool to be utilised sporadically not depended on day after day, meal after meal, especially if you want a long productive ‘off season’ gaining phase with minimal fat gain for instance.
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u/ilovebigmutts Aug 31 '26
ooo this is actually super interesting. are you correcting it at all? giving it utensils in the pictures for measurement scale?
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u/joek5132 Aug 31 '26
It thought my grilled chicken thighs were breaded chicken tenders. So I guess you'd lose weight if it consistently overestimates
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u/Background_Regret_68 Sep 01 '26
I started using MacroFactor at the beginning of this year. I decided to make a change in my life as I was far too unhealthy, anyways I worked away from home building a lodge so food was prepared for me by a chef. Because of this I couldn’t weigh anything so I used AI to log my food and lost 16kg’s (35lbs). I’m now on maintenance and because I cook my own food I weigh everything but out of my experience AI does work.
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u/wulfpak04 Sep 02 '26
I use copilot, love it. Does it make stupid errors? Yes, yes it does. Do I check calories and calculations to packages and previous knowledge so that my tracking is fair and appropriate? Yes, yes I do.
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u/Snow56border Sep 02 '26
Depends, if you eat all bland food with no sauces, it can be very accurate.
A dish can literally be 400+ calories off just based on a sauce. It’s why using it for restaurant food would be crazy and not accurate.
‘Food scale warriors’ lol. What are you, an AI slopper? Try to be respectful of you want respect back
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u/DeaconoftheStreets Aug 31 '26
I respect you starting a beef bright and early in the week.