Think you have to log every meal to make food tracking worth it? Think again. A new retrospective cohort study of 5,132 MyNetDiary app users found that higher food-tracking frequency was associated with greater weight loss over 6 months — but even infrequent trackers saw real results. Those who tracked 6–7 days a week lost over 11% of their body weight, while those logging just 2 days a week still shed more than 6%.

The study, led by MyNetDiary's co-founder and a registered dietitian, drew both praise and criticism from outside experts. Critics flagged the small final sample (less than 1% of the original cohort), likely selection bias, and the observational design — meaning causality can't be established. It's also unclear whether GLP-1 receptor agonist use contributed to some of the weight loss.

By the Numbers:

• 80% of those tracking 6–7 days/week lost ≥5% body weight
• 56.5% of those tracking 2–3 days/week hit the same clinically significant threshold
• Average user lost ~20.5 lbs (9.5% of body weight)
• Each extra tracking day/week raised odds of ≥5% weight loss by 35% (aOR 1.35)

Why it matters: For clinicians counseling patients on weight management, this study offers a practical message: imperfect tracking still counts. Lowering the bar may improve patient adherence and long-term engagement with dietary self-monitoring tools.