Apply the same percentage in both directions
Low estimate = best estimate × (1 - uncertainty percentage). High estimate = best estimate × (1 + uncertainty percentage).
The tool shows the formula with your numbers and the full span between both endpoints. It gives the original estimate room to vary. It does not improve the ingredients, portions, or restaurant data behind that estimate.
The checklist names what is still missing
Mark a detail only when it is recorded in the menu information or your note. The result names any remaining gaps, such as the amount eaten or a preparation change.
The checklist is deliberately not a confidence score. Four checked boxes cannot prove that a kitchen followed a standard recipe, and one unchecked box does not make the whole meal unusable. It simply keeps the assumptions visible beside the range.
Choose uncertainty from what is missing
A restaurant's nutrition page for the exact size may support a narrower test than a photo of an unfamiliar mixed dish. Consider whether the portion, cooking fat, sauce, sides, and customizations are known. Do not copy the default percentage as if research had proven it for your meal.
The restaurant macro tracking guide shows how to build the central estimate before you test a range. If you are choosing the app workflow first, start with the restaurant calorie tracker app guide.
An 800-calorie estimate at 20%
The low end is 800 × 0.80, or 640 calories. The high end is 800 × 1.20, or 960 calories. The endpoints are 320 calories apart. If the central estimate includes 45 grams of protein, the same setting shows 36 to 54 grams.
Keep 800 as the editable journal entry. Use the range to understand uncertainty, not to count both ends or automatically choose the highest value.
Research does not provide one universal percentage
A 2024 assessment measured 295 labelled menu items from English food outlets. Its mean absolute difference between reported and measured energy was 21%, but the direction varied: some menu values were above the measurement and some were below it.
That group result does not mean every restaurant meal should receive a 21% range, or that adding 21% produces a more accurate log. Your order, portion, substitutions, and restaurant process still matter. Use a range to show uncertainty, not to disguise a guess as a corrected laboratory value.
Common questions
Does the calculator estimate calories from a dish name?
No. Enter a central estimate from the restaurant or from a component-based review of the meal.
Should I always add 20%?
No. The default is an editable example. Research has found error in both directions, so a fixed addition can create systematic overestimation.
Why keep a central estimate?
One editable value keeps a daily log and weekly average usable. The range and note preserve the uncertainty behind it.
This is not a nutrition estimator
The tool cannot infer ingredients from a dish name or photo. It does not prescribe intake, diagnose a condition, or account for measurement error in a specific restaurant. If tracking causes distress or compensatory behavior, stop and seek guidance from a qualified clinician or dietitian.