(Boca Raton, FL, August 25, 2026) The people who log their meals most days of the week lose the most weight. This is the central finding of a peer-reviewed study of 5132 MyNetDiary users, published on August 13, 2026, in the Journal of Medical Internet Research . Over 6 months, users who tracked food 6-7 days per week lost 11.33% of their body weight on average, about two-thirds more than the 6.84% among users tracking fewer than 2 days per week.
The More Days Tracked Consistently, the Higher Chance for Significant Weight Loss
The association followed a staircase pattern, showing how outcomes improved at every step of tracking frequency. Each additional tracking day per week was associated with 35% higher odds of clinically significant weight loss, defined as losing at least 5% of body weight, which is the threshold that clinical guidelines tie to meaningful health improvements (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.35, 95% CI 1.31-1.40; adjusted for age, sex, and starting BMI).
The result that surprised the researchers was that consistency mattered more than perfection. Users who tracked just 2-3 days per week still lost 7.35% of body weight on average, and more than half of them reached the clinically significant threshold. Missing days did not erase the benefit.
Longer Streaks, Bigger Losses
Users who built daily logging streaks longer than 90 days lost 11.55% of body weight on average, with 81.2% reaching clinically significant loss. On the other hand, users whose longest streak was a week or less lost 4.21% of body weight, with 42.3% reaching clinically significant loss.
Overall Results: 7 in 10 Engaged Users Reached Clinically Significant Loss
Across the full cohort in the study (mean age 42.1; 72.8% women), the average user lost 9.3 kg (about 20.5 pounds, or 9.5% of body weight), with 70.1%, or roughly 7 in 10, losing at least 5% and 44.8% losing 10% or more of their body weight. The cohort was selected for engagement, that is, every user in it had a weight-loss goal, logged food regularly, and recorded a weight at least monthly.
Sergey Oreshko, cofounder and CEO of MyNetDiary and the first author explains, “The data says something that people trying to lose weight need to hear–you don’t need a perfect record. In our study, every extra day of tracking per week was associated with better odds, and even two or three days a week made a real difference.’
“Dietitians have recommended food journaling for decades, and this shows how consistency can pay off in the real world,” reports Susan Heikkinen, MS, RDN, CDCES, co-author and MyNetDiary-registered dietitian nutritionist. “Every additional day of tracking per week mattered. Whether or not someone is using a weight-loss medication, dietary self-monitoring remains the foundation. And if you fall off for a few days, the message from this data is simple: just pick it back up.”
The authors are direct about the study’s limits. As an observational study, it demonstrates association rather than causation; more motivated users may both track more and lose more. The cohort was an engaged subset, about 1.2% of new signups (roughly 1 in 80), and the results describe that group rather than all app users. Medication use, including glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, was not measured and may account for part of the observed loss. As the study was conducted by MyNetDiary’s own team, conflicts of interest are disclosed in the paper, and an anonymized user-level dataset sufficient to replicate the primary analysis has been published with it.
Original article:
Oreshko S, Heikkinen S. Association Between Daily Food-Tracking Frequency and Clinically Significant Weight Loss: Retrospective Cohort Study of 5132 Mobile App Users. J Med Internet Res 2026;28:e98144
URL: https://www.jmir.org/2026/1/e98144
DOI: 10.2196/98144
The study at a glance
5132 adults using MyNetDiary with a weight-loss goal, followed for 6 months
Six to seven tracking days per week: 11.33% of body weight lost on average; 80.0% reached the 5% threshold
Two to three days per week: 7.35% of body weight lost; more than half reached the threshold
Under two days per week: 6.84% of body weight lost
Each extra tracking day per week: 35% higher odds of clinically significant loss (aOR 1.35, 95% CI 1.31-1.40)
Streaks over 90 days: 11.55% of body weight lost (versus 4.21% for streaks of a week or less)
Full cohort: 9.3 kg (about 20.5 lb) average loss; 70.1% lost at least 5%
Peer-reviewed, open access, anonymized replication dataset published alongside article
About MyNetDiary
MyNetDiary is a nutrition tracking and weight management app founded in December 2005 and headquartered in Boca Raton, FL, with more than 32 million registered users as of August 2026. The app pairs fast food logging with a staff-verified database of more than 2 million foods built on United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and NCC research-grade sources, tracking up to 108 nutrients per food entry, and includes a GLP-1 companion for people using weight-loss medications. MyNetDiary is available on iOS and Android, with free core tracking. Learn more at www.mynetdiary.com.
All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
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Media contact
Alina Voronchak
MyNetDiary, Inc.
press@mynetdiary.com
(800) 385-7461
Interviews available with both authors. High-resolution charts, the fact sheet, and the replication dataset are available on request.
About JMIR Publications
JMIR Publications is a leading open access publisher of digital health research and a champion of open science. With a focus on author advocacy and research amplification, JMIR Publications partners with researchers to advance their careers and maximize the impact of their work. As a technology organization with publishing at its core, we provide innovative tools and resources that go beyond traditional publishing, supporting researchers at every step of the dissemination process. Our portfolio features a range of peer-reviewed journals, including the renowned Journal of Medical Internet Research.
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The content of this communication is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work, published by JMIR Publications, is properly cited.
Journal of Medical Internet Research
Association Between Daily Food-Tracking Frequency and Clinically Significant Weight Loss: Retrospective Cohort Study of 5132 Mobile App Users
13-Aug-2026
SO is chief executive officer, cofounder, and equity holder of MyNetDiary Inc, the app developer. SH is a MyNetDiary Inc registered dietitian nutritionist.