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Bootcampers Found to be 150% Off in Food Estimation

Uncategorized Jan 25, 2019

We've run numerous experiments over the years trying to highlight one simple thing: you eat more than you think you do. We've shown this by having people make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, pouring cereal, and creating their own lunch from materials provided. 

We've found that, consistently, our clients are off by at least 50%. That is, they created a sandwich, inside a fitness studio, while the trainer was watching, and they still made it 50% higher in calories than what a "typical serving" would be. Some experiments show as much as 150% error! That's like thinking you ate 300 Calories, when in fact you ate 750!!!

The problem: just knowing about this bias does not help. If you read this article, and this information is new to you, it will not change the way that you serve yourself. Our clients are pretty aware of the bias that they have (and they are very intelligent people!) Yet they still over serve themselves in experiments. 

My quick suggestion is this: measure the things that have a high caloric impact. Target the foods that have high fat content or high density of calories. Peanut butter, salad dressing, mayonnaise, meat portions, butter, lasagna, ice cream etc. These are the foods where being off by a little bit will make a more pronounced difference. Measuring does not have to be complicated, you can do it using a tablespoon, cup, or food scale. But adding in that 2 second extra step could save you BIG TIME over the week, and that can add up to several pounds by the end of a year. 

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