FitDiaryFood diary template: free printable daily PDF
This free food diary template gives you one page a day, with rows for every meal and snack and columns for the time, what you ate, how much, calories, protein, how hungry you were and your mood. There’s a water tracker and room for notes. Download it for 1, 3 or 7 days, in A4 or US Letter.
By FitDiaryLast updated
Your food diary page
This is one day of the diary. Choose how many days you want, then download the PDF or print this page.
Food diary
Date Daily target kcal g protein
| Time | Food and drink | Amount | kcal | Protein (g) | Hunger (1-5) | Mood and notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | |||||||
| Morning snack | |||||||
| Lunch | |||||||
| Afternoon snack | |||||||
| Dinner | |||||||
| Evening snack | |||||||
| Daily total | |||||||
Water
Tick a glass each time you have one. One glass = ____ ml
Notes: how the day went, sleep, exercise
Hunger: 1 = not hungry at all, 5 = ravenous
How to fill in a food diary
- Write each meal or snack down as soon as you’ve eaten it. By the evening it’s easy to forget a snack or a drink.
- Note amounts however suits you: grams if you weigh your food, or a spoonful, a cup, a slice or a handful if you don’t.
- If you count calories, fill in kcal and protein from the label or a calorie counter, then add them up in the daily total.
- Rate your hunger before eating, from 1 (not hungry at all) to 5 (ravenous), and jot down your mood, where you were or who you were with.
- At the end of the day, compare your total with your target. If you haven’t got one yet, use the TDEE calculator for your daily calories and the protein calculator for your protein.
The hunger scale in the diary
The diary uses a 1 to 5 scale, so you can see whether you’re eating because you’re hungry or out of habit.
| Score | How it feels |
|---|---|
| 1 | Not hungry at all |
| 2 | A little peckish |
| 3 | Hungry, ready for a meal |
| 4 | Very hungry, hard to concentrate |
| 5 | Ravenous, could eat anything |
What to write in a food diary
- Everything you eat and drink, including snacks, sauces, the milk in your coffee and any other drinks with calories.
- How much of it, roughly or weighed.
- When you ate, so you can see long gaps or late snacks.
- Calories and protein, if you track them.
- How hungry you were and how you felt, to spot patterns.
- Water through the day, one tick per glass.
Planning the week ahead too? The weekly meal planner template has the same calorie and protein totals, plus a shopping list. For figures on everyday foods, see our lists of high-protein snacks and high-protein breakfasts, with protein and calories per portion.
Or let FitDiary keep your food diary for you
Type what you ate, such as ‘porridge with a banana and a white coffee’, and FitDiary fills in the calories and protein for you to check and save. It adds up the day too, so there’s nothing to total by hand.
See how the FitDiary calorie counter works.
Frequently asked questions
What should I write in a food diary?
Everything you eat and drink, how much, and when. If you count calories, add the kcal and protein. Noting how hungry you were and how you felt helps you spot patterns, such as snacking when you’re bored.
How do I keep a food diary?
Write each meal down straight after eating rather than at the end of the day, and include drinks and snacks. Measure amounts in whatever way is easiest, then add up the day and compare it with your target.
Is this food diary template free?
Yes. Download or print it as often as you like. You don’t need to sign up or give an email address.
Can I print a whole week?
Yes. Choose 7 days and you’ll get a PDF with one page for each day. You can also choose 1 or 3 days, in A4 or US Letter. Print one day prints a single page from your browser.
Do I need to count calories in a food diary?
No. Writing down what you ate, how much and how you felt is useful on its own. The kcal and protein columns are there if you want them; leave them blank if you don’t.
What’s the difference between a food diary and a meal planner?
A meal planner sets out what you’ll eat in the week ahead. A food diary records what you actually ate, when and how much. You can use both: plan on Sunday, then fill in the diary each day.
Work out your targets
- TDEE calculator
How many calories you burn in a day, and how many to eat for your goal.
- Protein calculator
How many grams of protein to eat each day, and at each meal, for your weight and goal.
- Macro calculator
Your daily calories split into grams of protein, carbs and fat.
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