Select your user (1), then click on the ‘Login’ button(2) to open your diary.

Select the file menu and then the ‘backup your data’ option.

The software will ask you where you want to save your data then create a file in that location.

The file will be a ‘.zip’ file and contain everything you need to restore your user on this, or another computer.

The suggested filename will include the date, we recommend you keep this format as it lets you see in an instant when backups were made. The filename must be a .zip file or subsequent restores may fail.

To restore your data simply select the file menu and choose ‘Restore backup file’.

You will be asked to select a .zip file previously created with the backup option, this will then be restored.

You can also start the restore process from the login screen by selecting ‘Restore’ from the user selection box.

In addition to keeping you data safe, backup and restore are also a great way to move your data between different computers.

For example you may have a desktop and laptop. You can select backup and save the .zip file to a usb memory stick, then restore this file on another computer.

Backups are universal and will work cross-platform, so if you have a Windows PC and a Mac you can move the data between them easily.

When enabled, the internet search is something you will not see as it works transparently in the background, but will definitely appreciate as it checks the internet for product matches relevant to your location, adding them to your search results.

The first time you search a box will appear to ask you if you want to enable the internet search, simply click the ‘Enable’ button to enable this feature.

Don’t worry if your computer is not always connected to the internet, the software will only attempt an internet search when it detects a valid internet connection, when no connection is available it will continue to work with the local food database which will contain copies of any previous searches.

If you want to turn the feature on or off in the future you can do so from the main options menu.

The main diary window has been upgraded and now makes full use of the available space.

Both food and exercise have been integrated into the improved search system, simply enter the product or exercise you are looking for into the search box and the diet tracker will do the rest.

Day notes have been added so you can now add notes for each day, and the information panel has been improved and expanded to include a breakdown of the calories consumed and exercise credits.

Behind the scenes and core to the new version is the new improved smart search system that learns which products you prefer and gives these priority making the software even easier to use on a day to day basis.

The add products window has also undergone significant changes to make adding foods to your diary easier through a clearer window.

If you are tracking exercise along with your diet you will appreciate the new exercise window.

Exercise is now included in the core search system, and like the food product window we have worked hard to improve the exercise window to make adding exercises easy.

The update results screen has seen a major overhaul.

Along with your weight and the previous ‘fixed’ options of chest, hip and waist measurements you can now track an unlimited number of additional items, simply adding new fields or deleting the ones you do not want to track.

Any additional fields you add can be charted later in the reports section.

The reports section has been totally re-written to allow the tracking of unlimited fields, and integrate our new graphs and charts.

All graphs and charts can be viewed in detail and printed, the BMI screen has also been improved to improve the clarity of the report.

The reports section has been totally rewritten to allow for the tracking of unlimited fields, and integrate our new graphs and charts.

All graphs and charts can be viewed in detail and printed, the BMI screen has also been improved to improve the clarity of the report.

It doesn’t matter what sort of computer you have, the Perfect Diet Tracker will work, and has been optimized for your computer.

Version 3 improves ‘cross platform’ support, each platform has its own build with identical features but small optimizations so it works in the way you would expect an application to work on your machine.

The window controls are in the right place, buttons in the right order and the fonts used are those used by your system, all steps designed to make using the new version seamless and easier than ever.

To view all the features the best option is to download the new free trial version.

Don’t worry if you have used the software before and that trial expired, version 3 has its own new trial period so you can try it again.

We hope you enjoy the all new Perfect Diet Tracker!

There are no significant differences other than the appearance of the display windows.

Windows and Mac OS X tend to place certain items such as the window maximize, close and minimize buttons in different places and we have ensured these buttons are placed where the user would expect to find them on their operating system.

Apart from this, the versions are identical. You can use the backup option in the Windows version of the Perfect Diet Tracker, then restore this backup to the Mac or Linux versions and vice versa, and if you change computer in the future from one platform to another you can take your Perfect Diet Tracker with you.

Most of this help site has been written on a Mac, so the screen shots tend to be from the Mac version, but the Windows version works in exactly the same way.

Select a date range for your report. As you change the date range the number of pages required to print your daily diary will be displayed.

Select the report you would like to print, there are four reports.

(1) Your daily diary. This will be printed on one page for each day and will contain full details of your diary for that day. The items displayed are the same as those in your diary, so if you want to include items that you do not normally display in your daily diary you may want to edit your profile first to turn on any items you want to print that may be hidden.

(2) A summary report for your calorific intake.

(3) A summary report for your nutritional intake.

(4) A progress report. The progress report will include changes to your weight and any other fields you are tracking.

Click the ‘Print’ button to start the print process, you will then be asked to confirm which printer you would like to print to and the report will be generated and sent to the printer.

If you would like to print graphs or their associated reports you can do so from the detailed graphs window.

Certain reports can also be saved to a csv file so you can import these into a spreadsheet for further analysis.

If the report can be exported simply click on the ‘Export to CSV’ button and enter a filename to create a CSV file.

To show a detailed graph click the magnifying icon to the top right of the graph preview.

The detailed graphs window shows detail relevant to the graph you are viewing.

To cycle through the default graphs simply click on the left and right arrows (1).

You can change the date range for the graph using the drop down selection box to select either fixed periods (for example the last week or month), or custom dates. For custom dates click on the ‘Change start date’ and ‘Change end date’ links to change the start and end dates for your report.

You can print any of the graphs, and a text report of the data used to create the graph using the print buttons (3).

When you have finished viewing the graphs click the ‘OK’ button to close this screen.

To open the progress report window select the ‘View results’ button from the main diary.

The progress report window has three sections, each with its own tab (1).

The summary report shows your weight progress, and will also include any additional fields you have entered information for.
Your current status will be shown, and any notes for the selected weight entry.

Towards to bottom there are three preview graphs. The left graph shows your current weight progress, the second shows the calories consumed and the last graphs your nutritional items.

Pressing the magnifying glass (2) will load a more detailed graph you can print.

The icons to the top right of the first tab let you…

1. The pencil icon will let you edit an entry.
2. The delete icon will delete the currently selected entry.
3. The disc icon lets you export your progress to a .csv file.
4. The print icon will print the current report

You can also hover over any icon with the mouse pointer to see what it does.

To update your current weight click on the small icon next to the current weight entry.

The second tab lets you create custom graphs. You can create a graph for any item you choose to track in the update results screen.

The items you have chosen to track will be shown at the top of the window, select the items you want to graph, then select a date range for your graph, the type of graph you would like to create, and enter an optional name for the graph.

A preview should then show for the graph, you can then click the ‘Print’ or ‘View’ buttons to enlarge the graph to see more detail or print a copy of the graph.

The third tab shows your current body mass index or BMI.

The key for this chart is shown along the base of the chart. You can read down from your current position to see your weight in units relevant to your user and across to see your height.

You can therefore see what weight you would need to be for your height to change from one band to another.

To make changes to your user profile, click on the ‘Edit Settings’ button in the main diary.

The ‘User Profile’ tab lets you change the following:

Password:

You can select a password, or remove your current password.

Gender:

You can update your gender.

Age:

Your suggested calorific allowance is affected by your current age, so keeping this option up to date will ensure you get the most accurate suggestions.

Country:

The country selection is useful if you are on vacation, changing it will change the items returned by the food search to ones relevant to your location.

Weight & Measurement Units:

You can change the weight and measurement units to display your results in metric or imperial units. This can be useful if your doctor would like to see your results in metric unit, but you prefer to work with imperial units on a day to day basis.

Your height:

Keeping your height up to date ensures the software can make the best suggestions for your calorific allowance.

Distance units:

You can select metric or imperial units for distance. Distance units are used for exercise calculations, and are typically miles per hour or kilometers per hour.

Energy Units:

You can choose to work with either calories or kiloJoules, and swap easily between the two units.

Select the ‘Display options’ tab and you can change the items displayed in your diary, and the reports.

Reducing the number of items displayed can make the diary and reports easier to read. All the information is always tracked, so you can return to this screen and turn on any of the options for a full report at any time.

The ’show subtotals’ for each meal will force the diary to total up the calories used for each meal and place the totals in the meal bar line.

The ‘Include alcohol in the nutrition pie charts’ option lets you remove alcohol from the pie charts.

The ’shaded box highlights group items in diary’ option lets you choose between having groups displayed in the main diary within a shaded box, or simply as part of the main list.

Finally, you can choose to display the nutritional profile totals as either a percentage, or in grams, and if you want to use a new product input form from another country (for example if you live in a country that imports a lot of food from another), you can choose the form you would like to use here.

The ‘File Options’ tab lets you change where the Perfect Diet Tracker stores its data.

We recommend you always backup your data before changing the location of the data files, a handy link has been provided in this window to let your backup your data.

If you have multiple computers and a shared ‘always available’ network drive you can change the location of the data files to the network drive and keep the diet tracking information in sync across all your computers.

If you do not have a network drive, the Perfect Diet Tracker also has support for the DropBox service.

There are two levels of DropBox service at time of writing, a free ‘Basic’ service, and a full ‘Pro’ service. The Perfect Diet Tracker will work with either the Basic or Pro options. DropBox is fully cross platform, so you can sync a PC and Mac using the service.

To enable the DropBox sync simply select the ‘Enable DropBox sync’ option. If the software cannot locate DropBox on your computer it will display a screen to let you create an account.

New to version 3.3, the adjust targets screen is now located within the user settings area.

Simply select the ‘Adjust targets’ tab and make any changes to your targets you would like.

If you would like to specify your own calorific target, click the ‘Switch to direct target entry’ button in the bottom left of this window.

When you add your first computer to the DropBox service it will automatically upload its data to your DropBox.

When adding a second computer because there is already data in your DropBox and on the computer, the software will ask you which copy of the data you want to use.

If your data is up to date on this computer you can select the first option (1) and the software will overwrite the data in your DropBox with your current data. All your other ’synced’ computers will then be updated to use the data on this computer.

If the data in your DropBox (the information from the computers already synced) is correct, you should select the second option (2) to sync this computer with the data in your DropBox account.

When using DropBox we recommend you give your computer a few seconds after turning it to allow it to sync your data before opening the Perfect Diet Tracker.

23 October 2009: Updated step 1 to add help for distance units added in version 3.2
30 December 2009: Updated to display the new screens in version 3.3

The diary can be broken down into four key areas.

(1) The main diary, this is where your food and exercise will be listed.
(2) The top search box, the primary method of adding food and exercise to the diary.
(3) The progress box, this box will let you know how you are getting on
(4) The side menu block, this menu lets you update your weight and view results.
(5) The speed buttons at the bottom of the diary offer quick links to commonly used functions

The main diary section lists the products you have added to your diary.

The current diary date (1) is shown to the top left, anything you search for and add will be added to the current diary. The arrows before the date (5) can be used to change the diary date so you can add products for different dates.

In the top right of the diary you can see how many calories or kilo joules you have left (2). This is explained in more detail later in the help document.

Meal names are used to break your diary into sections. Clicking the blue arrow (3) will show or hide (collapse) the items in each meal name. When a meal is collapsed a summary of the calories used is added to the meal title line. To quickly change a products meal selection simply drag it into another meal or right click on the item and select the new meal name.

The +/- buttons (4) can be used to quickly increase and decrease the quantities of the product you have in the diary.

Right clicking the main diary box (or in the Mac version ctrl-click) provides a quick way to change a products meal title, to copy entries to another user on the same computer or to access the edit functions. Double clicking on an entry will automatically open the products edit screen.

The main search box (1) lets you search for food and exercise. The box will automatically clear the ‘What would you like to add to your diary?’ text when you start typing. Simply enter the product name you would like to add and either press your return key or click on the search button (3) to start your search.

The ‘Favorites’ / ‘Favourites’ button (2) will bring up a new window where you can quickly select from a list of food products you have added in the past.

At the bottom of the diary window you will see the progress box.

This is subdivided into three sub sections.

Section 1 lets you know how you are using your calories or kilo joules and how many you have left.
Section 2 gives you a breakdown of your nutritional profile.
Section 3 shows your target nutritional profile.

If you would like to change the target nutritional profile click the small spanner icon (4). To hide the progress box, click on the arrow icon (5).

If you would like to view progress in grams click on any of the totals. Click the totals again to swap back to percentages.

Tip: If you have added exercise to the diary the ‘remaining’ total will be adjusted to allow for your exercise credits. If you would like to see how many calories would have been left without the exercise credit simply hover your mouse pointer over the green ‘remaining’ box.

The side menu gives you access to the tools you will use to monitor your overall progress.

(1) Update results

Update your weight and any other measurements you would like to track.

(2) View results

Access the reporting section of the Perfect Diet Tracker to view your results and view progress graphs.

(3) Adjust targets

You can change your target weight, weight loss and activity level using this option.

(4) Edit profile

Make adjustments to your user profile, change your country (useful when on vacation or holiday abroad), change what is displayed in the diary window.

(5) Add to diary

The ‘Add to diary button will bring up a search box so you can add new food or exercise to the diary.

If you are using version 3.2.2 or later and have more than one user setup this button will read ‘Switch user’ instead of ‘Add to diary’ to help you quickly switch between different users on your system. You can use the ‘Add’ button directly below the diary or the search box in the top right corner of the window to add new products.

(6) Log out

Log this user out and return to the login screen.

The speed buttons give you quick access to commonly used functions.

Add

The add buttons can be used to gain full access the search food and add exercise windows.

Groups

The group button lets you group items together so they can be added quickly in the future. For example, you may have a common breakfast menu, perhaps a cereal, milk and sugar. You can select these items in the diary, then click on the group icon to group them together. The group will then appear in the favorites (you can also access this using ctrl or command and G on the keyboard). When you add the group all the items in the group will be added to the diary.

Edit

The edit buttons are useful to duplicate, edit or delete items in the diary. For example you may want to duplicate an entry, then drag and drop it into another meal and finally use the +/- icons to quickly alter the quantity.

Notes

The notes button with show the ‘day notes’ window. The notes window lets you add notes for each day.

To the bottom right of the window you will see a calendar. When you first start the Perfect Diet Tracker this will show the current date.

If you select a different date, the diary will be updated to show food and exercise items for your selected date.

The text shows how many calories you have left. This box will turn red if you exceed your calorie allowance!

In addition at the very bottom of the application window you will see a bar, this bar fills up as you consume your calorie allowance, and like the text above turns red if you exceed your calorie allowance.

You should aim to consume all your calories each day. If you are a little under or a little over do not worry.

You should not starve yourself in an attempt to lose weight faster, if you are falling short of the recommended calorie intake you may find your metabolism slows down, making it harder to lose weight.

If you find you have gone over the recommended calorie intake don’t panic or starve yourself the next day to make up! Simply start again the next day and consume the recommended calorie intake.

The title bar of the diary window shows the name of the user currently logged in.

Click on the update results button in the main diary window to load the update window.

The update results window its quite simple, but very powerful! You can track as little, or much as you want, and use the window to add a new weight or update an existing entry.

Start by checking the date is correct (1) for the entry you want to add or update. You can change the date using the two arrow buttons to the left of the displayed date.

Next, update your weight (2). The weight will be shown in the units currently specified in your user profile. We recommend you update your weight on a weekly basis, this helps the software calculate the current daily calorie recommendation and keeps the results graphs up to date.

You can add a note to accompany the weight measurement, perhaps to remind you in the future how you were doing with your diet at the time. For example you may have had a vacation and want to make a note so in future reports you can see why you did not maintain your diet that week.

The additional tracking options (3) are optional, you do not need to use them but many users find them very useful. There is no limit as to how many additional items you can track and you can change the items you want to track to suit your own needs, for example many diabetic users monitor their blood levels.

To change the items you are tracking, press the delete icon (4) to delete an item you do not want to track, or the add itcon (5) to add a new field to track.

Once you are happy and would like to confirm your entry simply click the ‘OK’ button.

If you have changed the date to a date in the past the Perfect Diet Tracker will warn you that you are about to enter a historic weight, and ask if you want to enter the weight for the date in the past, or use todays date.

23 October 2009: Updated screen shot for version 3.2