TABLE 6.

Summary of the challenges of the Plate Tool with examples of quotes from participants

Challenges of using the Plate Tool	Negative elements of the methodology	•Portioning on the Plate	“Understanding the difference between protein, grains and veg, (was difficult) like there are some foods that are not so easy to figure out.”
		•Categorization
		•Other foods
	Burden	•Time consuming to complete	“I found that I had to really do it right away after eating (…) at one point I lost the visual in my head of the proportions I had eaten.”
		•Lack of interest in self-monitoring
		•Remembering to complete the tool
	Insecurity	•Unfamiliarity	“I found it to be different; I didn’t know this method. It took me a while, in my head, to assimilate it.”
		•Hesitancy
		•Inadequate instructions
		•Preference for quantification
		•Background knowledge required
	Oversimplification	•Vague	“One barrier was representation because I mean it really is subjective. If I make a pile of lettuce in one corner of my plate that’s six inches high, or it is over the whole plate, who is right, you know?”
		•Subjectivity