stupid(?) noob question about weighing/logging foods

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sdado1013
sdado1013 Posts: 209 Member
in Getting Started
I am new to MFP, been logging for just over 2 weeks but I have only just today started weighing my foods. (Just like a lot of the posts said, it was a HUGE wakeup call.)
Anyways, my specific question has to do with how to log foods once I have weighed them.
The way I have been doing this is look at the item package and see how many grams is 1 serving, weigh out exactly 1 serving of said food then log how many servings I ate.
My question comes to things like condiments and peanut butter where I can weigh out how much I ate but then it doesn't come out to exactly X number of servings. Am I supposed to calculate how many servings and enter it in a decimal? or is there another way to do this that I am missing? Thanks for the help.

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Replies

  • lilRicki
    lilRicki Posts: 4,555 Member
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    I measure with measuring spoons. I have 2 sets of measuring spoons so I make sure I get it right
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    You find the entry that gives you 1g or 100g and you enter the grammes you've weighed ...not the serving (how do you know what the serving size is that's been entered

    Eg say I weigh 15g ketchup

    I look for Heinz ketchup, click on the serving and there should be 1g and 100g options

    Choose 1g and enter 15 or choose 100g and enter 0.15 ..it's the same
  • TheVirgoddess
    TheVirgoddess Posts: 4,535 Member
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    rabbitjb wrote: »
    You find the entry that gives you 1g or 100g and you enter the grammes you've weighed ...not the serving (how do you know what the serving size is that's been entered

    Eg say I weigh 15g ketchup

    I look for Heinz ketchup, click on the serving and there should be 1g and 100g options

    Choose 1g and enter 15 or choose 100g and enter 0.15 ..it's the same

    This usually, though if the grams aren't available do this: say you get 15g of ketchup, and a serving is 28 grams. You take 15 (what you ate) and divide it by 28 (a serving), which gives you .54 of a serving. Make sense?
  • ironblossom
    ironblossom Posts: 5
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    When you log your food, check the drop-down box to see what other measurement options there are. Sometimes there's an option for weighing, so you know if you had 5 ounces you can put 5 servings of 1 ounce of whatever it is. So it's Qty:__ of _________[arrow] click the arrow and see what your options are. when you search the food in the first place I've noticed that a lot of options come up, so if the first option that fits doesn't have ounces or whatever, check the next one. Just make sure you still check the nutritional facts, because sometimes it wasn't input correctly and you'll change the drop down to ounces but it'll still look like cups.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    sdado1013 wrote: »
    My question comes to things like condiments and peanut butter where I can weigh out how much I ate but then it doesn't come out to exactly X number of servings. Am I supposed to calculate how many servings and enter it in a decimal? or is there another way to do this that I am missing? Thanks for the help.

    If the entry you are using allows you to choose 1 gram, choose that and then instead of entering number of servings, enter number of grams. If I am not in the right frame of mind to do math :) and I'm close to a serving size, I'll round up. So just making up numbers, if a serving of ketchup is 100 grams and I weigh mine and it is 90 grams, I just log one serving. Not sure if any of that will work for you, but it's what I have been doing. Hope it helps!
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    edited February 2015
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    There are always a range of choices and one inevitably has by weight

    Check against pack calories to be safe

    5eatrrxlfipm.jpg
  • sdado1013
    sdado1013 Posts: 209 Member
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    Well unfortunately my specific example is Jiffy Extra Crunch Peanut Butter which only has choices in Tbsp.
  • corindeathawk
    corindeathawk Posts: 254 Member
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    You can use decimal places. I do this all the time with things like salad dressing. Use the method you already described (locate serving size in grams), and then just divide used by serving size amount. The JIF I have (different flavor) has 36g per serving, so if I used 53g, I would enter 1.47 against an entry that corresponded to the package serving size. 2 decimal places is normally sufficient. Round up when in doubt.
  • blankiefinder
    blankiefinder Posts: 3,599 Member
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    Try this one: Jif - Extra Crunch Peanut Butter - Corrected

    k848slijqmhz.png
  • blankiefinder
    blankiefinder Posts: 3,599 Member
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    By the way, if I haven't found an entry that lists the grams, I keep looking for a different entry.
  • JordisTSM
    JordisTSM Posts: 359 Member
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    sdado1013 wrote: »
    Well unfortunately my specific example is Jiffy Extra Crunch Peanut Butter which only has choices in Tbsp.

    You can always create a database item using the nutritional information on the jar for grams.
  • blankiefinder
    blankiefinder Posts: 3,599 Member
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    This item is already listed a bunch of times. Better to edit and correct one that is already there than add to the database mess that exists now. :)
  • juliet3455
    juliet3455 Posts: 3,015 Member
    edited February 2015
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    My standard suggestion/tip is to do some reading.
    juliet3455 wrote: »
    Visit the Eat-Train-Progress group and read the pinned topics. If you click on the little STAR you can bookmark the topic for future reference.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/categories/getting-started

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/10118-eat-train-progress

    Read the information at these MFP post. They have links to multiple very good reads.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/833026/important-posts-to-read/p1

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1069278/acronyms-and-terms-for-new-mfp-members-v-6/p1

    Try the USDA site as a cross reference for nutrition values of different food diary entries.
    http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/

    A Recipe Swap Group
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/148-recipe-swap

    A Recipe Blog Site
    https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/category/eat/recipes/

    Some of these links will show up in the other Groups and discussions.
    There are lots of other good groups and discussions with really good information and some with a more Social aspect.

    @blankiefinder‌ She Nailed it
    blankiefinder wrote: »
    By the way, if I haven't found an entry that lists the grams, I keep looking for a different entry.
    blankiefinder wrote: »
    This item is already listed a bunch of times. Better to edit and correct one that is already there than add to the database mess that exists now. :)

    Read the Logging Accurately before you do the Following!!!!!!
    To bring up the Edit Function - When the item is displayed and you click on the "Nutritional Info" there will be 3 options - Yes - No - I Don't Know.
    Pick the No and it will return an Edit Button.
    Now you can edit the item and change/add to the Nutritional information.
    My personal Bias is to use grams ( 100 gm) as it makes the math easy especially when you use a scale and weigh everything. Don't use 2 tablespoons ( 32 gm) just use 100 gm values - refer to the USDA web site for un-biased nutritional data.
  • silentKayak
    silentKayak Posts: 658 Member
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    You can absolutely enter decimals. The breakfast cereal entry I use is in cups, but I usually eat half a cup. So I just enter 0.5 of a serving.

    Estimating is also fine, as long as you are close, you always round up and don't start playing games with yourself ("oh, I rounded up so I REALLY have extra calories even though it shows I'm over budget ...."). Rounding up is a really good way to compensate for the normal tendency to underestimate food intake or failures to track a bite here and a bite there.
  • robinsvitakjones
    robinsvitakjones Posts: 20 Member
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    When I make pb&j, I'll put my scale on "grams". I put the slice of bread on the scale and "tare" it, so it's "0" grams with the bread on it. If I want 32 grams of peanut butter, I add peanut butter and either take some off or put more on until the scale says 32.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    sdado1013 wrote: »
    Well unfortunately my specific example is Jiffy Extra Crunch Peanut Butter which only has choices in Tbsp.

    Let's say you are eating one teaspoon of Peanut Butter.
    You can use a decimal point like this .33

    Or for ½ tablespoon use this .5

    Does this help?
  • JordisTSM
    JordisTSM Posts: 359 Member
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    blankiefinder wrote: »
    This item is already listed a bunch of times. Better to edit and correct one that is already there than add to the database mess that exists now. :)

    Yes, you're right. I misread OP's post and thought she said there was only one entry.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    mq8kwxpi4uc4.png

    This is from the regular Jif Creamy Peanut Butter. 32 grams equals two tablespoons.
    One tablespoon equals 16 grams.
  • blankiefinder
    blankiefinder Posts: 3,599 Member
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    Always better to weigh your peanut butter than to measure it though :smile: The higher calorie the item, the smaller the margin for error. Good luck!
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 9,988 Member
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    Presumably you have the container of whatever food you're eating. You should check the nutritional information in the database entry against the label on the container for accuracy whenever possible when you use an entry you haven't used before. If I find an entry with accurate info, and the only problem is that it lists the serving size by volume instead of weight, I just check the label on the container and see, for example that 2 Tbsp of my peanut butter = 32 g. If the amount of peanut butter I spread on my toast weighed 21 g, I divide 21 by 32 (= .65625), and I log 0.65625 servings. (Most things I just round to the third digit, but if decimal terminates in four or five digits I tend to just use all the digits. MFP seems to only use the first two digits for a number smaller than zero, anyway).

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