Logging accuracy, consistency, and you're probably eating more than you think.
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There's nothing wrong with logging 1 egg. Eggs are weighed at packaging. Log it as 'large' or 'jumbo' or whatever grade it is and you're fine.lynn_glenmont wrote: »
You also can't assume that because an entry in someone's diary lists the measurement in cups that the person doesn't weigh their food. I use many entries from the database that are accurate (i.e., match the package label), but the person who created them used the volume measurement rather than the weight measurement when both are given on the package, e.g., 1/2 cup (113 g) for cottage cheese. I can weigh my cottage cheese and divide by the grams in a serving size to determine how much I'm serving myself, and still use that entry, and it doesn't mean I'm being inaccurate.Good point, especially these above. People often think they can look at someone's diary and tell how well they're logging based on the units of measure and such, but a reader has no way of knowing what they didn't log, which is probably a bigger source of error than using a cup measurement vs. a scale.
I just hate to say people think that using a food scale automatically means good logging, and that not using one automatically means bad.
That's not an issue, because I do it too. It's the people who are ALWAYS logging perfectly even amounts (1/2 cup, 100 grams, 1 egg, etc.) because they aren't weighing and assume that's what they're eating.
That's my point-- not everything has to be weighed for logging to be accurate enough.
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I used to do that. Pain in the rear! Grams into ounces, ounces into the serving size. Ugh.lynn_glenmont wrote: »
You also can't assume that because an entry in someone's diary lists the measurement in cups that the person doesn't weigh their food. I use many entries from the database that are accurate (i.e., match the package label), but the person who created them used the volume measurement rather than the weight measurement when both are given on the package, e.g., 1/2 cup (113 g) for cottage cheese. I can weigh my cottage cheese and divide by the grams in a serving size to determine how much I'm serving myself, and still use that entry, and it doesn't mean I'm being inaccurate.Good point, especially these above. People often think they can look at someone's diary and tell how well they're logging based on the units of measure and such, but a reader has no way of knowing what they didn't log, which is probably a bigger source of error than using a cup measurement vs. a scale.
I just hate to say people think that using a food scale automatically means good logging, and that not using one automatically means bad.
If you manually enter the cottage cheese into "My Foods" with the grams, not only can you enter grams, but the option for One Gram will magically appear, so then you can just enter the 89 or whatever it is. And it will always be in My Foods.
I mention this only because I found it so helpful and not to criticize you!
OK - I'm not taking it as criticism, but just explaining that I'm not converting grams to ounces. I put my bowl on the scale, tare the bowl, add as much cottage cheese as I want (120 grams tonight), divide (120/113 = 1.06), and enter 1.06 servings, even though the serving is listed as a half cup.
I like your suggestion, and I think it would be helpful for things I eat regularly, but given the problems I've been having lately finding previously logged foods, I don't think this is the time I'm going to start creating a lot of new entries. For example, I've been having a hard time finding the no-asterisk entries drawn from the USDA database in the past month or two -- I assume it's because of some of the "improvements" MFP has been making to the website. First a lot of the no-asterisk USDA entries started showing up labeled "generic," then they just seemed to disappear altogether. Since "coffee, brewed from grounds," "milk, 2% milkfat," and "garlic, raw" have all disappeared from my frequent foods list in the past week or two (and they were at the top -- they didn't suddenly become less frequent than 20 other foods), I don't have a lot of faith that new entries I create will stick around in the My Foods list. Also, very often when I go to the My Foods tab, and click to go to page 2 of the six or seven pages of foods that I've added in the past year, it tells me I haven't created any new foods. I guess what I'm saying is that this site is so buggy that I'm not interested in spending time creating new entries that might disappear or be unfindable, if a correct entry already exists.
Anyway, my original point was more or less just adding to the reasons why you really can't assume you know whether someone is weighing and logging accurately by looking at their diary.
And while, like Malibu927, I would find it suspicious if someone always logs exactly one serving of things like cereal, ice cream, etc., I get the impression from some people's posts that this may actually be what they do -- that they view the serving size as some kind of prescription that they don't have permission to ignore, and so they pour out their cereal or spoon out their ice cream and put some back if it's more than "one serving," adding and subtracting until it weighs exactly what one serving is supposed to weigh.
I do appreciate the suggestion; I wish I weren't losing my faith in the database aspect of this site so that I could try it. Thanks.
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There is an interesting British show called Secret Eaters that explores this topic in rather dramatic fashion and shows that people can be amazingly far off on how much they think they are eating and how much they really are. The show is sensationalized but does show that people will often forget, or perhaps even intentionally not record, large amounts of calories because they don't understand what they are really eating.
Anyone who is interested in watching it can find it on YouTube and it runs about 3 seasons.4 -
Hmm, thanks for your tips for accurate intake of food and stay fit and healthy. Visited your link that you had provided and find it very effective. You had nicely mentioned all the information about what and how balanced food is accurate.0
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lynn_glenmont wrote: »
I used to do that. Pain in the rear! Grams into ounces, ounces into the serving size. Ugh.lynn_glenmont wrote: »
You also can't assume that because an entry in someone's diary lists the measurement in cups that the person doesn't weigh their food. I use many entries from the database that are accurate (i.e., match the package label), but the person who created them used the volume measurement rather than the weight measurement when both are given on the package, e.g., 1/2 cup (113 g) for cottage cheese. I can weigh my cottage cheese and divide by the grams in a serving size to determine how much I'm serving myself, and still use that entry, and it doesn't mean I'm being inaccurate.Good point, especially these above. People often think they can look at someone's diary and tell how well they're logging based on the units of measure and such, but a reader has no way of knowing what they didn't log, which is probably a bigger source of error than using a cup measurement vs. a scale.
I just hate to say people think that using a food scale automatically means good logging, and that not using one automatically means bad.
If you manually enter the cottage cheese into "My Foods" with the grams, not only can you enter grams, but the option for One Gram will magically appear, so then you can just enter the 89 or whatever it is. And it will always be in My Foods.
I mention this only because I found it so helpful and not to criticize you!
OK - I'm not taking it as criticism, but just explaining that I'm not converting grams to ounces. I put my bowl on the scale, tare the bowl, add as much cottage cheese as I want (120 grams tonight), divide (120/113 = 1.06), and enter 1.06 servings, even though the serving is listed as a half cup.
Exactly. And as stated by a previous poster, the perfectly round number of "1/2 cup" every single time is one clue that the person might not be weighing. I did have a user come back and say she actually cuts the chicken each time down to four ounces exactly, but most people I've encountered who logged the perfect serving size each time and were asked about it were not weighing. To be clear, when we review diaries, that's what many of us are looking for - clues. We still have to ask the user to verify what process they actually follow
You can also get clues as to whether items are being skipped. Missing meals, missing days, chicken with no oil butter, or condiments etc. Yeah they could be boiling the chicken in water and eating it plain, but we would just quickly ask to verify
That's why a single day copy and paste is not really the same thing as an open diary when performing this review for the user2 -
WalkingAlong wrote: »
Yes this is true - if one's weight is losing/maintaining/gaining at desired pace ,then one is eating at correct level - whether it is accurately logged or not.
I readily admit I just log every banana as a small banana ( I only buy small ones so they fit in my lunch box) I dont weigh eggs, I accept the muesil bar as being the size the package says it is, every cup of coffee has same amount of milk etc etc - this is not hindering my weight goal ,which has stayed within 1.5 kg of maitenance (as I want it to) for nearly a year.
However I'm not one of the posters saying I log accurately and why isnt it working.
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This is great0
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This is a great point for sure. One way to keep yourself honest is to pick selections that include weight of food item as opposed to "1 medium", "1 cup", etc. and also try to confirm the entry if you have the package. I hate entries that are not specific. It was irritating last night when I scanned in the red potato bag bar code and it came up with 1 medium potato with no weight (but the bag had the weight of 5.3 oz so it could have been entered by whomever originated the item (I wish I could update to include it). It might also be useful to use a scale that will interact directly with myfitnesspal. If you eat at home, you can better understand portion size for what you are eating.
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Despite what everyone wants everyone else to do, a lot of people who use MFP are not going to weigh their food. The fact that they're here in the first place is great, as it means they're actually trying, maybe for the first time in their life, and it would be discouraging to find that they can't input their food because something they ate is only listed in grams. There has to be a balance between what those who are intensely committed want and what those just starting out want. Yeah, I'm one of those who doesn't weigh things, but I am losing. Maybe not as quickly as others, but it's happening, slow and steady. Perhaps when I finally plateau, then I'll start thinking about weighing my food, but that's highly unlikely. 8
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Despite what everyone wants everyone else to do, a lot of people who use MFP are not going to weigh their food. The fact that they're here in the first place is great, as it means they're actually trying, maybe for the first time in their life, and it would be discouraging to find that they can't input their food because something they ate is only listed in grams. There has to be a balance between what those who are intensely committed want and what those just starting out want. Yeah, I'm one of those who doesn't weigh things, but I am losing. Maybe not as quickly as others, but it's happening, slow and steady. Perhaps when I finally plateau, then I'll start thinking about weighing my food, but that's highly unlikely.
"When fat loss stalls" is literally in the first sentence of his post
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Despite what everyone wants everyone else to do, a lot of people who use MFP are not going to weigh their food. The fact that they're here in the first place is great, as it means they're actually trying, maybe for the first time in their life, and it would be discouraging to find that they can't input their food because something they ate is only listed in grams. There has to be a balance between what those who are intensely committed want and what those just starting out want. Yeah, I'm one of those who doesn't weigh things, but I am losing. Maybe not as quickly as others, but it's happening, slow and steady. Perhaps when I finally plateau, then I'll start thinking about weighing my food, but that's highly unlikely.
I didn't want to do it either, as it felt like too much work. But I bought a scale two weeks after joining and have seen just how much it helps.3 -
hello
Can anyone please tell me how much is 35 grams of bagrreys white oats or any instant oats in cups? I dont have any weighing machne.... so plz help0 -
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Despite what everyone wants everyone else to do, a lot of people who use MFP are not going to weigh their food. The fact that they're here in the first place is great, as it means they're actually trying, maybe for the first time in their life, and it would be discouraging to find that they can't input their food because something they ate is only listed in grams. There has to be a balance between what those who are intensely committed want and what those just starting out want. Yeah, I'm one of those who doesn't weigh things, but I am losing. Maybe not as quickly as others, but it's happening, slow and steady. Perhaps when I finally plateau, then I'll start thinking about weighing my food, but that's highly unlikely.
"When fat loss stalls" is literally in the first sentence of his post
I know. I read it. I was stating what I personally would do.0 -
Thanks...very informative..I think a lot of us can benefit from these articles and info1
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Despite what everyone wants everyone else to do, a lot of people who use MFP are not going to weigh their food. The fact that they're here in the first place is great, as it means they're actually trying, maybe for the first time in their life, and it would be discouraging to find that they can't input their food because something they ate is only listed in grams. There has to be a balance between what those who are intensely committed want and what those just starting out want. Yeah, I'm one of those who doesn't weigh things, but I am losing. Maybe not as quickly as others, but it's happening, slow and steady. Perhaps when I finally plateau, then I'll start thinking about weighing my food, but that's highly unlikely.
"When fat loss stalls" is literally in the first sentence of his post
I know. I read it. I was stating what I personally would do.
And his first sentence indicates that the post would probably not apply to or be terribly useful for you. People whose Fat loss has stalled would look for answers and may likely be very interested in weighing their food to get it resolved. You're not yet in that category. You might sing a different tune when you're busting your butt in the gym and in the kitchen everyday and not seeing results on the scale. Then let me know if buying and using a $10 scale for two weeks is too much of a hassle for you
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