Question about the app

WholeFoods4Lyfe
WholeFoods4Lyfe Posts: 1,518 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I know that on the desktop site I can add "negative" items to my food. For example, add a big mac, but then add a negative bun if you don't eat it.

Is there a way to do that on the app as well?

Replies

  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    You just blew my mind. I didn't know we could add negative items. I knew that breastfeeding was in there as a negative food but I didn't realize that we could create our own. I think I tried it once on the app and it didn't work but that was likely a year ago (possibly longer.)
  • booksandchocolate12
    booksandchocolate12 Posts: 1,741 Member
    I don't even see where you do it on the website, let alone on the app.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    booksandchocolate12 wrote: »
    I don't even see where you do it on the website, let alone on the app.

    Enter a negative quantity number--instead of 1, enter -1 on a food item.
  • booksandchocolate12
    booksandchocolate12 Posts: 1,741 Member
    Ah. Interesting!
  • Beaner63
    Beaner63 Posts: 69 Member
    Wow... the more you know :)

    Didn't know you could do this.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    I can't do it on the app. I just enter in the item on the app and then try and remember to change it to negative when I'm at a computer later.
  • no_day_but_2day
    no_day_but_2day Posts: 222 Member
    michelle172415 wrote: »
    I know that on the desktop site I can add "negative" items to my food. For example, add a big mac, but then add a negative bun if you don't eat it.

    Is there a way to do that on the app as well?

    I HAD NO IDEA! **MIND BLOWN**
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    I don't see why you couldn't do it on the app. You just have to find or create the negative entry. @CyberTone perhaps you would care to weigh in?
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    edited April 2016
    Here's how someone created an entry to remove fat by the gram:

    a747ba40b4e83f5b717d7369e8c284e8.png

    So I would think to remove a Big Mac bun, get the nutrition data from the site and create an entry with all negatives.
  • clark614
    clark614 Posts: 92 Member
    Why do this?? I do not understand this. You subtract food you do not eat??? Can someone explain?
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    i've never even done this and i've been using MFP since 2011! Interesting
  • raindawg
    raindawg Posts: 348 Member
    edited April 2016
    "Why do this?? I do not understand this. You subtract food you do not eat??? Can someone explain?"

    I think what she means is you enter a whole big mac. Then since she didn't eat the bun, she finds the nutritional info for a bun and enters it as negative one. The net total is then a big mac without the bun.

    I've been using the app since 2012 and I never thought of that.
  • maidengirl_
    maidengirl_ Posts: 283 Member
    Mind blown! I just do a quick add when I don't eat it the way the app has it organized! Good to know you can DO THIS!
  • cdplatz
    cdplatz Posts: 8 Member
    Now all I want is a Big Mac.
  • CyberTone
    CyberTone Posts: 7,337 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    I don't see why you couldn't do it on the app. You just have to find or create the negative entry. @CyberTone perhaps you would care to weigh in?

    Prior to late 2014, MFP users were able to add negative quantities for existing food items on the Web, iOS, and Android versions of MFP. It seems the capability to do that was broken on the mobile apps in the lead up to deploying the "Verified" feature and the Premium option. From my experience and some information I found in the forum comments and Help pages, it seems iOS users lost that capability in late 2014 and Android users lost that capability in early 2015.

    Also, when MFP deployed the Premium option, the Quick Add Calories function was changed, and a user could not enter negative Quick Add Calories; however, once the positive Quick Add Calories were added to the Food Diary, a user could open that entry on the Web version and change it to a negative number.

    There was a period of time in late 2015 when the Quick Add Calories would not allow negative entries on the Web version and a user could not edit any entries from positive to negative. That was pointed out in this thread, but that issue has been fixed (at least for now).

    As for creating private or shared food items with negative quantities for individual nutrients, I can not comment on that since I have never tried to do that.
  • benzieboxx
    benzieboxx Posts: 253 Member
    jemhh wrote: »
    Enter a negative quantity number--instead of 1, enter -1 on a food item.

    This just blew my mind. I had no idea you could do this. Here I am killing myself over certain foods when I could have just been calculating them like this the whole time!
  • abatonfan
    abatonfan Posts: 1,120 Member
    clark614 wrote: »
    Why do this?? I do not understand this. You subtract food you do not eat??? Can someone explain?
    Let's say I eat out and have a salad. The restaurant calculates nutrition information for the salad + dressing, but I don't put any dressing on my salad. I can then use an entry for the dressing and input a negative serving size so that the nutrition info for the entire meal reflects me eating only the salad.

    I don't think there's a way to do negative servings on the IOS app.
  • Cynsonya
    Cynsonya Posts: 668 Member
    I use an entry for placeholder calories to bank calories through the week. Then on the weekend I use enter negative placeholder calories to use them. But I can only enter the negatives on the website. It won't work on the app.
  • tahxirez
    tahxirez Posts: 270 Member
    Cynsonya wrote: »
    I use an entry for placeholder calories to bank calories through the week. Then on the weekend I use enter negative placeholder calories to use them. But I can only enter the negatives on the website. It won't work on the app.

    This is genius! To clarify, you quick add whatever calories are left if you are under goal every day and then add them up and quick add a negative to the day you want them right? I'm so glad I clicked on this thread!
  • tiffkittyw
    tiffkittyw Posts: 366 Member
    Cynsonya wrote: »
    I use an entry for placeholder calories to bank calories through the week. Then on the weekend I use enter negative placeholder calories to use them. But I can only enter the negatives on the website. It won't work on the app.

    That is way too much work for me LOL! I prefer to set my calories to maintaince and eat less some days (500+ deficit) and more on others (surplus on weekends) and then track my weekly deficit in the nutrition tab to see how much weight I'm estimated to lose that week (i.e 3,500 would be 1 lb). I can see why you do this though since seeing the red numbers when you go over bothers some people.
  • ktekc
    ktekc Posts: 879 Member
    I do that when i go to mcds i get 2 plain mcdoubles and put them together with one bun and log -1 bun.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    ktekc wrote: »
    I do that when i go to mcds i get 2 plain mcdoubles and put them together with one bun and log -1 bun.

    So 4 patties, 1 bun? A McQuadruple?
  • QueenKristine77
    QueenKristine77 Posts: 67 Member
    i guess i dont eat out enough to have to do this, but I know the option is there if i need it! :)
  • cpmead01
    cpmead01 Posts: 4 Member
    edited August 22

    I found a problem with this approach. The negative numbers show up on the website as expected, but the mobile app does not show the same data. The negative qty shows on the summary - when you click on the details it has a positive value of 1 - so the app cannot handle a negative number

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  • Hobartlemagne
    Hobartlemagne Posts: 603 Member
    Dont forget- if it is a Big Mac, its a bun and a half

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