First post is a rant please forgive me!
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I didn't have a problem, but I am one of those annoying people who fully reads the directions before using tech. Most people don't bother.
My parents had a little trouble, mostly because they'd rather ask me for help instead of look it up for themselves. If I weren't around they'd have been well able to figure it out.
Now, if it were my great-aunt trying to use it it'd be hopeless. She can barely figure out how to call someone with her cell phone, let alone work out how to use an app.1 -
I'm pretty average. And I find its pretty easy.
Not sure what the problem is? Read the stickies abut how to log properly and boom. done.
My boyfriend thinks its tedious watching me do it, but I think the work he does is tedious (metal and woodwork). For me, weighing and logging is normal. For him, measuring and cutting and welding is normal.
it's all relative.2 -
I'm the type of person who firmly believes that the results you get depend on the effort you put into what you're trying to achieve. I have never, ever had to use the USDA database to double check anything. I really do not find logging to be hard to do whatsoever. I'm absolutely with @elphie754 about users getting mad when they underestimate and don't lose.
If I make chicken breast, I will absolutely not search up "chicken breast" in the database and use that in my log. Instead, I use the recipe builder to input the raw weight, in grams, of the chicken I used according to the nutritional facts on the package. Then I add any spices, oil, etc I used as well. I also weigh/measure these. After I'm done cooking my chicken, I weigh the final product and divide that by the amount of portions I want to get out of it and I know that one serving will be that amount in grams. It takes me minimal time to do and I know I'm being as accurate as I possibly can. People who search up "lasagna" in the database when making their own recipe can't expect accuracy, especially if they go for the entry with the lowest calorie count.
If I'm eating out, I will search up food that is similar to what I'm eating if where I'm eating from doesn't have nutritional facts on their website. I will look at multiple entries and see what the average calorie amount is and go with one of the higher ones to account for errors. It hasn't steered me wrong since I started here.
If I'm eating a packaged item, a piece of fruit, or a vegetable I will still weigh it. Package weight can vary greatly from actual weight. If I scan a barcode I double check the entry to make sure it matches my package. If it doesn't, I create a new food item myself or search the database for the right version. Some people input protein bars with net carbs instead of the amount listed on the package and it drives me nuts. There is a reason people have an option not to share their created food with the database. I will never use things like "1 banana", "10 grapes", etc. For fruits and veggies, I weigh them in grams and search for them in the database with usda after the name. Example: I search "banana usda" and look at a few of the entries making sure they match up, then I pick one that has grams as a measurement and enter it accordingly.
I'm very thorough and detailed about how I log and, for some, it may seem like a long process but it really takes minimal time to do this. It's exactly why I've been successful with this website.4 -
The system DOES have usda data in the database. It's not as easy to find them as it used to be, but they are there - you can tell them apart because they are verified and come in several units - ounces, grams, sometimes volume (groan).
Or just put USDA in your search.
Honestly the main issue is coming from users, because they underestimate their portions, and there's not a thing that MFP can do about that.
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I'm the type of person who firmly believes that the results you get depend on the effort you put into what you're trying to achieve. I have never, ever had to use the USDA database to double check anything. I really do not find logging to be hard to do whatsoever. I'm absolutely with @elphie754 about users getting mad when they underestimate and don't lose.
If I make chicken breast, I will absolutely not search up "chicken breast" in the database and use that in my log. Instead, I use the recipe builder to input the raw weight, in grams, of the chicken I used according to the nutritional facts on the package. Then I add any spices, oil, etc I used as well. I also weigh/measure these. After I'm done cooking my chicken, I weigh the final product and divide that by the amount of portions I want to get out of it and I know that one serving will be that amount in grams. It takes me minimal time to do and I know I'm being as accurate as I possibly can. People who search up "lasagna" in the database when making their own recipe can't expect accuracy, especially if they go for the entry with the lowest calorie count.
If I'm eating out, I will search up food that is similar to what I'm eating if where I'm eating from doesn't have nutritional facts on their website. I will look at multiple entries and see what the average calorie amount is and go with one of the higher ones to account for errors. It hasn't steered me wrong since I started here.
If I'm eating a packaged item, a piece of fruit, or a vegetable I will still weigh it. Package weight can vary greatly from actual weight. If I scan a barcode I double check the entry to make sure it matches my package. If it doesn't, I create a new food item myself or search the database for the right version. Some people input protein bars with net carbs instead of the amount listed on the package and it drives me nuts. There is a reason people have an option not to share their created food with the database. I will never use things like "1 banana", "10 grapes", etc. For fruits and veggies, I weigh them in grams and search for them in the database with usda after the name. Example: I search "banana usda" and look at a few of the entries making sure they match up, then I pick one that has grams as a measurement and enter it accordingly.
I'm very thorough and detailed about how I log and, for some, it may seem like a long process but it really takes minimal time to do this. It's exactly why I've been successful with this website.
Yep. I am just as devoted to my logging and that's why I had no trouble losing those infamous last few pounds that people can never seem to lose. People can lie to themselves and their diaries all they want, but the body will not be fooled.1 -
I guess the other thing to keep in mind is that this is a FREE app generated from a FREE website so unless you are paying for premium I don't see the justification in posting a big whinge about it not working how you think it should. Perhaps an email with a polite suggestion for improvements would have been better?1
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It's not hard to actually do the logging. You enter a food you ate, find a match and click OK. I guess if you had to say there was a hard part, for me it would've been when I realized that you can't always go by the database entries, so you have to actually verify what you're entering is accurate. This means going by the labels on your food and looking up the calorie counts on the USDA website, and making sure they match up with what is in the database or taking that information and creating your own entry.
But it's really not that complicated and I'm not really sure what could be changed unless they just deleted the existing database and hired a team to do nothing but add verified USDA entries of things (which I think they might actually do because there are verified entries in there.) But that still wouldn't cover everything every one eats, nor would it cover recipes or uncommon foods. The work comes in where you have to be the one to make sure you're using the entries accurately. The app can't do everything for you, it's only a tool. It's really nothing more than an easier form of a notebook and pen, but has a few extra features like macro counts and things. It can't make sure what you are entering is correct, you have to do that, so yes, I think you are asking it to do more than it can.
As far as the homemade entries, yeah, I agree that those are crap because what you make and what someone else makes are probably not even close. I wish folks wouldn't make "homemade" recipes public or if there's even a way to stop that from happening. (I don't check the little box to make it public when I make one) If it says homemade on the entry, don't use it unless you are the one that put it in there.0 -
charlieandcarol wrote: »I guess the other thing to keep in mind is that this is a FREE app generated from a FREE website so unless you are paying for premium I don't see the justification in posting a big whinge about it not working how you think it should. Perhaps an email with a polite suggestion for improvements would have been better?
Actually no, OP has a valid point, right now the database is such a mess that it's not exactly an incentive to pay for the app. And don't get me started about the recipe tool...4 -
I don't personally have a problem logging, but I see an awful lot of posts from people who do. And who is going to lie and say that the first time you try to enter a new food, it's not a royal pain in the *kitten* trying to find an accurate entry among the twenty-five wildly different listings for "banana"? If you're a new user, that's basically all you're going to be doing until you've built up your own database of trusted entries and don't have to venture into the culinary Trump rally that is the main database.
I agree with the OP - paid accounts should come with the ability to screen out all search results that aren't verified against the USDA database. Even free accounts should make sharing a food entry opt-in, not opt-out. Or at least, for God's sake, move the verified entries to the top of the search results. Other (free!) logging apps do it, I know it's not impossible.2 -
Op- you could always direct the less internet savvy members of your family to the usda's my plate website or app. They can create an account and track their food there (super tracker is what it's called). All the entires are the USDA entries, so no issues with accuracy. There are no forums on that site, but for simple calorie and nutrient tracking, it works pretty well. Their database isn't as extensive as mfp's, ironically enough, but you can find the vast majority of foods on it. My plate is also free and has a recipe builder. It also has a report generator so, if so inclined, you can look over a period of time and find out the average amount of calories, macro and micro nutrients you are consuming. It might be a viable solution for those members of your family that you believe would be confused by MFP.3
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Larissa_NY wrote: »I don't personally have a problem logging, but I see an awful lot of posts from people who do. And who is going to lie and say that the first time you try to enter a new food, it's not a royal pain in the *kitten* trying to find an accurate entry among the twenty-five wildly different listings for "banana"? If you're a new user, that's basically all you're going to be doing until you've built up your own database of trusted entries and don't have to venture into the culinary Trump rally that is the main database.
I agree with the OP - paid accounts should come with the ability to screen out all search results that aren't verified against the USDA database. Even free accounts should make sharing a food entry opt-in, not opt-out. Or at least, for God's sake, move the verified entries to the top of the search results. Other (free!) logging apps do it, I know it's not impossible.
+1
And LMAO @ the Trump rally comment!2 -
I thought sharing food entries was an opt-in thing. Maybe it's just like that on the desktop?Larissa_NY wrote: »I don't personally have a problem logging, but I see an awful lot of posts from people who do. And who is going to lie and say that the first time you try to enter a new food, it's not a royal pain in the *kitten* trying to find an accurate entry among the twenty-five wildly different listings for "banana"? If you're a new user, that's basically all you're going to be doing until you've built up your own database of trusted entries and don't have to venture into the culinary Trump rally that is the main database.
I agree with the OP - paid accounts should come with the ability to screen out all search results that aren't verified against the USDA database. Even free accounts should make sharing a food entry opt-in, not opt-out. Or at least, for God's sake, move the verified entries to the top of the search results. Other (free!) logging apps do it, I know it's not impossible.
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I agreed with someone and was flagged for abuse? Really?1
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booksandchocolate12 wrote: »I agreed with someone and was flagged for abuse? Really?
Someone is a Trump supporter and thinks free speech only applies to them, so they will flag any comment that hurts their feelers about their idol. I think that's why you got hit. You can ask the mods to remove it, as it is CLEARLY not a violation of the community standards, whether we're talking about Trump or Sanders. It'd just take some convincing that it doesn't take away from the conversation (unrelated to op is technically abuse).
Speaking of the conversation, I don't have any issues logging now I've been doing it for a while. I admit it took a LOT of reading on the forum to get into gear, but it was reading. No one asked me to take a leap of faith, no one demanded a trial by fire to be miraculously imbibed with sacred knowledge of how to open two internet windows at once to verify stuff. I understand and empathize when people get frustrated, this is body image. That's full fledged trigger warning emotional investment at stake stuff. I get it. I've been there. But you ask a question on the forum and a FLOCK of people will arrive to help you figure out what's up. I don't think that many people in my building would show up to help if my apartment was on fire. MFP is the place to be. And there's all the help you could possibly want if you're willing to listen to other people and not assume you're the only person who could POSSIBLY understand what's going on with you. Objectivity is not the enemy. It's a useful ally.0 -
ummijaaz560 wrote: »I really want to give the ease of using this App a 10.
I have seen other apps databases and this is actually the best.
But even if my great auntie and gran read the stickies, that wouldn't ensure they'd do this correctly without my help. I guess this app isn't for the Internet challenged lol!
I think I'm asking mfp to do more than what it's set up to do.
You may be underestimating your older relatives. People learn what they are motivated to learn and that includes how to best use this app. I know a few older people who didn't want to "learn" the Internet and were glad they were close to retirement age so they could avoid it. Then they found out about eBay and online dating sites. These same people now are quite comfortable using the Internet because they found a reason to want to learn.
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My Grandma can't even work the tv remote so it really doesn't matter how easy the app is, she'd wouldn't be able to use it. I don't really find that a valid arguement.
As far as logging and finding the right entry I don't find it that difficult. Once you learn the proper search terms or way to search it eliminates a lot of junk entries. For example searching fruits and veggies in the plural form or adding the word raw or usda to your search.
The problems come when people don't want to use a food scale, don't want to use the recipe builder, or purposely select some ridiculously wrong item because it's hundreds of calories lower just so they can eat more.0 -
CooCooPuff wrote: »
I thought sharing food entries was an opt-in thing. Maybe it's just like that on the desktop?Larissa_NY wrote: »I don't personally have a problem logging, but I see an awful lot of posts from people who do. And who is going to lie and say that the first time you try to enter a new food, it's not a royal pain in the *kitten* trying to find an accurate entry among the twenty-five wildly different listings for "banana"? If you're a new user, that's basically all you're going to be doing until you've built up your own database of trusted entries and don't have to venture into the culinary Trump rally that is the main database.
I agree with the OP - paid accounts should come with the ability to screen out all search results that aren't verified against the USDA database. Even free accounts should make sharing a food entry opt-in, not opt-out. Or at least, for God's sake, move the verified entries to the top of the search results. Other (free!) logging apps do it, I know it's not impossible.
No, I tell a lie, it's opt-in on the desktop too. I thought it was opt-out. So I guess a lot of people just really, really think the MFP database needs their entry for a 15-calorie banana with no carbs.4 -
OP, have them read http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1296011/calorie-counting-101/p1. If they think this is *kitten* and there's no way in hell they're getting into all that, leave them alone. When/if they're motivated enough, they'll get into it.1
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It's not that difficult. It takes a little time at first just to verify entries, but really it's not that hard. I was at the thrift store yesterday browsing books. I found a book from 2001 called " Calorie Counting Made Easy". The cover advertised it included over 200 chain food entries, or something of that sort. I was so amused by it and thought how lucky I was that I have the easy peasy MFP system. Really, it's not that hard
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rule #1 when in doubt put larger portion size in mfp1
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