Guesstimating food

lalee115

How do you handle situations where you are truly guessing when entering a food item?

For example... I was with family today for my nephew's birthday. I managed to read some labels and correctly log most things. But some homemade items I just guessed at. I entered something like "homemade coleslaw" and scanned through the entries. Then I picked one that was not the highest in calories but trending toward the high end and chose the correct serving. I don't want to overestimate, but I don't want to underestimate, either.

So... How do you approach this situation?

vingogly

That's how I do it. And if I have something that's not in the database, I'll guesstimate the amount of the caloric ingredients and ignore things like low-calorie veggies. If it's something that I eat from time to time, I'll set up a meal for it.

jenilla1

Most people suck at guesstimating, but for special situations like a family gathering where you don't really know what you're eating, you're going to have to do it. It's OK as long as you aren't guesstimating on a regular basis. Being off on your calories every once in awhile isn't going to derail your progress. I think you did the right thing!

lalee115

Thanks, guys! I bought a scale over the weekend (cheap, non-digital just to get started) and have been weighing when I can. So I at least know that I'm not "fudging" in other places.

cee134

A cup is = to your fist. 3 oz of meat is = to a deck of cards. That's what I use, and I lost 100 lbs. I never measure my meals, though it can be helpful. I don't do it because logging gets old and I'm sure measuring would not be something I would keep up with after a couple years. Not to mention, I wouldn't be able to do it everytime, everywhere, like the office. I can get a pretty good gauge using the fist = 1 cup. If you are still losing weight, then you are doing a good job estimating.

jacksonpt

I basically do what you did... scan through several entries and pick one that is on the higher end of what seems like the normal range.

I'll also default to chain restaurant entries as they tend to be higher in cals because of all the add-ins (butters, sauces, etc). Like you said, it's just a guestimate, so I always try to be on the higher side to be safe.

lalee115

cee134 wrote: »

I never measure my meals, though it can be helpful. I don't do it because logging gets old and I'm sure measuring would not be something I would keep up with after a couple years. Not to mention, I wouldn't be able to do it everytime, everywhere, like the office.

I know what you mean... I really did it out of curiosity and because I'm hoping it will get me in a position to be a better estimator in the future so that I can learn enough to make it second nature as opposed to "oh, I have to make sure I'm only eating one portion of this" for the rest of my life. For instance, when prepping lunch and snacks to bring to work for the week, I learned this morning that a snack size ziploc full of smart pop is exactly 1/2 of a serving. Now I know and won't have to weigh it again.

jacksonpt wrote: »

I'll also default to chain restaurant entries as they tend to be higher in cals because of all the add-ins (butters, sauces, etc).

Great idea!

Wolfena

You are doing the exact thing most of us do -especially when somebody else cooks there really is no way to know for sure....

There is no way for your food and exercise diary to be perfect all of the time