How to guess calories?

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232good
232good Posts: 92 Member
in Food and Nutrition
How do you guys guess your homemade food calories? Breakdown by each food group? Tonight we're making meatballs: no idea how many calories. And last night I made chicken bakes.. Also, no clue how many calories!

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  • peleroja
    peleroja Posts: 3,979 Member
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    Use the recipe builder function on MFP and you don't have to guess :grin:

    You add the total amount of each ingredient and then you can divide by servings.

    When I cook for myself only, I just add each component item by item. Only takes a second.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    I use the recipe builder in the tool as often as possible. Put in all of the ingredients and specify how many servings you're making. That "serving" could be how many meatballs you made. Then you just add it to your diary.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    Weigh the ingredients and enter them in the recipe builder. Weigh your portion when it's ready.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    Recipe builder is your friend.
  • ladyj22
    ladyj22 Posts: 146 Member
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    Where's the recipe builder?
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    If you're on the app, it will be in the menu under "My Recipes & Foods". If you're web version, go to the food tab, and "Recipes" is a sub menu.

    In either you can search all the ingredients, add them all by amounts, set the number of serves and save the recipe. It's not perfect but it's better than guessing.
  • ladyj22
    ladyj22 Posts: 146 Member
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    Wow! I had no idea that was here! Thank you!
  • 232good
    232good Posts: 92 Member
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    I wasn't aware of that tool!! Thank you!
  • MusicInMotion67
    MusicInMotion67 Posts: 4 Member
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    Get yourself a food scale and weigh them, then after you cook your noodles weigh them put that info in your MFP along with your sauce, put all that info in. After it is made and weighed put that amount and then mix it up after you weigh it and put it on your plate. Or scan the product if not homemade like the sauce and put in like 1/4 cup or .20 which is 1/4 cup and find the one that fits, or "cooked spaghetti noodles" then the amount etc.
  • MusicInMotion67
    MusicInMotion67 Posts: 4 Member
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    The recipe builder always makes me type all that info in. I have no clue what the protein value is or the cholesterol etc. I didn't see how it could be looked up. I'm gonna have to look at it closer, that would make life so much easier.
  • PaulaWallaDingDong
    PaulaWallaDingDong Posts: 4,641 Member
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    MusicInMotion67 wrote: »
    The recipe builder always makes me type all that info in. I have no clue what the protein value is or the cholesterol etc. I didn't see how it could be looked up. I'm gonna have to look at it closer, that would make life so much easier.

    When you add the ingredients, the recipe builder counts the nutritional value from those ingredients.
  • olymp1a
    olymp1a Posts: 1,766 Member
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    I add the recipes into the recipe builder. It's time consuming but it's the only way you get a good idea of how much your homemade food is worth in calories. :smile:

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