Accurate Logging vs A Messy Database
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kshama2001 wrote: »I get the syntax from the USDA database and plug that into MFP.
Good tip. Thanks!
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I ignore the shared database and enter everything that I use into My Foods. Even doing that, I need to double-check items periodically against the packaging because companies re-test the nutritional info and change the values.
I don't share My Foods with the database so that I don't clutter it up even more and so that no one can edit and take over my entries.
Using only My Foods also lets me customize my food categories and names.
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I ignore the shared database and enter everything that I use into My Foods. Even doing that, I need to double-check items periodically against the packaging because companies re-test the nutritional info and change the values.
I don't share My Foods with the database so that I don't clutter it up even more and so that no one can edit and take over my entries.
Using only My Foods also lets me customize my food categories and names.
Ooooo I like that! I might need to steal your customization somewhat. (Slowly starting to populate My Foods with my foods
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Yes. A bazillion times yes. The only way I have found around this is to create my own entries. I tire of correcting existing entries. There are more incorrect entries than correct ones. There could be many reasons for this. One being some people were careless when entering the info and did not proof read before adding their entry. Another is that sometimes a product gets changed a bit by the manufacturer or the label gets a correction therefore previously correct entries may no longer be correct. Just to name a couple of the many reasons.BonnieDundee78 wrote: »First let me start by saying that I LOVE MFP. And I'm 22.5lbs down in 9 weeks so, believe me, the love is real.
But I'm short, so my calorie target is low (1300), and my goal weight maintenance is only c.1600. I don't have a big margin of error to play with, so I'm trying to develop good logging habits now, because I know accuracy will be super-important in order to hit and maintain my goal weight.
So here is my grumble: The number of incorrect or incomplete entries on the database makes logging accurately far more difficult and time-consuming than it needs to be.
But... since I'm not a MFP developer, any suggestions/tips on how to accurately navigate this crowded and messy database?
So basically, make your own entries. They will always be in your "my foods" tab. You will find that over time you have to add less and less and you will eventually add almost everything you eat on a regular basis. So it's inconvenient at first but makes it easier in the long run.
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Yep, I think the whole "create your own food entries" thing might be the way to go...
Thanks everyone!
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If the nutritional value has changed for what is clearly the same item, I EDIT the existing entry rather than create another new one. It annoys me how many 'duplicate' items there are. I recently found some chicken goujons / tenders in the freezer in my garage and thought I ought to eat them. The brand is Foxwood and I know I originally got them in Costco. There are 4 entries (at least) on the db for the same item. I realised, today, that the one I picked only has (had - it has now been edited) calories and no other info! One of the entries says 'UK' next to it - yet it has exactly the same nutritional values as the others (I'm in the UK and checked the packaging in ace something was different) so why on earth did anyone add that? A clean-up to remove duplicates would be good, but I guess that would affect people's historical logs. However, the end result is that the db is going to become unwieldly.0
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BonnieDundee78 wrote: »100% accuracy is impossible, of course. But there's no reason not to be as accurate as you reasonably can. e.g. There's a 5 cal difference between Fuji and Granny Smith apples based on their 100g weights. It's not that hard to check.
That 5 calorie difference is an 8% difference. On a 1200 calorie diet, 8% is nearly 100 calories per day difference. On a 2000 calorie diet it is 160 calories per day or about a third of a pound of fat per week. But what the database won't tell you is that when they were doing the testing that there may have been a 10 calorie difference between the sweetest Fuji and the tartest Granny Smith. The number listed in the database is only the average. The point is, "as accurate as you reasonably can" isn't very accurate at all when it comes to food.1 -
TimothyFish wrote: »BonnieDundee78 wrote: »100% accuracy is impossible, of course. But there's no reason not to be as accurate as you reasonably can. e.g. There's a 5 cal difference between Fuji and Granny Smith apples based on their 100g weights. It's not that hard to check.
That 5 calorie difference is an 8% difference. On a 1200 calorie diet, 8% is nearly 100 calories per day difference. On a 2000 calorie diet it is 160 calories per day or about a third of a pound of fat per week. But what the database won't tell you is that when they were doing the testing that there may have been a 10 calorie difference between the sweetest Fuji and the tartest Granny Smith. The number listed in the database is only the average. The point is, "as accurate as you reasonably can" isn't very accurate at all when it comes to food.
But "as accurate as you reasonably can" could be the difference between "accurate enough to give me the results I expect" and "why am I not losing weight?"7 -
a lot of entries are going to be different as the values on food packaging change all the time. I have entries I made myself and go to use it and it be different than what it was when I first entered it. I admit I too edit entries where the package info has changed. I really hate when people put what seems like their own calorie counts and macro info in for the item.0
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Coming from an IT environment where data is king I'm appalled at the database. I found good entries and use them.
It's sad cause with a little work, the data could be exact!2 -
Strudders67 wrote: »If the nutritional value has changed for what is clearly the same item, I EDIT the existing entry rather than create another new one. It annoys me how many 'duplicate' items there are. I recently found some chicken goujons / tenders in the freezer in my garage and thought I ought to eat them. The brand is Foxwood and I know I originally got them in Costco. There are 4 entries (at least) on the db for the same item. I realised, today, that the one I picked only has (had - it has now been edited) calories and no other info! One of the entries says 'UK' next to it - yet it has exactly the same nutritional values as the others (I'm in the UK and checked the packaging in ace something was different) so why on earth did anyone add that? A clean-up to remove duplicates would be good, but I guess that would affect people's historical logs. However, the end result is that the db is going to become unwieldly.
Sometimes it does not allow for edits. If an item has a green check mark and the info in incorrect there is no way to edit that.3 -
ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken wrote: »Sometimes it does not allow for edits. If an item has a green check mark and the info in incorrect there is no way to edit that.
I came to the forum today exactly because of this. I'm looking at Entenmann's Frosted Devil's Food Donut, which the database entry from 2015 has listed for 280 Calories, but the packaging in front of me says 250. A couple other values are off. I've marked it as inaccurate, but I can't correct it. My only choice now is to create a duplicate with updated information. Oh, and I can't make it public with the same name, so I guess I'm making it private.1 -
ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken wrote: »Sometimes it does not allow for edits. If an item has a green check mark and the info in incorrect there is no way to edit that.
I came to the forum today exactly because of this. I'm looking at Entenmann's Frosted Devil's Food Donut, which the database entry from 2015 has listed for 280 Calories, but the packaging in front of me says 250. A couple other values are off. I've marked it as inaccurate, but I can't correct it. My only choice now is to create a duplicate with updated information. Oh, and I can't make it public with the same name, so I guess I'm making it private.
I think there's a way of sending in screenshots of the incorrect entry and a picture of the label to MFP for someone to fix but if they think I'm going to that much trouble, they're out of their minds.2 -
as others have mentioned, I add "usda" to all of my food diary searches then find the ones based off 100g. These are usually the most accurate. Sometimes if I'm not sure I'll cross reference with the actual USDA info.
But yeah, this MFP data is a horrendous mess. Someone needs to go through and delete all the bad entries or something. Your calories and macros can vary WILDLY depending on which entries you pick for the same foods.0 -
Tbh, I started and used MFP last year but after I figured out the whole "accurate weighing" I just went off of the nutrional information on the products and usually using wikipedia for fruits/veggies/etc.
Additionally Im boring and lazy, so my meals will be very similar and I count stuff up in my head.
But yeah if youre feeling like mfp data base isnt right for you, google stuff from credible sources (:0 -
How/Where can we check whether we are sharing our My Foods entries with the database? I don't see any setting to indicate that information on the app nor on the website.
Uesful info on this thread! I didn't even know we could edit our My Foods, that is helpful (I use the app almost exclusively, and I don't think there is a way to edit my entries there). I logged into the website and tried to edit a My Foods entry and it asks at the bottom to give a description of the changes? I guess I don't understand what I should write, since it's my own entry?
Thanks for the help!0 -
From the website, go to My Foods and click on the item in the Matching Foods list so that you can see its nutritional info. To the right of the Nutrition Facts header is an Edit button. There is also a Delete button if you don't have the item shared with the database. We can only delete things that aren't shared.IdLikeToLoseItLoseIt wrote: »How/Where can we check whether we are sharing our My Foods entries with the database? I don't see any setting to indicate that information on the app nor on the website.
Uesful info on this thread! I didn't even know we could edit our My Foods, that is helpful (I use the app almost exclusively, and I don't think there is a way to edit my entries there). I logged into the website and tried to edit a My Foods entry and it asks at the bottom to give a description of the changes? I guess I don't understand what I should write, since it's my own entry?
Thanks for the help!
As for describing the changes, put "changed name" or "changed fat grams" or just whatever you edited.
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From the website, go to My Foods and click on the item in the Matching Foods list so that you can see its nutritional info. To the right of the Nutrition Facts header is a Edit button. If there is also a Delete button then you don't have it shared with the database. We can only delete things that aren't shared.IdLikeToLoseItLoseIt wrote: »How/Where can we check whether we are sharing our My Foods entries with the database? I don't see any setting to indicate that information on the app nor on the website.
Uesful info on this thread! I didn't even know we could edit our My Foods, that is helpful (I use the app almost exclusively, and I don't think there is a way to edit my entries there). I logged into the website and tried to edit a My Foods entry and it asks at the bottom to give a description of the changes? I guess I don't understand what I should write, since it's my own entry?
Thanks for the help!
As for describing the changes, put "changed name" or "changed fat grams" or just whatever you edited.
Thank you!0 -
ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken wrote: »Sometimes it does not allow for edits. If an item has a green check mark and the info in incorrect there is no way to edit that.
I came to the forum today exactly because of this. I'm looking at Entenmann's Frosted Devil's Food Donut, which the database entry from 2015 has listed for 280 Calories, but the packaging in front of me says 250. A couple other values are off. I've marked it as inaccurate, but I can't correct it. My only choice now is to create a duplicate with updated information. Oh, and I can't make it public with the same name, so I guess I'm making it private.
If you wanted to make it public, you could include the date in the name of the item, e.g., Entenmann's Frosted Devil's Food Donut (2017). I sometimes include both the year and country (2017 U.S.) since companies use different recipes in different countries, as well as changing recipes/labels over time.0
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