Don't understand the app

danglebles

Hi there
Excuse the stupid question and apologies if it's been asked before on the forum.

I'm new to the app, was recommended to me by someone. They said it's easy to use. Just type in the food and the app does the rest.

So trying to add my breakfast which consisted of a nutribullet with a carrot, half a courgette, couple of broccoli florets, half a banana, scoop of huel, and some other stuff.

So tried to add the first ingredient, the carrot, into MyFitnessPal and it asked me to add the weight and calories.

I was under the impression that MyFitnessPal had a database of the most common foodstuff, so all I need to do is write carrot and it will automatically know the info. I would need to add quantity/weight.

But seems like I need to google how many calories in a carrot to then add that to MyFitnessPal and do that for every item that doesn't have a barcode.

Help would be most appreciated as I know I must be doing something wrong!

kommodevaran

No, you weigh everything, and then MFP calculates the calories.

danglebles

Hi thanks for the reply.

I just tried that. Went to add food. Added carrot. Serving size 100grams. Serving quantity 1. Then the next page asked me to add the calories. It does seem like I need to google how many calories in a carrot. And do this for every item

Saw a vid on YouTube that said MFP already has a list of most common foods, entered my people who have the app. All I have to do is add the weight/quantity. But I don't seem to have any such list on MFP

kommodevaran

That doesn't sound right. When you log a carrot, you weigh it, and let's say it weighs 88 grams. Then you search for "carrot" in MFP's database, and pick an entry that has a serving size 1 gram and enter 88 servings - or serving size 100 grams and 0.88 servings.

Have you clicked the link "Add a food to the database"? You don't have to do that unless you can't find your food in the existing database.

The database is terrible though. Lots of garbage entries to wade through. Add USDA to your search when logging produce, and brand when logging other food items, and check that the values correspond with the label.

danglebles

Ah ha, no didn't click that link. Ill check that out. Makes sense. Thanks

TonyB0588

On the first page under the Food tab you click Add Food under the meal section you're filling in. If you don't have any foods listed yet, you then click in the search space under "Search our food database by name". Type the item and click Search. You'll get a list of related items and can pick one that's near to what you just consumed. It is rare that you have to create your own item, but there's lots of advice on here about making your entries more accurate.

__TMac__

Yeah, it looks like you're accidentally adding a food to the database, not to your own diary. If your on the web, follow the above instructions. I actually find the iPhone app easier to use, so if you have that option give it a try.

L1zardQueen

TonyB0588 wrote: »

On the first page under the Food tab you click Add Food under the meal section you're filling in. If you don't have any foods listed yet, you then click in the search space under "Search our food database by name". Type the item and click Search. You'll get a list of related items and can pick one that's near to what you just consumed. It is rare that you have to create your own item, but there's lots of advice on here about making your entries more accurate.

You have a friend request! TeeHee

L1zardQueen

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10257474/starting-out-restarting-basics-inside/p1