How to make calorie counting looks simplier and not so time consuming as what it is.

ferd_ttp5

As a college varsity student. I find calorie counting in my school days a bit of time consuming as i thought im balancing my sport practice and studies to maintain my scholarship in the university. I'm a 18 young adult who's got weight problems last year and now here in normal weight still losing a bit more to hit my goal. Can anyone give me some tips to make calorie counting not that time consuming and looks simplier thanks im referring to free ideas by yours.

RaphaBianchi

I save time by eating the same breakfast and lunch everyday. That way i don't have to work the calories out every time, just copy from yesterday. For evening meals I probably have about 20 different meals I make so put them all in the recipe builder and then pick the one I want. If I'm eating out and the nutritional information is available i'll use Quick Add. Calorie counting doesn't have to be difficult or time consuming.

rosemarychamberlin

I'd find it easier if myfitnesspal listed basic foods first and variations after. I go down through their list looking for something like a pear or a carrot, going past things like Morrisons carrots, McDonald's carrot one cup etc. etc. I don't see it matters where you buy it. Why not just put large pear, medium pear, small pear and then the variations. Then we would have to think, 'Well, I wonder if a Morrisons/Waitrose/Sainsburys pear is equivalent to the one I bought in the greengrocer's' or go miles down the list looking for what we bought. I agree that eating the same things for breakfast and lunch makes life easier (if a bit boring). Good luck.

livingleanlivingclean

rosemarychamberlin wrote: »

I'd find it easier if myfitnesspal listed basic foods first and variations after. I go down through their list looking for something like a pear or a carrot, going past things like Morrisons carrots, McDonald's carrot one cup etc. etc. I don't see it matters where you buy it. Why not just put large pear, medium pear, small pear and then the variations. Then we would have to think, 'Well, I wonder if a Morrisons/Waitrose/Sainsburys pear is equivalent to the one I bought in the greengrocer's' or go miles down the list looking for what we bought. I agree that eating the same things for breakfast and lunch makes life easier (if a bit boring). Good luck.

For fresh produce, including "USDA" in your search terms should help you find a better entry,with a choice of serving size/measurements (1g/100g would be most accurate!)

dutchandkiwi

RaphaBianchi wrote: »

I save time by eating the same breakfast and lunch everyday. That way i don't have to work the calories out every time, just copy from yesterday. For evening meals I probably have about 20 different meals I make so put them all in the recipe builder and then pick the one I want.

Same here. Also use the database to the fullest Meals, recipes, recent/frequent/my foods, they really help. Also copy from date can be a useful tool - the only thing missing really is a search function on when did I eat what when you forgot to log it as a meal.

Once you have built your own database in what you eat and what you excersise it is actually pretty easy. and you are only loggin big time for those exceptions.
I told friends that wanted to use MFP that it takes about 3 months to get it fully up to speed with your foods.
I prelog once a week (on Sunday) for just about everything - and just use the copy function for my breakfast, snacks and lunch. Dinners are usually also pretty clear two or three days in advance so they are logged. Takes me about 10 minutes then - rest about 2 minutes a day

counting_kilojoules

If you eat the same meals often it helps. I eat three different breakfasts and have them all recorded as "meals" so I can record them quickly, about three or four different lunches, also recorded as "meals". The dinners I eat with any regularity are also recorded as "meals". It only takes a second to put them into mfp. Obviously this won't help if you switch up your eating habits a lot but otherwise it does cut the time down a bit, after the first time at least.