Problems logging - weighing vs measuring

bemyyfriend0918

I have read the posts and know the importance of weighing food vs measuring. I always weigh my food, but the problem is that 99% of the entrees in the food database are not in grams or ounces, but measured in cups/half cups. I always look for items only to be disappointed....for example, tonight I had 164g of boxed mac and cheese (kraft deluxe). Every entry I find lists the calories as 310 for 1 cup, but nothing lists the cooked weight. It does list the uncooked weight of 98g, but that doesnt help me as its already cooked. I logged it as 1 cup since I did use a measuring cup, but I just feel like it's not as accurate as it could be.

This seems to happen with many of the foods I eat. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to make the logging more accurate? Is there something i'm missing in the database?

cwolfman13

bemyyfriend0918 wrote: »

I have read the posts and know the importance of weighing food vs measuring. I always weigh my food, but the problem is that 99% of the entrees in the food database are not in grams or ounces, but measured in cups/half cups. I always look for items only to be disappointed....for example, tonight I had 164g of boxed mac and cheese (kraft deluxe). Every entry I find lists the calories as 310 for 1 cup, but nothing lists the cooked weight. It does list the uncooked weight of 98g, but that doesnt help me as its already cooked. I logged it as 1 cup since I did use a measuring cup, but I just feel like it's not as accurate as it could be.

This seems to happen with many of the foods I eat. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to make the logging more accurate? Is there something i'm missing in the database?

They're only going to have the dry weight because the entries in the database are taken from the nutritional label and most labels are for dry or uncooked weight.

cmriverside

You can edit entries and/or enter new ones yourself. Alternately, if you type "macaroni and cheese grams" into the food search, there are actually quite a few that have been entered with grams.

puffbrat

They go by uncooked measures because those are far more accurate since cooked weight and measure can vary considerably based on things like water absorption, cooking method, etc. What does the box say? You can always do some math....

Example with completely made up numbers:
Box says 1 serving = 1 cup cooked
Whole box uncooked = 200g = 2.5 servings
Entire recipe cooked = 350g = 2.5 servings
You serve yourself = 100g = 100/350 = 0.29 of total X 2.5 servings = 0.725 servings
MFP entry says 1 cup = 1 servings = 300 calories
You enter 0.725 serving = 218 calories

For uncooked when no entries with weight:
Say 1 cup = 98g = 300 calories
You weigh out 98g - so log 1 cup = 300 calories, or
You weigh out 90g = 90/98 = 0.92, then go to entry for 1 cup and use serving size 0.92 for 276 calories

Francl27

Most nutrition panels give the information in grams too. So you can just do the math without changing the entry if you're lazy like me (and enter 1.35 of a cup or whatever). Or make your own entry if you're not.

Mac'n cheese is a pain though and there's got to be some estimation done at some point. I'm not sure if their 'not prepared' entry includes the packet or not, so yeah... It doesn't help that packages rarely have the exact amount that they claim either, so you can't go by the whole package information and do the math.

AnnPT77

Also, there are a bunch of database entries (accurate ones, even) that list 1C as their default serving size - even for things you'd be unlikely to measure in cups like raw tomatoes and hard boiled eggs.

However, if you click the drop-down arrow on the serving size, many other options appear. For example, "Tomatoes, red, ripe, raw, year round average" shows "1 cup cherry tomatoes" as the default serving size. Click the drop down, and you get 21 (!) different serving size options, including various inch sizes of whole tomatoes, 100g, 1 oz, pounds or kg, slices, chopped, ml, etc.

Try the drop-down, especially on entries that default to 1C.

dulinh

Mac and cheese is a huge pain! I weight the entire cooked amount (either in a separate bowl or by subtracting the weight of the pot) and then divide by number of servings in the box - which is probably an estimate so you'll only ever get 'kinda close' with mac and cheese. Say the entire weight of the cooked mac and cheese is 500g (not actual numbers) and the box says there are 2.5 1-cup servings in the box. 500g/2.5 servings = 200g per serving. If I want one serving I weigh out 200g and then log 1 cup.