MyFitnessPal Not counting calories correctly

kshama2001

lynn_glenmont wrote: »

bearly63 wrote: »

kshama2001 wrote: »

Can you post an example of what you ate and how the calories are off? I'm not sure this is an MFP problem or a bad database entry problem.

Since many of the database entries were user-created I try to stick with entries MFP pulled from the USDA database as much as possible.

This is probably a stupid question but is there an easy way to tell which ones are USDA sourced? I spend so much time trying to vet the correct data base entry....when I don't have the scanned bar code. I do weigh in grams but would like to find accurate data base entries. I have added the USDA link to my desktop. Thanks in advance.

I found the easiest way for whole foods was to start on the USDA site, find the food I wanted to log, copy the text string that USDA uses to describe the entry I want (e.g., "strawberries, raw"), then paste that into the MFP search box. Usually the top return will be the right one. If there are multiple returns that match the text string (with no extra words in the name of the food), then checking the drop-down box for serving size is usually a quick way to locate the most likely "right" entry. Entries that MFP pulled from the USDA database should have multiple serving sizes that encompass both weight and volume measurements, and possible "per piece" as well (e.g., 1 medium apple). If you click on the nutrition and see a bunch of zeros where there shouldn't be zeros, it's probably not right.

But once something passes all those gates, you still should check it against the USDA site that you started with before logging it the first time, because some of the entries that MFP pulled from the USDA database have become corrupted. (Also, the corruption often is only for one of the serving sizes -- so it's OK to use the garlic, raw entry if you remember that if you want to just enter the number of cloves, you have to log .33 of the 3 clove serving size to log one clove, rather than 1 serving of the 1 clove serving size, which now says hundreds or thousands of calories.)

Once you find a good entry and log it, you can log it in the future from your recent or frequent foods without having to check the entry for accuracy again.

Yes, that's how I find USDA entries in the MFP database as well - start on https://fdc.nal.usda.gov and paste the syntax into MFP.

After a while you will get to recognize how USDA entries look. For produce I often just type something like "strawberries, raw" into MFP and will find the entry I want because users generally don't add the "raw' to produce or do this for chicken "Chicken, broilers or fryers, breast, meat only, cooked, roasted."

Another glitch to be aware of is decimal errors - there are a number of admin entries that have an option for 1 gram when it is actually the value for 100 grams. These are easy to spot if you are looking because the food being 100 times more caloric than it should be is readily apparent. I'm suspicious of all 1 g entries for admin-entered foods. If 100 is available I go with that. If 1 g is the only option for grams it is often actually the value for 100 g.

I used to flag Support about those errors but the process was so annoying and unproductive that I stopped.

cmriverside

Yeah, this. It is annoying.

Another glitch to be aware of is decimal errors - there are a number of admin entries that have an option for 1 gram when it is actually the value for 100 grams. These are easy to spot if you are looking because the food being 100 times more caloric than it should be is readily apparent. I'm suspicious of all 1 g entries for admin-entered foods. If 100 is available I go with that. If 1 g is the only option for grams it is often actually the value for 100 g.

bearly63

Thank you @lynn_glenmont and @kshama2001
Good tips. Appreciate your feedback!