Appeal: Please use serving size as grams

lindustum

Dear fellow MFPers,

I would like to appeal to you regarding the food database. Many people use serving sizes that are determined by the packaging (i.e. one piece, one box, half a mug, etc). This is very inaccurate, as the actual sizes vary.

I just put a pizza in the oven and weighted it at 374g. In the database, the only options (and there are 5 duplicates) are "1 pizza" and "1/2 pizza". The packaging says 768kcal per pizza, but the REAL amount is different. My weighted pizza has in fact 808 calories. The difference of 40kcal is huge, considering just how many inaccurate items there are in a daily diary. This stuff adds up! My fish fillets from last week ranged up to 20g plus or minus, altering the amount of calories quite a bit.

Please refer to the 100g measurement on the packaging, or whatever else is given (20g etc). ALSO, if something says "serving size" please look how much grams that actually refers to!


Yes I am aware I can add my own food, but all I do is clutter the database with a duplicate, just add a new measurement. I think MFP should make it easier to add different serving sizes (so that you can select both 1g or "1 pizza" from the drop down) but until then we as members have to keep it accurate for our own sake. :flowerforyou:

CutiePieMarzipan

I agree!!!! I mean, when I see 1 cup or half a cup, it drives me crazy! I don't know how big your cup is!
Thank you for bringing this up!

BattleTaxi

This!

katy84o

I'm pretty sure you can edit it and just edit that amount. Yes more work for you, but it'd be accurate in your diary.

Also, if you add your own food, and check off the spot that says something like "allow other members to use" just say No. Then you don't clutter the database and it's accurate for when you'd like to use it next time.

doorki

I agree!!!! I mean, when I see 1 cup or half a cup, it drives me crazy! I don't know how big your cup is!
Thank you for bringing this up!

uh....a cup is a unit of measure. one cup = one cup.

younginaz

ummmm. I think a cup is 8 oz and a 1/2 cup is 4 oz.

faithdanyell

A cup is 8 ounces...

TheRealParisLove

I agree!!!! I mean, when I see 1 cup or half a cup, it drives me crazy! I don't know how big your cup is!
Thank you for bringing this up!

1 cup is an actual measurement. I always assume that is what the measurement is referring to. 1 cup holds about 8 ounces of liquid measurement.

Please feel free to add the item you are eating to the database. You can add your pizza as grams and then the item is available to everyone else once you submit it. I add items to the database all the time with my foods listed how I like to eat them. This website is so flexible, you can customize it just for you!

epiphany29

I am on the opposite spectrum as you. I don't weigh out my food on a gram scale (sanity reasons for this). So if all the foods in the database were listed only by grams I wouldn't be able to calculate. I have to accept that different people prefer things different ways.
I think restricting folks who are trying to do a good thing for themselves because it doesn't fit how you want to do that good thing for yourself is not the right answer.

Pip

clotho

While this would be nice in theory, there are a lot of people who don't have a food scale. Without a food scale measurements in grams is impossible. Also, you need to realize that counting calories will always be inexact because humans are doing it.

GetSoda

1 cup = .24 liters.

Juniper3411

That's why I typically overestimate my calories and underestimate my exercise so that hopefully all of the innacuracies even out in the end. Hopefully...

But yes, definitely frustrating that a lot of the database entries are likely innacurate

SuperSexyDork

I'm not sure where you live but here in the U.S. a lot of food items are not given a gram serving size. Instead it could be in ounces, cups, etc. And I think you're being awfully anal weighing prepackaged foods.

usmcmp

I agree!!!! I mean, when I see 1 cup or half a cup, it drives me crazy! I don't know how big your cup is!
Thank you for bringing this up!

:laugh:

Also, if the package says 1 pizza it's one pizza. The weight will vary from package to package because it's impossible to make them all identical. Your pizza might weigh 285 oz and someone else's could weigh 240.

lindustum

I'm pretty sure you can edit it and just edit that amount. Yes more work for you, but it'd be accurate in your diary.

I am aware of that function, because I have to use it constantly. The database is there so calorie counting is easy, not a nuisance of sitting at my PC with packaging in my hand, typing everything in. No-one benefits from the "1 pizza" measure, that's my point. It is inaccurate, and to my knowledge there exists no inaccurate-calorie-count-diet for people to use.

Edit: Okay I have to revoke my assumption that MFP users rely on food scales- my apologies.

AlsDonkBoxSquat

I agree!!!! I mean, when I see 1 cup or half a cup, it drives me crazy! I don't know how big your cup is!
Thank you for bringing this up!

I don't know where you're from, but I'm hoping that it's not a place in the world where 1 cup = 8 fl oz.

I also like to weigh my food . . . in ounces, which is a smaller unit for a pound. I renounce your grams.

anunley1

hmm - I am the opposite. I would much rather see things as 1 cup - I don't do grams...

JoanneTalerico

For Pete's sake, can't you just be happy that My Fitness Pal is available to us and is free? I am over the moon with this app and am happy that I have lost 45 lbs, despite the little difficulties.

themelmac

I use the mobile apps where you can just scan the bar code and it simply populates the serving size and calorie amounts. Often the manufacturer will determine the calorie size as 1/2 cup, 1 cup, etc.

Pamela_in_Progress

I don't own a scale yet and it drives me crazy when it says grams because I'm totally lost and have to end up making a new entry. Would much rather things be measured in cups whenever possible.

lindustum

For Pete's sake, can't you just be happy that My Fitness Pal is available to us and is free? I am over the moon with this app and am happy that I have lost 45 lbs, despite the little difficulties.

I am happy, calm down.