The Importance of ACCURATE Logging
callsitlikeiseeit
Posts: 8,626 Member
When I prelog my food for the week, dinner is generally a recipe I have saved. It gives me an idea of the general amount of calories the meal should be. I use the recipe import feature for this. My own recipes I create and base the serving size on a per gram basis, so all I have to do is weigh what I put on my plate. Easy for those of us who have done it for years. Small learning curve for those new to the process.
When I import a recipe I will log it, then go back and (depending on complexity) either figure it out by gram as I do for my recipes, or weigh each ingredient. For this dinner, it was easier to weigh and log each individual item into my diary. But I always leave the ORIGINAL recipe up there so I can see the difference. This was a REALLY good example of why it can be so important to do this.
The original recipe stated 413 calories per serving. Most of this is in the sausage, so its likely the recipe went by 2oz (serving size on package). But 2oz of kielbasa is not much. Mine was a little over double that. Also different veggies or amounts, but really, its mostly in the kielbasa i bet lol
But look at the difference. 413 calories as written, in reality it comes out to 531 calories. This is no big deal for me but for those on a small deficit, or wondering why they aren't losing weight, can be HUGE. Especially if you consider you could have many meals in a week being over by this much (or more).
Another thing to note is the first carrot entry I found. I know full well that 44 grams of carrot (basically a handful of shredded carrot) is NOT 119 calories. Finding accurate entries can be tricky sometimes, and some of it comes from experience and having at least a rough knowledge of what things should be.
The photos show the discrepancies in what was planned, the reality, and the erroneous carrot entry.
The other photo shows the big pan for hubby and son and then mine. It's unlikely I eat all of it, but in theory, its possible. If I don't I can always go back and edit it, but really, the difference between cooked and raw weights can be significant which makes it harder, and I figure what I don't eat, just pads my calories for the day (or if there's enough I can have it for lunch the next day and not have to log it at all )
I hope this gives a good visual for those who are new to logging to see why it is so very important to not blindly trust recipes and to learn how to use their food scale and find accurate database entries.
When I import a recipe I will log it, then go back and (depending on complexity) either figure it out by gram as I do for my recipes, or weigh each ingredient. For this dinner, it was easier to weigh and log each individual item into my diary. But I always leave the ORIGINAL recipe up there so I can see the difference. This was a REALLY good example of why it can be so important to do this.
The original recipe stated 413 calories per serving. Most of this is in the sausage, so its likely the recipe went by 2oz (serving size on package). But 2oz of kielbasa is not much. Mine was a little over double that. Also different veggies or amounts, but really, its mostly in the kielbasa i bet lol
But look at the difference. 413 calories as written, in reality it comes out to 531 calories. This is no big deal for me but for those on a small deficit, or wondering why they aren't losing weight, can be HUGE. Especially if you consider you could have many meals in a week being over by this much (or more).
Another thing to note is the first carrot entry I found. I know full well that 44 grams of carrot (basically a handful of shredded carrot) is NOT 119 calories. Finding accurate entries can be tricky sometimes, and some of it comes from experience and having at least a rough knowledge of what things should be.
The photos show the discrepancies in what was planned, the reality, and the erroneous carrot entry.
The other photo shows the big pan for hubby and son and then mine. It's unlikely I eat all of it, but in theory, its possible. If I don't I can always go back and edit it, but really, the difference between cooked and raw weights can be significant which makes it harder, and I figure what I don't eat, just pads my calories for the day (or if there's enough I can have it for lunch the next day and not have to log it at all )
I hope this gives a good visual for those who are new to logging to see why it is so very important to not blindly trust recipes and to learn how to use their food scale and find accurate database entries.
3
Replies
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It's all the difference in the world. Especially when people are using cups instead of ounces and grams (I really wish we in the US used the metric system more).
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
1 -
It's all the difference in the world. Especially when people are using cups instead of ounces and grams (I really wish we in the US used the metric system more).
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
my husband is from Canada and was ASTOUNDED that I use metric for most things LOL0 -
Great visual of a common logging issue!1
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It's all the difference in the world. Especially when people are using cups instead of ounces and grams (I really wish we in the US used the metric system more).
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Drives me demented when I am looking for recipes and I get sent to a US page
2
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