Why is MFP adding calories to certain foods?

erickirb

Just enter it as egg, then log the spray. MFP didn't add the cals the person that fried them most likely used some type of oil or butter that added cals so the ingredients are no longer just eggs. you may also want to weigh the egg as an average egg may have 70 cals, but yours may be 5-15% large, hence more calories.

jlneibauer

Because MFP doesnt have the x-ray powers that make it known that you use coconut oil to cook your eggs (in fact if it did, that would be a bit cr@p given that I have never heard of anybody else using coconut oil)

One would assume therefore that the entry assumes using a more normal oil or butter.

I know! How retarded that someone should just add the calories in for oil which everybody uses....

A lot of people use coconut oil thank you...it has healthy fats in it which is why I use it instead of regular butter spray or artificial sprays. The spray adds one calorie. I added it into my food diary of MFP. I add everything that I use.....no need to be rude. This is a support forum.
I'm using very organic/raw alternatives for cooking. Which is why I use coconut oil and olive oil instead of canola oil or butter spread.

No need to be rude? So you are quite happy brand others as retarded but the moment somebody questions your reasoning in a mildly sarcastic way, it is rude?....

Also, I wasn't calling ANYONE retarded. I calling the fact that the calories were over calculated retarded. I didn't know if it was me miscalculating or the program. Also I didn't know the nutritional information uploaded onto the site was uploaded by the users. My use of the word retarded wasn't directed at anyone in particular. I was just expressing my frustration. So, like I stated before, no need for you to be rude.

a_stronger_me13

Pro tip: enter 2 ea raw whole eggs and add about half the qty of oil you used in the pan.

Coconut oil is slowly becoming more popular but I would venture that the majority of the population is still using more conventional oils to fry their eggs.

ETA: Tempter tantrums aren't well received around here. We prefer calm, rational logical questions.

eldamiano

Because MFP doesnt have the x-ray powers that make it known that you use coconut oil to cook your eggs (in fact if it did, that would be a bit cr@p given that I have never heard of anybody else using coconut oil)

One would assume therefore that the entry assumes using a more normal oil or butter.

I know! How retarded that someone should just add the calories in for oil which everybody uses....

Lies. I use coconut oil exclusively to cook my eggs and most other things.

Er, excuse me. I have never heard of anyone using coconut oil to cook eggs. That is not a lie.

Well, you made it a point to try and make it seem like I'm the only person on the face of the planet that uses coconut oil for cooking. Thus the "Lies" quote. She was just confirming the fact that other people use coconut oil for cooking food...which includes eggs. AND THEN on top of that, you decided to be rude and mock my questions/concerns about MFP.

I didnt. If read correctly, I simply implied that it is rare for someone to use it, given I have never heard of it being used. And so what if you were the only person in the world that used it? Would you care?

As stated above, if you are quite happy to use retarded, which in itself could be classed as a politically incorrect word when referenced to anything, then why cant you handle other mockery?

jessilyn76

I would guess it wasn't who or what you were referring to.......just the rotten WORD!!!!!

alienaliens

I use coconut oil for cooking. I found out through the hard way that individuals put their recipes in this data base. OP you will get accustomed to it, you will probably have to look through 50 eggs before you find the one you want. You will also get accustomed to the environment of this site and how people will reply, most of them will be very courteous and helpful. Look past the ones that are not and concentrate on the helpful info. Welcome to MFP.

jenifr818

There are a ton of different brands that will have different calorie counts. You can't just enter "egg" you have to enter the specific brand of egg you use so it'll have the exact calorie and nutritional count. MFP is one of the most extensive food databases on the web (as far as free ones, anyway) so unless you raised the chickens and took the eggs yourself, I doubt you won't be able to find it in there.

Oh and don't rely on user-created recipes unless you know exactly what's in it, because they're bound to be different from what you do, even if it's just a hard-boiled egg.

True. I just got discouraged for a second because I thought that I was eating more than I calculated myself!! But now I'm realized just how extensive this site is. Which is a good thing So I guess I have to look harder to find the eggs I use. The nutritional label says its 70 cals per egg.

For some items, if you add "USDA" to the description, it should bring up the USDA values. For example, type in the search "USDA broccoli" and you should get a listing that corresponds to the raw form of broccoli, nothing added, that the USDA has verified is accurate

caseythirteen

All of the foods here are entered by members.

Most of them are, but not all. MFP actually has it's own entries that seem to mimic the National Nutrient Database (http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list#). These MFP entries are the ones without the * next to them when searching. Whenever possible, I use those entries.

As for the barcode scanners, be careful with those too. I often find that they don't match the label on the packaging. Not off by much, but still off.

Nothing's perfect and I think as long as you can keep to standard entries as much as possible and double check the labels if it's that kind of food then you can get pretty close.

ETA: A tip for getting the MFP entries - enter item in it's plural form with "raw" added to it. For instance, search "bananas raw" and the MFP entry should pop up to the top.

a_stronger_me13

I use coconut oil for cooking. I found out through the hard way that individuals put their recipes in this data base. OP you will get accustomed to it, you will probably have to look through 50 eggs before you find the one you want. You will also get accustomed to the environment of this site and how people will reply, most of them will be very courteous and helpful. Look past the ones that are not and concentrate on the helpful info. Welcome to MFP.

Seriously, people, the database is NOT that difficult to navigate. Be specific about what you're entering and enter things in per ingredient vs. whole cooked foods and your lives will be much easier, i.e. raw whole eggs, boneless skinless chicken breasts, spice - table salt. And if you use something frequently, well there's a little recipe tab that you can enter your own concoctions into and use again.

This is a free site and has the best food database out of any of the food tracking sites and apps so get over it.

Alwayssohungry

Thanks for your help for those of you that weren't rude!! ) I don't understand why people go into attack mode just because there is a computer that separates us. We're all here for the same thing which is to get in shape and get support from others ))

I'm pretty sure you were in a small attack mode with MFP over your egg calories...

TeaBea

All of the foods here are entered by members. The more confirmations something has- Theoretically the more accurate it is. People cook their food differently- so they enter it manually and Check "Submit to My Fitness Pal Data Base" so that if they do a search it will pop up. You do ACTUALLY have to LOOK at what you are adding- IE Click the "Nutritional Values" link- and CHOOSE the one that is most accurate for you. Don't blame the site, do the work.

This!^

You really have to be careful. Have a good estimation of what you are entering & find the most appropriate MFP value. It's not just total calories. I've found an item (peanuts) ........total calories were good (several confirmations)..........BUT these peanuts were supposedly low fat & high carb ...........USER ERROR. Someone had turned the numbers around.

There is (at least) one website I know of that "checks" your numbers, somewhat. Carbs are lower calorie (per gram) than fats ....so turning the numbers around....would change the total calorie value. This is a monthly PAY site (I like it, but this one is free) ......is myfooddiary.com

gramarye

Also, I wasn't calling ANYONE retarded. I calling the fact that the calories were over calculated retarded. I didn't know if it was me miscalculating or the program. Also I didn't know the nutritional information uploaded onto the site was uploaded by the users. My use of the word retarded wasn't directed at anyone in particular. I was just expressing my frustration. So, like I stated before, no need for you to be rude.

Just because you weren't calling a person retarded, doesn't mean that it's not a harmful and oppressive habit to use it as a negative descriptor. It's a hard habit to break -- self included in that statement -- buuuut words matter.

ON TOPIC, sorry. I'm with the rest of the group; I just enter the individual ingredients when I do meals. Like, I make eggs with butter nearly every morning, so I log my eggs and my butter separately. (Though coconut spray is interesting; I'd never heard of it before.)

jlneibauer

Because MFP doesnt have the x-ray powers that make it known that you use coconut oil to cook your eggs (in fact if it did, that would be a bit cr@p given that I have never heard of anybody else using coconut oil)

One would assume therefore that the entry assumes using a more normal oil or butter.

I know! How retarded that someone should just add the calories in for oil which everybody uses....

Lies. I use coconut oil exclusively to cook my eggs and most other things.

Er, excuse me. I have never heard of anyone using coconut oil to cook eggs. That is not a lie.

Well, you made it a point to try and make it seem like I'm the only person on the face of the planet that uses coconut oil for cooking. Thus the "Lies" quote. She was just confirming the fact that other people use coconut oil for cooking food...which includes eggs. AND THEN on top of that, you decided to be rude and mock my questions/concerns about MFP.

I didnt. If read correctly, I simply implied that it is rare for someone to use it, given I have never heard of it being used. And so what if you were the only person in the world that used it? Would you care?

As stated above, if you are quite happy to use retarded, which in itself could be classed as a politically incorrect word when referenced to anything, then why cant you handle other mockery?

........Using the word retarded to describe a situation is different than calling someone retarded. As for it being politically incorrect, I don't really care. Like you've never said anything like the words retarded or stupid. ANYWAY....this was totally about eggs and coconut oil a minute ago. I'm through with this.

ThriceBlessed

My guess is that whoever entered the fried eggs, included the oil in the calorie count, I search for the accurate calorie count of the ingredients, then if I am using oil I add it seperately.

For example, I stir fry chicken breasts with just a little pan spray, or occasionally a tsp of oil... but if I enter "fried chicken" MFP is going to assume that it is breaded and fried in a ton of oil, so I count my chicken breast as "roasted" because the calories are about the same, then, if I HAVE added oil, I list the oil separately.

Sometimes I really have to search to find the correct calorie amount, I can never just assume its correct because its in the data base.

lyricsmamma6469

Use the barcode scanner on the app if you have it- scans the barcode and brings up the exact product you're using.

^^^^ This!! I love the barcode scanner!

geebusuk

Also, unless you've had your eggs scanned by an MRI scanner or similar, I suspect they could easily vary by +/- 10 calories each - nature isn't as consistent as factories which can dollop out exactly .573g of fat per item.

jlneibauer

Also, I wasn't calling ANYONE retarded. I calling the fact that the calories were over calculated retarded. I didn't know if it was me miscalculating or the program. Also I didn't know the nutritional information uploaded onto the site was uploaded by the users. My use of the word retarded wasn't directed at anyone in particular. I was just expressing my frustration. So, like I stated before, no need for you to be rude.

Just because you weren't calling a person retarded, doesn't mean that it's not a harmful and oppressive habit to use it as a negative descriptor. It's a hard habit to break -- self included in that statement -- buuuut words matter.

ON TOPIC, sorry. I'm with the rest of the group; I just enter the individual ingredients when I do meals. Like, I make eggs with butter nearly every morning, so I log my eggs and my butter separately. (Though coconut spray is interesting; I'd never heard of it before.)

I never said that it wasn't a harmful/ oppressive descriptive word and I meant it that way. I was frustrated. It's just like saying any slew of the curse words created in language. Had I used another word that meant the same exact thing, no one would have said anything. ANYWAYYYYYYYSSSSSSS!!!

Yes, it's just regular old coconut oil, but it sprays out like those pan sprays. It helps with the portion control and I love it!!! The oil does add a tiny tiny sweetness to certain foods. (I cant really taste it in my eggs.) But seriously you should try it ) You can get it anywhere. I use the organic kinds just because I'm trying to stay away from processed foods.

devil_in_a_blue_dress

I just started using this site, it's my second day.

Maybe find a veteran member to befriend. They can help you with how the site works. They can also give you hints about how the forums work. As a polite helpful hint, we're actually not all here for the same reason. Saying that essentially starts riots.

They might also be able to help you understand what kind of behavior isn't tolerated -- like using the r word, which will earn you strikes and you won't be able to post.

jlneibauer

Use the barcode scanner on the app if you have it- scans the barcode and brings up the exact product you're using.

^^^^ This!! I love the barcode scanner!

Yea I'm totally gonna have to do that! I have an iphone and I never use it's coolness haha. So I might as well use it for this site.

jlneibauer

I just started using this site, it's my second day.

Maybe find a veteran member to befriend. They can help you with how the site works. They can also give you hints about how the forums work. As a polite helpful hint, we're actually not all here for the same reason. Saying that essentially starts riots.

Well, true. I'm seeing tons of people on here for weight gain! But I guess the moral behind that statement was the fact that those that use the community section are here for support or TO support :flowerforyou: