Logging food is so tedious and awful...
Replies
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I find being overweight, unhealthy and unfit tedious and awful.
Suggestions: Create recipes and alter them when necessary, use the quick tools function if you have regular eating habits.etc
Think of it as something that is necessary and worth it like good hygiene or sleep.0 -
I do actually eat very different foods each day. I use the list of foods I regularly eat, yes. How do you log foods that are homemade? I made turkey chili today and know the ingredients, but really, I have no idea how much of each I ate. I spent 20 minutes online trying to figure out how many calories are in the recipe I used. I agree that I need to change my attitude around it. If its something I want to do from now on, I better start enjoying it. Just trying to figure out the tricks to get there. I like the pre logging each day. Ill try that!
Weigh all the ingredients as you add them to your recipe, enter each in the MFP recipe builder, then weigh entire final recipe (might need to weigh baking dish/container before cooking so you can subtract). I enter the weight of the whole final recipe divided by 100 in the "number of servings" field. So if my entire pan of spaghetti weighed 1352g, I'd enter "13.52 servings". Then when I serve myself, if I take a 123g portion, I'll track it as "1.23 servings."
You could enter "1352 servings" and not divide by 100, but I think MFP does some rounding of very small fractions so it won't be as accurate- that's why I do the 100g method.
Sounds like a pain but I think it's kind of fun, and it encourages me to find fun ways to lighten up recipes! It takes like 5 extra seconds to weigh each thing, and saves you from washing a bunch of measuring cups & spoons too. I just scribble the numbers on a scrap of paper in the kitchen as I'm cooking. If you're not using a food scale already, get one!!! When I estimated portions, I did NOT lose consistently and kept giving up out of frustration, for years- until I started measuring like this. Otherwise you truly have no idea how much (or how little!) you're eating.
This makes it harder. Just add up the cals in the ingredients in your head and divide by estimated portion. Then quickadd the cals in the app. If you're off 100 cals, no big whoop.0 -
Do you know what's more awful than logging food? Being fat and unhealthy.0
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I've been logging everything I eat for almost 600 days now. Practically everything I eat is either saved as a recipe or it's in my favorites. I can log my whole day while the coffee is brewing in the morning. I go back in once in the evening to make any changes. I spend less than 5 minutes a day logging.0
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You know what's tedious and awful? being overweight.
Someone once told me "losing weight is hard. Being fat is hard. Choose your hard".
Having said that, using the barcode scanner, the recipe builder, the "my foods" section all help to make it quick, and easier, especially if you eat the same thing often.0 -
This is *genius*! I can't believe I hadn't thought of that yet. So doing this from now on, because I often tinker with my serving sizes by a few grams to get the right amount of protein.Weigh all the ingredients as you add them to your recipe, enter each in the MFP recipe builder, then weigh entire final recipe (might need to weigh baking dish/container before cooking so you can subtract). I enter the weight of the whole final recipe divided by 100 in the "number of servings" field. So if my entire pan of spaghetti weighed 1352g, I'd enter "13.52 servings". Then when I serve myself, if I take a 123g portion, I'll track it as "1.23 servings."
You could enter "1352 servings" and not divide by 100, but I think MFP does some rounding of very small fractions so it won't be as accurate- that's why I do the 100g method.
The estimation you suggest, Wordman44, doesn't work for some of us. If I'm off by 100 calories, that could be 20+ grams of protein I am either not getting that I needed, or calories I could have used for delicious, delicious carbs! :laugh:0 -
IMO, it's a matter of habit. It used to get on my nerves, but now it's a part of my life, like anything else. You mentioned you're very diligent in your workouts, so I imagine this wouldn't be too dissimilar. I heartily concur with using the app if you can.0
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I spend minutes a day so it's not tedious at all for me0
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Its easier to make recipes on the computer than on the app, but under foods there is a tab for recipes then "enter new recipes". Sometimes, I'll do this on the app for all the foods with barcodes (I dont eat many of them) then finish off the recipe on my computer. Way better.I do actually eat very different foods each day. I use the list of foods I regularly eat, yes. How do you log foods that are homemade? I made turkey chili today and know the ingredients, but really, I have no idea how much of each I ate. I spent 20 minutes online trying to figure out how many calories are in the recipe I used. I agree that I need to change my attitude around it. If its something I want to do from now on, I better start enjoying it. Just trying to figure out the tricks to get there. I like the pre logging each day. Ill try that!0 -
I have about 10 pages of recipes in my food section. I built that up over a few months, I just use the barcode scanner if I'm cooking on-the-fly, or (because I live alone and cook only for myself) I plan all my meals in advance so I don't waste things, and that's a perfect time to pre-log and juggle things around so I hit my calories/macros well.
It doesn't have to be tedious. You just have to find the right method.
At first, going through all the incorrect food submissions was a pain in the bum, but now I've built up a good supply of my most frequently used foods in the tabs... I'm good to go.0 -
bump0
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This is *genius*! I can't believe I hadn't thought of that yet. So doing this from now on, because I often tinker with my serving sizes by a few grams to get the right amount of protein.Weigh all the ingredients as you add them to your recipe, enter each in the MFP recipe builder, then weigh entire final recipe (might need to weigh baking dish/container before cooking so you can subtract). I enter the weight of the whole final recipe divided by 100 in the "number of servings" field. So if my entire pan of spaghetti weighed 1352g, I'd enter "13.52 servings". Then when I serve myself, if I take a 123g portion, I'll track it as "1.23 servings."
You could enter "1352 servings" and not divide by 100, but I think MFP does some rounding of very small fractions so it won't be as accurate- that's why I do the 100g method.
The estimation you suggest, Wordman44, doesn't work for some of us. If I'm off by 100 calories, that could be 20+ grams of protein I am either not getting that I needed, or calories I could have used for delicious, delicious carbs! :laugh:
She was making turkey chili, so chances are that meal had enough protein.
In any case, protein is overhyped and is not as important as everyone thinks it is.
http://mennohenselmans.com/the-myth-of-1glb-optimal-protein-intake-for-bodybuilders/
If you have protein with every meal, chances are you meet the daily recommendation. Maybe if she was on a muscle bulk she would want more, but it sounds like her goal is to keep losing weight and maybe maintain lean body mass, so she can probably go with the lower of the research figures cited.0 -
I log my whole day in the morning as my menu plan for the day. It takes 5min tops then all I have to do is stick to the plan. I update it if something changed or if I feel like keeping track of my water for the day. but other than that 5min and I'm done.0
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This is *genius*! I can't believe I hadn't thought of that yet. So doing this from now on, because I often tinker with my serving sizes by a few grams to get the right amount of protein.Weigh all the ingredients as you add them to your recipe, enter each in the MFP recipe builder, then weigh entire final recipe (might need to weigh baking dish/container before cooking so you can subtract). I enter the weight of the whole final recipe divided by 100 in the "number of servings" field. So if my entire pan of spaghetti weighed 1352g, I'd enter "13.52 servings". Then when I serve myself, if I take a 123g portion, I'll track it as "1.23 servings."
You could enter "1352 servings" and not divide by 100, but I think MFP does some rounding of very small fractions so it won't be as accurate- that's why I do the 100g method.
The estimation you suggest, Wordman44, doesn't work for some of us. If I'm off by 100 calories, that could be 20+ grams of protein I am either not getting that I needed, or calories I could have used for delicious, delicious carbs! :laugh:
She was making turkey chili, so chances are that meal had enough protein.
In any case, protein is overhyped and is not as important as everyone thinks it is.
http://mennohenselmans.com/the-myth-of-1glb-optimal-protein-intake-for-bodybuilders/
If you have protein with every meal, chances are you meet the daily recommendation. Maybe if she was on a muscle bulk she would want more, but it sounds like her goal is to keep losing weight and maybe maintain lean body mass, so she can probably go with the lower of the research figures cited.
That doesn't mean it would be "enough" for me. My goals are my own.
I wasn't trying to derail the OP's thread. I was just trying to say thanks :drinker: for a great suggestion, because I wanted them to know it was worth their time to post it.0 -
You are trying to derail the thread by posting snark such as the GIF. Very creative. I guess you have an Internet connection and know how to Google? As you say, "genius"
All the OP wanted was shortcuts to the tedium of logging, and many of the answers either berated the OP for not exactly logging, made logging more complicated, or conflated the issue such as with your persnickety preoccupation with protein grams.0 -
I regret pointing out the disadvantages to the guesstimation methods. Apparently they are without fault, and my statement could not possibly be helpful to any of the lurkers on the thread.
I do not regret expressing gratitude for the wonderful idea of weighing out the whole recipe, making each portion equal to 100 grams (or just 1 gram even), and then easily weighing out each portion in grams and logging it that way. Among the other advantages, it would make things less tedious to log. I don't need to whip out a calculator anymore to multiply and divide fractional servings and their corresponding weights!
I have a carne guisada cooking in my crock pot right now, and you best believe this is how I'm entering and logging this recipe! :laugh:0 -
I regret pointing out the disadvantages to the guesstimation methods. Apparently they are without fault, and my statement could not possibly be helpful to any of the lurkers on the thread.
I do not regret expressing gratitude for the wonderful idea of weighing out the whole recipe, making each portion equal to 100 grams (or just 1 gram even), and then easily weighing out each portion in grams and logging it that way. Among the other advantages, it would make things less tedious to log. I don't need to whip out a calculator anymore to multiply and divide fractional servings and their corresponding weights!
I have a carne guisada cooking in my crock pot right now, and you best believe this is how I'm entering and logging this recipe! :laugh:
Even easier, I have the weights of all my usual post and pans on a list on the fridge - I can pop the whole lot on my glass topped scale and subtract the weight of the pot - bingo!
And I agree with you on the guesstimating. There are ways to be a lot more accurate and they may take a bit longer, but I believe accuracy is important.0 -
I eat a LOT of the same stuff.
Regular items, I add as "Meals" so I don't have to wade into the cesspool of the MFP DB.
Less regular, but still frequent items are usually in my frequent lists.
And I barcode scan everything possible.0 -
The complaint that logging can be occasionally tedium is justifiable--my app takes forever to sync/load, there are 20 different entries alone for chicken breast, and complex homemade recipes are time-consuming to log (one example that comes to mind is caponata).
Another factor is, most people won't be logging the rest of their lives, and there are certain personalities that don't like routine. For those people, a good route is to use the app as a springboard to learning what they need to do in terms of portion control, food choices, and exercise to lose or maintain weight. Over several months that knowledge can become largely internalized. The app is always there for backup or plateaus or regression.
As far as guesstimation goes, I was never one that felt 100 calories in either direction made much of a difference (it's roughly equivalent to 1/35th of a pound) and certain things just have to be guesstimated (Chinese takeout, a salad bar). Far from derailing one's weight loss goals, proficiency in guesstimation is an asset.0 -
TOPIC: Logging food is so tedious and awful...
...but being overweight is so lighthearted and fun. Wheeeeeeeeee!!!!!!0 -
I have not logged a single food, and my weight loss is progressing nicely anyway. I weigh myself every morning and use that as my guideline. When the scale is not moving at my desired rate of one pound lost per week, I make adjustments to food and/or exercise. It is not the most precise method, but it's a way for me to do this without driving myself crazy.0
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I make it easy at the moment by living off ready meals and other supermarket junk! It's probably not to be recommended though 0
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Oddly enough I find being fat even more awful and tedious than logging.
~priorities0 -
The choice you face is this: maintain a consistent calorie deficit or remain overweight
not
maintain a consistent food log or remain overweight.
As such, you have a number of options. The key is to find a method or combination of methods which keeps you in that physiological state (calorie deficit) but also fits your psychological state the best.
So, you could persevere with the logging and if that works, cool. Or you could try other methods: mindful eating, intuitive eating, low carb, high carb, whole food approach, log during the week but be a little looser with logging on weekends etc etc.
I would encourage you to experiment a little. It doesn't matter if you put on a bit of weight (no really) in the short term if it provides you valuable information on what is a good fit for you over the long term.
Be your own science project
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Oddly enough I find being fat even more awful and tedious than logging.
~priorities
Like.
It takes about 5 minutes and i weigh everything out to the gram. urdoinitwrong.0 -
Hi
I am almost at the three year mark on when I started to make my big change. I HATED journaling, but what made the difference for me was the phone app. That way I can take it wherever I go and I am to the point where its not a pain in my butt, but just the way I live. Its a mind set I think. Its like working out which I try to do everyday, its just part of the routine.. and I agree with a previous comment. What do you hate more, being fat or journaling? =]0 -
I love logging my food. I think it's brilliant and helps me immensely. This is my first go at trying to create a sustainable lifestyle for my health. As for recipes, I enter them into my recipe file on MFP while I make them and enter amount of each serving.
I am watching sodium right now because I apparently am hyper-sensitive to it and retain water like a cactus if I have too much. The recipe feature is amazing for tracking this. Pre-logging in the morning is so helpful for me in planning my day's meals and exercise.
It was ridiculously tedious and awful at first. But now, I rely on it like I rely on oxygen. It takes a ton of stress about meals off my mind for the day and I can adjust if something comes up. Hang in there-you've lost a lot and can make it to your goal!0 -
Do you have the MFP phone app?
I really don't find it takes me much time at all. Do you eat really different foods everyday? Most people eat a lot of the same foods a lot of the time so the entries are mostly there in the recent list....I'm confused as to why it would take so much effort after a year.
This0 -
I do what some of the others suggested - pre log. Because I work a desk job, Mon-Friday, there are 1 or 2 things I pretty much eat for breakfast that I love and is good for you. Same thing with my snacks. I have this website up at my work and log on on my breaks and lunch to add anything.
I have dreaded logging in the past, but for over 70 days now, I have been success in my logging daily and now I enjoy because I get to see how my eating/exercise results are coming out at the end of the day. If you are trying new recipes, it is a pain trying to put everything in. Logging has been a huge success in my weight loss. Good luck.0 -
Things that I weigh I just jot down and fill in at the end of the day. Eating the same thing everyday helps (I eat the same breakfast and snacks all the time, the same lunch all week, and a different dinner each night of the week). This let's you just "copy meal to today" which takes half a second.0
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