Logging food is so tedious and awful...

abbyjcpc

Do you know what's more awful than logging food? Being fat and unhealthy.

These kinds of responses are just rude and unhelpful. Thought this was a supportive place?

abbyjcpc

Apparently I had the old version of the app! Mine did not have the scan option and other useful tools...I updated it and I think it will be much easier to use now! Thank you all for your advice, and for those you choose to be unsupportive and hurtfully judgmental, keep your mean opinions to yourself. You don't know me, you don't know my journey, you don't know how much blood, buckets of sweat and tears Ive put into this journey. put your own horrible self-righteous assumptions down and just try to be a compassionate person. Its not rocket science, its humanity.

Fullsterkur_woman

Apparently I had the old version of the app! Mine did not have the scan option and other useful tools...I updated it and I think it will be much easier to use now! Thank you all for your advice, and for those you choose to be unsupportive and hurtfully judgmental, keep your mean opinions to yourself. You don't know me, you don't know my journey, you don't know how much blood, buckets of sweat and tears Ive put into this journey. put your own horrible self-righteous assumptions down and just try to be a compassionate person. Its not rocket science, its humanity.

I'm seriously glad it was as simple to fix as updating your app version! All the best to ya! :drinker:

However, you post things on a public forum, don't be surprised when you get responses all over the map. Trust me when I say you will waste a lot of your life if you feel the need to call people out on it every time. If you really want help (and in this case you did), take what you can use and ignore the rest. OK, I've posted my serious and supportive response for the day... back to snarky gifs now.

LTKeegan

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!

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.

NerdyTXChick

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.

I never thought of doing it this way, I may give it a try. Here's what I do: when I make a pot of something, I enter all the ingredients into the recipe builder, then I enter the amount of servings that will bring the calories to what I want for each serving. For instance, I like to keep one dish meals under 500 calories a serving. So if entering 6 servings brings my calories closest to 500, I will go with that. Then I will take out 6 storage containers, divide the meal into each one, then weigh them to make sure they are all the same weight (spooning some into others where needed). Then I usually put a couple in the fridge for meals for the week, and the rest in the freezer for later (with labels). Any time I make something, I immediately divide it into single servings.

Mainebikerchick

I pre-log my whole day in the morning a lot of the time. Then at night when I get home from working out, I log that then make any additions to my food diary that are necessary. I find it's working for me!

udinth

I use the app. It helps me see how I'm doing. For another thing, honestly, when I look at a food's values before I eat it I'm sometimes shocked at what it'll do to my calories or carbs, or how little protein it'll give me, and I change my mind. And also I've learned something about that food (also if I log after eating and then log and say OMG!), and I'm more able to avoid or restrict it in the future. I've been at this for, what, maybe a year? IDK, and it's been slow work changing my habits (I'm 66), but when I look back -- or down! :-) -- or at my progress chart, I see that I really have been changing them successfully.

ktsmom430

I plan my meals for a week in advance and pre-log my meals in the morning for the whole day. I do all of my grocery shopping, prep work and prepare my meals on the weekends for the coming week. I put everything in individual portion size containers and freeze or refrigerate. It works well for me.

Gingerspice45

I use the app for my smart phone and find that to make it the most convenient. You've gotta decide how much you want to change. For me, keeping a food journal is the most effective way to lose weight.

udinth

I sometimes do this too, as well as set up recipes for combos I make fairly frequently. I've also developed one weird trick. I made a "food" called "Nothing", with zero of all nutrient values. The system won't let you enter a recipe with only one ingredient, and "Nothing" lets me set up my own serving sizes as recipes. For example:

NAME: 2 tsp TJ Mint Chip
INGREDIENTS:
Trader Joe's - Mint Chip Ice Cream, 0.04 cup
Nothing - 1 gram

That way I can go to the freezer, take just a little bit of ice cream, and put the box right back in and walk away, without the 3 T's (time, trouble, and temptation) of dealing with a dish and a scoop (oboy, that holds a lot!). And I can log it easily without having to remember the oddball fractions that these "recipes" need to fit against the units in the food database (here, teaspoons to cups: 2tsp = .041667 c!).

I see that the database already has a bunch of entries for water, with zero everything. But that makes another kind of sense, because water is a real ingredient.

tjthegreatone

I admit that it is tedious, but if anything it is too easy to calorie count with MFP. Because I've been doing this over a year, and the database has a 'memory', it is quite easy for me to enter foods in. I tend to eat similar things every day.

My problem was not with the logging but with the psychology of deprivation. In the past few months I have moved away from losing to maintenance and pretty much eat what I want but try to 'earn' some of it (with more exercise). I would like to stop calorie counting and logging as I can't shake the sensation that it is not quite a healthy approach to food, which I think should be something enjoyed without any numbers or moral value attached to it. For example, I have a sensible and intuitive approach to money and never really need to budget as I can estimate what I can and can't afford intuitively, splurge rarely and cut back when the need arises. I wish I could do the same with food.

VegGirl62

How I log Homemade Recipes


After I make a dish and BEFORE I serve it I measure how many cups it makes. I have a 1-cup ladle, a 1/2 cup ladle, and a 1/4 cup ladle. Once I know how many cups are int he recipes then log the recipe in the recipe builder with the number of servings (cups). from there it is easy to just measure the quantity you ate and log it! Hoe this helps!

fitformidlife

Yes, it's a pain in the butt, but so are lots of daily chores like cleaning the litter box etc. I see it as a necessary evil to keep myself accountable. The benefits outweigh the tedium and time investment for me. Logging is like a daily touchstone that reminds me I'm actively doing things to support my healthy lifestyle. That and the support system are the two main reasons I finally signed up here after lurking for a while.

Cortneyrenee04

Yup, it SUCKS! But it works. So whatevs

littleburgy

During the week, I tend to eat the same meals two days in a row for lunch and breakfast. For example, half a carton of soup and packet of salad one day, eat the other half the next. I have a packet of cheese and some crispbreads for extra food/snacks.

Often at dinner the same thing, I'll cook one thing and have leftovers the next day so sometimes I'll copy from the previous day. Plus I have a log of common recipes saved. I also love my morning oatmeal so I have that saved.

It's only a few minutes out of the day, maybe it's causing an unnecessary mental monkey on your back that actually doesn't have to be so big!

Elsie_Brownraisin

I go through periods of deliberately not logging as (just for me personally, others will disagree) I have no intention to continue doing it once I have lost the weight. I take time off to see if I can maintain for a while, because I don't see my friends/family at a healthy weight monitoring each bite they eat. I need to know what a reasonable portion size looks like, or to only eat when I'm hungry etc. I have had periods of losing and maintaining whilst not using MFP and no significant gains.

I'm logging again because I've also reached a plateau.

If it makes it easier, I log foods ahead like other posters, I plan my meals ahead of shopping twice a week, so I put my evening meals in when I've done the shopping list.

If you regularly eat the same recipes or have a limited choice (e.g. breakfast, during the week I only eat porridge with syrup, a banana or nowt), and you should make use of the 'my meals' and 'recipes' bits. Saves time.

You have lost a load already and if you have a lot to lose, yes, it can get very tedious. Asking for opinions on a forum like this will result in a range of responses, some of which you won't like. Equally, I don't think people who have been doing it for a month are qualified to tell you that you're wrong.

pammypurple

Do you have a smartphone with the app? Honestly, I don't know how people do it without the app. When I'm cooking something complicated, it's nice to be able to scan the barcode and add the amounts as I go.

^ This. I'd be lost without the app. Scanning is amazing and I add each ingredient after weighing and portioning (is that a word?).

jayjay12345654321

I keep my meals simple. Since I don't cook, I just log whatever straight raw ingredient I have, usually no more than 2 or 3. What gets tedious is grocery days. I feel compelled to taste everything as I'm putting it away, then find myself logging 20-30 different items like "One grape tomato, raw", "5 blueberries, raw", "0.1 ounces pumpkin seeds, raw", "Extra firm tofu, 5 grams" etc. Nothing gets put away without a taste test!

xXBabyBelleXx

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!

There's a great app "other tools" on MFP called "recipe nutritions facts calculator" I use it all of the time! You basically enter the ingredients for your meal and then select how many peoole you are serving. It will calculate the cakories per serving for you and then add it to yiur diary. You can save the recipes so you onky have to enter them once. :-)

bumblebreezy91

I don't have the app (I don't have a smartphone) and I eat basically the same foods. I don't hate logging, but then I don't have big, complicated recipes with multiple ingredients everyday. I guess we just do what we have to do. You've accomplished a lot so far, don't let logging get in the way of the rest of your goals. Maybe plan big, complicated meals as far in advance as you can, so you can log them ahead of time and then tweak them if you change something last-minute? Can you cook bigger meals on the weekends and freeze them?

gulfcoastnik

I use the app on my phone with bar codes also, it helps so much. I work full time so I have to plan meals, do the shopping, try to find meals that fit all of the parameters. Make all meals including breakfast, and lunches for grab and go. My problem is we socialize on the weekends a lot and we like to have cocktails! I find myself saving my calories for my splurge nights, then it balances out right? OR not?

amaysngrace

I guess I'm just weird because I don't have an app. Logging is my favorite part, but like I said, I'm kind of weird.

red869

I don't mind doing it at all. For about 7-8 years I used to note down what I'd eaten into a little diary I'd purchased and then use another book, which had calorie values for most foods in it, (or look up the nutritional information online) to calculate exactly how many calories I'd consumed. I did that on and off for years. Now that was time consuming! This is very quick and easy.

I make most of my meals on one day every two-weeks or so and then weigh out everything equally into little boxes, that way I know how many calories a meal has. It's time consuming on the day as I weigh huge amounts of food, before and after cooking, but it's worth it. I can pre-log my calories so it's no hassle.

Also, like others have mentioned, get the phone app. I personally don't use it often, but it's helpful.