how accurate is the calorie database here?

Stephiestephs

hello everyone! i am back, i took off from MFP while i was pregnant, gave birth to a healthy baby and here i am again.
was off to a good start the past few weeks and this week i noticed i gained a pound.
if you look at my diary its not the healthiest foods, but since sandy i live only on the second floor of our house and have a microwave and a toaster oven, plus a one and a half year old and a newborn so cooking isnt on the forefront of my mind right now.

i was so happy with my progress but sad to see a pound gain, when you have over 30 pounds to lose yes one pound is discouraging. i know i dont eat the best, but i just figured i would investigate my biggest offender PIZZA. MFP has a ny slice as 200 somewhat calories, but after having pizza again tonight, i thought maybe it was the culprit and found out most pizza is 400 calories average. could the misinformation on the pizza have attributed to my weight gain?
we're talking almost 200 more calories a slice than i had thought. how can i make sure i am logging my calories correctly if there are foods here that have the wrong calorie counts?

this week i am going to work on having healthier foods in the house things that can be prepared in my mic and toaster oven.
and try to make dinner more often.

thanks!

editorgrrl

The database is full of incorrect entries from your fellow MFPers. Verify data against labels. For produce, look for USDA data. Never choose the entry w/ the lowest calorie count.

Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-Sexypants

hedwardsb

Unless you're entering from a specific restaurant, you have to choose the selection with what you estimate to be comparable calories. There are New York slice entries ranging from 250 to 750.
Pizza can be killer for calories & fat even when I make my own with 2% cheese.

Stephiestephs

yeah i can see that now. i for sure have to make it my business to eat as much home cooking as i can. dinner is a hard one because like i said no real kitchen and so tired at night. but i have to try harder.

editorgrrl

All the calorie counts & burns are estimates. Some people reduce the margin of error by eating back half their exercise calories.

Don't be too hard on yourself. Just do the best you can.

YorriaRaine

Many many many entries are incorrect, and many more are correct but have incomplete information. Either compare the label and if its right, confirm it so other people can see that it is correct, if its not, say it is not correct. I tend to look for entries that have confirmations, but the first time i use the entry I check to see if it matches the label.

I wish there was a way to filter the entries out by confirmations :grumble:

hedwardsb

I have found the calories for frozen foods to be mostly accurate.
When I'm eating something that I'm uncertain about--like ny style pizza-- I go with the mid to higher estimate.
I can't imagine being without a kitchen. What a pain!
My crockpot & rice cooker are my best friends during the work week.

HappyStack

I check everything and - where possible - save everything as meals and/or recipes.

It saves a lot of time in the long run, and you only need to keep an eye out for companies changing recipes.