Logging Accurately..step by step guide

Janette3x4 · June 2014

My favorite thing is the barcode scanner. This, plus weighing your food and inputting correct weight is near fail proof. That's my opinion. ????

MelodyandBarbells · June 2014

Just a quick add to the OP:

There have been some changes to the search function on MFP recently and a lot of the FDA data now starts with the word "Generic"

While this post initially, quite correctly, advised that you avoid all entries starting "*Generic or *Homemade" you are now looking for foods that start with the words Generic but are not preceded by a *

Sorry if thats a bit complicated and thanks to MFP for the search changes!

I don't see that personally...

When I search Banana first entry is the usda Banana - Raw...no generic in front of it. Nor on the App...

Maybe it's not site wide yet...I will definately keep an eye out for it.

I was really hoping that this meant they had reversed it but it is there for apples (I only use a computer not the app) Not sure how to do a screen shot either.

In the listing it is "Generic - Apple- Raw without Skin" but goes into my diary as "apples -raw without skin"

Would love to know what other people are seeing

I do not use the website. However, Francl27 has made some posts about this:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1309366-i-hate-the-search-changes

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1307201-the-search-changes-are-driving-me-nuts

Ely82010 · June 2014

Just a quick add to the OP:

There have been some changes to the search function on MFP recently and a lot of the FDA data now starts with the word "Generic"

While this post initially, quite correctly, advised that you avoid all entries starting "*Generic or *Homemade" you are now looking for foods that start with the words Generic but are not preceded by a *

Sorry if thats a bit complicated and thanks to MFP for the search changes!

I don't see that personally...

When I search Banana first entry is the usda Banana - Raw...no generic in front of it. Nor on the App...

Maybe it's not site wide yet...I will definately keep an eye out for it.

I was really hoping that this meant they had reversed it but it is there for apples (I only use a computer not the app) Not sure how to do a screen shot either.

In the listing it is "Generic - Apple- Raw without Skin" but goes into my diary as "apples -raw without skin"

Would love to know what other people are seeing

I start the search with the kind of apple that you are eating (gala, fuji, delicious, green, ambrosia, etc.) and then add the usda. Once you find and choose the right entry it will go into your Frequent list and it will be easy to find the next time.

H0llyG0lightly · June 2014

Bump

nicsflyingcircus · June 2014

The bar code scanner can be interesting. Sometimes it is accurate. Other times, it is as if it shows a similar but not the same portion size, item. For example, I scanned the barcode on a tiny rice crispy treat at which wich with my kids. Said 160 calories, so I passed on it. That didn't seem right to me for the portion size. So I did an online search and it turns out the nutritional data it gave me off the barcode was for the product 4 times larger and the little bite was in fact 40 calories. So, I take the barcode scanner with a grain of salt.

MelodyandBarbells · June 2014

Some of the barcode scanned items do scan incorrectly. Readin SezxyStef's post I have jumped on the website and made one correction. Coincidentally, I am convinced that corrected item became the official entry even though it wasn't before! :bigsmile: mostly I just cross check w/the label and do the math to get the right total calories. In this case it said a container of yogurt had 2g of carbs and this was screwing up my macro summary, so I corrected it

DMadelineP · June 2014

bump!

rawrrawr66 · June 2014

bump

JeanMBK · June 2014

Thanks for this info. I will be more carefuL in my logging in the future.

Kep2005 · June 2014

Great post!

chopsart · June 2014

Very informative post.

kittygrrl15 · June 2014

Our food scale is coming later this week- I can't wait. I hate not really knowing if I'm eating a quarter ounce or cheese or like 3 ounces! And the tip about copying items from someone else's diary is going to be HUGE for my husband and I- it's so cumbersome for us to both log everything for the meals I cook us.

I will say, there is no way I'm going to dedicate all the time needed to log the recipes I make. The reality is that over the period of a month, I probably only repeat a dinner recipe once. And often I only make a meal once or twice a year. It's almost all from scratch and I just don't measure when I'm throwing stuff in. I'm going to have to find my own personal compromise to log things without it becoming a major hassle. I don't have time to measure every ingredient, write it down, AND go research every item on the USDA site to verify the nutritional data in the MFP database to log it into it's own recipe- all with two little kids orbiting and trying to have a life. But you know what? That's only going to affect me and if I come back whining in another month+ about not seeing any changes, you can refer me back to this post and say "maybe you need to be even more accurate."

Any ideas from folks about how to log prepared foods from a farmer's market? I get wonderful vanilla yogurt, artisan cheeses, and other such items and I have no clue where to start to get nutritional data? (I doubt the farmer's have it, though I suppose I could start by asking them.)