Logging Accurately..step by step guide

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  • rndlbrndy
    rndlbrndy Posts: 3 Member
    l
  • K9RSQ4ME
    K9RSQ4ME Posts: 22 Member
    This really is a terrific post! Thank you for taking the time. I've been using MFP for a few months now (former WW) and I'm a stickler for accuracy and details. And there is so much inaccurate information it boggles my mind where people get these numbers from.

    My question to you is that I don't see the "confirmations" like you suggest. I was on the app, then moved to the desktop version. Then I was in the database and it didn't look anything like your pics. So I went to my food diary to add food and it looked more similar to your example without the confirmations. Why am I missing this?

    I realize I'm about four years late with this question from the original post, but maybe I'll get lucky :-)
  • juliet3455
    juliet3455 Posts: 3,015 Member
    edited March 2018
    @K9RSQ4ME 2-3 years ago they changed how the items were displayed in the Food Database.

    Now you will see a Green Check mark. Example Nectarine Raw
    The example below Nectarine Raw 1 cup is a very bad choice because how can you measure 1 cup of fruit.

    ul0rvp8nciv9.png

    A better choice would be to include/search for items with "USDA" in the title and then verify them to the USDA Web Site ( or European, Canadian, Australian equivalent etc. ). Usually if they have the word USDA and the product code they are pretty accurate. Items that do not have the Check mark but USDA in the name may be more accurate than the so called verified items.
    vtlesixmxfrj.jpg

    Notice in the example below carrots at two differant portion sizes but the same calorie value - an example of a bad database food item. Once you get through a few months of logging your favorites/most common items will be easily available to you in your recent or frequent list and logging gets easier.

    u2sb8skidwiw.jpg

    Now I always choose items that I can cross check to the USDA site and that display values in grams as the math is so easy.
  • K9RSQ4ME
    K9RSQ4ME Posts: 22 Member
    @juliet3455 . Thank you for that reply! After I asked that question I realized the post was 25 pages long AND I WENT BACK AND READ ALL 25 PAGES to see if I missed the answer.

    I find myself second guessing all the time. Take something as simple and common as boneless, skinless, chicken breast. Now I understand that 1 oz of raw has a different nutri value from grilled and different from braised (due to water content). But I've seen grilled (just for example) as low as 25 calories per ounce and as much as 45 calories per ounce. Naturally that makes a significant difference when I'm eating 6 ounces!

    I guess once I verify it, which I often do with another website I need to make sure I use that entry and then work off my Frequents. Is it possible I can edit a correct entry just to include my initials so that it will show up in My Foods only?
  • janisseshirley
    janisseshirley Posts: 50 Member
    Thanks for the information. It was very helpful. There was a lot of things explained that I was not aware of, especially when it came to using the database to figure out my calories.
  • juliet3455
    juliet3455 Posts: 3,015 Member
    K9RSQ4ME wrote: »
    I guess once I verify it, which I often do with another website I need to make sure I use that entry and then work off my Frequents. Is it possible I can edit a correct entry just to include my initials so that it will show up in My Foods only?

    @K9RSQ4ME You can edit an item but this creates another entry in the main food database, which is why it has multiple entries for the same item with slightly differant wording and incorrect data. Which is probably how Carrots Raw *tc* was created ( refer back to previous post ) as there are a lot of entries with *tc* or just TC in the name.
    My personal view is that once it is in your Recent List ( 4 pages long ) it will always be available to you. Very seldom do I have to go back into the food data base looking for an item.
  • CyberTone
    CyberTone Posts: 7,337 Member
    Editing a public Food Database item does *not* create another item in the database. Users can edit items without green check marks. Only database admins can edit verified items (those with green check marks).

    When a user edits a public item, they become the temporary owner of the database record and it displays in their My Foods list. If another user edits the same public item, the item will disappear from the current owner's My Foods list and display on the editor's My Foods list. To prevent this, users should create personal My Foods items that are not shared with the public Food Database.
  • TonyB0588
    TonyB0588 Posts: 9,520 Member
    Just had a bit of a shock!! Wanted to log a 42g pack of biscuits I had for a snack today. Found the item description in the database, but all the references were to a 30g pack. Found another unopened pack and checked the Nutrition Info. It was all listed as per 30g, although the pack is a 42g pack. So to log accurately, I had to use the entry and record that I had 1.4 servings. 30 x 1.4 = 42
  • feralmyst
    feralmyst Posts: 1 Member
    Just signed up today - these are great tips, thank you!
  • juliet3455
    juliet3455 Posts: 3,015 Member
    Start reading pg1
    Bump Time
  • TonyB0588
    TonyB0588 Posts: 9,520 Member
    HappyCampr1 wrote: »
    TonyB0588 wrote: »
    Just had a bit of a shock!! Wanted to log a 42g pack of biscuits I had for a snack today. Found the item description in the database, but all the references were to a 30g pack. Found another unopened pack and checked the Nutrition Info. It was all listed as per 30g, although the pack is a 42g pack. So to log accurately, I had to use the entry and record that I had 1.4 servings. 30 x 1.4 = 42
    If you touch the serving size box (that shows 30g), there should then be a drop-down giving you the option to use 1g serving sizes. This enables you to just type 42 single-gram servings, ending up with your 42g, and saves you having to do any math.

    Yes you're correct. It's just that if I hadn't read the label, i would've assumed a pack is a serving. That would be far from accurate logging. But thankfully I've become wiser over the time since I joined MFP.
  • sugaranspice777
    sugaranspice777 Posts: 3 Member
    really helpful.
  • lcharpentier2
    lcharpentier2 Posts: 354 Member
    I wouldn't worry much about taste and licks unless your spoon becomes half cup lol.
  • juliet3455
    juliet3455 Posts: 3,015 Member
    Time for the Pre Christmas Feast Bump
  • puregrace71
    puregrace71 Posts: 13 Member
    I cook from scratch and have been weighing and counting every mushroom and every squirt of fry light ( 1 cal cooking spray) ! My kitchen scales battery has gone in under a week 😜 I then log the meal I have created. Problem is I never follow a recipe but make it all up as I go along, so logging is aaaalllways a lengthy process.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    Bump :flowerforyou:
  • Phirrgus
    Phirrgus Posts: 1,894 Member
    it's a good bump yep.
  • juliet3455
    juliet3455 Posts: 3,015 Member
    bump
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    xtom6nnsg0eh.jpg
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    *
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    Bump
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  • SuperMotivated56
    SuperMotivated56 Posts: 119 Member
    Please can you help me with getting the most out of the food logging? I’ve tried searching for foods the way that you have described it and my screen looks nothing like yours.... I also can’t find the “confirmations” that you refer to. Where do I find this?
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    SuperMotivated56 wrote: »
    Please can you help me with getting the most out of the food logging? I’ve tried searching for foods the way that you have described it and my screen looks nothing like yours.... I also can’t find the “confirmations” that you refer to. Where do I find this?

    The screenshots in the OP are the food diary on the website, if you are using the app it will look different (I'm not sure the app was even widely available when the OP was made in 2014).

    It looks like MFP has done away with the confirmations being visible, now it just has the green checkmark. And the asterisks are long gone as well.

    Regardless, I think the general ideas are still accurate, you just have to translate them to whatever version of the food log you are using now. Don't use entries that use "generic" or "homemade", look at the nutrition info and check it to the package or the USDA published values available by googling, find entries that provide the correct measurement (grams whenever possible), and make sure you choose an entry that specifies "cooked" or some version of that if you are weighing your portion cooked.
  • denjan333
    denjan333 Posts: 158 Member
    I didn’t read through the entire thread, so please forgive me if this has been posted already, but I wanted to give the link for the Health Canada guide to nutrient values. I find it super helpful.

    http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/alt_formats/pdf/nutrition/fiche-nutri-data/nvscf-vnqau-eng.pdf
  • SuperMotivated56
    SuperMotivated56 Posts: 119 Member
    Thank you for clarifying this - this is really helpful. So I’m guessing that the green tick is a safe option then (or preferred option)?
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    SuperMotivated56 wrote: »
    Thank you for clarifying this - this is really helpful. So I’m guessing that the green tick is a safe option then (or preferred option)?

    They have a better probability of being correct, but I still check them. Most that I've run across were correct, but I have found some that were wrong. It could be as simple as the company changed the formulation, so the checked entry used to be correct but now isn't. :smile:
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  • monicaoneill17
    monicaoneill17 Posts: 1 Member
    Great tips, thank you. Im not great at logging my food, but not great at it. I get frustrated when I can't find what I just ate, and it's hard to break out all the ingredients, so then I'm just guessing.
  • ginafranklin2
    ginafranklin2 Posts: 11 Member
    I’ve been using the bar code option whenever I can. Even eggs can be a little different, depending on the farm. That’s taking it a tad to far, I realize, but it’s more about the ease of using it. It’s easier than looking it up, plus gives me reassurance that the nutritional information is more accurate. I let the bar code do the info for me and I adjust the servings.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    ginafranklin2 wrote: »
    I’ve been using the bar code option whenever I can. Even eggs can be a little different, depending on the farm. That’s taking it a tad to far, I realize, but it’s more about the ease of using it. It’s easier than looking it up, plus gives me reassurance that the nutritional information is more accurate. I let the bar code do the info for me and I adjust the servings.

    Unfortunately the bar code isn't more accurate. The MFP app doesn't read the nutrition info through the bar code. It just reads the name of the product and then searches the database the same way it would if you typed the name into the search bar.

    It is way easier than typing on my phone, I use it all the time, but you do still need to check the numbers in the database entry to the package just as much. I've def pulled up bad entries with the scanner. I think it does tend to be a little more accurate though because it eliminates typing errors and searches with the manufacturers preferred syntax rather than the imperfect random words I sometimes end up using :smile:
  • saintlmm7689
    saintlmm7689 Posts: 19 Member
    This post answered so many of my questions!! Extremely helpful as I am brand new to MFP.

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