Logging Accurately..step by step guide

phyl303

Thanks! Great breakdown. The screenshots are very helpful.

Tagging to save.

SezxyStef

I wish someone would have posted this when I first started! I so did not realize every entry wasn't accurate.

Me to that's why I did it...

I too love the bar code scanner but that can be iffy too...I scanned in a package of black forest ham...it came up turkey...:grumble: but all in all the scanner is great.

peleroja

Great post. I feel like every second post I make here is "are you weighing and logging all your food accurately?", so this will be a great post to bookmark and link to whenever I do that.

1princesswarrior

I do two things in addition to ensure accuracy. I have now started entering my own entries by weight when I can't find one using the label as I prepare the food or when I'm eating it, like yogurt, Quest bars, etc., or I save the package for entering later. I also will check things against the USDA database because I don't trust anything with an * or generic.

Now for the things that I inevitably lick like almond butter or peanut butter, sour cream spoon, etc. I put the container on the scale, tare it to zero, and then dip out a serving to negative say 32 grams for peanut butter. Then I can lick away. Otherwise I let my dogs lick my fingers and wash my hands before digging in or wait until it's on my plate until licking or tasting.

I also always take the time to ensure I find the correct entry because I'm not savy at finding things without an * or generic so if anyone wants to see my public diary feel free. If it's not correct I either correct it or don't use it. To me it's worth the extra 2 minutes to be correct. I haven't gotten so bad to weigh slices of bread yet but I'm almost there but I don't eat a lot of bread.

What I have issue with is small restaurants that make their own food and won't share the nutritional values :grumble:

HavtaLose

Also, while I think your post is wonderful and informative, there is one other exception I will point out. One of my few exceptions to "accurate logging" is shredded cheese. I log it as cups, but I do weigh it out, simply because on the nutrition label it states: 1/4 cup (28 g). I will weight out 28 grams, but log it as a quarter cup. The calories are exactly the same either way, but it is easier to find the 1/4 cup entries than search for one with grams. To use your words, it might look like a duck and quack like a duck, but I'm pretty sure it's not a duck Other than that, I enjoyed your post and agree fully.

This. I'm pretty sure anybody looking at my diary would say I don't weigh, but I do. Every single meal. But while logging its easy to find entries of cups rather than grams.

Other than that Thanks for the post OP! I have Android and the asterisks or confirmations feature is not there. So it's hard sometimes to differentiate between accurate datas and self-entered ones. I usually check with nutrition data site first for meats where calories are not written on packages.

mamabanana

Thx a bunch, keeping as a reference!

stmcfred

How do you log a lick or taste?

Say I had a single bite of macaroni and cheese. How would that be logged?

That phrase “logging accurately” doesn’t mean just weighing your solids and measuring your liquids there are things involved. It involves logging everything. Every bite, lick and taste…choosing correct entries from the MFP database and therein lies a lot of the issues when it comes to “logging accurately”.

subsonicbassist

Is there a way to remove or correct inaccurate entries that come up with the barcode scanner, or add them if they are missing for that matter? I would love to correct a few of my common foods

freebutterfly02

bump for future reference. Thanks!

prettigirl01

way too much information for a beginner and quite overwhelming. the fact that im even logging my food is good enough for me. all this technical stuff....I just cant. not right now anyway. looking at all that made me want to eat a whole turkey

mnider

bump

SezxyStef

Is there a way to remove or correct inaccurate entries that come up with the barcode scanner, or add them if they are missing for that matter? I would love to correct a few of my common foods

Goog question, I believe if you go to the technical forums that could be done or if by saying No it's not correct it might flag something...

mkcolombia

bump! now if only we could delete the 100 duplicate entries!

oiseau17

I wish they'd include the asterisks and confirmations on the app version of MFP. I use my phone or iPad to log my food and I hate that I can't see this info there.

SezxyStef

way too much information for a beginner and quite overwhelming. the fact that im even logging my food is good enough for me. all this technical stuff....I just cant. not right now anyway. looking at all that made me want to eat a whole turkey

Yes it can be quite over whelming...I knew that when I was writing it up...

This website has so many tools available that I am sure even some Vetran users aren't aware of them all...I am still learning.

Logging is of course the first step...and once you are comfortable with that this is when this type of information can be useful.

Now don't go eat a whole turkey imagine the nap you would have after that...:bigsmile:

SezxyStef

I wish they'd include the asterisks and confirmations on the app version of MFP. I use my phone or iPad to log my food and I hate that I can't see this info there.

I think in the case of the app adding USDA to your search would help

ETA: it does however has a my foods tab so if there is stuff you freqently use you could create the entries for your phone app.

SpencersHeart

Thank you very much for taking the time to post and explain this in such detail.

I look for your posts because you have such great insight and valuable information that you pass on so generously.

Thanks again!

tambam69

If however you wish to just go to that site and search for you food here is the link

http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list

Another good site for information is

http://nutritiondata.self.com/

Thanks, these websites will come in handy

lenksa77920

Thanks for this, it's very helpful. I'm trying hard to be more accurate with logging. Just a question, how do you measure the licks, bites, tastes etc? That's one area where I know I could do better but I just can't wrap my head around how to do it.

There in lies the rub doesn't it..

in order to not have to log "bites" of food I just don't do it anymore...and as a cook (at home) I don't lick, I wear an apron and wipe now, and if I taste it's usually just enough to know if the spices are good...and that is my husbands job now mostly.

That makes a lot of sense. It's amazing the difference that weighing and logging makes. I still can't believe that the scale is moving downward and there's still carbs...and cupcakes.

rachelguy

great post!! bump!:happy:

Rogiefreida

great post. Hope they make this a sticky.

Luciu5

This is a great topic! Another thing to point out, when adding Recipes, MFP will automatically match ingredients. This works out funny sometimes. For example, last night I had chili. MFP said the SEASONING PACKET contained 1000 cal. I had to manually editthe ingredient with a correct one, 120 calories. Another recipe I used low-fat Ritz crackers which was automatically added as 15,000 calories for 1/3 of the box.. Not sure why this happens. Might simply be user error lol.

DrJenO

What I have issue with is small restaurants that make their own food and won't share the nutritional values :grumble:

That's something I've been meaning to come in here and ask about this, but didn't want to clutter up someone else's thread, but didn't feel like making my own.

What would you do in that kind of situation, sezxystef? We are going out for our anniversary this weekend to this wonderful local restaurant, quite small, no hope of getting any kind of nutritional info.

SezxyStef

What I have issue with is small restaurants that make their own food and won't share the nutritional values :grumble:

That's something I've been meaning to come in here and ask about this, but didn't want to clutter up someone else's thread, but didn't feel like making my own.

What would you do in that kind of situation, sezxystef? We are going out for our anniversary this weekend to this wonderful local restaurant, quite small, no hope of getting any kind of nutritional info.

This happens to me a lot actually. I live in a very small town where it is mostly mom and pop shops...

But because I have been weighing my food for a long time I give it a reasonable estimate based on my experience..ie fish and chips...I know what 125g of haddock looks like...give or take. I always try to over guess what I had and log each item. You will see that a couple of saturday's ago..I went to the local pub...had fish and chips with gravy, my son had a mozza stick app, I had chicken strip app and my brother in law had some muscles...

Battered fish
French fries
Mozza sticks
Chicken strips
Gravy
etc...

When going out unless it's a chain or it has a website I feel it is a best guess scenario...

Other people might have a better solution but that's what I do.

On that note...I have logged quick adds after a night of snacking with family...then decided to test myself to see if I was close...I logged the individual foods while it was fresh...

Quick adds 1200...actuallys 2300....:sad: taught me a lesson for sure.

dberry54

This was so very helpful and I thank you for all your time you put into helping us with our entries. I started out the program just logging whatever I found that was "closest to match" what I was eating. As the weeks have passed and I have read so many messages that have been posted I have come to be more picky about which entry I selected or did make my own. I have lost a little over 25# now with many more to go and thanks to people like you who want to share your successes, I WILL make it to my goal. Thanks again!

jedwards7425

bump

shor0814

How do you log a lick or taste?

Say I had a single bite of macaroni and cheese. How would that be logged?

You don't. It is part of living. If your single bite of mac & cheese is bothering you or impacting your weight loss then it was more than a bite or lick or taste. If it happens enough times in a day to impact you then you need better meal planning and a discussion with yourself about how you approach food.

SezxyStef

How do you log a lick or taste?

Say I had a single bite of macaroni and cheese. How would that be logged?

You don't. It is part of living. If your single bite of mac & cheese is bothering you or impacting your weight loss then it was more than a bite or lick or taste. If it happens enough times in a day to impact you then you need better meal planning and a discussion with yourself about how you approach food.

As a cook (not professional ) at home I used to "bite, lick, taste" lots of things and it does impact weight loss when you do it a lot.

I think that phrase is to make people aware that if they are "nibblers" and say oh it's only a bite...those bites add up.

So give them up or try to log them...it's easier to give it up. I mean I can take a pretty big bite out of my husband flamer thrower if I wanted...

I personally have logged a bit off of a "sweet" as I suspected the entire thing had about 300 calories...last week I believe...made a note of it in my diary to explain the quick adds (it wasn't good enough to waste 300 calories on)

Zx14chick

Very nice, Stef! It may be weird, but I'm excited to start using my new kitchen scale. I hope buying the Walmart one doesn't result in me making another trip to the store to exchange it for the "Biggest Loser" scale...

MaryGrace1965

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for posting this. How can I save this????????