Serving size

yoooosam

Hi all. So right now i am new to this fitness thing and i am trying to track my macros using well fitnesspal and the app of it. However for some foods when i scan their bar codes using the app the serving size is already determined and i can't change it. So for rice for example when i scan it it has all the good nutritional info but it say that the serving size is 1 cup. How much is one cup cuz on the label the portion size is 45g. Is there a way to change this serving size or to atleast know how much is it in grams

Francl27

You can edit the existing entries and add the grams in the serving size.

yoooosam

umm can u please tell me how

MelodyandBarbells

I have not edited an entry before and I also mostly use the app. Actually I am certain you would have to go through the website to edit any entries and not via the app

The scanned result in my experience isn't always what I want. So when that happens, I have to just do the normal search and pick the result that best suits my needs. Usually I'd have to do some math first to determine how many calories I've eaten. So one serving of 49g dry rice may be 170 calories. Then I search for rice, and find one with one serving = 210 calories. I just enter a serving size and play with the decimals until it reads 170 calories total and log that. This is extremely easy on the app

I do wish the app had some sort of calculator like I just described within it to make it just a hair more convenient. But the tool's already so great, really!

yoooosam

but the nutritional info is right also like when i put some rice i just put like i feel. From what i understand u basically play with number because the scanned result isn't always what u want. Not for me tough it has exactly the number of caloires carbs and protein and fat right but when it comes down to serving size its either one cup witch i don't know how much its in grams or 100 grams but on the label the serving size is 45g. So basically i can't put one cup because i don't know how much it is in grams and i can't put 100grams because well the serving size like i said is 45g.

SezxyStef

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide?hl=Logging+accurately&page=3#posts-19337078

How to edit entries is in this post...

You can edit on the app as well. I have done it, but it is a pain.

If the entry says 100g = xxx calories and you had 49grams...log it as 0.49 servings.

alereck

If you are just starting I would recommend you buy a digital food scale. The scale is much more accurate than measuring your food in cups for example and all the labels will tell you the grams for the serving. IT will make it all that much easier and accurate.

Good luck

MelodyandBarbells

but the nutritional info is right also like when i put some rice i just put like i feel. From what i understand u basically play with number because the scanned result isn't always what u want. Not for me tough it has exactly the number of caloires carbs and protein and fat right but when it comes down to serving size its either one cup witch i don't know how much its in grams or 100 grams but on the label the serving size is 45g. So basically i can't put one cup because i don't know how much it is in grams and i can't put 100grams because well the serving size like i said is 45g.

The 100g entries are actually then the most convenient as explained by previous poster above. None of the math I said would need to be done (you would be using .45 servings). I look specifically for 100g entries for just this reason , so I can weigh the food and just enter the weight with an extremely simple decimal place conversion. 86g would be .86 servings etc. If you want to add ingredients by the quantity you want and not by the serving size, again, simple, weigh it first, log the entry and go on with your day

paulperryman

I'd petition that all entries have an equivalent grams entry, so tired of entries that list 1 serve, 1 cup, 1/8th, 1 meal. Yeah thats fine for the person that put the information in there but what about the rest of us that don't know what there definition of 1 serve, 1 meal or whatever is for or we know 1 serve could be 100g or 300g thats a huge difference and above all Cups is useless as a serving size, Cups is a volume not weight sure it'll work for liquids, rice or powder, but it don't work for solid food too many variables. or if you are gonna add those just put it in brackets approximate weight.

for instance today i had a homemade veggie quiche, now i can get an approximate Cups measurement of 150g using a kitchen cups measurer but none of the entries list cups or grams, well rather 1 does but all they have put is calories, which is another pieve. the rest just list 1 serve, 1 meal, 1 portion of a pie, So how big is that to everyone else that doesn't know how big you made that slice, that serve, that meal?

See the issue? it's called common curtesy either put usefull information in or don't make it available to everyone else that has to sift through all the invalid entries or bogus information.

paulperryman

I have not edited an entry before and I also mostly use the app. Actually I am certain you would have to go through the website to edit any entries and not via the app

The scanned result in my experience isn't always what I want. So when that happens, I have to just do the normal search and pick the result that best suits my needs. Usually I'd have to do some math first to determine how many calories I've eaten. So one serving of 49g dry rice may be 170 calories. Then I search for rice, and find one with one serving = 210 calories. I just enter a serving size and play with the decimals until it reads 170 calories total and log that. This is extremely easy on the app

I do wish the app had some sort of calculator like I just described within it to make it just a hair more convenient. But the tool's already so great, really!

or you could just use a calculator to work out the fraction

felonebeats

If you are just starting I would recommend you buy a digital food scale. The scale is much more accurate than measuring your food in cups for example and all the labels will tell you the grams for the serving. IT will make it all that much easier and accurate.

Good luck

What I do,so much easier

paulperryman

If you are just starting I would recommend you buy a digital food scale. The scale is much more accurate than measuring your food in cups for example and all the labels will tell you the grams for the serving. IT will make it all that much easier and accurate.

Good luck

What I do,so much easier

exactly, and as i said Cups is not a weight measurement anyway it's a volume measurement so unless you are measuring something that fits exactly into a shape of that cup you are getting an invalid calculation..

MelodyandBarbells

I have not edited an entry before and I also mostly use the app. Actually I am certain you would have to go through the website to edit any entries and not via the app

The scanned result in my experience isn't always what I want. So when that happens, I have to just do the normal search and pick the result that best suits my needs. Usually I'd have to do some math first to determine how many calories I've eaten. So one serving of 49g dry rice may be 170 calories. Then I search for rice, and find one with one serving = 210 calories. I just enter a serving size and play with the decimals until it reads 170 calories total and log that. This is extremely easy on the app

I do wish the app had some sort of calculator like I just described within it to make it just a hair more convenient. But the tool's already so great, really!

or you could just use a calculator to work out the fraction

That's what I do LOL switching back and forth between calculator app and MFP. iOS did an update where calc will no longer show the last number displayed on it in the multi task screen (where you double tap the home screen and see mini windows of all your open apps). This used to be helpful where I didn't have to memorize the numbers as well. Thanks a lot, Apple! Haha it's the little things, I tell ya. Also if you try to copy and paste a fraction like 1.256342568 into MFP, MFP just stares blankly at you like, WUT? Perhaps I'll look into a setting that reduces calculator fractions to MFP friendly 2 or 3 decimal places.

So how much of a geek am I writing all this crap to a one line response? :bigsmile:

paulperryman

I have not edited an entry before and I also mostly use the app. Actually I am certain you would have to go through the website to edit any entries and not via the app

The scanned result in my experience isn't always what I want. So when that happens, I have to just do the normal search and pick the result that best suits my needs. Usually I'd have to do some math first to determine how many calories I've eaten. So one serving of 49g dry rice may be 170 calories. Then I search for rice, and find one with one serving = 210 calories. I just enter a serving size and play with the decimals until it reads 170 calories total and log that. This is extremely easy on the app

I do wish the app had some sort of calculator like I just described within it to make it just a hair more convenient. But the tool's already so great, really!

or you could just use a calculator to work out the fraction

That's what I do LOL switching back and forth between calculator app and MFP. iOS did an update where calc will no longer show the last number displayed on it in the multi task screen (where you double tap the home screen and see mini windows of all your open apps). This used to be helpful where I didn't have to memorize the numbers as well. Thanks a lot, Apple! Haha it's the little things, I tell ya. Also if you try to copy and paste a fraction like 1.256342568 into MFP, MFP just stares blankly at you like, WUT? Perhaps I'll look into a setting that reduces calculator fractions to MFP friendly 2 or 3 decimal places.

So how much of a geek am I writing all this crap to a one line response? :bigsmile:

MFP rounds up anyway i think you can only put 2 decimal places
dunno i haven't used an Iphone since version 3, i use a Galaxy S4 but i meant google, all you do in chrome is type any math question in the URL bar and it goes to the answer, can also be used to convert grams to miligrams etc. Chrome is smart that way, same thing does not apply to Firefox or Internet Explorer tho they suck

your iphone app might be set to scientific instead of basic and if so there would be an option to set the number of decimal places as you could on a regular calculator.

kommodevaran

Even though calories are stated per 100 grams on the package and in nutritional tables, the default serving size for entries in MFP should be 1 gram. I want to enter how many grams, not how many 100 grams I am eating - it's in no way practical to operate with .49 servings of 100 grams, or having to change from 100 grams to 1 gram every single time. That's one of the minor annoyances with MFP :yawn:

MelodyandBarbells

Even though calories are stated per 100 grams on the package and in nutritional tables, the default serving size for entries in MFP should be 1 gram. I want to enter how many grams, not how many 100 grams I am eating - it's in no way practical to operate with .49 servings of 100 grams, or having to change from 100 grams to 1 gram every single time. That's one of the minor annoyances with MFP :yawn:

So it's impractical because you have to enter a . before the 49?

That's my gripe about your post. The actual reason why I responded is that you can send an email to MFP support asking if they will enable a "default serving size" feature. Sounds like it could be helpful that if servings are listed in g to automatically calculate the 100g option or set default serving to 1g. Actually why don't we both send something so it'll be clear that multiple people could use this

kommodevaran

So it's impractical because you have to enter a . before the 49?

That's my gripe about your post. The actual reason why I responded is that you can send an email to MFP support asking if they will enable a "default serving size" feature. Sounds like it could be helpful that if servings are listed in g to automatically calculate the 100g option or set default serving to 1g. Actually why don't we both send something so it'll be clear that multiple people could use this

But, will they respond? There are so many issues (big and small) that need taking care of... The list is endless!

.49 is not the most inconvenent scenario - if number of grams is higher than 100, we have to enter something point something, and if we need to correct it... no, it just gets too complicated! Haha, I love MFP, but I'd like it to be smooth...really smooth.

MelodyandBarbells

So it's impractical because you have to enter a . before the 49?

That's my gripe about your post. The actual reason why I responded is that you can send an email to MFP support asking if they will enable a "default serving size" feature. Sounds like it could be helpful that if servings are listed in g to automatically calculate the 100g option or set default serving to 1g. Actually why don't we both send something so it'll be clear that multiple people could use this

But, will they respond? There are so many issues (big and small) that need taking care of... The list is endless!

.49 is not the most inconvenent scenario - if number of grams is higher than 100, we have to enter something point something, and if we need to correct it... no, it just gets too complicated! Haha, I love MFP, but I'd like it to be smooth...really smooth.

So it's godawful to enter 1.23 servings instead of 123g? It's still just a .

MFP has responded to every email I sent them. But will they fix it ...

They fixed the weekly nutritional setting I emailed them about. They had done an update where the weekly average only showed the last seven days (running average) rather than a fixed timeline of day Monday to Sunday. They wished me well in my goals and by the next APP release you could pick any day of the week you wanted as your fixed starting point, OR running total if you prefer. I stressed 'app' because I do not know if they have as much flexibility on the website and some users complain that we get a billion app update but the website gets no love

I have also asked them to enable landscape mode when you enter food or exercise comments in the diary using the app. I get a courtesy response and next update - nothing

You won't know if they'll fix it till you ask. But a nice MFP staff surely will respond

MelodyandBarbells

They thanked me for my suggestion and will consider in a future release. I asked if they would let us do a setting to default to "1g" or "1 cup" or "1 oz" or "1 plate", just 1 of anything, if available. We'll see