Newbie question about water & food.

justonebite

Hi,

I just started MFP and I see that it says to drink lots of water (which I always TRY to do, not too successfully.) Does that mean water, as opposed to iced tea, coffee, any no-calorie liquids? Or do you just log the water?

And, I started on Saturday and that evening I went to a cookbook launch party, where there were little passed appetizers. I ate some, also had some bread & cheese, and skipped the mini-cupcakes. Yesterday I went to an Itzakaya (Japanese tapas bar, basically) and had bites of a bunch of things that were shared with 5 others. HOW am I supposed to figure out my food diary???

Thanks for any help!!

Natalie

Stopin_da_yoyo

Yes the water is water....if you have coffee you would log it like food.etc...

As for the food question..thats a little tricky because when you go out you dont nessisarilly get the nutritional info when you order.

Ask server? Google it. Get comfortable with weights and measures so you can approximate better...obviously accuracy is better but if your going out to eat...it might not be an option...

First try typing it into mfp...I was surprised when I typed in kimchi but mfp had it in its database.
Personally i would choose either to make food at home where you can account for calories. Vs eating out where you dont have a clue of even the caloric content.

Maybe try and break the dish down into its components and this way you can approximate better.

Sorry I cant be of much more use...eating out is hard when logging but mfp does make it easier for those who choose that option.

healthygreek

For me, staying home and cooking all the time is not an option. I would have never lost all the weight I have by staying home all the time. I usually go out twice a weekend. I don't eat at chain restaurants or fast food places cause I don't like the food.
I have to either look up the food in the data base or enter things seperately. It's not very accurate but I don't mind because the other days of the week I'm super accurate.
Just do the best you can but don't stop living your life!

Edited for spelling

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cbhubbybubble

I guesstimate the best I can when I eat out. I try to err on the high side.

I only log my actual water, though I know if I have some tea or a pop, it counts as fluid, too.

kmbrtn

My nutritionist and doc both told me not to count tea or coffee as water. Water is water.
Coffee is a diuretic, well known fact. My experience has been that if I don't hydrate well, I feel like crap and am more prone to heat related issues. Same thing happens if I don't get enough sodium.

Stopin_da_yoyo

Im not saying u dont get water (fluid) from other liquids. Im just saying log all water intake under water and any other drinks like a food product.

BruceHedtke

Im not saying u dont get water (fluid) from other liquids. Im just saying log all water intake under water and any other drinks like a food product.

This. You get water from coffee and tea and soda but you also get calories, sugar, carbs, etc. If you didn't list those, your diary isn't going to be accurate.

As far as dining out, if you go once a week, I wouldn't sweat it too much. Your weekly totals should still be alright with one night of going out. If you go out more often, then you'll have to come up with something to track your calories.

nickowastaken

nm

aneary1980

The only soft drinks I drink are water, green tea and coffee.

I log coffee as I have it with milk so a latte has loads of cals an instent (which I have rarely I have coffee machine at home) has some cals but enough to log them.

Green tea I don't log at all MFP claims it's 2 cals which I think is rubbish, but I also don't count it as water.

I drink more than mfp requires in water as it curbs my hunger, alot of the time you brain will say you are hungey when you are thirsty.

That is just my opinion.

Eating out is a nighrmare I just know I'm going to under esitmate so work hard at the gym to make up for it.

jennybean101

1st and foremost, this is your food diary. If you don't log your foods the only person you're cheating is yourself. You may have to decide to whether eating out is really for you as it is difficult to log your foods accurately. As for the water, I try to stick to logging just my water in that section and if I have a beverage, I make it decaf, so the water in those beverages technically counts as water, however you have to allow for the sodium content and the carbs, etc... If you drink enough water until your pee is pale yellow through out your day then you know you've consumed enough fluids for you. It's different for each person. If you do decide to eat out, the just remember to drink lots of water to help rid the sodium and water retention. Good luck!

justonebite

Thanks everyone!