Guessing on calories and food amounts

higgins8283801

I just got back from a cookout. I had a hot dog on a bun with mustard and onions, some grilled veggies that included corn, broccoli, green and red peppers and a ribeye, seasoned and with a1 sauce.. I just had to eyeball it because I didn't have a scale.

Has anyone done this and it been ok at the end of the day?

I had 938 calories left over and that was adding back exercise calories which I hate to do because idont really trust the burned calories given.

Liftng4Lis

Look for the closest thing in the database, choose that for each item, and add 100 extra in quick calories to be safe. (Or only add back half the exercise calories, same concept).

higgins8283801

Look for the closest thing in the database, choose that for each item, and add 100 extra in quick calories to be safe. (Or only add back half the exercise calories, same concept).

I sorta did that. I said I had full servings of the veggies when I didn't and I didn't finish my steak, but I still left it at 8 ounces. It looked around that maybe a little smaller.

I have 60 calories left and that's with adding exercise back. Chalk today up to a bust. Impromptu cookout or I would have skipped my hummus pita chip and carrot snack

Kalikel

No, the giant Picnic Overeaters hook is going to catch you and pull you off, Gong-show-style.

Of course it's okay. Take your best guess, round up, don't worry.

People always post these things without giving the most important info.

WAS IT GOOD?

SezxyStef

not a big deal sometimes you have to do that and one day will not derail your progress. Just chalk it up to life and start again now.

higgins8283801

I know that, I was just wondering if people have ever had to guess their intake when logging?

higgins8283801

No, the giant Picnic Overeaters hook is going to catch you and pull you off, Gong-show-style.

Of course it's okay. Take your best guess, round up, don't worry.

People always post these things without giving the most important info.

WAS IT GOOD?

Delicious. The hot dog was A-mazing! Haven't had one in forever.

TheVirgoddess

I know that, I was just wondering if people have ever had to guess their intake when logging?

Of course. We eat out a lot, mostly at local places that aren't in the MFP database. I have to estimate to the best of my ability. I always over-estimate, just like you did. I'm pretty strict about measuring and weighing everything, but it's not always realistic.

gothchiq

Yeah, there are hotdogs and sauces and stuff in the database. You can get pretty close if you remember all the things you ate. now as to the exercise this site really does overestimate. I tend to assume I burn half to 2/3 the number of cals that it says (judging by other sources).

AmyRhubarb

I do this often - at least once a week there is guesswork in my diary. I use an trick a former boss taught me when he wasn't sure how to order for the store before a busy weekend or holiday - the SWAG method (Scientific Wild *kitten* Guessing ).

I find the closest matches in the database, or if I'm just too tired or there's too much to hunt around for, I'll even just quick add my remaining cals for the day and call it good, making a note for the entry of where I ate or what I had, etc.

I've lost the weight, hit goal and maintained it for over 2 years now, so hasn't hindered my success to use the SWAG method on the regular basis. :drinker:

ana3067

I've had to guess my intake. If I don't have any easy way of estimating weight of something, or if there's just too much stuff I'm unfamiliar with, I just don't bother logging at all. One day eating above or below what I'm supposed to eat won't make a big difference, and it's unlikely you'd be eating enough calories in that one day to wind up gaining actual fat, so it's just easier to not bother. The more often you go out and can't log, obviously the more you want to estimate as much as possible, but once a month or less, or just every now and then, no big deal.

bwogilvie

I estimate when I eat out or at a friend's house. The thing is, after a while you'll be able to tell how accurate your guesses are. Presuming you're logging food that you prepare accurately, any discrepancies between your projected weight loss and your actual weight loss can be due to only a handful of factors:

1. Variation between your actual BMR and activity level and what MFP estimates. But that will be a constant factor, unless you change activity levels.

2. Errors in estimating exercise calories. If your workouts are fairly regular, though--you usually do the same kind of thing for the same intensity every week--these will also be a constant factor. It's true that MFP (and other databases that use the Compendium of Physical Activities as a data source) often overestimates calorie burn by 25-50%.

3. Errors in guesstimating food eaten out. If #1 and #2 are constant, then you can get a sense of how accurate your guesses are by comparing loss vs. goal in weeks when you eat out a lot vs. weeks when you don't eat out much.

Cc215

I do when I need to. I eat out a lot. If I can find nutritional values I use them. If I can't I try to reconstruct my meal / and add a bit more for "cooking fats" I may not always be right but I lose at about my expected rate - so I can live with that.

The truth is you can make weighing and measuring food the most important thing in your life if you want - but you'll either have to carry scales with you at all times and deconstruct every meal you eat out of your home to weigh each food stuff before you eat it, or you can never ever eat anything you don't cook yourself ever again. I prefer going with being accurate when I can, and going "meh" and trying my best at guessing when it fits my life better to do so.

Maybe one day this won't be accurate enough - I may have to reconsider my approach if that is the case. But until then, "meh!" - I'm happy to log as well as I can without obsessing and live my life!

Kalikel

No, the giant Picnic Overeaters hook is going to catch you and pull you off, Gong-show-style.

Of course it's okay. Take your best guess, round up, don't worry.

People always post these things without giving the most important info.

WAS IT GOOD?

Delicious. The hot dog was A-mazing! Haven't had one in forever.

The only hot dogs I have are fat-free turkey ones.

God, I'd love a hot dog. Thank you for sharing.

(Steak - don't miss it.)

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