Stop lying about nutritional info or supporting the lie

Mompanda4

Thank you for your posting.

AlsDonkBoxSquat

By this point I have at least an idea of the number of calories I'm consuming in one sitting, so if I don't see one that fits I keep looking reviewing portion size and calorie count. If I'm really not sure I hunt through a few looking for an average and then go a little high.

HauteP1nk

I find it bizarre how wrong some of the items are as well. This is why I quick log things, or sometimes when I really do not know I do some research online to try to figure it out. If I am really unsure or think something is low I add in extra calories to be sure I don't go over.

You are right though...this could be the reason that so many people don't understand why they aren't losing weight. They are probably believing all the calories they find on this site.

PositivelyFlawed

When i search I always add Canada to my search and I always know what the calorie count and roughly the nutrition of any packaged type foods like bread, pasta, cereal so I can accurately assess which entry is accurate. For raw foods i check several entries to make sure they are all roughly similar.

All in all, to allow for error I set my journal to display 150c less than my absolute max to lose 2 lbs. This pretty much allows for small variations in food entry.

81Katz

I try to really stay on top of checking, and re-checking and sometimes checking again the nutritional info (not to mention I obsessively weigh my food) I do have to say what annoys me about this site and the food checker is when people put in stuff like:
1 small chicken breast
1 medium pear
1 small apple
10 blueberries
etc.

Many a times I have actually brought the food item to the computer and check and cross check and I find many wrong entries. So annoying.

They don't even bother to weight it or check it against a different site, or the USDA site. Sorry but your 1 medium pear might actually be a giant sized pear. :noway:

Sorry did not read all replies, but how do you correct someone elses entry?

TeutonicKnight

You are telling me these Thin Mint Cookies aren't 5 calories apiece?!?!?!?!

True story, saw that on here and had to laugh!

maf66

While trying to log in a "Five guys cheeseburger and fries" I was once again reminded about how many people lie about the actual calories of the food they post and how often I find confirmations of these lies. Its bad enough that people don't take the time to research and post their foods accurately, but it is a real dis-service to the whole community when 4 or 5 or 10 people buy into the lie and confirm the nutritional value which is obviously B.S. Really people a bacon ,egg and cheese sandwich for 200 calories!? wake up! The whole idea of the confirmation system is to prove reliability of fact not wishful thinking. Lying to ourselves got us on this to begin with -stop sharing your self-deception with others. BTW most of the nutritional info posted for five guys is accurate and painful!

I can make a bacon, egg and cheese sand for 200 cal, why cant you?
Jenny O 95% lean bacon, 2 slices = 40c
1 egg = 70 cal
1/4 c ff cheese = 50 cal
1 slice pumpernickel = 40 cal Now do the math... *drum-roll please...* A WHOLE 200 CALORIES

Now that wasn't so hard, was it?

BOLO4Hagtha

Really people a bacon ,egg and cheese sandwich for 200 calories!? wake up!

Although that is possible, I highly doubt this persona was using the correct ingredients for make that sandwich 200cals. But I agree with you, some of the things entered are hopes and dreams.

natalieg0307

"At Denny’s, a serving of grits, listed at 80 calories, tested at 258. The label on Lean Cuisine’s shrimp and angel-hair pasta says it has 220 calories, but the researchers measured it at 319. They found 344 calories in a Wendy’s grilled chicken wrap listed at 260."

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/12/health/12calo.html

:grumble:

Siannah

Sorry did not read all replies, but how do you correct someone elses entry?

Search for your food, you should then get a list. Click on the product and on the right, check nutritional content. MFP will ask you if this is correct -- yes/no/don't know. If you click no, it'll prompt you, do you want to edit? And that's where you can make the changes

81Katz

^^^ Thank you very much!

maf66

My favorite so far has been fettucini alfredo 1 cup - 180 calories, seriously?! I wish! (and it wasn't tagged as some diet fat free version)

I think a lot of people may not realize that the info may not be accurate - it may be more about being unaware and trusting that the info is correct. I know for a long time I just looked up my food and put it in without ever looking to see what was listed for nutritional information - I was just focused on my total calories etc. Now I know when I put in chicken breast or tuna etc, there is a whole range of calories attributed to it by lots of different people so I have to pick the one that reflects something reasonably accurate rather than the one I wish it was....

Wow, I can make fettuccine alfredo for way less than that!!
4oz shirataki fettuccini = 40 cal
1 laughing cow light cheese wedge = 35 cal
1 TBS grated Parm cheese = 22 cal
splash 1% milk = 10 cal

Not doing another drum roll, but as you can see, it's 107 calories.

nataliefallbach

I realize that not all the food info is correct, but I don't have the time to research every little thing so what I do is make sure I check the labels when I grocery shop and make sure I buy raw foods or free range, lean meats. I portion stuff out in the freezer because I don't own a scale to weigh food, I estimate. Sometimes I may under estimate but I actually try to over estimate, round up calories. I guess I am one of those people that log calories on MFP but I am more focused on portion sizes and making healthy meals. A portion is the size of my fist, which is pretty small really. I do a fist size of veggies, protein and carbs and I estimate using what is one MFP. I am losing weight so this has worked for me. I don't worry about what others are doing so much, my battle is my own, nobody else's, so if you cheat or lie it just hurts you, nobody else. My advice, or what has worked for me is portion control, 28 almonds exactly as a snack portion, 160 calories. I hate egg whites, so I eat the whole hard boiled egg and I log it. If I do eat fast food (rarely now) I go to the website first and see what is the lowest calorie option and I pre determine what I am going to order so I don't get tempted by other more fatty options. I respect all of you guys for fixing items on MFP because people like myself use the calorie info. Also, I invested in small plates so I feel like my portion size fill up the empty space on the plate vs. looking at huge white spots. I recently bought a HRM, because I am more concerned with the accuracy of how many calories I burn then the food intake. I trust myself, I hold myself accountable. I miss things like cream sauce but I just gave it up. I have been watching my fat melt away into muscle and its exciting. I think focusing on putting more raw foods in our diets helps keep calories in check. You are in control of what you buy at the grocery store. Look at the labels, if you can't pronouce an ingredient then you most likely shouldn't eat it. My thoughts anyways.

creative1981

Can I just check how you work out the nutritional value of food?

If I have a pasta salad that has 140 calories per 100g and 197g per pot would I divide 140 by 100 and then multiply this by 197? Does this work the same for all the other nutritional info e.g. protein, fat, carbs?

Thanks!

Siannah

Can I just check how you work out the nutritional value of food?

If I have a pasta salad that has 140 calories per 100g and 197g per pot would I divide 140 by 100 and then multiply this by 197? Does this work the same for all the other nutritional info e.g. protein, fat, carbs?

Thanks!

Yes - all values (not just the cals) are given per 100, so you'd have to multiply them all to get to your 197 grammes. (Although I would just do 140 cals x 1.97 (rather than dividing by 100 first))

creative1981

Can I just check how you work out the nutritional value of food?

If I have a pasta salad that has 140 calories per 100g and 197g per pot would I divide 140 by 100 and then multiply this by 197? Does this work the same for all the other nutritional info e.g. protein, fat, carbs?

Thanks!

Yes - all values (not just the cals) are given per 100, so you'd have to multiply them all to get to your 197 grammes. (Although I would just do 140 cals x 1.97 (rather than dividing by 100 first))

Thank you

godblessourhome

ETA: My personal peeve about it is when people enter their entire meal. "Ham sandwich with wheat bread mayo and cheese". Really? You couldn't look up each item individually?

funny. i love this and find it very helpful. but then again, i've been logging for over 2 years. finding every single individual item for a meal becomes tedious. i'd much rather look up one entry that included 4 ingredients.

sarbu24

love themobile app to enter right from the bar code on the package. I too keep the packing until I can scan it with my phone. My hubby no longer rolls his eyes over this behavior, it's that normal now. BTW, Just when I thought DH wasn't supportive of my workouts, he just bought me an insulated water bottle "for the trail"! Awwww....sweet!

what app is it? Is it on the MFP app?

ChrisWurt

I know what you mean, my wife is always rolling her eyes at me as I try and figure out what the calorie count will be on what i am ordering. Funny before I started watching my calories I always had to wait for her.

m60kaf

While trying to log in a "Five guys cheeseburger and fries" I was once again reminded about how many people lie about the actual calories of the food they post and how often I find confirmations of these lies. Its bad enough that people don't take the time to research and post their foods accurately, but it is a real dis-service to the whole community when 4 or 5 or 10 people buy into the lie and confirm the nutritional value which is obviously B.S. Really people a bacon ,egg and cheese sandwich for 200 calories!? wake up! The whole idea of the confirmation system is to prove reliability of fact not wishful thinking. Lying to ourselves got us on this to begin with -stop sharing your self-deception with others. BTW most of the nutritional info posted for five guys is accurate and painful!

I can make a bacon, egg and cheese sand for 200 cal, why cant you?
Jenny O 95% lean bacon, 2 slices = 40c
1 egg = 70 cal
1/4 c ff cheese = 50 cal
1 slice pumpernickel = 40 cal Now do the math... *drum-roll please...* A WHOLE 200 CALORIES

Now that wasn't so hard, was it?

2 slices of bacon 40 calories!!!!! --- hmmm am I getting drawn into a wind up here?

2 slices bacon 200 cals
1 Egg 100 cals
Bread 150 cals
Cheese you gotta be joking!!!!

But then maybe thats why I lose a pound a week!! and dont when I eat bacon butties

JackboyE

Over my dead body would I go by food on here without checking it.

sculley

It wasn't always like this, I have seen it alot in the last year or so. But that is my humble opinion and that actually sucks because part of the idea is when you find yourself out at a resturant and your trying to choose a healthy option you can go and look it up on the phone app at least that is what I do. Just kind of sucks

WanderingMe

Five Guys isn't even that good... I bet I could make a better tasting burger and fry for less calories. If you think something is too good to be true, look it up on google or the restaurant's website. Change MFP database entries when you discover they aren't correct and move on in life.

What???? Five guys is DELICIOUS!!!

csricci

[/quote]

Wow, I can make fettuccine alfredo for way less than that!!
4oz shirataki fettuccini = 40 cal
1 laughing cow light cheese wedge = 35 cal
1 TBS grated Parm cheese = 22 cal
splash 1% milk = 10 cal

Not doing another drum roll, but as you can see, it's 107 calories.
[/quote]

That's fine and a lot of people find great ways to substitute to make dishes less fattening etc - I'm just saying it wasn't labeled that way and I think if you put something out in the database it should be labeled accurately - someone else said that maybe it was just the pasta and you have to add the sauce - again it didn't say pasta only - it said fettuccine alfredo period, and some people will trust that it is accurate.

As for what everyone has said about corrections, I make corrections when and where I can but I could spend a lot of time doing that so I don't correct everything I come across.

deniseselah

Click on any food you just searched for. There's a blue box on the right where you enter the quantity to add to your diary. Under the title of the item, there's a link that says "nutritional info". Click on it, it will bring up a new box with all the nutritional information. In that box it says "Is this data accurate?" and there are two big buttons that say Yes and No. If you click yes, you will increase the "confirmed by x members" count. If you click no, it will change to say "To correct the information for this food, click here:" and there is a big edit button. Click the edit button, and you can correct the nutritional information.

^^ thanks for this. I almost got derailed tonight because there was a entry for 8oz of pretzel bread being 100cal! 4oz is like 110 in reality!

10acity

If you think something is too good to be true, look it up on google or the restaurant's website. Change MFP database entries when you discover they aren't correct and move on in life.

I ALWAYS do this. Does it really not occur to some people? And if it is something unbranded (like a farm fresh egg, or a brownie from a bakery), I look it up on at least 3 different websites to make sure I'm in the ballpark. I find it annoying when nutrition info isn't right, but I'm always updating it when I can find the nutrition statement. *shrug*

tabulator32

I never completely trust the entries here. I always verify when entering something new into my food diary. I have the package right there in my hand or I am looking it up online on nutrition information sites.

Ninety percent of the stuff is spot on but several have discrepancies (probably due to changes in manufacture of the food product) and some of them are just downright dangerous to follow (stuff listed as "per cup" when the calories listed is actually for 4 oz.)

"Always verify" is my advice!

stablesong

"At Denny’s, a serving of grits, listed at 80 calories, tested at 258. The label on Lean Cuisine’s shrimp and angel-hair pasta says it has 220 calories, but the researchers measured it at 319. They found 344 calories in a Wendy’s grilled chicken wrap listed at 260."

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/12/health/12calo.html

:grumble:

This is very disconcerting. I think the FDA should shrink that margin. I can understand variance in restaurant food (add a spoonful of butter, it may be closer to 2 tbs than 1, etc) but i think mass-produced, pre-packaged meals should have a smaller standard deviation.

spinqueen72

Isn't that why MFP comes with a Barcode Scanner on ALL Android or iPhones? I scan everything!

Siannah

Isn't that why MFP comes with a Barcode Scanner on ALL Android or iPhones? I scan everything!

You'd still need to pay attention though. I sometimes get a complete different product or calorie content with the scanner than that's on the packaging. It's definitely not fool-proof.