logging whole foods takes FOREVER.

Koldnomore

But I did learn that you can edit them if you want to change up the recipe slightly. Some days call for more garlic, you know what I mean? :laugh:

How do you 'edit' a part of the recipe? The only way I found is to delete the item and do a whole new search for it then enter in the new amount.

LucilleHighball

I tend to eat the same things during the week so I tend to only deal with new stuff on weekends. Having the app on my phone makes a big difference too.

Shayztar

But I did learn that you can edit them if you want to change up the recipe slightly. Some days call for more garlic, you know what I mean? :laugh:

How do you 'edit' a part of the recipe? The only way I found is to delete the item and do a whole new search for it then enter in the new amount.

Yes, that's true. But you don't have to start the whole recipe from scratch. What I mean is that you're editing the recipe. But you CAN edit the amount of food on the iPhone app. :drinker:

slkehl

Do you have combinations of food that you eat a lot? You could create a recipe for your meal.

AverageAngel

What I find annoying is that, sometimes I'll enter a food (say, brocolli) and it pulls up 2-3 entries for brocolli. none of which are consistent in their numbers, plus another 60 or so recipes with brocolli in them. Then, once I find the one I'm after, it's measured in weight, not volume - I have no idea how much space 45g brocolli fills , but I know I had approximately 1 cup. Lots of googling to make the translations.

So, yes, it's a bit of a pain - which is NOT an excuse for those in the peanut gallery who are itching to chime in thusly. It's an annoyance of the TOOL, not the logging exercise itself. There is room for improvement in the search / catalog tool

Thank you.. THIS is precisely what I meant. I do log every day. I take the time. I know my most used foods come up.. I know how to do recipes.. etc. Thank you for all the very helpful and kind comments. I guess after this I should just stfu? lol.. wow.

AverageAngel

I think it can be annoying because when I cook I put A MILLION THINGS IN IT. like i sneak quinoa and grounded flaxseed in everything. sofiguring out how much of everythingis in my two cups of soup can be obnoxious but you get used to it. and its easier when you start eating the same things

I hear ya.

AverageAngel

Difficult compared to what? This is a lot easier than keeping a log book and adding everything up manually. I don't have a smart phone, so I don't have the option of bar-code scanning. But really - that wouldn't make much difference, as a lot of the stuff I eat wouldn't have a bar code.

:drinker: So cheerful... :huh:

AverageAngel

I agree to some extent. I learned that if you just type "raw" for anything fresh, it pops up. Ex. raw strawberries, raw celery, etc. That is the only thing that works for me w/o making me want to throw my phone across the room

BOOM.. THANK YOU !!! This is helpful . :bigsmile:

AverageAngel

Like everything else, it takes a bit of time when you first start and are learning how it all works. Then you get it all set up, find your groove, and it becomes second nature. Stick with it.
Are you just on the computer or are you using an app on your phone? I find it much quicker to add things from my iphone. Just a few clicks, and I'm done.

Both. . I am pretty comfortable with it I guess. I will sometimes half-*kitten* log from my droid so I don't forget, and when I get to my laptop, I go back in and alter. Thank you for the encouragement.

WendyTerry420

I think I have gotten used to it. It seems no more of a chore than brushing my hair or getting dressed or making a pot of coffee, etc. It's just part of my daily activities and necessary for me unless I want to stay fat.

WendyTerry420

I agree to some extent. I learned that if you just type "raw" for anything fresh, it pops up. Ex. raw strawberries, raw celery, etc. That is the only thing that works for me w/o making me want to throw my phone across the room

BOOM.. THANK YOU !!! This is helpful . :bigsmile:

I do this too! I add the word "raw" or "generic" or "spice" or "fruit" or "beef" or whatever. That limits all the craziness.

Also, if you spell it correctly, it eliminates a lot of bad entries from people who can't seem to be accurate when entering foods. :laugh:

Anamdalta

If they're foods you eat regularly, use the recipes section to add them as you prepare them and/or the "my foods" section - then you can simply select them like anything else in the database. easy peasy.

AverageAngel

If you eat the same whole foods in a meal frequently, you can save that list under 'my meals'. That way, the next time you have it, the list is already populated.

I found it took ages to log meals, until I found the 'my meal' bit. it's so much easier once all of the meals we eat most often are in there!

Will look into this. Thank you :flowerforyou:

AverageAngel

This is whta makes MFP easy also you can "copy" meals to the nest day you can also create a meal and save it.

But you can only copy to the same meal the next day. Typically I have dinner and take it for lunch the next day. I'd love if I could copy dinner yesterday to lunch today. It would make it much easier.

And I must have a messed up most used list because the items on that I haven't used in over a month but ones that I eat everyday never show up on there. I'd prefer my recent to have a continuous scroll, rather than 4 seperate pages. But thats just me. It doesn't mean I'm lazy or making excuses but I can usually search for the food quicker than scrolling through 4 pages of recent looking for the item.

I could go on and on about how this site could be much easier but I will end here. Its free. It has an android app that was free unlike livestrong which I was using.

Agreed.

amandammmq

I find I go through ups and downs. Sometimes, it feels like it takes forever, and sometimes, I just don't mind. I have entered dozens of recipes, and I find I sometimes need to psych myself up for the process! I like to cook new recipes all the time, so continuously need to keep adding them to MFP.

Overall, though, I'm finding that MFP is useful and helpful enough to me that it's worth the hassle, in the long run.

Hang in there!

AverageAngel

Most of my foods are not in the list as I live in Belgium and very few Belgian came on this site...but most of my foods are fresh vegetables so they are there. Still it was taking me ages to add 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 pepper, 1/2 eggplant, 2 tomatoes and 1/2 courgette...so I putt these together in my recipes and I take off the one that I don't use. I just have to add patoes or rice, but here I put "raw basmati rice" for example, I don't care if uncle ben's is different from waitrose or the one I use, idem for green lentils or whatever, I just use the ones there and I always find something very close...I have my breakfasts in my recipes and basically, the pain in the *kitten* is only if I eat out, otherwise it takes me less than 1 minute. For me this is the best from all the apps I tried, but everyone has different needs and expectations.

Now I don't log in to get the perfect numbers, I just want a "red light" that tells me "how my gosh I did not know 250g of peanuts was 1400 cal" or "if I take a small piece of chocolate now, I am over-calories today" to help me maintain my habits. I think I entered 5 products by myself, the rest is through assismilation of existing ones. I noticed that using "raw" before the element I want is better for me. Sometimes I have to try 2 or 3 but then I stick it to the end. Hope it helps

Thank you for the reply, it is pretty cool to be connected over such a distance, in a common interest. I do that too. Many of the brands i use aren't in there, but are very similar in nutrition. I am not an exact log person either.

kenazfehu

I think the food finder has moods. I was looking for something earlier, and it all kinds of suggestions for me, most of them having nothing to do with the words in search. Like, how does "andes candy" bring up eggs?

SammyPacks

Ok. I love MFP. But I am getting irritated about logging. 98% of my food is NOT packaged, and does NOT have a label. Logging vegetables, and whole foods is starting to feel like a chore. I would like to, at times, use the quick add feature, but I don't just count calories. Not having the carb/ fat option sucks. Ok I am done whining. Anyone else feel this way?

Wait are you using the computer, or phone app? Because you can change your settings to see carbs/fat as well. The app is sometimes a pain in the butt when service sucks and my 4G runs out though, other than that frequent and recent list help a BUNCH.

AverageAngel

WOW, Let me just say, I am floored by the response I got on this thread. What was supposed to be a little tongue in cheek was construed widely as major complaining.. I feel for those that take this SO F*CKING SERIOUS. I do log every day regardless. Only to keep gauge on what is healthy for me. There is a ton of cardiac, and diabetes , and thyroid history in my family. as young as 34. SO, ...do I believe I do this to " keep from being FAT".... :grumble: :explode: :mad: NO. And honestly I feel for anyone that calls others fat. Or even THEMSELVES. I tell my self I do this to be healthy,to stay away from the doctor's, to set a good example for my family and peers, as my profession is in emergency medicine. You do work enough cardiac arrests on folks that are nearly as tall when laying down as standing, it takes a PROFOUND effect on you. They gave up. I can't. I don't have that option. Diatribe finished:smokin:
Sometimes I can pre log, many times I have to go in and correct foods. I do use the recipe tab a bit. I alter my recipes, the 'my meals' tab is something I will investigate, thank you those that shared your success with that. I appreciate it. To the trolls, thank you for making me think long and hard about not returning the rudeness. Self control is a hard one for me. :drinker:
Forums are such an eye opener . It amazes me how the few tiny,bitter, lonely, mean, people, make such a splash in a sea of kind loving and helpful humans.
Peace.. your lazy full of excuses, whiny, complaining, 'fat' OP.. lololol.

AverageAngel

I think the food finder has moods. I was looking for something earlier, and it all kinds of suggestions for me, most of them having nothing to do with the words in search. Like, how does "andes candy" bring up eggs?

YES

AverageAngel

I find I go through ups and downs. Sometimes, it feels like it takes forever, and sometimes, I just don't mind. I have entered dozens of recipes, and I find I sometimes need to psych myself up for the process! I like to cook new recipes all the time, so continuously need to keep adding them to MFP.

Overall, though, I'm finding that MFP is useful and helpful enough to me that it's worth the hassle, in the long run.

Hang in there!

Thank you . I am much agreed. I am constantly making new recipes. i get bored, and there are SO many yummy paleo recipes now!

joannathechef

Ok. I love MFP. But I am getting irritated about logging. 98% of my food is NOT packaged, and does NOT have a label. Logging vegetables, and whole foods is starting to feel like a chore. I would like to, at times, use the quick add feature, but I don't just count calories. Not having the carb/ fat option sucks. Ok I am done whining. Anyone else feel this way?

You do know you can make you own recipes and use them over and over - you can save whole meals and uses them over and over and you can copy meals from other days..

I think it is very quick and esay

Kamalka

But I did learn that you can edit them if you want to change up the recipe slightly. Some days call for more garlic, you know what I mean? :laugh:

How do you 'edit' a part of the recipe? The only way I found is to delete the item and do a whole new search for it then enter in the new amount.

Yes, that's true. But you don't have to start the whole recipe from scratch. What I mean is that you're editing the recipe. But you CAN edit the amount of food on the iPhone app. :drinker:

Or on a laptop (through MFP website) you just click on the ingredient , after you added the meal. It could not be more simple.
Imagine you have 1 spoon of proteins with 200ml of milk after every workout, but sometimes you use 2 spoons. You set a meal "proteins & milk" and you just click the proteins in your diary to get 2 spoons . So easy, it takes 2 seconds. Sometimes if I end a bottle and have only 150ml, no problem, just click on milk and adapt it.

That is very easy for vegetable mixes as I always use same vegetables (for pasta, ratatouille, with meats,...:oignon, tomato, carrots, courgette, eggplant and pepper) but different ratios. So my vegetable mix works 5 days out of 7. Just click and adapt, takes me 1 minute for the entire day, 2-3 minutes if I try several new entries

Hope you will find your optimized way soon

ValerieMartini2Olives

I have no problem logging my whole foods and I weigh every single thing I eat with a digital scale. Everything I enter has fat/carb/sugar, etc in the database.

Corjogo

I have a recipe program that I add new recipes to...that does allow for changes! If it is a complicated recipe I put it in that program and that solves the issue. From there I can find a comparable cal source in MFP. That works for me and the rest of the world ..when I pass recipes along to others. Gripes bring out the best and the worst in folks...Seems to be more positive than the opposite and probably some folks were even inspired to be more diligent in logging. :drinker:

sbermud

I don't log food on here anymore. I use the lose it! App much easier