Anyone like me and...

mom2pne

put down more than what you actually do eat in your food log? I have been just calculating what I will eat and putting that down, but I know I am eating less than that. For instance, I put down that I had a 5oz chicken breast when I only ate a quarter of it and Ruffles and dip I put I had a full serving even though I had 2 small chips and they barely had even a trace of dip on each one. But it does help me not to overeat when I see my calories going up and up.

issyfit

I often pre-log, especially my dinner, but if the quantity that I actually eat changes I adjust it so I am more accurate. If over stating helps you and you are still eating enough then great.

bathsheba_c

It probably won't hurt you now, but as you get closer to a healthy weight and every calorie matters, you should really try to log more accurately. That said, I usually try to overestimate food and underestimate exercise.

emilyc85

It is good in a way, you just need to watch so you aren't eating so little it is actually a detriment
Good luck to you!!

kimberleymk25

If you don't eat enough you won't lose weight. This is the 1st time I have tracked my food (I'm 40) & decided to be totally honest b/c I would only be cheating myself. So today I went over on my calories but I'm not going to worry about it b/c I'm figuring out how I'm eating. Sometimes the portions on here are a little off from what my labels say so I try to adjust accordingly. good luck!

tripitena

I try to stick with "just the facts ma'am" and be as accurate as I can.

sarahmonsta

Yeah, I did that a lot in the beginning (every once in awhile still cuz I get "paranoid" lol). Anymore though I try to get it as exact as I can, cuz I want to be able to eat every calorie that I can haha.

mmddwechanged

If I don't measure my food properly I may over-estimate. Usually I measure or have a good idea that I'm accurate

kimberleymk25

haha...agreed!

stonel94

I also prelog, sometimes even at midnight before I go to sleep, so I have all it in there (and I try to be leanient with certain things and strict with others, like worse things for me I'll only put in 3 or 4 oz or 1/2 a serving or something in hopes I'll actually only eat that much, later I might adjust if I eat more or less). It's bad to overlog though because then you won't be getting enough calories, unless you're going over calories, But just log what you think you will eat, like if you have the chips and dip out in a bowl and you're planning on having it all, log that, and then if you only have 2 chips and a tiny bit of dip, adjust it.

And also be careful with servings of meat and stuff if you don't have a food scale, it's easy to underestimate how much you eat. So you might have 1 normal serving, and have only 1/2 of it, it might still be a full 4 oz as what a lot of people think is a normal portion is bigger than it should be

Topher1978

I will often pre-log as well, but I correct whatever I end up changing if I change anything. For instance, if I have a snack tonight, I will add it. If I had logged a protein shake for bedtime, and decided to eat food after work, I will delete the shake and add the food....

kimosabe1

I would try and be as accurate as I can. I wait to eat and log it later and that helps. Two hours after breakfast I log it and do the same for lunch and dinner. It helps by going to the gym on every weekday that way I can have a range on what I eat.......

bigfatbino

It's a tracker so I'd say use it as one. Use it as an objective tool. If you make large over-calculations, then you are getting inaccurate data to review/act upon.

I'll over-estimate slightly if I did not get a chance to weigh my food and end up "guessing" at how much that chicken breast weighed. But no eating 2 bites of somethng and logging the whole thing.

mockchoc

Like some of the others said it is a great idea to pre-log what you expect to eat but if you end up eating less of it or even more of it then you really do need to adjust it. If you don't keep track of exactly what you have then you won't know what worked or didn't if you go to look back in the future plus you could be causing health issues and plateaus.

megleo818

Why would you do that? For me, MFP is a tool to track what I actually DO eat and help me to see where I am successful, where I'm failing and to just support better habits. If I log different quantities of foods than what I'm actually eating, why bother? And how do you keep on top of your nutritional stats if you're not really eating what you log? -- Sorry, I just don't get it. But if it's working for you, more power to you, sister!

Crankstr

no!!!!

LittleMiss_WillLoseIt

Mmmmkay...

billsica

Why would you lie to yourself? Unless your not alone in there...

n0ob

I overestimate most things other than peanut butter

wolverine66

I'll overestimate when I'm not sure. But I don't do it as a general rule.

Jacwhite22

put down more than what you actually do eat in your food log? I have been just calculating what I will eat and putting that down, but I know I am eating less than that. For instance, I put down that I had a 5oz chicken breast when I only ate a quarter of it and Ruffles and dip I put I had a full serving even though I had 2 small chips and they barely had even a trace of dip on each one. But it does help me not to overeat when I see my calories going up and up.

um no....the purpose of logging is to track accurately......over or under.....so you can see how it affects your body. not to sound harsh, but why bother logging if you aren't going to do it right. I can understand estimating with a measuring cup because you don't have a food scale but what you describe....no......just no.

oneheckavagirl

I agree with most of the others, that using the tool honestly will enhance your experience. I haven't been doing this long, but because I am tracking my food I am doing a better job of actually measuring. I have found that I fall below the 1200 cals I'm supposed to eat.. and I got a warning that eating too little will put my body into starvation mode which will cause me NOT to lose weight. Best of luck!

cubizzle

bad habits is bad

betsz1

I'd be honest with yourself...that's where the true understanding of what you eat affects your weight loss. I don't know about you....but I would still know in "my head" that I hadn't eaten all that and probably feel ok with going over on something later. Bad idea...at least for me! lol :noway:

simplydelish2

Depending on the variance of logged vs. eaten - you could be cheating yourself out of essential nutrients. While you may lose weight a bit faster at first - you may not be getting the nutrition you need for your current body size and that can cause issues.

My best advice (and I've lost over 100 lbs doing this) is eat at the level MFP sets for you, log your food accurately (if you pre-log to make sure you'll stay within calories that's fine - just adjust after the fact).

You want to be healthy....not just lose weight.

Natihilator

It probably won't hurt you now, but as you get closer to a healthy weight and every calorie matters, you should really try to log more accurately. That said, I usually try to overestimate food and underestimate exercise.

Agreed. If you have to play some mental games with yourself at first, fine - whatever works to get you started. But don't use 'fooling yoursef' with your diary as a crutch or you'll be in trouble down the line...

rosiereally2

I don't think you are helping yourself by inflating your calorie counts. How will you ever be able to adjust your intake goals if you hit a plateau if you have no idea when you look back whet you were really eating?

just4nessa

I try to be as accurate as possible, without becoming obsessive. When in doubt, I will overestimate my calories but I try not to short-change myself either since too much of a deficit can be as bad as too little. That said, I wouldn't log a bag of chips if I only ate 2. If I made a conscious effort to only eat two chips, I can make the effort to calculate the percentage of the portion that I actually consumed.