New Member--Database Practically Useless!

dcregal

I understand completely. I wish there was a way to filter out items "provided by another MyFitnessPal member", especially on the mobile app since the listing does not have the '*' in front of it showing it is member submitted. I prefer the MyFitnessPal created foods because their measurements have so many options - (ounces, grams, volume, etc) and they're accurate.

How many entries for avocados do we need? Not as a many as listed! It is really frustrating when some adds their name to the food database - e.g. "bobs avocado".

My solution to cutting through the database detritus is saving basic ingredients, individually as a meal (avocados, raisins) so that I can quickly find it on when using a phone. Alright, I'm done venting.

lambchristie

I do use the scanner feature a lot but sometimes the original food packaging with the scannable data isn't available. Like you buy a brick of cheese, throw away the packaging and put it in a zip-lock bag.

then save the item in 'my meals' and it will also be available to you.

waldo56

If they really are all over the place, take the average, or go with the highest-calorie option. I like to be better safe than sorry, so I always go with the larger option.

This is very poor estimating technique and could lead to problems down the line.

Be safe with your goals, not your estimated intake.

You should always strive to log as right as you can.

SteelySunshine

It seems there are some here that want me to eat crow. Funny, I can't find that in the database. LOL.

You are funny.

But, I don't care if the data base is completely accurate or not. This is why:

1. It's all an estimation game. Calorie content is estimated it can be off by a lot depending on a lot of variables. Say you measured your food before you put it all in the blender. Then you transfer it from the blender to your bowl or cup, 1/4 cup of what you blended might just be stuck there on the side of the blender even after you spatula it out. That's um dunno how many calories left behind. Then you eat from your bowl and stuff is stuck to the sides of your bowl and you don't stick your face in it and lick it clean or attempt to scrap off every last bit and maybe it's like a couple more tablespoons of food, so that could be like a 100 calories or more that you logged but didn't eat. Could go the other way as well. I have two sets of measuring spoons they do not hold the same amount of food.

2. Some say that the calorie burn estimates are way high. I don't know if this is true or not. When I have checked with other sites it tracks pretty well as far as agreement goes the few times I have checked. So, it looks pretty accurate to me. But, it's still an estimation. Maybe for my weight I have more muscle than average, so maybe I am burning more. Or maybe I am possibly even burning less, because my muscle lets me be more efficient in my movements, I dunno it's all a guesstimate anyway.

3. The important thing is to be in the habit of logging, whether it's the good the bad or the ugly. Even if it's not totally accurate it's lot more accurate than remembering everything and trying to figure out where changes need to be made. You log and you can go ah ha I am not eating enough protein I have to change that. Or you can go ah ha my net calories are too low maybe that is why I am stalled. Or whatever issue comes up, this will give you the tools to fix it whether it's completely accurate or not.

4. I was also losing weight even before logging calories, I kept a food diary so I had an idea of what I was eating so when I felt I needed to make changes I could see what needed to change even if I didn't know exactly how much I was eating in terms of calories. This was where I figured out I needed more fiber for one example.

5. This is why I don't eat back very many exercise calories and a lot of times I don't eat back any. I figure exercise is my cushion for any inaccuracies that occur including forgetting to add that I had a lot of Crystal Lite that day or I forgot to add that I had a couple of tomatoes. Or gasp I forgot to log those 17 potato chips that I ate after completing an entry. So that's ok cuz I walked for an hour and a half, I got a 800+ calorie cushion in addition to the built in cushion MFP gives you for a calorie deficit.

sammi674

I use to use caloriecount and it was MUCH more accurate, but their database was also smaller. I came here so I could look food up easier, and because the community is bigger.

What I do is still check the packages on the food that I can. If I remember my cheese said 40 calories but most of the listings are off, I'll double check things.

pinkraynedropjacki

I actually use what's written on the packet/carton/box/bag or whatever. Then I find the closest item in the database to it.



Not rocket science.

hoshouwu

I ended up using a calorie counter book...the one here is useless...just like you said

LissaK1981

Some foods do vary. Eggs can as well. They have different nutritional values depending on size, as well as fat and omega content depending on what the hens were fed. Free range chicken eggs have been shown to contain more omega's. Same with grass fed and pastured beef. Even foods content can change depending on who they are buying their ingredients from, and time of the year. The governments info is a rough guideline to go by. I buy a lot of the same brands and their info will change from time to time. Try searching for stuff with an s on the end and raw and you will have the government usda info. Like banana, search for bananas raw, and you will get the gov info. Its frustrating at first but your recent list becomes really useful.

AprilRN10

Have a sense of what exactly you are eating, and the database is quite good.
You just have to get better at using it.

This.
And...it's a free, user generated database. There are other ones that you may like better that you can pay for if you wish.

Lunachic77

It's free. And MFP users update it and add to it so you can't expect perfection. I'm keen on how many cals are in typical foods (eggs, milk, etc) so if it looks far-fetched in the calorie range, I usually Google it and find out the best answer and correct it. It takes a little more time, but it's my diary & our database, so I want it to be as close to accurate.