MFP alternatives

mfaine

I use a Bodymedia Fit Armband and subscribe to their service. They have an option to synch with MFP so when I joined here four days ago, I decided to do the synch. I am seeing the same problems you are and am now wondering about the wisdom in doing the synch?

The food database for Bodymedia's software was woefully inadequate especially compared to MFPs which is VERY complete. But with Bodymedia's software the menu entry was fast and smooth and immediate.

But the system for entering my menu into my diary on MFP is cumbersome. Changing pages? Not having suggestions appear as I type? Having to review several duplicate entries? What the heck?

And like you also pointed out there might be a dozen entries all for the same food and half of them have alternate nutritional breakdowns?

Like I said, I am new here and am still exploring. I must say it is disheartening to read others who have been here for years saying they have been making the same constructive criticisms all along.

I've been here for about two years and I came here the same way you did, though I had a Fitbit, that I've since lost (twice). I no longer have the fitbit though. Your experience sounds nearly the same as mine.

obsidianwings

Not trying to be negative, but a lot of your problems have solutions, so hopefully you found those posts helpful.
Have you tried the phone app? I find some things better online and some things better on the app.
Failing that, maybe forget about the pubic database and start slowly building your own on here, might be easier than pen and paper.

RainHoward

I could not agree more. I was having that very issue this morning. A search for "spinach" should return exactly that, spinach. At the top of the damn list, not buried below dip, soup and 55 other things. Honestly, it takes all of 5 minutes to change the code and make it work as an actual searchable data base.

I have tried pretty much every other website available at this point in time and they all seem either worse to search or very incomplete. It's rather frustrating. Especially given how simple of an issue it is to fix.

mfaine

Couldn't agree more. I have to wonder if there's a reason that brand name crap comes up first in cases like that. Is MFP getting a kick back for this from other companies? I somehow doubt it, but it just seems to weird that "cinnamon" wouldn't be the first result.

At any rate, I've sort of learned to live with it. I eat a lot of the same stuff when I pack work lunches or go out to eat, so I just skim through my "recent foods" and only have to actually look up new things about 25% of the time.

It is strange that it is very common for people to reply to this complaint by saying they mostly eat the same things. People who agree or disagree both say this. Have you ever wondered why that is, perhaps you've trained yourself to eat the same foods over and over to make it easier to log. I know I have. I was just discussing how variety makes eating right so much easier and more fun (especially true for vegans). I want the freedom to try something new on a whim, or to not have the same meal twice in a month, the current system doesn't make that easy, in fact, in reinforces the exact opposite behavior.

cmriverside

It is strange that it is very common for people to reply to this complaint by saying they mostly eat the same things. People who agree or disagree both say this. Have you ever wondered why that is, perhaps you've trained yourself to eat the same foods over and over to make it easier to log. I know I have. I was just discussing how variety makes eating right so much easier and more fun (especially true for vegans). I want the freedom to try something new on a whim, or to not have the same meal twice in a month, the current system doesn't make that easy, in fact, in reinforces the exact opposite behavior.

I can look up and log any meal in three minutes. It doesn't matter if I've had it before or not. I think you are making this way harder than it needs to be.

I don't eat all the same things. I just know how to use an alphabetized list.

zhvah18

It is strange that it is very common for people to reply to this complaint by saying they mostly eat the same things. People who agree or disagree both say this. Have you ever wondered why that is, perhaps you've trained yourself to eat the same foods over and over to make it easier to log. I know I have. I was just discussing how variety makes eating right so much easier and more fun (especially true for vegans). I want the freedom to try something new on a whim, or to not have the same meal twice in a month, the current system doesn't make that easy, in fact, in reinforces the exact opposite behavior.

I can look up and log any meal in three minutes. It doesn't matter if I've had it before or not. I think you are making this way harder than it needs to be.

I don't eat all the same things. I just know how to use an alphabetized list.

I agree. And this site is FREE. If I were paying for this service, I would expect more too, but I'm not, so I don't. Beggars can't be choosers.

bizco

I use this one when MFP is whacked.

http://nutritiondata.self.com/

All listings are also in the MFP database, you just have to use the exact same wording.

Koldnomore

I MFP. The database is cluttered but I have figured my way around it pretty good. What foods do you have a problem logging?

When you go to the database and type an ingredient, for example cinnamon, the very first thing in the list should be cinnamon, plain and simple, instead you get Apple Cinnamon Chex. It would be nice if I could just filter out all of the brand name stuff and simply enter actual ingredients.

Same problem. I absolutely hate most user entered stuff because everyone has a different focus and I never know what the person who entered the item was interested in. Some things have no macros, some don't bother to add sodium. Most days now I just use the standard ones because I like that I can weigh my milk etc.. Not being able to use my 'recent' /'my foods' in recipes really blows also. Honestly.. even for a retarded coder it shouldn't be THAT hard to have a check box to exclude user items.

Timshel_

I've just about had it with the cluttered mess that passes for a food database on MFP.

I was on My Calorie Counter for years and years, but honestly MFP has a more complete database and user exerpience than any others I've tried (also did living strong, the "S" one I can't remember the name right now, and a few others).

mike_ny

For format and information including Glycemic Index, Glycemic Load, and breakdown of proteins, nutritiondata.self.com is pretty impressive. But, I do find their food database is very limited unless you eat out a lot or buy a lot of processed foods and the search capabilities are really lacking. For example, I tried to search on fresh fruit and had to wade through many pages of canned fruit in syrup and frozen fruit. How is canned or frozen fruit considered fresh? And for a service that touts itself on Glycemic Index counts, you'd think they'd have a lot under breads and starchy foods, but they really don't. It's still worth a visit to get some good information, but don't expect to find many exotic things in their database.

I'm constantly amazed that I can find items already in the MFP database that I pick up from import markets and even product that are only locally carried. I've only had to add a handful of items to the community collective in many months. Most of the entries are accurate and the few that aren't are usually OK on calories but missing other nutrients and I will update those when I find them.

kgoodman0108

You could always do it the geeky way and create a massive excel spreadsheet. :drinker:

DopeItUp

It is strange that it is very common for people to reply to this complaint by saying they mostly eat the same things. People who agree or disagree both say this. Have you ever wondered why that is, perhaps you've trained yourself to eat the same foods over and over to make it easier to log. I know I have. I was just discussing how variety makes eating right so much easier and more fun (especially true for vegans). I want the freedom to try something new on a whim, or to not have the same meal twice in a month, the current system doesn't make that easy, in fact, in reinforces the exact opposite behavior.

I can look up and log any meal in three minutes. It doesn't matter if I've had it before or not. I think you are making this way harder than it needs to be.

I don't eat all the same things. I just know how to use an alphabetized list.

Yeah, I've been here two years, logging every single day and I don't think it's ever taken more than 5 minutes to log my entire day. This site has many, many problems and could be improved dramatically on a lot of fronts if someone cared. Having said that, it's still the best option out there so I'm still here.

taso42

bumping.

pastryari

It is strange that it is very common for people to reply to this complaint by saying they mostly eat the same things. People who agree or disagree both say this. Have you ever wondered why that is, perhaps you've trained yourself to eat the same foods over and over to make it easier to log. I know I have. I was just discussing how variety makes eating right so much easier and more fun (especially true for vegans). I want the freedom to try something new on a whim, or to not have the same meal twice in a month, the current system doesn't make that easy, in fact, in reinforces the exact opposite behavior.

I can look up and log any meal in three minutes. It doesn't matter if I've had it before or not. I think you are making this way harder than it needs to be.

I don't eat all the same things. I just know how to use an alphabetized list.

^ This. It takes me less than 5 minutes to log pretty much any meal.

mfaine

I MFP. The database is cluttered but I have figured my way around it pretty good. What foods do you have a problem logging?

When you go to the database and type an ingredient, for example cinnamon, the very first thing in the list should be cinnamon, plain and simple, instead you get Apple Cinnamon Chex. It would be nice if I could just filter out all of the brand name stuff and simply enter actual ingredients.

Same problem. I absolutely hate most user entered stuff because everyone has a different focus and I never know what the person who entered the item was interested in. Some things have no macros, some don't bother to add sodium. Most days now I just use the standard ones because I like that I can weigh my milk etc.. Not being able to use my 'recent' /'my foods' in recipes really blows also. Honestly.. even for a retarded coder it shouldn't be THAT hard to have a check box to exclude user items.

You bring up another good point: inconsistency in how the user interface works. If you click on an item in your food log,you can modify it; move it to a different meal, change the amount, etc. Why can't you do this in recipes? Instead you have to delete the item, search for it, and re-add it, in order to change even a minor ingredient detail. You can delete meals and recipes but not foods, why not? Also, why can't I use a recipe or a meal as an ingredient for another recipe or meal, etc. And as you pointed out, why are my recent items and foods not available in recipes?

Timshel_

I use the MFP app on my iPhone to enter most of my meals. I use the barcode scanner and it pull up the food probably 80% of the time, which makes it super easy to add the food directly in my log or to a recipe. That to me is golden.

I don't vary too much in what I eat so then I have all the recent adds there and it goes pretty quick.

I do agree there could be a bit of a purge in the DB to remove so many duplicates though.

What is awesome is there are so many decent websites and apps out now that will fit anyone preferences. Just gotta fine the one that fits you.

Good luck.

TylerJ76

CYA!

kennethmgreen

If you use the database here, always use the entries in the database that have been entered by the MFP Staff. They are entered correctly, and they give options of ounces or grams.

You can find these by looking for the entries in the database that have NO ASTERISK ( * ) in front of them.

When it comes to any fruit or vegetable, the easiest way is to enter "Avocado raw" - if you always enter "raw" it cuts the list way down and makes it much easier to find the no asterisk ones. That applies to meats, too.

Also, if you enter your own food, or EDIT any foods they will also appear with no asterisk and can also then be found quickly in MY FOODS.

..................................

Once you get your favorite foods into your MY FOODS, it only takes about 3 minutes per meal.

I've looked. There is no better system or database. This is the one, make it work for you. It's worth it!!

Good luck.

Good info. I wish there was a way to filter out anything with an asterisk.

I entered a protein bar today. It was a Honey Stinger Dark Chocolate Mint Almond bar. I typed in "stinger mint" and all three entries that came back had the correct nutritional values. But all three entries were misspelled. Maybe that shouldn't matter. But it make me cry a little bit.

ETA: I just discovered that when you edit an entry, you do have access to the name too. I'm off to correct some spelling!

UsedToBeHusky

What exactly do you have invested in the site? It's a free site so you aren't investing money... and if you aren't willing to invest the time in logging? :indifferent:

VelociMama

If you use the database here, always use the entries in the database that have been entered by the MFP Staff. They are entered correctly, and they give options of ounces or grams.

You can find these by looking for the entries in the database that have NO ASTERISK ( * ) in front of them.

those are getting harder and harder to find though. the last several times i've entered basic foods, i had to wade through a TON of entries, and still couldn't find the official one.

It would be nice if there were controls for that. Exclude User Contributed Items, Only List Raw Ingredients, etc.

Definitely this. I cook with a lot of raw ingredients, and it's getting difficult to find the USDA (non-asterisk) food items now.

BeeElMarvin

I agree that the database could be a lot better and it definitely needs to be cleaned up. I haven't found anything better. Have you made a serious attempt to speak with the staff here? I'm not being facetious, there may be something in the works or you may be able to spur them to do better. Filtering would be a great idea...

AMBlass

When I eat packaged or very simple foods (like apple and nut butter) it works great, but I have issues with all the recipe-based meals that we have that don't offer nutritional data. Makes it almost impossible to log even though we are eating healthier (using Paleo cookbooks). It's not really the fault of MFP, but it is frustrating in general.

VelociMama

When I eat packaged or very simple foods (like apple and nut butter) it works great, but I have issues with all the recipe-based meals that we have that don't offer nutritional data. Makes it almost impossible to log even though we are eating healthier (using Paleo cookbooks). It's not really the fault of MFP, but it is frustrating in general.

Use the recipe builder under Food --> Recipes and enter your recipes. As long as you make it the same way every time, it'll work nicely.

lbesaw

I've never had any major problems....I LOVE my MFP!!

Confuzzled4ever

If you use the database here, always use the entries in the database that have been entered by the MFP Staff. They are entered correctly, and they give options of ounces or grams.

You can find these by looking for the entries in the database that have NO ASTERISK ( * ) in front of them.

When it comes to any fruit or vegetable, the easiest way is to enter "Avocado raw" - if you always enter "raw" it cuts the list way down and makes it much easier to find the no asterisk ones. That applies to meats, too.

Also, if you enter your own food, or EDIT any foods they will also appear with no asterisk and can also then be found quickly in MY FOODS.

..................................

Once you get your favorite foods into your MY FOODS, it only takes about 3 minutes per meal.

I've looked. There is no better system or database. This is the one, make it work for you. It's worth it!!

Good luck.

I didn't know that about the astericks.. thanks! I'm going to pay attention to that going forward.

jofjltncb6

I don't get it. OP is simply saying that he thinks the service could be better and he is even willing to pay for it! He isn't saying that this free service isn't good for the price, he's saying that he would be willing to pay actual $$$ for a better service. (For the record, so am I.) And he isn't just whining, he actually has some suggestions. Oh, sure, they're the same suggestions that have been thrown around since I got here years ago, but still, they're reasonable suggestions.

I guess I'm just saying that I think your dismissive tone is slightly misplaced here.

ETA: Oh, and while I suspect they still have the same kinds of problems there, I started at mynetdiary.com before moving to MFP (because MFP was the first service to introduce an iphone app). Perhaps they have everything sorted out over there now.

Leeann1979

I cant even remember to be honest with you, but I think it was ok. I lost some weight using it. Then I switched to Sparkpeople, which again, it was alright. Then I found Calorie Count, which I used for a long time. The issue I had with that site was that the database didnt have a lot of the foods I ate, so I had to manually enter in A LOT. So I went back to Sparkpeople, and it seemed much better than it was years earlier. There weren't many foods I couldnt find.
Now I have been on MFP consistently for a year and I find it has the most foods, the ones I eat anyway. I can count on 1 hand how many time I have had to manually enter in a food I ate.
This is just my experience

kennethmgreen

I don't get it. OP is simply saying that he thinks the service could be better and he is even willing to pay for it! He isn't saying that this free service isn't good for the price, he's saying that he would be willing to pay actual $$$ for a better service. (For the record, so am I.) And he isn't just whining, he actually has some suggestions. Oh, sure, they're the same suggestions that have been thrown around since I got here years ago, but still, they're reasonable suggestions.

I guess I'm just saying that I think your dismissive tone is slightly misplaced here.

Agreed. While it's true that MFP is free, that does not mean respectfully asking for improvements are out of line. I don't get that attitude at all. Even if OP didn't bring up the offer to pay for improvements (though that's worth noting again), I don't understand the "it's free, deal with it" approach. I don't think MFP - as a company - is saying that. Why have a section for feedback?

If someone is complaining incessantly, not offering a solution, or threatening to go elsewhere, then I'd understand the "it's free, deal with it" responses. But not here.

SkimFlatWhite68

Life wasn't meant to be easy, but it was meant to be rewarding...

If I can't find something, I look it up elsewhere and add to my foods. I create my own recipes, that's easy. I put in a bit of effort to get what I want.

I also paid to join Sparkpeople and Livestrong, and I didn't think much of them, still use MFP every day for the last 2 months since I started.

I guess you will find a happy medium.

Krissy366

I MFP. The database is cluttered but I have figured my way around it pretty good. What foods do you have a problem logging?

I can quick add calories but I can't quick add anything else.

I find this annoying as well - I wish I could quick add calories and the macros I'm following and give it a simple name, rather than the whole process of adding something to the database only for it to ask me if some incorrectly entered item from someone else is what I'm looking for.