Posting to your diary on MFP

astronima

Does anyone else find themselves in a rutt with posting what they've ate in their diary. I am having a hard time logging in just to track what I ate. Mainly because what I eat isn't in MFP and to add my own recipe is hard because sometime I don't know all the ingredients or measurements of what's in what I ate.

Maybe I'm at my plateu of posting and logging but I just can't seem to get over the rutt. Any suggestions tips to get over the rutt. Just looking for some motivation/support and to know if I'm the only one who feels like this or if others feel this way at times.

youareorange

I know what you mean. Alot of my meals are traditional homecooked meals and I can't find the exact foods on MFP. I just do my best to estimate or you can quick add calories. This method is not perfect, so I tend to put my calories per day at a lower rate than what I would normally. So I put down sedentary and lightly active rather than moderately active to adjust for those changes.

I also try and keep the rest of my day pretty accurate as to the foods I eat so when it comes to eating that meal/foods I can't find on MFP, I allow myself some leg room.

I don't know if that helps at all, good luck! Rutts are tough but just keep logging in and doing your best.

JAMProphet

Close approximations are not the worst thing in the world. Its really more of a guide for yourself, rather than a rigid rule - you can also try writing it down by hand just to keep a record for yourself.

red8424

If you're not tracking the food to count calories and macros, don't worry about it. I meticulously log food just to make sure I am getting the right number of calories and such. MFP should be a tool to help YOU so if you don't want/need to log, don't do it. Simple as that. Right?

madmax0412

Close approximations are not the worst thing in the world. Its really more of a guide for yourself, rather than a rigid rule - you can also try writing it down by hand just to keep a record for yourself.

This.

I think it's a win to at least have a fairly accurate number. Most of us weren't doing this before so I consider that progress.

I've seen people get really obsessive about logging food in a bad way. Don't beat yourself up. As long as you're fairly accurate it's all good IMO.

Koldnomore

Does anyone else find themselves in a rutt with posting what they've ate in their diary. I am having a hard time logging in just to track what I ate. Mainly because what I eat isn't in MFP and to add my own recipe is hard because sometime I don't know all the ingredients or measurements of what's in what I ate.

Maybe I'm at my plateu of posting and logging but I just can't seem to get over the rutt. Any suggestions tips to get over the rutt. Just looking for some motivation/support and to know if I'm the only one who feels like this or if others feel this way at times.

How your weight loss going? Pretty easy answer.. if you are losing weight then keep doing what you are doing. If you are not then you might need to be more serious about it. The point of logging everything (and creating recipes) is to keep yourself accountable if you can't manage to do that don't expect to reach your goals for losing weight as easily as someone who chooses to be more dedicated.

I cook almost everything from scratch and yes it is a pain to enter things but it works. If you can't find your food then use the MFP one (I prefer the entries they make to the ones other people make anyway) When you first start it takes a little time yes but after a while it's really just a 5 minute thing.

astronima

Thanks everyone!! Sorry I've been so busy with the little guy I haven't had a chance to get back on here. Definitely hard to find time when the toddler doesn't want to go to bed LOL.

To be honest I don't know how my weight is going we don't own a scale so I only get weighed once a month when I go to the Dr for my b-12 shot. I kinda like it because then I don't obsess if I don't lose in a day/week/etc. My clothes feel looser so that must mean I'm doing something right.

Rutts are hard and I truely appreciate the advice, tips, suggestions, and motivation!! One reason I love MFP and the community on here.

AggieLu

I generally make 100% of my food, and have to log either every ingredient individually or create a recipe. It isn't hard. If you want something bad enough, you learn to embrace it good luck.

Pearsquared

I tend to log my recipes before I go grocery shopping, so I don't have to worry about it after the fact. I have an easier time, I suppose, in that I use other people's recipes, so I have an exact list of what to enter into the recipe builder.

yvonnej1

I think it gets easier as it becomes routine, it is tough when starting out logging but once you have your favourites list up and running it gets easier. Maybe I'm a bit predictable but there are certain foods/meals that I tend to cook fairly often and I have about 20 recipes added. The meal function is great because if you tend to eat the same foods together you can just remember them as a meal for next time, then when you add them back to your diary you can always make a small change by adding or deleting one of the items. Finally do/can you use the smartphone app? I actually find that much easier and more convenient to use, you can add things as you go, scan the barcodes, and the search function is better as you can search just through your recent or frequent foods .

mrsnecincy

Would using the recipe function help you a bit more? Sorry if it has already been suggested but I use it loads and it saves me a lot of time. Just a thought. Best of luck!

astronima

yvonnej1 - I do use the app when I can. I can't bring it out with my toddler around because he thinks it's a teething toy LOL. I am really good about logging breakfast and lunch normally beacuse I'm at work. I fall off the wagon at dinner because it's normally rushed and late when we eat since my toddler is fighting bed time right now. I also lose out on the weekends because again it's busy. I was very diligent back when I first joined MFP before the kiddo. I am finding it hard to get back in the groove and finding I am stuck in a rutt to enter more and more lately.
mrsnecincy - I try to use it but most of the time our dinner is thrown together that it's a day or two before I can sit down and think about adding the recipe.
I like the idea Pearsquared about log the recipes before shopping. I will have to try that since I make the grocery list at work. My hardest part is dinners are normally a free fall at our house right now. We are still trying to get the routine of evenings with a toddler LOL. He eats then goes to bed, then my husband and I eat around 8-830 which is super late but with his job we don't have another option right now.

mrsnecincy

Pre-logging is a great idea too. With the recipe thing I found that there are a few things I always eat but do different versions of but the cals would't vary much like a salad a pasta bake or a stir fry. I also know people that log last nights dinner at breakfast too. That might help. For me Logging everything works. But it would be impossible if like you I worked and had children. If you are losing weight and skip logging from time to time then no problem!

yvonnej1

Ultimately like other people have suggested if you are losing weight, and you must be because your clothes are looser, then what you are doing is working so maybe it doesn't matter right now. Like you I eat at around 8.30 or sometimes later, once I have the kids sorted and have prepped/packed my food for work the next day. I usually don't log at all until the end of the day when I sit down after dinner and spend 10 minutes or so logging. Although sometimes I have my phone on the kitchen worktop and log whilst I'm cooking dinner, in between stirring and throwing ingredients in! Also I'm a huge fan of cooking ahead, I know what you mean about throwing dinner together at the minute as I'm all too guilty of that sometimes and it's usually then that I don't eat as well as I'd like. That's why I try to spend some time at the weekend cooking up meals like stews,chilli, pasta sauces that are easy to store in the fridge or freezer and defrost as needed. That way I have something homecooked plus it's easy to log as I've already logged the recipe.

I'm sure you'll find something that works for you, it's hard juggling, home, kids and work, but I'm sure you'll make it happen :-)

socajam

I generally make 100% of my food, and have to log either every ingredient individually or create a recipe. It isn't hard. If you want something bad enough, you learn to embrace it good luck.

Same here. Cook and bake 100% of everything that I eat. Its all about what is important.

MinnieInMaine

Pre-log and plan as much as you can. For the nights when things get thrown together, just make best guesses and take a few seconds to write down what you had. Then when you log on the next day at work you can update it. And I'd suggest the same thing for weekends... Before I had a smart phone I'd just do the old fashioned food tracking and use pen and paper to log what I was eating then on Monday morning when I got to work I'd take a little time to update my food and exercise diaries. It's not perfect but it's better than nothing.