Frustrated seems really inaccurate

critter1
critter1 Posts: 2 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So pretty much want to give up on this site. The calorie counts suggested when you do a search are all over the place and seem to be crazy inaccurate. Look up boneless skinless cooked chicken breast and you will get anywhere from 900 cal. to 250 cal. for a 4 0z serving. So I just looked up a one oz serving listed as no fat and 2 grams of protien at 23 cal. protein is 4 cal per gram? way frustrated and concerned about how many people are trusting this site and getting information the seems to have no verification behind it!!!!!

Replies

  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
    i always search foods by the specific brand and have had a lot of success that way.
  • lmyracle1
    lmyracle1 Posts: 1
    I just found the same exact frustration with plain ol' chicken breast! I looked it up on various other internet searches and found many different answers too. Most of the other info on this site is good though, I just double-check my info before I add my food. MFP saves your recent foods that you add daily, so it helps once you've verified the accuracy. Overall, I still like the site, but can feel your frustrations. Good luck.
  • shutterbug282
    shutterbug282 Posts: 588 Member
    Information is put in by other users on this website, I also find that searching by brands is more accurate. :)
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,300 Member
    So pretty much want to give up on this site. The calorie counts suggested when you do a search are all over the place and seem to be crazy inaccurate. Look up boneless skinless cooked chicken breast and you will get anywhere from 900 cal. to 250 cal. for a 4 0z serving. So I just looked up a one oz serving listed as no fat and 2 grams of protien at 23 cal. protein is 4 cal per gram? way frustrated and concerned about how many people are trusting this site and getting information the seems to have no verification behind it!!!!!

    It's a user added site. As such, there is going to be inaccuracies. It is up to the person logging to do a little bit of research so they get it correct.

    Sorry you seemed to have other expectations.
  • Ade2013
    Ade2013 Posts: 28
    Hi, there do seem to be some unusual readings for certain food types - i eat 9bars ( seed bars ) none of the kcal values on this site are correct for the ones i eat - find the true value from another site ( or better still the food package ) enter it , then it is kept in your food history - hence is very easy to find the true value again.

    As mentioned previously , a brand specific search will entertain more accurate results.

    Hope this helps, All the best
    Ade
  • triggsta
    triggsta Posts: 140
    Most people tend to underestimate the amount of calories they are eating, so combat that and overestimate. I agree with jzammetti below that you should search by the brand you got. If not, then just slightly overestimate and weigh your food. Going slightly over/above your daily calories isn't going to stall your weight loss.
  • kimad
    kimad Posts: 3,010 Member
    Well the foods that are entered are usually from the users of this site, not the site themselves, so you need to take that into account.
    I always try to use the nutritional info on the packaging of the food I am eating, and enter it that way. The barcode scanner on the mobile app. is awesome. I also try to find nutritional info from the company's webpage as well.
    If I need to search thru the database here I search for the number most commonly popping up which is specific to the brand I am eating.
  • TeachTheGirl
    TeachTheGirl Posts: 2,091 Member
    Look at the success stories from people using this site. Even if there are inaccuracies with SOME entries, there are a lot that aren't. Just double check what you're adding, check your brands and your weights and add accordingly. Most of us seem to manage just fine.
  • GurleyGirl524
    GurleyGirl524 Posts: 578 Member
    searching by brand or "generic" is best. I think other people load their own version of something into the data base. I think the USDA has a data base. You might try it as well.
  • Andybeth
    Andybeth Posts: 18 Member
    I agree, I've pretty much given up getting my calorie counts from here. It's so hard to ferret out which entry has the calories listed on my packages that I use quick add calories and use it to add the totals by meal.
  • sjlonghorn
    sjlonghorn Posts: 8 Member
    Don't forget that the mobile version of the app has a barcode scanner which can be used as well. The data isn't any more accurate, but at least it's consistent with what your actual product is...
  • critter1
    critter1 Posts: 2 Member
    OK so I am with you, its not a bad site just was being lazy and using the search to find foods istead of taking time to enter it myself. Soooooo deleting everything I had and starting over to make sure that what I am using for myself is accurate.
  • Firefox7275
    Firefox7275 Posts: 2,040 Member
    So pretty much want to give up on this site. The calorie counts suggested when you do a search are all over the place and seem to be crazy inaccurate. Look up boneless skinless cooked chicken breast and you will get anywhere from 900 cal. to 250 cal. for a 4 0z serving. So I just looked up a one oz serving listed as no fat and 2 grams of protien at 23 cal. protein is 4 cal per gram? way frustrated and concerned about how many people are trusting this site and getting information the seems to have no verification behind it!!!!!

    That is partly because all chicken breasts are not the same, they are different sizes and some do have more fat than others, depending on how it was raised, preparation (how much fat is cut off, if water is injected etc) and cooking method. Chicken comes from a living thing, it's not a product made in a laboratory!

    There are also mistakes and some people only enter calories not all the macros, just check against the packet or an online source you trust the first time you use it then use the same entry every time, it's not that hard. Likely part of the reason some of the entries are incorrect is converting from the inaccurate American cups system.
  • s07civic
    s07civic Posts: 50 Member
    Personally, I use the barcode scanner feature on the iPod/iPhone app! Of course, nothing is 100% accurate, but if you OVERESTIMATE the # of kcal you consume, you should be fine. Good luck!
  • haroon_awan
    haroon_awan Posts: 1,208 Member
    Take your food packet/product/wrapper/container
    Click on My Foods
    Click on Create Food
    Enter the nutritional information from the packet
    And... Stop moaning
  • s07civic
    s07civic Posts: 50 Member
    Take your food packet/product/wrapper/container
    Click on My Foods
    Click on Create Food
    Enter the nutritional information from the packet
    And... Stop moaning
    :laugh:

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