How do you estimate the caloric content of take out pizza?

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jmbrysk
jmbrysk Posts: 2
in Food and Nutrition
It's a weakness, I can't help myself. Every week I go out with a group of friends for a half off pizza night at a local restaurant. We order a ton and all self control goes out the window. It is the one meal I regularly eat and can't track using MyFitnessPal.

When you guys and gals indulge on pizza, how do you estimate the calories? Is there a general rule of thumb that you've found works well?

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  • dpollet2
    dpollet2 Posts: 68 Member
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    When we go out for pizza I usually log it based on size, type of crust, and toppings. Luckily there are several 12" veggies in the database, and most of them come in around the same amount of calories so I go with one of those.

    As long as it's not an everyday thing I don't think there's anything wrong with guess-timating, but I know some folks on here disagree.
  • goodtimezzzz
    goodtimezzzz Posts: 640 Member
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    how many slices? toppings etc. Pizza can be an amazing fatburning muscle building food! thats how I did it
  • tigerlily8045
    tigerlily8045 Posts: 415 Member
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    I have pizza every Friday night. Its from a local place but I have just used the Pizza Hut numbers. I am guessing that its actually less than that but that's what I go with for that day. I guess if you find something that is close in toppings, size, stick with it so that your logging is consistent.
  • Bekahmardis
    Bekahmardis Posts: 602 Member
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    I don't estimate: I go straight to the restaurant's website and look it up. If they don't have the nutrition on their website, I will ask.
  • cmcollins001
    cmcollins001 Posts: 3,472 Member
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    Normally I just look at the website and take what they have, or ask them for the nutritional sheet, which, by law, they must provide. If it's a "home grown" pizza joint, then I would take a moment when you're by yourself and talk with the owner if it means that much to you.
  • kristy6ward
    kristy6ward Posts: 332 Member
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    Logging by the slice is irrelevant. The same 12 inch pizza could be cut into 6, 8, or 10 slices. I always go with a percentage of a whole. If my pizza place doesn't have nutritional information, I choose a big box restaurant that has a similar kind of crust. But even those values could easily be off. If the maker was feeling generous with the cheese or toppings, its easy to add an extra couple hundred calories. Anymore, I just make my own, I always get what I want, and I know exactly how much it's going to cost me calorie wise.
  • RawCarrots
    RawCarrots Posts: 204 Member
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    I created a custom entry based for the whole pizza on the nutritional information on their webpage and then log a quarter or a third, or whatever I eat. I find they sometimes cut it in 6, other times in 8, so a slice will vary.
  • hungrywhodat
    hungrywhodat Posts: 40 Member
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    If you're looking to roughly estimate, choose a large chain that seems most like the place you go, and hit their website. They all have calculators that let you add toppings or whatever and give you full nutrition info for a specific pizza.

    Spoiler alert: you aren't going to like it.
  • CeriGrindrod
    CeriGrindrod Posts: 120 Member
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    It's a weakness, I can't help myself. Every week I go out with a group of friends for a half off pizza night at a local restaurant. We order a ton and all self control goes out the window. It is the one meal I regularly eat and can't track using MyFitnessPal.

    When you guys and gals indulge on pizza, how do you estimate the calories? Is there a general rule of thumb that you've found works well?


    if ya gonna eat take out pizza.. might aswell forget the cals lol x
  • Going4Lean
    Going4Lean Posts: 1,077 Member
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    I have been craving pizza from this place close to work, but because they don't have nutritional info i haven't had it.
    I Haven't found slices of pizza with bacon on the data base.
  • jgollnick
    jgollnick Posts: 73 Member
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    if I take the opportunity to eat pizza i don't log. I know im going into the red.
  • ncl1313
    ncl1313 Posts: 237 Member
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    If it's a small place that doesn't have a website with a nutrition guide, I create a recipe for the whole pizza, using a store-bought dough (like Pillsbury or Boboli) as the crust and add each topping and sauce. Then I figure the fraction of the pizza I ate and log that as my serving. Add then I throw in an extra 200 quick add calories for good measure.
  • coreyreichle
    coreyreichle Posts: 1,039 Member
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    I just go with the "Meat lover's pizza" whenever I have logged it. I figured it's the worst possible value, so I should be good to go, assuming the worst.
  • xinit0
    xinit0 Posts: 310 Member
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    It's a weakness, I can't help myself. Every week I go out with a group of friends for a half off pizza night at a local restaurant. We order a ton and all self control goes out the window. It is the one meal I regularly eat and can't track using MyFitnessPal.

    When you guys and gals indulge on pizza, how do you estimate the calories? Is there a general rule of thumb that you've found works well?

    Weigh it, and log it as "Butter, Salted" by weight. Might over compensate a touch... ;)
  • Timshel_
    Timshel_ Posts: 22,841 Member
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    I asked the pizza place for a nutrition guide. If they don't ahve it I just look up similar pizza from other places and guesitmate high.
  • sarahmcgann7
    sarahmcgann7 Posts: 1
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    If you blot pizza with paper towel or napkins before you eat it you save 100 calories according to the Eat, Shrink and Be Merry ladies : D
  • 3sak
    3sak Posts: 4 Member
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    You might find the pizza you are eating on Dotties Weight Loss Zone website.

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