How to log calories when you don't cook the food?

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Lauren0427
Lauren0427 Posts: 16 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So how do you go about logging calories when others cook for you? I'm not talking about eating out, but at others homes. Do you just guess and add them or find out every little ingredient and add? I did my best to keep my portions and choices in check this weekend, but struggled with actually logging them in here. Just curios how others handle the situation?

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  • robinellis
    robinellis Posts: 66
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    i am curious about people's suggestions regarding this as well. i started a new job that had me working away in camp where someone else cooked all the meals and got so frustrated trying to log that i gave up logging and eventually gave up trying to watch what i ate all together and ended up gaining back all the weight that i had lost. i am looking to go back to camp work as i miss the pay check but i am really worried that the same problem will derail me again.
  • Saaaam42
    Saaaam42 Posts: 154 Member
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    MFP has such a huge database...I usually just search whatever the food is and pick the most reasonable one.
  • Diamond05
    Diamond05 Posts: 475 Member
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    Are you good with portions and calories? If so try to estimate but when youre not cooking it , it's hard to count them.
  • brentbarrie
    brentbarrie Posts: 532 Member
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    Once you have been counting calories for a while and been paying close attention to measurements, you get pretty good at being able to estimate how much of each ingredient is in something. It just takes practice.You can never really know exactly.
  • misskate1987
    misskate1987 Posts: 54
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    Eyeball it and make the best estimation that you possibly can!
  • watfordjc
    watfordjc Posts: 304 Member
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    As it is only once a month for me (if that) I either use the database and make assumptions about how it was cooked (e.g. I assume mashed potato contains butter) or I use the same number of calories as I used for Christmas Dinner (850) if it is a roast. It is usually an over-estimate, though, but I'm OK with that as long as it is an occasional rather than regular thing.
  • herblackwings39
    herblackwings39 Posts: 3,930 Member
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    If you're eating with friends or family maybe they'd be willing to give you the recipe? That makes it fairly easy. Just enter it into the recipe builder and figure out the portion size.

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