is calorie counter on this site ACCURATE??

fayelfh
fayelfh Posts: 3 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I started this program about 2 weeks ago and have been following 1200 or 1100 calories a day . . . and I depend on the food nutrition value/calorie counter on this site. Are they accurate? I am assuming that they are. But my weight loss has been very minimal. I exercise every day and I don't even count that because I don't want it to be part of my calorie intake. Any help? Suggestions? I tried WW before and the points were easy to follow and I lost weight consistently every week when I followed the plan. But the plan is expensive and the meetings are not my cup of tea. I know I can do this on my own but if the nutrition/calorie counter info on all foods is not accurate then it won't work. FEEDBACK WELCOME!

Replies

  • ncmedic201
    ncmedic201 Posts: 540 Member
    Some of it is not accurate. I always try to check the data before I use it. If it's something you use often it will be saved under your list of foods and then you won't have to check it again.
  • ecdce
    ecdce Posts: 129 Member
    You've been at it 2 weeks and you've lost 3 pounds?! That sounds great to me... Am I missing something?
  • sissiluv
    sissiluv Posts: 2,205 Member
    Always check the nutrition info on what you're eating...just to be safe. And even then it's an estimate, so really it's all loose.

    I would not recommend going under 1200 calories a day though. For 99.99% of people, 1200 is the absolute minimum you can eat to fuel your body. Any less than that and you risk dipping into starvation mode...take it from someone who's been there. c:
  • MissSaturday
    MissSaturday Posts: 784 Member
    It seems pretty accurate. I do insert the food I eat by brand and the calories are ther same like on the pack. It would be a little complicated if you home cook, so you need to weight everything. I can't do that!! too stressful for me!. However I do weight myself in the morning without eating so the weight will be accurate. If I weight myself the evening I am usually 2 lbs heavier than the following morning!
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  • SarahSmilesCA
    SarahSmilesCA Posts: 261 Member
    I often put in my own calorie entries for common foods because I find that many of the entries on here are off in the macros and servings. This is especially true of the sushi, it is crazy the values I have found. It is like people have no idea what an oz of fish looks like or how many protein grams it has (about 8 per oz, 24 grams for a 3 oz serving)

    I am not sure if people are lame or stupid as much as just lazy and don't want to research nutritional value or want to estimate properly.
  • camila_scl
    camila_scl Posts: 238 Member
    Always if possible, check the labels from your food and also and I believe most important.... you have to measure the food you eat (at least at first when you are starting).... Most people under estimate "yeah that's like 2 oz/50 grams" and in its 4 oz/100 grams
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
    You've been at it 2 weeks and you've lost 3 pounds?! That sounds great to me... Am I missing something?
    ^
  • lipglossjunky73
    lipglossjunky73 Posts: 497 Member
    Watch your sugar intake!
  • onyxgirl17
    onyxgirl17 Posts: 1,722 Member
    The calorie counter is only as accurate as the people who entered it in (you, me, and the rest of the community).

    A couple of things to watch for to make sure of accuracy:

    - Compare against food labels
    - Check how many "confirmations" the entry has. The more, the better!


    Happy logging!
  • goldengirl111
    goldengirl111 Posts: 684 Member
    I tend to check the calories against my food wrappers/brand name. I also check for the "corrected" item. If something looks off, then I try to find a substitute entry. I've also seen entries that say "from the website" which probably means from that food company or restaurant.
    Hope this helps.
  • fayelfh
    fayelfh Posts: 3 Member
    Thanks so much to everyone for great replies and help! I was taking for granted I could use the site for accuracy that others input was correct. I've got to read my own food labels, as I do have many memorized so it seems and be very careful. Got it! Having said that is it a must for all nutrition values - i.e. fat, sugar, carbs, sodium, etc. -- or could I just go with the calories overall and of course watch sugar and fat mostly. Nutritious eating and count the calories, right?

    I like this message board . . . it's helpful!

    Good luck to all and thanks again!
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  • Vorenus85
    Vorenus85 Posts: 112 Member
    In my opinion, if you mostly focus on calories (which ultimately is the most important) it becomes less of a headache. I often find a lot of entries where carbs, fat or sodium is off a tiny bit, but everything else checks out, so I just shrug it off. I think when you have used this site long enough you'll become aware of what an odd entry looks like and will be able to filter them out easier. But until then, use google and/or compare the nutrition labels of the stuff you get.

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