Appeal: Please use serving size as grams

lindustum
lindustum Posts: 212 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Dear fellow MFPers,

I would like to appeal to you regarding the food database. Many people use serving sizes that are determined by the packaging (i.e. one piece, one box, half a mug, etc). This is very inaccurate, as the actual sizes vary.

I just put a pizza in the oven and weighted it at 374g. In the database, the only options (and there are 5 duplicates) are "1 pizza" and "1/2 pizza". The packaging says 768kcal per pizza, but the REAL amount is different. My weighted pizza has in fact 808 calories. The difference of 40kcal is huge, considering just how many inaccurate items there are in a daily diary. This stuff adds up! My fish fillets from last week ranged up to 20g plus or minus, altering the amount of calories quite a bit.

Please refer to the 100g measurement on the packaging, or whatever else is given (20g etc). ALSO, if something says "serving size" please look how much grams that actually refers to!


Yes I am aware I can add my own food, but all I do is clutter the database with a duplicate, just add a new measurement. I think MFP should make it easier to add different serving sizes (so that you can select both 1g or "1 pizza" from the drop down) but until then we as members have to keep it accurate for our own sake. :flowerforyou:
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Replies

  • CutiePieMarzipan
    CutiePieMarzipan Posts: 3 Member
    I agree!!!! I mean, when I see 1 cup or half a cup, it drives me crazy! I don't know how big your cup is!
    Thank you for bringing this up!
  • BattleTaxi
    BattleTaxi Posts: 752 Member
    This!
  • katy84o
    katy84o Posts: 744 Member
    I'm pretty sure you can edit it and just edit that amount. Yes more work for you, but it'd be accurate in your diary.

    Also, if you add your own food, and check off the spot that says something like "allow other members to use" just say No. Then you don't clutter the database and it's accurate for when you'd like to use it next time.
  • doorki
    doorki Posts: 2,576 Member
    I agree!!!! I mean, when I see 1 cup or half a cup, it drives me crazy! I don't know how big your cup is!
    Thank you for bringing this up!

    uh....a cup is a unit of measure. one cup = one cup.
  • younginaz
    younginaz Posts: 71 Member
    ummmm. I think a cup is 8 oz and a 1/2 cup is 4 oz.
  • faithdanyell
    faithdanyell Posts: 30 Member
    A cup is 8 ounces...
  • TheRealParisLove
    TheRealParisLove Posts: 1,907 Member
    I agree!!!! I mean, when I see 1 cup or half a cup, it drives me crazy! I don't know how big your cup is!
    Thank you for bringing this up!

    1 cup is an actual measurement. I always assume that is what the measurement is referring to. 1 cup holds about 8 ounces of liquid measurement.

    Please feel free to add the item you are eating to the database. You can add your pizza as grams and then the item is available to everyone else once you submit it. I add items to the database all the time with my foods listed how I like to eat them. This website is so flexible, you can customize it just for you!
  • epiphany29
    epiphany29 Posts: 122 Member
    I am on the opposite spectrum as you. I don't weigh out my food on a gram scale (sanity reasons for this). So if all the foods in the database were listed only by grams I wouldn't be able to calculate. I have to accept that different people prefer things different ways.
    I think restricting folks who are trying to do a good thing for themselves because it doesn't fit how you want to do that good thing for yourself is not the right answer.

    Pip
  • clotho
    clotho Posts: 29 Member
    While this would be nice in theory, there are a lot of people who don't have a food scale. Without a food scale measurements in grams is impossible. Also, you need to realize that counting calories will always be inexact because humans are doing it.
  • GetSoda
    GetSoda Posts: 1,267 Member
    1 cup = .24 liters.
  • Juniper3411
    Juniper3411 Posts: 167 Member
    That's why I typically overestimate my calories and underestimate my exercise so that hopefully all of the innacuracies even out in the end. Hopefully...

    But yes, definitely frustrating that a lot of the database entries are likely innacurate :(
  • SuperSexyDork
    SuperSexyDork Posts: 1,669 Member
    I'm not sure where you live but here in the U.S. a lot of food items are not given a gram serving size. Instead it could be in ounces, cups, etc. And I think you're being awfully anal weighing prepackaged foods.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    I agree!!!! I mean, when I see 1 cup or half a cup, it drives me crazy! I don't know how big your cup is!
    Thank you for bringing this up!

    :laugh:

    Also, if the package says 1 pizza it's one pizza. The weight will vary from package to package because it's impossible to make them all identical. Your pizza might weigh 285 oz and someone else's could weigh 240.
  • lindustum
    lindustum Posts: 212 Member
    I'm pretty sure you can edit it and just edit that amount. Yes more work for you, but it'd be accurate in your diary.

    I am aware of that function, because I have to use it constantly. The database is there so calorie counting is easy, not a nuisance of sitting at my PC with packaging in my hand, typing everything in. No-one benefits from the "1 pizza" measure, that's my point. It is inaccurate, and to my knowledge there exists no inaccurate-calorie-count-diet for people to use.

    Edit: Okay I have to revoke my assumption that MFP users rely on food scales- my apologies.
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
    I agree!!!! I mean, when I see 1 cup or half a cup, it drives me crazy! I don't know how big your cup is!
    Thank you for bringing this up!

    I don't know where you're from, but I'm hoping that it's not a place in the world where 1 cup = 8 fl oz.

    I also like to weigh my food . . . in ounces, which is a smaller unit for a pound. I renounce your grams.
  • anunley1
    anunley1 Posts: 35 Member
    hmm - I am the opposite. I would much rather see things as 1 cup - I don't do grams...
  • JoanneTalerico
    JoanneTalerico Posts: 10 Member
    For Pete's sake, can't you just be happy that My Fitness Pal is available to us and is free? I am over the moon with this app and am happy that I have lost 45 lbs, despite the little difficulties.
  • themelmac
    themelmac Posts: 59 Member
    I use the mobile apps where you can just scan the bar code and it simply populates the serving size and calorie amounts. Often the manufacturer will determine the calorie size as 1/2 cup, 1 cup, etc.
  • Pamela_in_Progress
    Pamela_in_Progress Posts: 197 Member
    I don't own a scale yet and it drives me crazy when it says grams because I'm totally lost and have to end up making a new entry. Would much rather things be measured in cups whenever possible.
  • lindustum
    lindustum Posts: 212 Member
    For Pete's sake, can't you just be happy that My Fitness Pal is available to us and is free? I am over the moon with this app and am happy that I have lost 45 lbs, despite the little difficulties.
    I am happy, calm down.
  • JoanneTalerico
    JoanneTalerico Posts: 10 Member
    :happy:
    I'm not sure where you live but here in the U.S. a lot of food items are not given a gram serving size. Instead it could be in ounces, cups, etc. And I think you're being awfully anal weighing prepackaged foods.
  • annakow
    annakow Posts: 385 Member
    I have no idea about American measurments, I do English. If there is nothing I know, I create new item. Thats all.
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
    I agree!!!! I mean, when I see 1 cup or half a cup, it drives me crazy! I don't know how big your cup is!
    Thank you for bringing this up!

    :laugh:

    It is a unit of measure, similar to mL.
  • GuybrushThreepw00d
    GuybrushThreepw00d Posts: 784 Member
    The calories on food packages are all estimates anyway, your pizza wasn't identical to the pizza they measured calories for.

    Also, you can't just upscale the calories of your pizza by weight to assume your pizza is the same. What if the difference in weight wasn't equal between the ingredients and was just down to your pizza receiving too much cheese :smile: :wink:

    Just deal with it :drinker:
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
    I'm not sure where you live but here in the U.S. a lot of food items are not given a gram serving size. Instead it could be in ounces, cups, etc. And I think you're being awfully anal weighing prepackaged foods.

    Most of the food I buy has the gram serving size in parenthesis.
  • EvilFeevil
    EvilFeevil Posts: 95 Member
    I'm pretty sure you can edit it and just edit that amount. Yes more work for you, but it'd be accurate in your diary.

    Also, if you add your own food, and check off the spot that says something like "allow other members to use" just say No. Then you don't clutter the database and it's accurate for when you'd like to use it next time.
    I never noticed an option to allow others to use, thanks for the tip!! :smile: (I definitely add my own food if I'm not happy with what's there and I've never seen that; maybe that option is only on the website, not the app, which is what I normally use?)

    And grams, ugh, I don't wanna use grams (but feel free to use them if you like them better). Maybe it's because I don't use a food scale with grams on it? When I see a food that is only in grams, I groan.

    Although I had no idea a cup wasn't exactly 8 ounces and may differ even more in other countries so maybe there is something to this gram thing after all:
    Wikipedia Cup page
    Okay, why isn't my link working? I know how to do the BBCode. Sorry you'll have to copy and paste I guess.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cup_(unit)
  • odusgolp
    odusgolp Posts: 10,477 Member
    I agree!!!! I mean, when I see 1 cup or half a cup, it drives me crazy! I don't know how big your cup is!
    Thank you for bringing this up!

    How big is a gram?




    See how silly that sounded?
  • RunningForeverMama
    RunningForeverMama Posts: 261 Member
    I agree!!!! I mean, when I see 1 cup or half a cup, it drives me crazy! I don't know how big your cup is!
    Thank you for bringing this up!

    I don't know where you're from, but I'm hoping that it's not a place in the world where 1 cup = 8 fl oz.

    I also like to weigh my food . . . in ounces, which is a smaller unit for a pound. I renounce your grams.

    ^^^This. My scale weighs in ounces, I hate it when items are listed in grams. My cup is also a measuring cup.
  • Amberonamission
    Amberonamission Posts: 836 Member
    I weigh in grams whenever possible. It is much more accurate. I think all food labels are in grams now.

    1 cup is 8 oz of liquid. But say 1 cup of melon. depending on the size of the pieces will really change the weight. 8 oz of cheetos is almost the whole bag.

    No arguing grams.
  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
    I'm not sure where you live but here in the U.S. a lot of food items are not given a gram serving size. Instead it could be in ounces, cups, etc. And I think you're being awfully anal weighing prepackaged foods.

    Most of the food I buy has the gram serving size in parenthesis.

    Same here. I am truly not understanding the big deal. *shrug*

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