Experience with virtual assistants for data input?
fsmontenegro
Posts: 4 Member
Hi!
At the risk of coming across as extremely lazy, does anyone have any experience with using "virtual assistants" for expediting inputting data into MFP? As the food database grows, I find I spend a good amount of time tracking down what it is I ate so I can input it properly. Having the frequent items on a list helps, but I hate wasting time searching for new items.
I'm considering hiring one of these "virtual assistant" services online so that they can do the data entry for me. Ideally, I'd call in (or skype or even IM/email) what I need to have input ("glass of 1% milk and a banana for breakfast, cup of medium coffee no sugar midmorning, ...") and have them enter it with the proper categories on my diary.
Some may call it lazy, some will call making better use of one's time...
Any thoughts or experiences to share? Has anyone done this? Any service to recommend? Costs?
Thanks!
At the risk of coming across as extremely lazy, does anyone have any experience with using "virtual assistants" for expediting inputting data into MFP? As the food database grows, I find I spend a good amount of time tracking down what it is I ate so I can input it properly. Having the frequent items on a list helps, but I hate wasting time searching for new items.
I'm considering hiring one of these "virtual assistant" services online so that they can do the data entry for me. Ideally, I'd call in (or skype or even IM/email) what I need to have input ("glass of 1% milk and a banana for breakfast, cup of medium coffee no sugar midmorning, ...") and have them enter it with the proper categories on my diary.
Some may call it lazy, some will call making better use of one's time...
Any thoughts or experiences to share? Has anyone done this? Any service to recommend? Costs?
Thanks!
0
Replies
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I'm going to give my honest opinion here but what I really appreciate about the food diary is that we have to go through the guilt of inputting the foods in! It's like a metaphor of putting food into our tummies! Logging after every meal helps a whole lot with the "should I eat this today or should I make room for it tomorrow" question. If you're already doing great with the mental calculator then good for you but I'm not sure if there are any services like the one you mentioned available in this time and age.
You could always hire someone you know to do it for you If you have kids, you can have them do it for $2 a day as allowance or something. 0 -
Hi!
At the risk of coming across as extremely lazy, does anyone have any experience with using "virtual assistants" for expediting inputting data into MFP? As the food database grows, I find I spend a good amount of time tracking down what it is I ate so I can input it properly. Having the frequent items on a list helps, but I hate wasting time searching for new items.
I'm considering hiring one of these "virtual assistant" services online so that they can do the data entry for me. Ideally, I'd call in (or skype or even IM/email) what I need to have input ("glass of 1% milk and a banana for breakfast, cup of medium coffee no sugar midmorning, ...") and have them enter it with the proper categories on my diary.
Some may call it lazy, some will call making better use of one's time...
Any thoughts or experiences to share? Has anyone done this? Any service to recommend? Costs?
Thanks!
If you are thinking about hiring a virtual assistant for data input....you are doing it wrong.0 -
Will you also be hiring somebody to exercise for you?Hi!
At the risk of coming across as extremely lazy, does anyone have any experience with using "virtual assistants" for expediting inputting data into MFP? As the food database grows, I find I spend a good amount of time tracking down what it is I ate so I can input it properly. Having the frequent items on a list helps, but I hate wasting time searching for new items.
I'm considering hiring one of these "virtual assistant" services online so that they can do the data entry for me. Ideally, I'd call in (or skype or even IM/email) what I need to have input ("glass of 1% milk and a banana for breakfast, cup of medium coffee no sugar midmorning, ...") and have them enter it with the proper categories on my diary.
Some may call it lazy, some will call making better use of one's time...
Any thoughts or experiences to share? Has anyone done this? Any service to recommend? Costs?
Thanks!0 -
Some things you just need to do yourself. Just sayin.0
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If you are doing it right you will have already gone to the trouble of weighing your food, how much harder is it to just punch that in? MFP has an app. And you can scan barcodes. They make it pretty easy.
But if you want to spend money on it -- to each his own. My fear with a service like that would be severe inaccuracy. Multiple items come up in MFP and I have to choose the correct one based upon the package I have in hand sometimes. A service would not be able to do that and you might not get the results you want.0 -
How much are you willing to pay? I could use some quick cash and would be more than happy to log your foods for the right number.
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I'm curious.... will calling it in to a virtual assistant really take less time than opening your phone app and doing a quick search or using the barcode scanner?0
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I'd actually like to be a Virtual Assistant and work from home so if you find anything that's NOT a scam, let me know. But, I agree with poster that said that you sometimes have to have the package in hand and results may be skewed without doing yourself.0
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Thank you all for the input, I appreciate it.
I understand the rationale about taking the time to input things as a reminder that you're committed to change and as a touchpoint for reminding yourself about the process. For me - others may have a different experience - it is frustrating to spend so much time figuring out which of the dozens of versions of a caesar salad I need to add, or just what the heck does "1 cup" translate into in grams in different recipes and entries.
It would be much more efficient for me to call up a virtual number and dictate my input - much like doctors do for transcribing medical notes - than to spend the time doing it myself.
That being said, I would definitely keep reviewing my reports.
Thanks again!0 -
It's part of the learning experience.
And speaking of learning experience did you have someone tie your shoes when you where little? How about now?
But If you like, give me your password and I'll enter some random salad for you.0 -
If i was logging a home-made ceasar salad I would just log the individual ingredients, like the brand of the lettuce, the brand of the dressing, etc.
I know it can be a bit fiddly sometimes, but it's worth it to know what you're really putting into your body.0 -
I don't think this is such an absurd notion, considering how much garbage and clutter is in MFP's database.
I have to double-check the specifics of every item because more often than not, the data are wrong. There is no reason that one should have to choose between thirty different entries for "banana". Seriously why the hell are there nine different entries for 'Banana - no peel' ? Why is there a single 'Banana - No Peel' in the first place???0 -
What the what? And who is out there logging a banana WITH the peel? I can't even have those little stringy things on my banana - talk about gross.
Banana - no peel. Good grief.0 -
Troll post alert.
Yeah hire someone to cook and feed you as well while you are at it. and then they can go workout for you too.
what's next?0 -
If you are working 80+ hour workweeks and trying to exercise and log, then I can see using a virtual assistant. Otherwise, I'd suck it up and just do it yourself. The more you make the entries the more you get a feel for nutrition and calorie counts anyway, so it does help when you're trying to make the occasional judgment call without the aid of the MFP app.0
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You really can't be serious.
By the time you skype (or dial) in and tell them what they need to enter, you'd think that you'd be almost done if you were entering the info yourself. Are you seriously eating that much hard to find food?0 -
And isn't it a given that you won't be eating the peel?I don't think this is such an absurd notion, considering how much garbage and clutter is in MFP's database.
I have to double-check the specifics of every item because more often than not, the data are wrong. There is no reason that one should have to choose between thirty different entries for "banana". Seriously why the hell are there nine different entries for 'Banana - no peel' ? Why is there a single 'Banana - No Peel' in the first place???0 -
I just can't imagine any real time saved or cost benefit coming from this. You still have to track what you eat in order to give it to them. You still have to review the inputs.
To deal with the multiple database items, I do one of two things.
1) Use the app instead of the desktop version because it shows the list of results with calories at a glance
2) If on desktop, I open two tabs. In one, I search the database (http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/calorie-chart-nutrition-facts) vs searching via the add food option. This allows me to quickly click on multiple options to compare serving sizes and calories. Then I enter the selected one in the add food entry on my other tab.
It's tedious, and there's lots of room for improvement on MFP, especially the desktop version. Still, I can't imagine that the 30-45 seconds of frustration per entry (okay, maybe up to 3 minutes) is worth the effort of working with a virtual assistant. But you know. Whatever floats your boat.0 -
I don't think this is such an absurd notion, considering how much garbage and clutter is in MFP's database.
I have to double-check the specifics of every item because more often than not, the data are wrong. There is no reason that one should have to choose between thirty different entries for "banana". Seriously why the hell are there nine different entries for 'Banana - no peel' ? Why is there a single 'Banana - No Peel' in the first place???
My banana comes with a bar code.
I use that.
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I don't think this is such an absurd notion, considering how much garbage and clutter is in MFP's database.
I have to double-check the specifics of every item because more often than not, the data are wrong. There is no reason that one should have to choose between thirty different entries for "banana". Seriously why the hell are there nine different entries for 'Banana - no peel' ? Why is there a single 'Banana - No Peel' in the first place???
My banana comes with a bar code.
I use that.
Does the entry include the peel?0 -
Ok. Hold UP.
It takes me less than three minutes to log a meal - someone else doing that for me won't even care as much as I do - so it will take them one minute because they'll pick any old banana and not even care if it's 6 inches or 8 inches.
That two inches means a lot.0
This discussion has been closed.
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