How to use food scales

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Replies

  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I never use the barcode scanner personally, I just search the database.

    I use the scanner when I'm on my dinky smartphone (I hate typing on that thing!) and not near the computer, but when i'm at my desktop i definitely prefer to search and see what choices are available and investigate them.

    I've been very happy lately, btw, finding Cooking Light recipes in the database that were already entered by someone else. Thanks whoever is doing that! lol.


    (edited to fix quote)

    I also strongly suggest that you enter your own ingredients for any recipe you use. It's never totally accurate. Heck 2 weeks ago one of the recipes I used was off by 40%!
  • MrsRobertson1005
    MrsRobertson1005 Posts: 552 Member
    What makes you say it is mis-adding your calories? I've never had that problem.
  • EvenThatNameIsTaken
    EvenThatNameIsTaken Posts: 164 Member
    I also strongly suggest that you enter your own ingredients for any recipe you use. It's never totally accurate. Heck 2 weeks ago one of the recipes I used was off by 40%!

    I know, but sometimes I just can't be bothered. At this point things are working for me even if not totally accurate, but if I hit a plateau or start gaining weight, I will definitely look at the accuracy of my logging. :)
  • EvenThatNameIsTaken
    EvenThatNameIsTaken Posts: 164 Member
    Cool, some of those might be mine.

    Then thank you! Was happy to see one from the Feb 2014 issue. ;) I'll certainly do my part if I try to find one and it's not there :) I really love that mag...
  • susie3g
    susie3g Posts: 267
    What makes you say it is mis-adding your calories? I've never had that problem.

    This is just an example and not representative of what I eat:

    Breakfast: 190
    Lunch: 325
    Dinner: 410
    Snacks: 100

    Exercise/calories burned: 100

    OK.. now at the top there are different columns, and it might read like this:
    Goal Food Exercise Net Remaining
    1200 1325 100 1225 -25

    However, if you actually add up the food calories, they equal 1025, not 1325, and so it leaves your net calories wrong, also.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    Say I am going to have a banana or avocado - I will definitely weigh this since they can vary so much (large, small, medium are so subjective).. and the calories are way different depending on weight! Sometimes you have to look around a bit in the database to find something that you can use, and not everything is correct in there so you have to be careful about that too, sadly. Anyway for a banana I will get a folded up paper towel and put that on the scale, zero it out (that might be a little anal as the paper is like 2 g, lol), peel the banana and then weigh it with no skin. I often have to put .9 or .7 of a serving. If I don't have a calculator handy or just don't feel like it, I'll just keep editing my entry until it's close enough.

    I often wonder what is the purpose of your US serving sizes. I find the concept so unnecessary; much easier for me to just deal with cals/fat etc pr 1 gram/100 gram unit. A lot of MFP entries don't even have a 1 gram/100 gram alternative, and I'm not sure if I should add another item to the already overflowing database...
  • eddiesmith1
    eddiesmith1 Posts: 1,550 Member
    I often wonder what is the purpose of your US serving sizes. I find the concept so unnecessary; much easier for me to just deal with cals/fat etc pr 1 gram/100 gram unit. A lot of MFP entries don't even have a 1 gram/100 gram alternative, and I'm not sure if I should add another item to the already overflowing database...

    this drives me nuts as well, i wish there was always the weight option in the database. Packaging in Canada has a serving and a weight (as in dumb *kitten* this huge bag of doritos is 8 servings so don't eat the whole thing in one sitting:laugh: )

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