Logging Accurately..step by step guide

. I don’t enter my recipes in the MFP database, but I keep them in my Recipe builder for further use (I wish I could edit it without deleting and adding ingredients all over again). So sometimes “homemade” it is really something made at home by the user.

You can edit individual ingredients even after a recipe has been entered into MFP. I do it all the time if I make a recipe again but need to make a substitution. It is annoying though that you can't change the number of servings once it has been entered. I am too lazy to add and remove though, so I do the math for the new serving size and just keep it in my notebook for the few days until I have eaten all whatever it was.

I am glad that that system works for you, but it would not work for me. All my recipes are for 2 people (my husband and I), so trying to adjust the serving size would not be convenient or something that I am willing to do. So I just delete and change the ingredients or their new weight, as needed. I keep hoping that the request to individually edit ingredients in the recipe section will be granted by MFP, one of these days.

This is very helpful, thank you!

tagging for reference!

Thank you for this post! I didn't know there was a way to edit a previously entered food. I will have to pay more attention to this from now on!

I'm very particular about weighing some foods that I know I generally eat too much of given the chance-- cheese and bread, mostly. But sometimes, I do end up using entries in the database that may or may not be accurate. . . usually only if I've had restaurant food (from a restaurant that doesn't have online calorie info. . . I rarely go out to eat) or if I'm eating someone else's homemade food and I don't have access to a recipe!

I guess I am guilty of using cups/spoons measurements too often. I'll weigh instead if I can! I do wish it was possible to search for foods in the database that are entered by weight rather than volume-- maybe I'll suggest that in the site ideas board.

Oh, and while I have a lot of my own homemade stuff, I never share it with the database because it's such a pain to enter!

. I don’t enter my recipes in the MFP database, but I keep them in my Recipe builder for further use (I wish I could edit it without deleting and adding ingredients all over again). So sometimes “homemade” it is really something made at home by the user.

You can edit individual ingredients even after a recipe has been entered into MFP. I do it all the time if I make a recipe again but need to make a substitution. It is annoying though that you can't change the number of servings once it has been entered. I am too lazy to add and remove though, so I do the math for the new serving size and just keep it in my notebook for the few days until I have eaten all whatever it was.

And today I discovered you can change the serving number as well. I swear I tried that before and it didn't work. Much happier with the recipe thingy now

good info

Knowledge is power! Awesome post, thank you for sharing this information!

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This is a great post. Thank you! I have a question: sometimes when I go to log a food I have weighed (let's say raw broccoli or plain yogurt), I find that it is almost impossible to find one of those entries that offer the useful "100 g" or "1 g" options. They will often be measurements from a specific package, etc. So I thought I could fix that problem by just entering a new food, and then I'd have it forever, and as time went on, most of what I ate would be logged that way. But that posed another problem: how to figure out how much protein/carbs/fat, etc in a specific food? Is there a website that has this info? Or is that obsessing too much?

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So nice to see that I'm not the only one who is picky about making sure that I log as accurately as possible A couple of thoughts to help some of the people who had asked questions about some of the methods.. sorry for not quoting but it's a PITA on a cell phone.

Logging bites: if it's something that I made then I have the weight so extrapolating how much a bite was is easy. Just weigh out a "bite sized" portion and divide by the total weight to get the size of the serving. If its a bite of something that has nutrition information, that's easy too. If you aren't good at estimating use the amount for a tablespoon-that's going to be a good size bite. The toughest things to log bites of are items that someone else makes which have no nutrition information. In time you develop a pretty good sense of the value of various things but when you are just starting out it's tough. I'm with the camp that says that if you have no viable way to estimate accurately then it's probably a good idea to just not eat it HOWEVER, I will occasionally use a well thought out "homemade" entry as long as it has weight, and nutrition amounts OR look online for one that does. The last option to log bites is to use the "quick add" (not the best but at least its something). Depending upon what you are taking bites of the calories could be negligible OR in the case of something like granola or nuts, a bite can be a lot of extra calories!

For those who are confused about logging when eating out at a restaurant which does not provide nutrition information: I will usually find a similar item at another place that does. In most cases you can at least get close.

The most important thing to remember about logging accurately is to always try to log as completely as possible and as honestly as possible. If you eat it, log it! If you're stuck then ask someone around here how they would do it, there's always a way.

Great info!

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Agree - however my own recipes, which I sometimes have labelled homemade are all carefully weighed measured and logged. I check before I make a new batch that I haven't varied the type or quantity of an ingredient. I will also have weighed the total finished product and worked out how much a single serving should weigh. I do not expect anyone else to use or trust that data but the description 'homemade' will appear in my diary.

This is where I see a lot of ppl getting ripped about 'logging accurately'. I also cook almost exclusively at home, measure all the ingredients, make a recipe and log it accurately into my diary. I've seen others that do the same and then the MFP community rips them for not logging accurately. How is it not accurate if YOU made it yourself? I don't know why people assume that if it says 'homemade' or whatever its a database entry and not a recipe you made. Dumb.

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