Logging Accurately..step by step guide

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  • ggeise14
    ggeise14 Posts: 387 Member
    bump
  • beachgod
    beachgod Posts: 567 Member
    Great, helpful thread and I'd like to highlight one thing mentioned in the OP which I find very helpful is finding entries using grams. This makes it a lot easier to weigh food on my digital scale. She specifically mentioned 100 grams but I look for entries that have 1 gram options. In addition, if I can't find one I make my own and put bg (for beachgod) at the end so I know it is mine.
  • Fladebbie
    Fladebbie Posts: 9
    Thank you so much for taking the time to post this information. I am new to logging and there was a lot of great information I was unaware of :happy: Kudos!
  • Pmsylvester
    Pmsylvester Posts: 36 Member
    Thanks for the time and effort! In for using as an ongoing reference.
  • fleetzz
    fleetzz Posts: 962 Member
    Bump
  • cstringfellow2013
    cstringfellow2013 Posts: 172 Member
    Also, while I think your post is wonderful and informative, there is one other exception I will point out. One of my few exceptions to "accurate logging" is shredded cheese. I log it as cups, but I do weigh it out, simply because on the nutrition label it states: 1/4 cup (28 g). I will weight out 28 grams, but log it as a quarter cup. The calories are exactly the same either way, but it is easier to find the 1/4 cup entries than search for one with grams. To use your words, it might look like a duck and quack like a duck, but I'm pretty sure it's not a duck ;) Other than that, I enjoyed your post and agree fully.

    I do this as well. So it may look like I'm not weighing, but I am.
  • sashafischang
    sashafischang Posts: 38 Member
    bump...I've been trying to track this damn thing down forever :)
  • donyellemoniquex3
    donyellemoniquex3 Posts: 2,384 Member
    bump !
  • karak80
    karak80 Posts: 19
    bump
  • Can_Change_Natalie
    Can_Change_Natalie Posts: 109 Member
    bump
  • DianeinCA
    DianeinCA Posts: 307 Member
    Bump -- I know I'm going to need to find this again. (I had NO idea WHAT the asterisks meant before now.)
  • agent99oz
    agent99oz Posts: 185 Member
    This is brillant - thanks so much for taking the time to post. I will re-think how I log some of my calories

    Cheers
    D
  • judyde
    judyde Posts: 401 Member
    Bumping for reference.

    Also, one tip that someone told me is that if you edit a food entry (like I just did since the Trader Joe's Light Whole Wheat Bread barcode didn't match the nutritional value) then it goes back to 0 confirmations. So sometimes items with 0 confirmations ARE accurate. But it would be hard to tell.
  • LFDBabs
    LFDBabs Posts: 297 Member
    Also bumping for reference. Thanks!
  • BRA_S
    BRA_S Posts: 111 Member
    Thank you!
  • Can_Change_Natalie
    Can_Change_Natalie Posts: 109 Member
    I just wanted to come back to this post and say a HUGE thank you to Steph for posting this! ... after reading this post i went and started checking my entries and have found a lot of them to be very inaccurate :-( even quiet a few i used the barcode scanner on seem to be out.

    Thank you again for taking time to help others out.
  • lenarashminraj
    lenarashminraj Posts: 53 Member
    really informative.. Even i add reciepes wth my name, so its easy for me to get from database..
  • sokkache
    sokkache Posts: 220 Member
    I've guesstimated the entire time and although I'm not losing as fast as I wish I was, I'm definitely still losing and I am enjoying the results. "Logging accurately" just takes up too much time that I don't have and too much effort that I'm not willing to put in.

    I'm sure if I did weigh every ounce of food I put in my mouth, I would be at my goal weight by now. But, nobody's perfect.
  • terryfloresg
    terryfloresg Posts: 23 Member
    Bumping for reference. Thanks
  • squishycatmew
    squishycatmew Posts: 151 Member
    So, what's the benefit of logging cooked food along with style of cooking versus logging uncooked weight and any additional ingredients used to cook it? I'm only cooking for myself, so I usually weigh/measure everything before it gets cooked, and log any cooking fats, broth, etc. Occasionally I use the recipe builder if I'm making a large batch of something I intend to eat over the course of the week, but quite frankly, it's terrible, so I'd rather not.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    So, what's the benefit of logging cooked food along with style of cooking versus logging uncooked weight and any additional ingredients used to cook it? I'm only cooking for myself, so I usually weigh/measure everything before it gets cooked, and log any cooking fats, broth, etc. Occasionally I use the recipe builder if I'm making a large batch of something I intend to eat over the course of the week, but quite frankly, it's terrible, so I'd rather not.

    There is no benefit but sometimes it's a requirement. If I cooked for just me I would log everything uncooked as the method of cooking etc can make a difference in the weight of the item...

    for example a boiled potato weighs more than the same potato baked and compare that to a raw potato and again different weights.

    Meat when cooked loses weight...a 4oz burger raw does not weigh 4oz cooked as a lot of the fat will have "cooked" off.

    But because I cook for 3 I weigh items cooked (by method) and log as such. It can make a huge difference in calories.

    For example roasted chicken breast meat only @ 140g has 231 calories...raw chicken breast same grams is 160 calories...but that weight will decrease with cooking.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,285 Member
    I've guesstimated the entire time and although I'm not losing as fast as I wish I was, I'm definitely still losing and I am enjoying the results. "Logging accurately" just takes up too much time that I don't have and too much effort that I'm not willing to put in.

    I'm sure if I did weigh every ounce of food I put in my mouth, I would be at my goal weight by now. But, nobody's perfect.

    I think if you are guesstimating things and not logging accurately and you are still losing weight at a steady rate and you are happy with your results - there is no problem.

    I admit I don't log in absolute accuracy - I call a mandarine a medium mandarine , I don't weigh it, for example.
    But I have reached my goal and am successfully marinating - so, not a problem.

    However, whenever there are people not knowing why they are not progressing or who are claiming they cannot lose on 1000 calories or suchlike, then they really need to listen to advice about tightening their logging practices to see where their problem lies.
  • justjambo
    justjambo Posts: 20 Member
    One thing I find puzzling is when I edit an entry. I am trying to get things right, searching through the listings to find one that is correct. I often find something almost there, but then note that there is no sugar listed, or the protein is much higher than it actually is on the item.

    So I edit. It changes page but then I have no way of adding that item. I go back to the main list, go through them all again and can't find the one I have edited. Very irritating at times.

    Is there any way to overcome this issue, am I missing a basic / simple step?

    This has led to me adding yet another listing for the item, copying down all of the nutritional factors on the bottle / carton etc, which means there are duplicate items listed.

    When we add our own meal / recipe, we have worked out the calorie content of everything in it, and tried our utmost to put in other nutritional info such as protein, but find it hard at times. Like others, we have listed these with an initial first, so that we found our item again easily. (Though now we both have them on our own foods tab.)
  • PayneAS
    PayneAS Posts: 669 Member
    .is, Is there a way to enter my recipe for my own use....but-here is the key-that my husband, who is avidly tracking on MFP, can also easily access---without adding them to the bulging MFP database? I have no personal need to "clutter" the database, but he is eating what I'm cooking, so....lol!

    He should be able to go to your diary entry for that day and copy that meal to his diary.
  • boomkattack
    boomkattack Posts: 14
    Awesome post, thanks for the tips! I don't have a food scale so I have to guesstimate. I know there are others like me who don't weigh as well but log what we can whenever possible. It may not be the most accurate but I agree that if you're losing weight and getting good results, then you're in good shape.
  • 867Jen5309
    867Jen5309 Posts: 37 Member
    Great post!! Thank you!
  • DianeinCA
    DianeinCA Posts: 307 Member
    This information has been invaluable. Now I'm annoyed because 1)the iPhone app doesn't show the asterisks (meaning I have to double-check stuff when I get to my computer) and 2)there's no way to say "Don't show me the ones with asterisks anyhow."
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    This information has been invaluable. Now I'm annoyed because 1)the iPhone app doesn't show the asterisks (meaning I have to double-check stuff when I get to my computer) and 2)there's no way to say "Don't show me the ones with asterisks anyhow."

    I agree and I have recently discovered when I was adding a food as it was not in the database (well wrong food for the bar code) it asked "do you want to add this to our database" I unclicked yes and then when I went to add it to my personal food it automatically clicked yes add to database....:grumble:
  • agent99oz
    agent99oz Posts: 185 Member
    BUMP - Such great advice :smile:
  • _KitKat_
    _KitKat_ Posts: 1,066 Member
    Didn't read all 8 pages, so sorry iif this has been asked :blushing:

    I just started weighing all my food. How do you guys handle food you do not finish? Example had a chili dog and was unable to finish, didn't want to deconstruct it so left my numbers alone. Single items, I know how to reweigh and figure just the "compilation" dishes I am not sure of.

    Normally it would not be an issue but my doctor has me on a new med that is effecting my ability to eat, get sick if I eat too much (not much at all). For anyone looking at my diary...yes it is bad, yes just had a Dr Appt today, trying to figure this out. My normal is 1350-1480 calories a day. My blood work is perfect and my doctor is monitoring me closely... Only upside is got a script for prenatal's today, love these vitamins (not pregnant), downside my lifting is suffering drastically :sad:

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