Questions About MFP

candyliquor
candyliquor Posts: 27
in Getting Started
Hello all! So, I'm new here to MFP and I have a few questions I just thought of today as I was logging my food and exercise. The first one is; is there a way to preview what foods you want to add and what the calories would be without having to add/subtract them to the food log? Like say... maybe I want some eggs and toast with some grapes... or no! Maybe I want cereal, toast and some strawberries! But now I want to see which one would be the lower calorie meal, how do I do this without adding everything and removing it and adding everything else again? I know there's the meal thingie? But I'm not exactly sure how that works or how to do that...

The second thing! How do you go about adding something in the food log if something is homemade, especially if you're not the one making it and you have no frigging idea what the calories are for each thing that goes into the meal. An example is, my dad (I live at home right now) usually makes dinner on the weekend and we're the 'you eat what I make' type of family (well, they are... his house his rules, etc..). So sometimes he'll make dinner but I have no idea what the calories combined all are (especially if it's a homemade soup) and a lot of the time I can find the equivalent in the database for certain meals but I don't know how accurate it is, considering people make things differently.

Any tips on these two things would be especially appreciated! Thank you! =)

Replies

  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    1. On the app it is a lot easier to see the calories of things without actually adding them.

    2. Recipe builder. Of course it is a lot easier if you actually are the one cooking, but if you're not you'll just have to use your best guess on what might be in there. Or use the closest thing in the database.

    The recipe builder is under the food tab on the website and under settings on the app (at least on the andriod version).
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    On the app it is a lot easier to see the calories of things without actually adding them.
    ^This.

    Ask your dad to help you enter his recipes in the recipe builder. (In the app, it's Settings > My Food and Exercises > My Recipes.) in some cases, just choose the best match in the database. But it's chockful of incorrect data, so choose wisely. Using a really low-calorie listing will never, ever get you closer to your goal.

    Log everything you eat as accurately & honestly as possible. Get a digital food scale, and weigh everything—even packaged food.

    For good "how-to" information, read the Sexypants post: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • gary241069
    gary241069 Posts: 255 Member
    How about asking your dad to teach you how to cook.
    That way he feels important, plus you get to see the ingredient in the meal.
    You never know. It may even be good for your family relationship.
  • candyliquor
    candyliquor Posts: 27
    Thanks! Yeah, the next time my dad cooks one of his soups or something I'll have to get a list of ingredients and put them down in the recipes, that way I always have them on hand!

    My dad only cooks on the weekends and those are also the nights he drinks a lot, so I generally don't like to be around him when he drinks/cooks. But if I know what he's making ahead of time and it's not in the database, I can now make up a recipe. I really like the recipe option!
  • _Terrapin_
    _Terrapin_ Posts: 4,301 Member
    On the app it is a lot easier to see the calories of things without actually adding them.
    ^This.

    Ask your dad to help you enter his recipes in the recipe builder. (In the app, it's Settings > My Food and Exercises > My Recipes.) in some cases, just choose the best match in the database. But it's chockful of incorrect data, so choose wisely. Using a really low-calorie listing will never, ever get you closer to your goal.

    Log everything you eat as accurately & honestly as possible. Get a digital food scale, and weigh everything—even packaged food.

    For good "how-to" information, read the Sexypants post: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    I hope someone is getting a royalty on this link; sexypants, sexypants, sexypants. . . . . .woo hoo. . . . just read it OMG do it!

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