Benefit of continuing to use MFP to track food/exercise?

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kitchentales
kitchentales Posts: 73
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey all. So I've been getting really frustrated with MFP recently. I went to put in the popcorn I had for a snack, and there was an entry that said plain Orville microwave popcorn, buttered and salted but not extra, was 25 calories for a whole bag. The bag I ate said 220. Yes it was extra buttery, but that's practically 200 calories difference!!! I guess I'm starting to question whether or not I should continue using MFP. I usually look at the nutritional info on whatever I'm eating if it's available anyway, and I'm much more aware of what is good or bad for me. So, thoughts? Anyone else ever thought this...?

Thanks!

Replies

  • zakku1
    zakku1 Posts: 32
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    Well, you always have to be careful and double check, which is fairly easy to do using the internet. It's still a good guide to see how many calories you take in once you verify the accuracy of the items.... sometimes we eat a lot more when we don't have a clear record.
  • ShellyMacchi
    ShellyMacchi Posts: 975 Member
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    most foods in the database are entered by users just like you. *S*

    if you cannot find an entry that matches what you are eating, enter it for yourself as a new food, which you can then choose to share with everyone or just have in your own list of foods to use

    edited to add:
    i myself run into difficulties at times with what is already listed as the contents /nutrients etc may actually be different for canadian version of a product and the american version is all i can find in the database, so i just enter my own to use.
  • greeneyed84
    greeneyed84 Posts: 427 Member
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    If it doesn't have an entry with what the box says then you can just create a new entry with all the info on the box yourself. That's what i do!
  • rdy2begin
    rdy2begin Posts: 170
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    i check mine and always change if necessary same with exercise I recalculate cals .Don't give up on mfp just put it in as you know it should be and it helps others best wishes
  • efreeland
    efreeland Posts: 6
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    A good thing to keep in mind is that all of the entries that you see on MFP are put there by fellow MFP users. If the item that you ate isn't in the system then don't be lazy and curse MFP. Instead, make an entry yourself.
  • CallejaFairey
    CallejaFairey Posts: 391 Member
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    when you find stuff like that that is really wrong, you can always click on the nutrtional info above where you choose the serving size, and in the window that pops up, you can say that the info is wrong. idk how many people have to say it's wrong before it gets removed/reviewed, but it can't hurt.
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
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    MFP is a free site with a food database that is primarily user-entered. You HAVE to understand that means there will likely be lots of errors in the database. It's our responsibility to check the accuracy of what we are entering - it doesn't take very long. Look at a few key things (calories, fat, sodium, protien...whatever per serving) and make sure they're close. If so, use it - if not, find one that's a better match.

    If you want to use a database on another site that has no user-entered info, it may be more correct, but will not be nearly as comprehensive as the MFP database. There are pros and cons to both. Personally, I'll take the comprehensive MFP database and just understand that I have to take an extra 2 seconds to check a food before I use it for the first time (after that it's in my "recent" or "most frequently used" food lists).
  • callipygianchronicle
    callipygianchronicle Posts: 811 Member
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    The nutrition database is user-generated content. That means there can and will be user errors. The power of it is that you can change, add, modify any item. If any of that is a deal breaker for you, then you may find a better fit elsewhere. The database, however, is just one part of the whole that this free web site offers. The education and support that happens in the forums, the self-learning that occurs by tracking in my diary, and the deep connections I am building with members who are on this journey with me, make editing or creating items in the database a non-issue for me.
  • kao708
    kao708 Posts: 813 Member
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    when you find stuff like that that is really wrong, you can always click on the nutrtional info above where you choose the serving size, and in the window that pops up, you can say that the info is wrong. idk how many people have to say it's wrong before it gets removed/reviewed, but it can't hurt.
    Once you indicate it's wrong, you should also have an EDIT button that will allow you to correct the entry in the database...or at least for your entry.
  • FitToBeFab
    FitToBeFab Posts: 537 Member
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    If it doesn't have an entry with what the box says then you can just create a new entry with all the info on the box yourself. That's what i do!

    When you open a food in the database's nutritional information, it gives you the option to disagree with the contents and edit it. That's what I do if I notice it's wrong. OR I just look for another one that is more accurate. OR add my own entry :smile:
  • kitchentales
    kitchentales Posts: 73
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    Thanks everyone. So far I have been creating my own food entries, or editing those that seem to be really wrong. It just gets frustrating after a while to have to keep editing or adding on here, when I could just write it down in a notebook at home. But I always share my food entries with others so that I can help as much as I can. Thanks for the tips everyone!!!

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