Serving sizes offered on this sight....

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...are really getting to me. I really enjoy all aspects of this website. I love that they have so many food options. But the serving sizes are so irritating. What the heck is 1 serving? ML? I measure my milk by the cup! Why can't they have normal sized servings? I measure with cups and spoons (teaspoon/tablespoons) and weight by the oz. I have a hard enough time to find time to log BEFORE I eat, I don't have time to search for a converter too. Is this so much to ask for?! Please, tell me I'm not the only one. I guess I'll try to take time to input my own foods that I eat...once I find the place to do that! The bar code option is very cool!
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Replies

  • shadowofender
    shadowofender Posts: 786 Member
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    If you look you can find different entries. It sounds like you find user submitted ones a lot of the time and you're right, who knows what a serving is.

    The good news is, once you find proper entries for the things you eat frequently, it'll show up in your recent list and then you can use it over and over.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    You just need to keep looking until you find the proper one.
  • glevinso
    glevinso Posts: 1,895 Member
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    vtroys wrote: »
    ...are really getting to me. I really enjoy all aspects of this website. I love that they have so many food options. But the serving sizes are so irritating. What the heck is 1 serving? ML? I measure my milk by the cup! Why can't they have normal sized servings? I measure with cups and spoons (teaspoon/tablespoons) and weight by the oz. I have a hard enough time to find time to log BEFORE I eat, I don't have time to search for a converter too. Is this so much to ask for?! Please, tell me I'm not the only one. I guess I'll try to take time to input my own foods that I eat...once I find the place to do that! The bar code option is very cool!

    You had time to post this, but claim to not have time to google for a converter?

  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    Serving sizes are entered by people, when they create their own foods and enter their preferred unit of measurement. ml = milliliter which is a unit used to measure liquids outside of the US. I personally prefer that, or grams because both are much more accurate than a cup since a cup can vary in shape and size and how much you fill it can vary each time.

    I rarely if ever measure by teaspoons/tablespoons and you can bet you'll never catch me measuring in oz.

    That's why this website is wonderful, because you can use the entries that most closely resemble your preferred unit of measurement or use your own without excluding any one group of people.
  • kr1stadee
    kr1stadee Posts: 1,774 Member
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    1 cup = 250 ml of milk.
  • rgauthier20420
    rgauthier20420 Posts: 52 Member
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    God forbid people outside of the US use this site and app. We're just about the only ones not using the metric system btw. If you're serious about using the site/app than you'll find time get everything in.
  • tracymayo1
    tracymayo1 Posts: 445 Member
    edited October 2014
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    vtroys wrote: »
    ...are really getting to me. I really enjoy all aspects of this website. I love that they have so many food options. But the serving sizes are so irritating. What the heck is 1 serving? ML? I measure my milk by the cup! Why can't they have normal sized servings? I measure with cups and spoons (teaspoon/tablespoons) and weight by the oz. I have a hard enough time to find time to log BEFORE I eat, I don't have time to search for a converter too. Is this so much to ask for?! Please, tell me I'm not the only one. I guess I'll try to take time to input my own foods that I eat...once I find the place to do that! The bar code option is very cool!

    Here is a weight converter for you. Bookmark it to convert when needed:
    http://www.onlineconversion.com/weight_common.htm

    Also, My food scale has the option to weigh in grams / ounces / pounds - maybe get one too so you can weight your food then record various types of weight?

    Anything with 1 serving - you shouldn't use as it is someones specific recipe. You don't know what their serving is.
    - Try to avoid the foods with a * before the description.. those are entries made by other users. The entries without the star are entries made by MFP and would have the most "confirmations" therefore are more accurate.
  • alyssareyans
    alyssareyans Posts: 88 Member
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    I had the exact same issue as you. I started using the app to log all of my foods. Now they're stored in my food diary so all I have to do is just click on them and don't have to worry about serving size because it's stored properly according to the barcode I scanned.
  • Bry_Fitness70
    Bry_Fitness70 Posts: 2,480 Member
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    I would actually like to see volume measurements like cups disappear - anything I prepare at home is weighed, which is a much more precise methodology (and I don't care if the weights are metric or imperial, my scale accommodates both!).

    How do you account for things made "family style" using cups? Take a scoop of pasta and force it into a measuring cup, then the pasta sauce, etc - just weight the pasta, click tare weight, put the sauce on, click again, add cheese, etc...
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    edited October 2014
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    bw_conway wrote: »
    How do you account for things made "family style" using cups? Take a scoop of pasta and force it into a measuring cup, then the pasta sauce, etc - just weight the pasta, click tare weight, put the sauce on, click again, add cheese, etc...

    I wouldn't like that, personally. Although the vast majority of my stuff is weighed not measured by cups, I like using cups for soup because my ladle happens to be exactly half a cup and I'm using it to ladle my soup anyway. I do agree that weighing is more hassle free for other things, and much more accurate.

    I like that we have choice, and I would like it to stay that way.
  • caitconquersweight
    caitconquersweight Posts: 316 Member
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    Do you have a food scale? Use it to measure EVERYTHING that isn't a liquid. I even use the scale to measure my protein powder. "One scoop" could be 35g, it could be 50g, it all depends on how I do the scoop. I'd rather get a good and even 42g on the scale rather than trusting the scoop. Get a digital scale that has measurements for oz, g, lbs, and kg. That should help with your conversions.

    And I've never ever had a problem finding milk in cups. Like I use 2% milk. I search for... "2% milk." And I'm always able to enter the amount in cups.

    If the site doesn't have the conversions you need, use google.
  • lorib642
    lorib642 Posts: 1,942 Member
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    tracymayo1 wrote: »
    vtroys wrote: »
    ...are really getting to me. I really enjoy all aspects of this website. I love that they have so many food options. But the serving sizes are so irritating. What the heck is 1 serving? ML? I measure my milk by the cup! Why can't they have normal sized servings? I measure with cups and spoons (teaspoon/tablespoons) and weight by the oz. I have a hard enough time to find time to log BEFORE I eat, I don't have time to search for a converter too. Is this so much to ask for?! Please, tell me I'm not the only one. I guess I'll try to take time to input my own foods that I eat...once I find the place to do that! The bar code option is very cool!

    Here is a weight converter for you. Bookmark it to convert when needed:
    http://www.onlineconversion.com/weight_common.htm

    Also, My food scale has the option to weigh in grams / ounces / pounds - maybe get one too so you can weight your food then record various types of weight?

    Anything with 1 serving - you shouldn't use as it is someones specific recipe. You don't know what their serving is.
    - Try to avoid the foods with a * before the description.. those are entries made by other users. The entries without the star are entries made by MFP and would have the most "confirmations" therefore are more accurate.

    Thank you :)
  • dunnodunno
    dunnodunno Posts: 2,290 Member
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    vtroys wrote: »
    ...are really getting to me. I really enjoy all aspects of this website. I love that they have so many food options. But the serving sizes are so irritating. What the heck is 1 serving? ML? I measure my milk by the cup! Why can't they have normal sized servings? I measure with cups and spoons (teaspoon/tablespoons) and weight by the oz. I have a hard enough time to find time to log BEFORE I eat, I don't have time to search for a converter too. Is this so much to ask for?! Please, tell me I'm not the only one. I guess I'll try to take time to input my own foods that I eat...once I find the place to do that! The bar code option is very cool!

    If you don't have the time to log the item before you eat then why don't you try to plan your days ahead of time? If you need to convert let's say grams into ounces you can type the grams into Google's toolbar & ask to be converted into ounces & it will pop up at the top of the screen.

  • kjarvo
    kjarvo Posts: 235 Member
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    vtroys wrote: »
    ...are really getting to me. I really enjoy all aspects of this website. I love that they have so many food options. But the serving sizes are so irritating. What the heck is 1 serving? ML? I measure my milk by the cup! Why can't they have normal sized servings? I measure with cups and spoons (teaspoon/tablespoons) and weight by the oz. I have a hard enough time to find time to log BEFORE I eat, I don't have time to search for a converter too. Is this so much to ask for?! Please, tell me I'm not the only one. I guess I'll try to take time to input my own foods that I eat...once I find the place to do that! The bar code option is very cool!

    Well I measure milk using ml. People do things differently, get over it. There are loads of different entries with cups, metric and imperial measurements. Milk, and other generic USDA values usually list cups, average sizes and 100g. Those values are the most helpful for me because they have the most data.
  • RedheadQuine
    RedheadQuine Posts: 111 Member
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    Google has a built in converter, it's brilliant. I use both US and metric measurements. It's rare I can't find an entry that has the right units to be honest, but if I can't, I convert it. Try it out, just type in:

    convert 1 cup to ml

    Or something like that. You can use it for everything from measurements to currencies.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
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    Google has a built in converter, it's brilliant. I use both US and metric measurements. It's rare I can't find an entry that has the right units to be honest, but if I can't, I convert it. Try it out, just type in:

    convert 1 cup to ml

    Or something like that. You can use it for everything from measurements to currencies.
    I use google's converter, too.

  • vtroys
    vtroys Posts: 16
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    God forbid people outside of the US use this site and app. We're just about the only ones not using the metric system btw. If you're serious about using the site/app than you'll find time get everything in.

    That's my goal for this weekend! :)
  • solveisen
    Options
    So I have the opposite problem. With cups and oz and whatnot. I live in a metric world. As I have seen suggested elsewhere, as it is possible to convert between the systems, it shouldn't be impossible for MFP to integrate a converter into the program. I'm not a programmer or anything, but I don't think it should be too hard. Just imagine, finding an entry in a unit you don't use and by a click converting it to your measurement... I can dream I guess...
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    As others have said, if you bother to find the good entries they typically have a range of units, including cups (if you must), ounces, and 100 grams.

    Look for the ones without asterisks.
  • Oi_Sunshine
    Oi_Sunshine Posts: 819 Member
    edited January 2015
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    250ml = 1 cup.

    You're welcome!

    Love, Canada :)

    Also, free conversion apps for your phone make things easier.