Frustrated with hard-to-measure foods

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nearlywedding
nearlywedding Posts: 2
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi guys, wondering if I could get some advice from you.

This is my second "round" with MFP - the first time was at the end of my old job. I successfully lost about 10lb (which was very close to my goal).

Then I moved 3500 miles, started working 80+ hours a week, planned my wedding, started two outside-of-work projects. After I moved, the fitness center I was using wasn't close to me any more. Many of the food options/groceries/restaurant foods in this area often don't scan on the MFP bar code. Gained the weight back and then some over the last year and a half.

Since then, I've been struggling so far, but have made a little progress since re-starting 2 months ago (8lb).

Problem: I basically want to eat a lot of foods that won't scan into MFP well and I've been avoiding them because I can't figure out quantities. For example, my hospital cafeteria serves scrambled eggs - how can I estimate how many eggs I'm getting? How many calories are in the bacon or the sausage? What about the cottage cheese? chunks of fruit?

The only things in the cafeteria that scan are bagels, hummus and pretzels, various drinks, chobani yogurt. I'll eat these things if I have to, but I don't like them :(

I'm SO sick of Au Bon Pain offerings, but if anyone has some ideas from Au Bon Pain, I'll try something new (I've eaten their egg whites, cheddar, avocado on a skinny wheat bagel about 9 billion times this year).

There are so many little coffee shops around here that have absolutely no nutrition information regarding any of their high-carb, hunger-inducing foods. How many calories are in the large latte with 1% milk?

I'm so sad there is no Starbucks here because even if a lot of the food is crappy, I ate their fruit and cheese tray with happiness and knowledge.

OK this was mostly a rant, but I just need more options for foods that can be scanned and I'll take any and all advice.

TL:DR: where can I find pre-prepared foods in the New England area that can be scanned?

Replies

  • AskTracyAnnK28
    AskTracyAnnK28 Posts: 2,817 Member
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    Where in New England are you?

    Maybe it would be better for you to prepare something at home instead of getting cafeteria food? You'll save tons more money that way as well.

    I'm a HUGE fan or Amy's Organics...I'm sure they sell Amy's at grocery stores in New England.
  • IvyLuci
    IvyLuci Posts: 117 Member
    edited November 2014
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    OK, easiest solution would be to just start taking things to work that you measured at home.
    Second solution would be to just guess, which will have to be the closest you are going to get.
    If there is any way to have a standardized measure of things (let's say the serving of eggs is one spoon, for example), log an approximation into MFP, and then track over two weeks. If you continue losing you are somewhat correct. If your weightloss stalls, don't eat the entire serving. Reducing everything by a bit should create the deficit you need.
  • nearlywedding
    nearlywedding Posts: 2
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    Thanks guys! I'm in Rhode Island. Haven't seen Amy's Organics but I'll keep an eye out.

    Ivy, I think I should probably try exactly what you suggest. You see, the hospital gives me money to buy food in the cafeteria (because we work 80 hours a week and it's not always easy to have time to prepare food at home).

    So if I don't buy those scrambled eggs, that money goes to waste and then I have to spend time preparing something at home, making new dishes and costing more money. I can just take a guess at what a serving of eggs looks like. I can guess based on the volume of the take-out containers.
  • barbz2119
    barbz2119 Posts: 124 Member
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    I would try guessing like suggested above. If you scramble eggs at home you will have some idea of how much one or two eggs look like and use that as a guide and as suggested if you lose you know you are guessing right. There are always ways to get round problems and having another set of eyes look over your issues can sometimes resolve as we all think differently. Also if you cant make the gym, Im sure you can get plenty of cardio just walking around the hospital and up and down stairs...it all counts. Good luck!
  • obscuremusicreference
    obscuremusicreference Posts: 1,320 Member
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    Maybe you should take an empty takeout container home and prepare things you usually buy so you can make sure you're only eating two eggs, etc. If that's all the weight you've lost, you're probably overestimating.

    Au Bon Pain does list their calorie counts: http://aubonpain.com/sites/default/files/menu_nutrition.pdf and your hospital cafeteria might as well. I know when my mother was in the hospital, there was a dietary information brochure brought with the menu. Maybe you can snag one and try to use a room tray container instead of the takeout one so you know the sizing is correct?

    Does your cafeteria have a salad bar? Load up on greens and veggies and skip the cheeses, bacon bits, etc because there's a larger margin of error on overestimating those. I was shocked at what my salads clocked in at when I started counting calories. And for someone who cooks and bakes, I sure did have a wonky idea of what a tablespoon of salad dressing looks like.

    Is it at all possible that you can take a container of food home, repackage it after weighing it, and then microwave it at work?

    Good luck!
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,009 Member
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    nearlywedding wrote: »

    Since then, I've been struggling so far, but have made a little progress since re-starting 2 months ago (8lb).

    2 months. 8 lbs. One pound per week. What's the problem? You're losing at a perfectly reasonable rate.

  • oberlin078
    oberlin078 Posts: 10 Member
    edited November 2014
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    I agree, I'd be celebrating your loss so far! 8 lb over two months is a good, sustainable rate of loss, and sticking to it for that long even in spite of the frustrations shows real commitment. Keep up what you're doing; you're on the right track!

    As far as logging foods, I find scanning really convenient but entering search terms, while it takes longer and may be less accurate, opens up a huge number of foods in the database that you can't get to by scanning. For many of them, you can change the units. Maybe it's hard to see how many eggs are in your scoop of scrambled eggs, but you might be able to estimate that it's a half-cup, for example.

    Keep on trucking, you're doing great!
  • CeleryStick22
    CeleryStick22 Posts: 6 Member
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    I suppose you could go by volume instead, by bringing a container from home of known volume (or I've seen containers designed for food storage/packed lunches that have measurement increments on the side) and transferring foods into it before you eat it - logging 1 cup of scrambled eggs is probably more accurate than eyeballing it and guessing the weight!

    But 8lb is good, it's still 8lb less than you were two months ago - don't dismiss it! :) Be proud of those 8lb and keep on going ;)
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    The problem with scrambled eggs is even if you get the weight right you have no idea how much butter or milk has been added and butter is densely calorific

    Is that the only egg choice ...do they do boiled you can eat with toast?

    Also bacon ..what type and how is it prepared?

    Long term Can you talk to the hospital about the possibility of either providing healthier foods on the menu or nutritional guidelines?
  • harlequin0318
    harlequin0318 Posts: 415 Member
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    Most of the hospitals I have been to for clinicals and work provide nutritional information in plain sight - from Magnet status to "the only hospital in a 40 mile radius". Speak to someone in dietary - because if they can count calories for the patients there, you can also get that info.
  • ereck44
    ereck44 Posts: 1,170 Member
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    First of all, 8 pound weight loss in 2 months is AWESOME! Secondly, you work 80+ hours per week in a hospital setting?--I'll bet your cortisol level is through the roof. I only work 40 hours per week and it takes me a couple of days to recover. I love harlequin's idea--yes, you probably can get that information from their dietary department. Also suggest taking high protein edible snacks for those in-between times when you can't get to the cafeteria: nuts, sunflower seeds, cottage cheese, etc. I pre-package my food and take it to work with me but probably would eat at the cafeteria if my job paid for it. However, I do have more control over the type and quantity of food that I eat.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    The large latte with 1% milk is similar to other large lattes at chain places that have nutritional info on-line.

    Regarding your cafeteria: ask for the calories and other nutritional information for the eggs, bacon, sausage, cottage heese, chunks of fruit.

    Regarding Au Bon Pain offerings: If you have not yet considered it yet, try the Half-Sandwhich of Black Angus Roast Beef and Herb Cheese Sandwich for 260 calories. Also the Half Sandwich Caprese Sandwich for 310 calories.

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