logging food

bugsy380
bugsy380 Posts: 7 Member
edited November 11 in Food and Nutrition
I'm having a hard time with the food log I don't really want to measure my food because it takes time any ideas?

Replies

  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
    If you're not willing to put in the time to measure and weigh your food, then you may not ready be to lose the weight. You have to put in the work to get results.
  • bugsy380
    bugsy380 Posts: 7 Member
    What about individual servings at the store I know there is a bar code scanner
  • Khukhullatus
    Khukhullatus Posts: 361 Member
    I suppose if you're dead set against measuring, you could always do everything prepackaged. I don't think I'd enjoy it, but there are decent enough microwave meals and health bars and the like. Sounds like and awful lot of suffering just to avoid leaving out some measuring cups and a scale.
  • GreenValli
    GreenValli Posts: 1,054 Member
    MyFitnessPal gives you several options on the drop down menu when choosing how much of whatever you are looking up. You should be able to choose one of those options and weigh or measure the food item. It should not be that hard. Accuracy of calories is important.

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  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
    The bar code scanner is a great tool if it is your only option. Everything else should be weighed. I even weigh my bread! You'd be surprised how inaccurate the back label can be sometimes.

    The good thing is, MFP saves your entries as you go, so once you enter a food, all you have to do is weigh it and enter the serving size in MFP. Please read:
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1290491/how-and-why-to-use-a-digital-food-scale
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide

    It may seem like a lot of work at first, but it becomes habit after a while and it will be so worth it in the end. Good luck!
  • HaideeJo13
    HaideeJo13 Posts: 247 Member
    Weighing your food is pretty much necessary if you want to be accurate on your calorie intake. For instance putting half an avacado is so variable that you may be eating way more calories than you think you are. I weigh everything I eat either with a scale or measuring spoons and cups. Eye balling it is very very inaccurate. If you truly want to lose weight then weigh your food, it does not take that much time.
  • HaideeJo13
    HaideeJo13 Posts: 247 Member
    bugsy380 wrote: »
    What about individual servings at the store I know there is a bar code scanner
    If you get all individual serving foods thats one thing thats pretty easy but that also means for a lot of things you are getting pre packaged foods and that is going to hinder weight loss big time. Pre packaged mean more preservatives, more sodium.

  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
    HaideeJo13 wrote: »
    bugsy380 wrote: »
    What about individual servings at the store I know there is a bar code scanner
    If you get all individual serving foods thats one thing thats pretty easy but that also means for a lot of things you are getting pre packaged foods and that is going to hinder weight loss big time. Pre packaged mean more preservatives, more sodium.

    Preservatives do not hinder weight loss. How many unlabeled calories do you think the BHA in your cereal has? Sodium may cause water retention if eaten in excess, but it will not hinder fat loss. Calories are the only thing that matter for weight loss.

    Also, preservatives are a good thing in modern food packaging practices. Unless you enjoy botulism.
  • BobbiTracey
    BobbiTracey Posts: 53
    There are *some* things you can get away with measuring, and I don't measure all my foods and I still lose heaps. I just think that not measuring food as much as you can leads on to 'cheat' eating, and your logging will be inaccurate without proper food portions. Definitely try to measure as much as you can. It's not very hard to do :)
  • jeanneofmalta
    jeanneofmalta Posts: 7 Member
    Jot food down on note pad and log once a day at the end .
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    HaideeJo13 wrote: »
    bugsy380 wrote: »
    What about individual servings at the store I know there is a bar code scanner
    If you get all individual serving foods thats one thing thats pretty easy but that also means for a lot of things you are getting pre packaged foods and that is going to hinder weight loss big time. Pre packaged mean more preservatives, more sodium.

    As long as they are eating at a deficit, their weight loss will not be hindered. There are people that eat a lot of prepackaged and boxed foods that lose weight just fine.
  • honkytonks85
    honkytonks85 Posts: 669 Member
    I'll be honest. I have lost stacks of weight not measuring absolutely everything. Generally I try and overestimate a bit, and don't eat back all my exercise calories.
  • tlblood
    tlblood Posts: 473 Member
    While I agree whole-heartedly with what everyone else has said about the importance of measuring for accurately counting calories, a good place for you to start might be with just writing down what you eat. That act alone might bring more awareness to you of what you are eating, how often, etc. For me, counting calories is more about being aware of the kinds of foods I'm eating, and not necessarily about knowing the exact number of calories. When you're in that habit, you can start measuring to be even more accurate (you'd be shocked at how often the salad at a restaurant is NOT the healthiest option on the menu). It honestly doesn't take that much time, it's just a habit that takes some getting used to to remember to do it.
  • Aemely
    Aemely Posts: 694 Member
    honkytonks85 wrote: »
    I'll be honest. I have lost stacks of weight not measuring absolutely everything. Generally I try and overestimate a bit, and don't eat back all my exercise calories.

    Yep, I've lost more than OP's goal loss without weighing very often at all. I eat a fair amount of prepackaged foods (especially for work lunches), but I also eat at restaurants (and I don't weigh anything at a restaurant ~ ha-ha). I do measure or count many things (milk, peanut butter, chips, sugar, honey, etc.) fairly religiously, but I only break out the scale when I'm cooking meat or pasta, as I know I have a tendency to underlog those items.

    Set a reasonable goal, be honest in your logging, and eat back only some of your exercise calories, and you may have similar results. If not, you may need to break out the scale!

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  • tibby531
    tibby531 Posts: 717 Member
    I weight/measure and pre-log the week on sundays. it's the only thing that keeps me going.
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
    All of this is based on estimates ... BMR, TDEE, RMR, exercise burns, etc ... nothing but estimates from calculators. The more accurate you are in measuring intake, the more of the errors in the estimates you can account for and potentially eliminate.

    Up to you.
  • tlblood
    tlblood Posts: 473 Member
    PikaKnight wrote: »
    HaideeJo13 wrote: »
    bugsy380 wrote: »
    What about individual servings at the store I know there is a bar code scanner
    If you get all individual serving foods thats one thing thats pretty easy but that also means for a lot of things you are getting pre packaged foods and that is going to hinder weight loss big time. Pre packaged mean more preservatives, more sodium.

    As long as they are eating at a deficit, their weight loss will not be hindered. There are people that eat a lot of prepackaged and boxed foods that lose weight just fine.

    I suppose it's all about the long term goal...are you here to lose weight or are you here to be healthy? As handy as the barcode scanner is (and I'll admit I use it relatively frequently), every time I use it, I think that I should be eating fewer foods that are prepackaged if I want to be healthier (not to say all prepackaged food is bad, every carton of milk is going to have a barcode, but the more fresh foods I can eat the better). Weight loss is a happy side-effect...
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