How is LOGGING a way of Life???
Leka1000
Posts: 160 Member
I've been logging everything AND accurately for the last month! I went insane today because it literally took me about 30 min to enter a Naan Pizza recipe into MFP. A recipe that I want to easily use over and over again. I was so frustrated I actually threw my phone! How is this lifestyle sustainable? Seriously! Accuracy is KEY but what about staying sane? What about exercising during logging time? I don't know what to do? Please help!
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It's easier for me to log on my laptop than my phone. Been doing it for about 3.5 months and I'm not insane yet.0
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Deep breath. There are some glitches on the recipe builder page that I've encountered but MFP advised scrolling down when the page is (seems) blank, and that has helped.
Give yourself time to adapt; how long have you been logging? It does start to get easier and faster. Stay committed to your calorie goal and stay the course. Tomorrow is a new day. Relax.0 -
How does it take 30min to make a recipe? With the new layout on PC it's much easier. If you want to guesstimate, by all means guesstimate.0
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You're probably just still figuring out how to use it. It takes me less than 5 minutes per day to enter everything. If you pre-log things while in line, etc. it takes basically 0 minutes.0
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ogmomma2012 wrote: »How does it take 30min to make a recipe? With the new layout on PC it's much easier. If you want to guesstimate, by all means guesstimate.
She's doing the logging on her phone, that's most likely why it took so long.
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strong_curves wrote: »ogmomma2012 wrote: »How does it take 30min to make a recipe? With the new layout on PC it's much easier. If you want to guesstimate, by all means guesstimate.
She's doing the logging on her phone, that's most likely why it took so long.
It may take a little more time, but I've found the time difference negligible. There can be a lot of different results to wade through, that is for sure!0 -
I'll second the advice to use a mac/pc for logging and recipes. Using my phone, even with the app, is much slower.0
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Once it's in there, you won't have to repeat it. I use my laptop in combination with my phone (scanner). It takes just minutes a day.0
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strong_curves wrote: »It's easier for me to log on my laptop than my phone. Been doing it for about 3.5 months and I'm not insane yet.
^This. I find logging on the computer much easier than using the app. But in the beginning, it can take time to add in your recipes, that's for sure.
One thing someone suggested on the forums awhile back was to log recipes as meals - entering each component individually, because that gives you more flexibility with adjusting the amount or ingredients you use when you make it. I find it to be helpful for recipes where I'm making a single serving (like a homemade pizza for one) or cooking for two, because I can just halve the portion sizes. It might make the process less frustrating, and once you've saved it as a meal, it's easy to log.0 -
It does become second nature. Today is only my 4th day and I am already starting to reach for my phone before or after I eat something without even realising it. However on the other side if you don't want to count you could always try intuitive eating. Check out josie mai on you tube. Or there are others. I couldn't do it because I need to know what I am eating. But a lot of people have had successes with it. Just a suggestion.0
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I don't do ANYTHING MFP (or any other app) with my phone! Sheesh, I hate texting, much less entering recipes! I go through my PC for everything.0
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Logging is as much a way of life as landscaping or gardening or tree pruning may be.0
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You get used to it and it becomes habit. I only use the phone app and don't find it cumbersome at all. When I first started I didn't make myself crazy with the details-I just logged. Eventually I got more meticulous and now I weigh everything and have plenty of recipes. I simply record into the recipe builder as I go.
It all gets easier-just take a breath and don't make yourself crazy. At this point I am like a human calorie-count encyclopedia. People hate me for it ;-)0 -
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I use my phone to make phone calls and send the rare text. My PC has a a high speed internet connection and is attached to two monitors, one them wide, and a full size keyboard with number pad. I can't imagine using a phone.
Actually, I can, I use my fiance's iPhone for search when we're away from the computer, and it blows.0 -
I really enjoy it now, it's kind of exciting when I scan something and it finds it. I've found I have quite a few meals that are the same or similar. So I will copy the meal over and change it as needed. That takes much less time than entering it manually.0
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I log and create meals/recipes all the time with my phone. It takes no longer than a pc.
Oh, and I still love pc's. I also have dual monitors on every pc I use including the 4 different pc's at work. But this isn't a pc vs phone debate, this is about staying sane.
I suggest taking things easy. Like slaite1, I also stated off with approximations and have slowly gotten more accurate as time goes on. As foods build up in your frequent list it gets easier to log foods you eat often.0 -
strong_curves wrote: »ogmomma2012 wrote: »How does it take 30min to make a recipe? With the new layout on PC it's much easier. If you want to guesstimate, by all means guesstimate.
She's doing the logging on her phone, that's most likely why it took so long.
I almost threw mine out the window when I tried it.
OP, try the OLD recipe builder (lower right part on the screen, when viewing from the computer, & def use the computer). It's MUCH easier to use.0 -
I have gotten so used to entering everything, either on the PC or phone app, that I get anxious when I can't log my entries. So, for me, logging equals accountability and makes me see what I am really eating rather than estimating.0
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It's a pain, especially when you have to enter recipes. It's not going to be a lifelong thing for me. But if you're counting calories, it beats making charts and having folders. IMO.0
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I logged for 2 years losing 100 pounds, and for an additional year maintaining weight. Logging became so natural that I have developed the ability to track by feel.I've been logging everything AND accurately for the last month! I went insane today because it literally took me about 30 min to enter a Naan Pizza recipe into MFP. A recipe that I want to easily use over and over again. I was so frustrated I actually threw my phone! How is this lifestyle sustainable? Seriously! Accuracy is KEY but what about staying sane? What about exercising during logging time? I don't know what to do? Please help!
I just look at any food and know it's calorie content and macro breakdown.
When I exercise, I just know the calorie burn.
I stopped logging almost 2 years ago and have maintained weight all this time.
It's sub-conscience now, and totally a way of life.
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I've been logging for 120 days, and have lost weight every week, but I've never bothered to create any recipes.
I just over-guesstimate when something isn't scannable or searchable by text. Scanning/searching only takes a few seconds.0 -
Recipe building on a phone, would drive me insane too. I use my PC for recipe building, so much faster. Logging become quicker and easier over time, since most people tend to have their favourites.0
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I've been logging everything AND accurately for the last month! I went insane today because it literally took me about 30 min to enter a Naan Pizza recipe into MFP. A recipe that I want to easily use over and over again. I was so frustrated I actually threw my phone! How is this lifestyle sustainable? Seriously! Accuracy is KEY but what about staying sane? What about exercising during logging time? I don't know what to do? Please help!
Insane is the last place anybody needs to be.
If you use certain recipes often, it's a one time deal to weigh the ingredients and enter them into the recipe maker. What I do after is enter the recipe in My Foods according to the title, macros, calories, etc. so that I can enter my portions in grams.
It took me awhile at first to enter foods into My Foods database, but I took the time because I weigh food in grams and I want the entries to be correct.
I log every day, except for out of state or country vacations once a year, because it has become a way of life for me. It helps me stay on track and has just become part of my day.
That said, logging is not for everyone, and there are some people who don't do it at all. You just need to figure out what's best for you.0 -
I don't use my laptop or desktop to log food, I use my tablet or my phone--for me the latter two devices are much easier.0
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I guess you have to decide what kind of pain or level of difficulty you want. The pain and difficulty in losing weight and logging food. Or the pain and difficulty in being over weight, unhealthy, and insecure. Either direction is A pain and difficult choose what difficult you want. I get frustrated too. But more frustrated when my pants are tight and I can't zip my dress up.0
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When it feels too much that day, I'll use a "generic" entry. Then I add a recipe I know I'll use a bunch of times later, with the book in front of me. It takes a while, but I only enter one recipe or one product that the database doesn't have in a day.
I'm increasing accuracy over time, when I want to, as I see fit. For the longest time I just logged the lentil burgers we eat as a 1/4cup lentils and a 1/4 cup brown rice. I did not take into account the wheat germ or the spices. Yesterday I fixed that, and now have a more accurate reading.
That makes me happier, but I'm not scouring the cookbook for the falafel recipe, the veggie stir fry recipe (that changes slightly every time anyway), and the bunch of others. I feel better when I do this on my own terms, so if I don't have the zip for it, I just won't. It's not perfect, but imo it's probably sustainable for me.0 -
Thank you everybody. I will keep going! I dont wanna gain weight....i want my body to trim fat. Fat is ugly to me.0
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Well I have OCD and one of the things I like to do is plan and organize things like multiple times. But this may just be good planning for someone else:
Once a week, I go grocery shopping. I plan the whole weeks meals ahead of time so I can buy the ingredients for all of them. Since they are already planned out, I then take some time to log the entire week on mfp. So then I just follow the menu for the rest of the week, maybe make small adjustments if things don't exactly go according to plan.
But I like logging calories. Having ocd, you kinda like to count things...calories, the number of times you switch the lights on, the number of times you chew or stir your coffee... hahaha. I like counting EVERYTHING!0 -
How is brushing teeth a way of life? At one point it was awkward, boring, almost never done right, and needed lots of fruit flavored toothpaste and incentives and nursery songs for motivation. Fast forward a few years, and it's nearly automatic. Just give yourself a bit of time and you will get used to it. It will barely take a few minutes a day and you will barely notice it. Stick to it long enough and it becomes automatic.0
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