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Dramatic Calorie Count Differences (Increases) when ingredients are matched

meunse01
meunse01 Posts: 36 Member
edited December 2024 in Recipes
Has anyone else experienced this? I had one recipe go from 190 calories in the original recipe to over 330 calories on MyFitnessPal! The ingredients are not different, but even a brand change shouldn't create that much of a difference.

Replies

  • PennWalker
    PennWalker Posts: 554 Member
    The database is compiled by users, so it isn't going to be accurate all the time. I say just do the best you can.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    1) you have to double check every ingredient because some entries are inaccurate
    2) it's unfortunately VERY common that recipes lie about nutrition information. I've seen a bunch of desserts that turned out to be 40% more calories than they claimed once I entered everything.
  • shadowfax_c11
    shadowfax_c11 Posts: 1,942 Member
    I prefer to manually enter my recipe ingredients and use specific entries, either USDA entries or those that cross check correctly against the package label I have in hand.

  • chocolate_owl
    chocolate_owl Posts: 1,695 Member
    Things that cause discrepancies:
    -Choosing to use full-fat instead of non-fat products
    -How a recipe defines a serving, which is sometimes not listed
    -Actual weight of meats/other higher-cal ingredients vs. amount recipe specifies
    -Brands
    -The database entries
    -Poor database matching
    -Probably more things

    I always assume my meal will be 20% higher in calories than the recipe lists, but I find the recipe useful for getting me in the ballpark of if it will fit in my calories. I usually load it before I buy ingredients to confirm, then tweak the exact weights when I make it.
  • meunse01
    meunse01 Posts: 36 Member
    Thank you all for the tips and info.
  • meunse01
    meunse01 Posts: 36 Member
    I just emailed MFP customer support to see what the deal is.
  • sugaraddict4321
    sugaraddict4321 Posts: 15,897 MFP Moderator
    meunse01 wrote: »
    I just emailed MFP customer support to see what the deal is.

    The deal is as others have said - Recipes on MFP are entered by users. Support is not able to harmonize the recipes simply because each entry is a bit different. So you have to work around it. Every user has a slightly different way of preparing foods. Some people measure using cups and some use grams. Some use different fat contents - a "cup of milk" could vary a lot depending on whether skim, full-fat, etc. Almost no one specifies what "1 serving" is. I might specify a serving is 100 grams, to make the math easy. Others might cut their brownies into 20 or 24 squares, and one brownie is a serving. In addition, MFP users are all over the globe and there can be slight variations even with prepared foods.

    Bottom line - if you want true accuracy you need to enter your own recipes, with your own quantities of each ingredient. Use verified foods. It takes some time to set up, but then you know for sure what you're consuming. I use two different MFP tools.

    First - the recipe builder. I use this for recipes that rarely change, like cakes. I weigh everything raw and add up the grams. My serving size is always 100 grams, so my number of servings is based on that (i.e. if I have 1200 grams of raw weight, I get 12 servings). Then I weigh the portion before serving and eating. I only enter verified foods into my recipes to minimize errors.

    Second - The "meal" saver. There are many meals we eat regularly where the basic ingredients are the same, but the quantities change. Fajitas are a great example. Instead of using a recipe, which is harder to change, I enter the ingredients individually the first time. Then I click the Quick Tools - save meal. Next time we have fajitas, I copy the meal over and I can edit the quantities that we used.

    MFP is a great tool, but you only get out of it what you put into it, so to speak. If you put in the time and effort to set up your recipes and meals, you'll be much more accurate with tracking. If you have to rely on the entries of other users, you'll have a lot of room for error. Good luck! :)
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
    Francl27 wrote: »
    1) you have to double check every ingredient because some entries are inaccurate
    2) it's unfortunately VERY common that recipes lie about nutrition information. I've seen a bunch of desserts that turned out to be 40% more calories than they claimed once I entered everything.

    +1

    Especially #2. I've been really irritated to find that recipes from sources like Cooking Light are often the biggest culprits. Though I suppose I shouldn't be surprised - the low cal counts are their bread and butter. They've got good incentive to fudge them.
  • rebel_26
    rebel_26 Posts: 1,826 Member
    Wish they would enable user specific omit entry options. It's a pain looking for the right entry . I find stuff that's funny all the time
  • meunse01
    meunse01 Posts: 36 Member
    The measurement options they give don't match the recipes or what's on the ingredients (fluid ounces, cups, tbsp, etc..).That said, sometimes MyFitnessPal is wrong. Sometimes an ingredient will have hundreds of calories added. I have mentioned this to them with no response, or they told me to go to the database to fix the errors myself. REALLY?!
  • meunse01
    meunse01 Posts: 36 Member
    sugaraddict4321 wrote: »
    meunse01 wrote: »
    I just emailed MFP customer support to see what the deal is.

    The deal is as others have said - Recipes on MFP are entered by users. Support is not able to harmonize the recipes simply because each entry is a bit different. So you have to work around it. Every user has a slightly different way of preparing foods. Some people measure using cups and some use grams. Some use different fat contents - a "cup of milk" could vary a lot depending on whether skim, full-fat, etc. Almost no one specifies what "1 serving" is. I might specify a serving is 100 grams, to make the math easy. Others might cut their brownies into 20 or 24 squares, and one brownie is a serving. In addition, MFP users are all over the globe and there can be slight variations even with prepared foods.

    Bottom line - if you want true accuracy you need to enter your own recipes, with your own quantities of each ingredient. Use verified foods. It takes some time to set up, but then you know for sure what you're consuming. I use two different MFP tools.

    First - the recipe builder. I use this for recipes that rarely change, like cakes. I weigh everything raw and add up the grams. My serving size is always 100 grams, so my number of servings is based on that (i.e. if I have 1200 grams of raw weight, I get 12 servings). Then I weigh the portion before serving and eating. I only enter verified foods into my recipes to minimize errors.

    Second - The "meal" saver. There are many meals we eat regularly where the basic ingredients are the same, but the quantities change. Fajitas are a great example. Instead of using a recipe, which is harder to change, I enter the ingredients individually the first time. Then I click the Quick Tools - save meal. Next time we have fajitas, I copy the meal over and I can edit the quantities that we used.

    MFP is a great tool, but you only get out of it what you put into it, so to speak. If you put in the time and effort to set up your recipes and meals, you'll be much more accurate with tracking. If you have to rely on the entries of other users, you'll have a lot of room for error. Good luck! :)

    I've done all of this and I've used both tools. I have entered my own recipes (you can't enter instructions when you enter manually) and imported from websites. I have edited ingredients over and over again, only to have incorrect info return once I hit save, if the website doesn't freeze and I have to start over again. MFP needs to look into some issues too.
  • peaceout_aly
    peaceout_aly Posts: 2,018 Member
    meunse01 wrote: »
    Has anyone else experienced this? I had one recipe go from 190 calories in the original recipe to over 330 calories on MyFitnessPal! The ingredients are not different, but even a brand change shouldn't create that much of a difference.

    It's one of the flaws in the MFP system. Has happened to me even when I enter my own recipes.
  • meunse01
    meunse01 Posts: 36 Member
    edited September 2016
    peaceout_aly wrote: »
    meunse01 wrote: »
    Has anyone else experienced this? I had one recipe go from 190 calories in the original recipe to over 330 calories on MyFitnessPal! The ingredients are not different, but even a brand change shouldn't create that much of a difference.

    It's one of the flaws in the MFP system. Has happened to me even when I enter my own recipes.

    Thanks for letting me know it's not just me or something I'm doing.
  • chocolate_owl
    chocolate_owl Posts: 1,695 Member
    meunse01 wrote: »
    The measurement options they give don't match the recipes or what's on the ingredients (fluid ounces, cups, tbsp, etc..).That said, sometimes MyFitnessPal is wrong. Sometimes an ingredient will have hundreds of calories added. I have mentioned this to them with no response, or they told me to go to the database to fix the errors myself. REALLY?!

    The database is user-created and user-maintained... The MFP staff keeps the website up and running, but they don't manage the database. Every now and then they do make changes that affect the database, but in large, sweeping ways (like the appearance of so many entries in fl oz), but they don't handle individual foods. The upside to this system is that the database is HUGE and just about every food out there is searchable. The downside is the errors you find. This program works a lot better once you've got bunch of entries you've verified as correct to your foods and you don't have to keep searching for good entries.
  • KiwiAlexP
    KiwiAlexP Posts: 188 Member
    I find entering recipes via the phone app is better than using the laptop - easier to select the correct entries
This discussion has been closed.

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