Food log, measurements, and advice.
duddysdad
Posts: 403 Member
Ok, so I don't want this to be too much of a rant, but there are two questions also. I see it all the time, people posting about not losing weight, or not losing as much as they should. If they have an open diary, most of the time the comments are about people using tablespoons, cups, etc. I have had this happen to me. I do weigh all of my food using grams, but don't always log it as such. For example, peanut butter. The serving on the container says two tbsp, or 32 grams. If I am having a serving of two tablespoons, I will weigh out 32 grams exactly, then put the serving as two tablespoons. If I eat a cup of broccoli and it lists grams for the serving, and I eat the exact serving, I weigh it out and log it as one cup.
When I publish my diary at the end of the day, someone might look at it and see that I logged cups and tablespoons, and when I have a question, they always say I am not weighing my food. The thing is, I do weigh my food, I just choose to eat a serving and choose the corresponding serving size, whether it be cups, spoons, oz, or whatever. Am I the only one who does it this way, or have any of you experienced this? I dislike being told that I am not weighing my food when I do, I just don't log every thing in grams. If you check my diary (which is friends only), you would see that I eat a lot of apples. I log my apples, for example, as 143 grams, then the other one might be 155 grams. Obviously this would tell you that I weigh my food. I don't log "one medium apple", or "one large banana", it would say something like 103 grams of banana.
I know this is not the case for most people who log things like 4oz of chicken every time they eat it. Obviously not every piece of chicken is cut to exactly 4oz. That would tell me someone isn't weighing it. Yet, I see people who get critiqued about not weighing because they chose to enter their food as a cup, or tablespoon. Just because it says that, doesn't mean they aren't weighing their food.
I feel like I should just set my diary to private to avoid these situations. I just like having it open for my friends in case they want to see what I eat, and maybe find some new foods or alternatives.
When I publish my diary at the end of the day, someone might look at it and see that I logged cups and tablespoons, and when I have a question, they always say I am not weighing my food. The thing is, I do weigh my food, I just choose to eat a serving and choose the corresponding serving size, whether it be cups, spoons, oz, or whatever. Am I the only one who does it this way, or have any of you experienced this? I dislike being told that I am not weighing my food when I do, I just don't log every thing in grams. If you check my diary (which is friends only), you would see that I eat a lot of apples. I log my apples, for example, as 143 grams, then the other one might be 155 grams. Obviously this would tell you that I weigh my food. I don't log "one medium apple", or "one large banana", it would say something like 103 grams of banana.
I know this is not the case for most people who log things like 4oz of chicken every time they eat it. Obviously not every piece of chicken is cut to exactly 4oz. That would tell me someone isn't weighing it. Yet, I see people who get critiqued about not weighing because they chose to enter their food as a cup, or tablespoon. Just because it says that, doesn't mean they aren't weighing their food.
I feel like I should just set my diary to private to avoid these situations. I just like having it open for my friends in case they want to see what I eat, and maybe find some new foods or alternatives.
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Replies
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I do the same thing because I'm just not making new entries for everything.
What were your questions?1 -
I do the same thing and make a point to say so when I ask a question involving my food log. I've never been told I wasn't logging accurately once I explained what I was doing -- most people here tend to read posts and questions carefully before replying, in my experience. I also have a lot of things routinely logged at the exact same weight (8oz of chicken three times a week, 100g tomatoes on every salad) because I pre-log and measure to my diary, rather than measuring however much I want at the time and logging it afterward. No big deal.
Just explain how you log when you ask questions.1 -
Enter your food in your diary how you like to.
But, I'd say at least 80% of people who post saying they're not losing, is because they don't weigh and log their food correctly and people who reply have seen it a million times. And because the people making these posts don't bother searching past posts in the forum for an answer, we have to keep repeating ourselves asking the same question about food logging. This is why the first reaction to the question "why am I not losing" is to look at their diary and question how they log food.
Also you can set your diary to be public only to friends, so your friends will see your diary, but not everyone can.0 -
Ok, so I don't want this to be too much of a rant, but there are two questions also. I see it all the time, people posting about not losing weight, or not losing as much as they should. If they have an open diary, most of the time the comments are about people using tablespoons, cups, etc. I have had this happen to me. I do weigh all of my food using grams, but don't always log it as such. For example, peanut butter. The serving on the container says two tbsp, or 32 grams. If I am having a serving of two tablespoons, I will weigh out 32 grams exactly, then put the serving as two tablespoons. If I eat a cup of broccoli and it lists grams for the serving, and I eat the exact serving, I weigh it out and log it as one cup.
When I publish my diary at the end of the day, someone might look at it and see that I logged cups and tablespoons, and when I have a question, they always say I am not weighing my food. The thing is, I do weigh my food, I just choose to eat a serving and choose the corresponding serving size, whether it be cups, spoons, oz, or whatever. Am I the only one who does it this way, or have any of you experienced this? I dislike being told that I am not weighing my food when I do, I just don't log every thing in grams. If you check my diary (which is friends only), you would see that I eat a lot of apples. I log my apples, for example, as 143 grams, then the other one might be 155 grams. Obviously this would tell you that I weigh my food. I don't log "one medium apple", or "one large banana", it would say something like 103 grams of banana.
I know this is not the case for most people who log things like 4oz of chicken every time they eat it. Obviously not every piece of chicken is cut to exactly 4oz. That would tell me someone isn't weighing it. Yet, I see people who get critiqued about not weighing because they chose to enter their food as a cup, or tablespoon. Just because it says that, doesn't mean they aren't weighing their food.
I feel like I should just set my diary to private to avoid these situations. I just like having it open for my friends in case they want to see what I eat, and maybe find some new foods or alternatives.
Now YOU are making an assumption there. My meat entries say 8 oz on every single one, it's because I weigh my food and it doesn't matter if it says boneless or not, because I weigh my food without the bone, but it may not reflect that in my entry. As long as my 8 ounces = what the USDA states for 8 ounces then it matters not to me how it's recorded.1 -
Duddysdad..
Just don't worry about it, we are all have one thing in common, we want to lose weight, be healthier...other than that we all do things differently. I weigh my food as you do. Depends on what I'm eating. Broccoli I eat 1 cup, which is a serving size, raw carrots..same. If I have chicken or steak, I'd weigh in ounces. In the end its all the same.0 -
I eat the exact serving sizes a lot too. I go back and forth between a public and private diary. If I asked for help I would expect my diary to be scrutinized closely. True, people should ask and not assume it doesn't mean you're weighing. But I do consider the weigh/not weigh issue to be a basic question that needs to be asked when a person asks for help.
What irks me more than anything is when a person asks why she isn't losing any weight or seeing results and a half dozen people answer without ever asking how long the person has not had any weight loss whatsoever, what she considers results, her height, or her weight. There was a recent thread like this that I stumbled on that was a few pages long. I asked the questions and the woman was already at a low weight (I think 19 bmi) and weight loss was not going to get her to her goal. Many people just regurgitate the same answers without any critical analysis of the individual situations. It's something I notice more and more often.2 -
I do the same thing as you when the label and entries are given in volume.
The difference is that I don't care. My diary has always been public (I keep it public in case it is useful to someone).0 -
I eat the exact serving sizes a lot too. I go back and forth between a public and private diary. If I asked for help I would expect my diary to be scrutinized closely. True, people should ask and not assume it doesn't mean you're weighing. But I do consider the weigh/not weigh issue to be a basic question that needs to be asked when a person asks for help.
What irks me more than anything is when a person asks why she isn't losing any weight or seeing results and a half dozen people answer without ever asking how long the person has not had any weight loss whatsoever, what she considers results, her height, or her weight. There was a recent thread like this that I stumbled on that was a few pages long. I asked the questions and the woman was already at a low weight (I think 19 bmi) and weight loss was not going to get her to her goal. Many people just regurgitate the same answers without any critical analysis of the individual situations. It's something I notice more and more often.
Agree with this. I love the advice I've seen from longtime folks on MFP, but there are some who tend to come across as parrots sometimes, with their pre-programmed answers at the ready.
Most are helpful and more cautious, though.
I typically keep my diary open, though most of my entries are in grams. If I find an entry that says '1 cup' or '1 serving' or whatever, and the weight on the scale is right on the serving size, or very close, then I don't bother creating new entries. It''s worth pointing out, though, that non verified entries can be edited, so you can change the serving to grams if you wish, without having to create a new entry.
I haven't ever really asked for help on my diary, though. If I'm having issues with weight loss, I already know it's because I am eating way too much..heh. it's a common problem with me. If I did ask, though, I would explain my entry system in my OP.
There are also people who swear up and down that they weigh everything, then later on in their comments, they admit that it isn't really everything, only certain things. That's why it's important to ask the OP about it.0 -
I dont change the entries either. I weigh the food, check the macros are correct and leave it as such. I also divide my servings by the gram.
I had someone nearly blow a gasket because I log many entries by dividing the grams eaten by serving size in grams. They saw 2.7 turkey sausage and thought I went crazy.
Some people do still use cups and spoons though, and thats why everyone should be asked how they weigh food if they come asking for help.0 -
ummijaaz560 wrote: »I dont change the entries either. I weigh the food, check the macros are correct and leave it as such. I also divide my servings by the gram.
I had someone nearly blow a gasket because I log many entries by dividing the grams eaten by serving size in grams. They saw 2.7 turkey sausage and thought I went crazy.
Some people do still use cups and spoons though, and thats why everyone should be asked how they weigh food if they come asking for help.
Try 1.322222222 servings of frozen veggies or something, lol!
Yeah I don't bother getting the exact serving size, I just take what I want and divide too.3 -
Sometimes the database item I use doesn't offer the units of grams. I weigh it as grams and then use convertunits.com to get the units which the database wants and I give it all the irrational digits copy/paste will let me.0
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I see it all the time, people posting about not losing weight, or not losing as much as they should. If they have an open diary, most of the time the comments are about people using tablespoons, cups, etc.
If a person posts about not losing weight, that person opens him/herself up to comment.
We try to help by going to the most obvious thing first ... inaccurate logging.
However, if you're losing weight ... we don't comment on your measurement/logging techniques. I know I can't be bothered looking at other people's diaries. Whatever you're doing is working for you.
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Sometimes the entries don't have units in grams, only cups. So I measure things in cups initially, then measure it out on the scale. If I can find an entry in grams I will use it. If not, then I will use the entry in cups. Either way, things are measured and logged. Besides, scales are not always available, and for me it is easier to estimate 1 cup, 1/2 cup, or 3oz of food than any food in grams.0
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JeromeBarry1 wrote: »Sometimes the database item I use doesn't offer the units of grams. I weigh it as grams and then use convertunits.com to get the units which the database wants and I give it all the irrational digits copy/paste will let me.newheavensearth wrote: »Sometimes the entries don't have units in grams, only cups. So I measure things in cups initially, then measure it out on the scale. If I can find an entry in grams I will use it. If not, then I will use the entry in cups. Either way, things are measured and logged. Besides, scales are not always available, and for me it is easier to estimate 1 cup, 1/2 cup, or 3oz of food than any food in grams.
You could just enter the foods manually yourself, that way they're in the measurement you want and you know they're entered correctly.0 -
I go between private and friends only and even public from time to time. Someone did ask me why I closed it one time and thought I had blocked them specially from viewing it. I thought it was weird and bit creepy that someone was looking at my diary enough to ask that.. I was new to MFP when this happened, I am not so worried it about that now..
The only time I go into someone's diary is when someone is asking for help specially to losing weight.. ..
I only enter a persons diary either direct from the forums, or because they messaged me and asked for some help.. Usually a few questions answered can clear up their method of logging instantly..
Depends on what I am logging, but usually mine is weighed out the gram and logged as such. I will always search for the gram entry and if there is not one and I am too lazy to create a one, I will convert it and log it as such.
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I forgot to mention - my diary is private and I never hit the 'complete' button anyway. It's just a tool for me, nothing more, I don't need anyone else to comment on it. And I know exactly why I'm gaining or losing when I do! (hint - if you're eating too much, you gain, if you have a deficit, you lose - just look at the data for 4/6 weeks instead of weekly).1
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I forgot to mention - my diary is private and I never hit the 'complete' button anyway. It's just a tool for me, nothing more, I don't need anyone else to comment on it. And I know exactly why I'm gaining or losing when I do! (hint - if you're eating too much, you gain, if you have a deficit, you lose - just look at the data for 4/6 weeks instead of weekly).
Absolutely!0 -
Maybe it's just me, but i weigh in grams, so i log in grams. I have yet to find an entry that doesn't have it listed in g's. I'm in Australia and all of our food labeling has the amount in grams, not cups, which makes it easier.1
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I actually don't log my food here. I feel what I eat is kind of a personal thing and I don't like the idea of others looking at what I eat and judging. I also know what works for me and my body (from years of losing and regaining the weight) and don't really feel the need for the input of others.
I have a separate app on my phone I use that doesn't have a social aspect that I log my meals in. Sometimes, if I know I'm going to be under I don't even bother to finish the log. It's a tool, not a mandatory requirement, and not something this go around I want to get caught up.1 -
just do what you are doing and dont worry about others.0
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Christine_72 wrote: »Maybe it's just me, but i weigh in grams, so i log in grams. I have yet to find an entry that doesn't have it listed in g's. I'm in Australia and all of our food labeling has the amount in grams, not cups, which makes it easier.
Have you found a honey listing that's actually in grams? The main one only gives tsp or tbsp as options. My jar says how many grams are in a tablespoon so I just put my toast on the scale, add honey and do the math. But an entry in grams would be lovely. I have the same issue (and solution) with my almond butter.
And the butter entry is broken. You have to log fractions of 100g because you get crazy numbers if you try to log multiples of 1g.0 -
SusanMFindlay wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »Maybe it's just me, but i weigh in grams, so i log in grams. I have yet to find an entry that doesn't have it listed in g's. I'm in Australia and all of our food labeling has the amount in grams, not cups, which makes it easier.
Have you found a honey listing that's actually in grams? The main one only gives tsp or tbsp as options. My jar says how many grams are in a tablespoon so I just put my toast on the scale, add honey and do the math. But an entry in grams would be lovely. I have the same issue (and solution) with my almond butter.
And the butter entry is broken. You have to log fractions of 100g because you get crazy numbers if you try to log multiples of 1g.
The honey I enter is in grams.
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SusanMFindlay wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »Maybe it's just me, but i weigh in grams, so i log in grams. I have yet to find an entry that doesn't have it listed in g's. I'm in Australia and all of our food labeling has the amount in grams, not cups, which makes it easier.
Have you found a honey listing that's actually in grams? The main one only gives tsp or tbsp as options. My jar says how many grams are in a tablespoon so I just put my toast on the scale, add honey and do the math. But an entry in grams would be lovely. I have the same issue (and solution) with my almond butter.
And the butter entry is broken. You have to log fractions of 100g because you get crazy numbers if you try to log multiples of 1g.
@SusanMFindlay I use the 'capilano honey' entry. Most of the honeys that came up underneath it are in grams.
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