How precise should I log?
CassondraKennedy
Posts: 229 Member
I've heard a lot about weighing foods and adding them to MFP by ounces or grams. I don't currently have a scale (though I intend to buy one); how can I measure foods until I get one? Do you measure EVERYTHING (ie. oils, mayo, chips, bread, etc.)? That seems like it could be overwhelming...
Restaurants are my favorite. How do I log meals that I eat out? I've been planning ahead in MFP to stay within my calorie goal, but I'm not sure how accurate my estimations are... Anyone have advice other than to stop eating out completely?
Restaurants are my favorite. How do I log meals that I eat out? I've been planning ahead in MFP to stay within my calorie goal, but I'm not sure how accurate my estimations are... Anyone have advice other than to stop eating out completely?
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Replies
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You don't need a food scale precisely but you need to track your intake as best as possible. If you are not losing weight, eat a little less everyday. If you use measuring cups and spoons, do not fill them to the top or eat 100 calories less everyday.2
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Unless you are a human scale, your estimations are probably not accurate in the slightest. As to how precise should you log? Well, that depends on your goals...are you trying to lose weight? If so, you should be as precise as possible with everything you can, in order to give yourself some wiggle room in estimating restaurants. Is your goal to gain weight? Being precise may not be as important here. Maintaining? Depends on how hard it is for you to maintain. More information is needed to answer your question.2
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I get as precise as I possibly can. With my own stuff I'm dead on because I cook pretty basic. It's easy to forget the olive oil or butter but I think I've gotten good at that.
When you have to guess, you have to guess. I don't eat out as often anymore so it's not too big of an issue. I like to get burritos at a place called Taco del Sol (similar to Chipotles) and they've let me scan in a few things and I've watched them measure the beans and stuff. So I think I'm fairly accurate there. I think the more accurate you can be the better.
How clear of a picture do you want? That's how accurate you should be.0 -
I would say, yes measure ESPECIALLY oils, mayo, chips, bread. You don't need a scale, but did you know that measuring spoons and cups are meant to be filled so that there is 1/8 to 1/4 inch rim left? So don't fill them all the way...especially with oils, peanut butter, chips, butter, salad dressing, cheese.
A food scale is $10-$20, you don't have to wash anything after you use it, and you get accuracy. I couldn't live without my digital food scale.
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cmriverside wrote: »I would say, yes measure ESPECIALLY oils, mayo, chips, bread. You don't need a scale, but did you know that measuring spoons and cups are meant to be filled so that there is 1/8 to 1/4 inch rim left? So don't fill them all the way...especially with oils, peanut butter, chips, butter, salad dressing, cheese.
A food scale is $10-$20, you don't have to wash anything after you use it, and you get accuracy. I couldn't live without my digital food scale.
Really? I did not know that. I always fill spoons and cups. Hmmm... good to know.1 -
Getting a digital food scale will take a lot of the guesswork out of the equation.
The more accurately you can log, the more predictable your results will be.
I find I tend to eat a lot of the same meals/recipes/items, so once I had them accurately logged once, repeating the entries for any particular day (just adjusting the amounts where needed) is actually really quick and easy.
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Keeping track of how much you eat of everything is the entire point. (That was not meant to be snotty, by the way.) So yes, it's a pain in the @ss at first until it becomes a lifestyle. A permanent part of your daily routine.
As for restaurants, most chains have nutrition facts online. I use them all the time to look up what I'm going to order even before I get there. Takes the guess work and stress out of the equation.
And things like olive oil (for example) have a lot of calories, so if you don't log everything then you won't have the true picture.1 -
Personally, I use a food scale because I find it faster and easier than measuring cups/spoons. But the answer is that you need to measure as precisely as you need to. Or at least as precisely as you can without causing yourself undue problems. Some people do really well with eyeballing, but most of us are just naturally bad at it.
Some video examples:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY
https://youtu.be/vjKPIcI51lU
http://youtube.com/watch?v=XpHykP6e_Uk 4 -
I dont mean this to be snotty - but if you dont try to log precise then what is the point??? Its just a guess after that. No matter how hard to try to be exact some of has to be an educated guess to start with - so the more you move away from being exact - the more meaningless it becomes. Sorry - but if you really want to lose weight - it requires work. There are no shortcuts.0
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Here's another image that I find fairly compelling as an argument against eyeballing. Personally, I have a hard time seeing the difference between the first two plates. It may only be 150-calorie difference between the two, but that can add up throughout the day.
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I use a scale to measure my meats and cups/spoons for everything else. It works for me and it's not too hard to do.1
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As precisely as is necessary and you are comfortable with.
I know - vague, huh?
Some people can have great success at eyeballing and estimating. Others are absolutely terrible at it.
Some people find it sufficient to use measuring cups/spoons. Others (typically) misuse them and end up eating more than they think.
Some people absolutely must use a food scale for accuracy. Others - as noted above - may never use one and be fine.
Additionally, some people find using scales quick, easy, and have no issues using them. On the other hand, some people get overly stressed and/or obsessive about either trying to get an exact number on the scale or what happens when they can't use it - such as at restaurants or other people's homes.
Finally, many people start by weighing/measuring everything. Then, later, they learn to estimate pretty closely and are able to tweak things, when/if necessary. They may only weigh/measure certain things, while simply estimating some/many items that are generally low-Calorie and that you don't use much of.
The point? Ultimately, it's up to you. If you feel like you can easily use a food scale and have no issues? Great! If not, then there's other options.6 -
The more accurate you are in detailing what you're consuming, the more accurate you can be with what you need to burn in order to lose weight. Eyeballing did not work for me. Once I got my scale, I eyeballed a serving of brown rice, then actually weighed it. I was WAY off. It definitely got me using my scale more often.1
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You'll get the results out that you put in. If you have a lot to lose you can be less accurate but when you get closer to goal sloppy logging often won't get you the results you desire.1
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Also, you can save foods as recipes or meals. If it is something you eat often, that is a time saver. Just make sure you measure/weigh it the same way every time you make it, and dole out the correct serving size. And restaurants usually have their nutrition info online, or you can ask the server for it.0
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I dont mean this to be snotty - but if you dont try to log precise then what is the point??? Its just a guess after that. No matter how hard to try to be exact some of has to be an educated guess to start with - so the more you move away from being exact - the more meaningless it becomes. Sorry - but if you really want to lose weight - it requires work. There are no shortcuts.
I dont agree with this.
The point is to lose weight - logging precisely in itself is not the point.
If you really want to lose weight you need to eat in a calorie deficit - that's all.
If you can acheive that without accurate logging, no problem.
I never weighed everything obsessively - I weigh calorie dense items and estimate rest from past experience and law of averages - ie every mandarine, egg, slice of bread etc I eat is about the same size and it evens out.
This worked for me and I lost to my goal and maintained since then.
The aim of the game IMO is not to log as accurately as possible - it is to log as accurately as you need to to get results.
If after the first month, you are losing as expected, then the level of logging you are doing is working for you.
If not, either tighten up your logging or conciously cut back intake - ie eat less without changing logging.
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Yes, the point is to lose weight. But it's a learning experience so I still think one should be as accurate as possible. DianneTheGeek's picture with 4 plates... I can't think of a better example as to why - especially in the beginning.0
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As precisely as is necessary and you are comfortable with.
I know - vague, huh?
Some people can have great success at eyeballing and estimating. Others are absolutely terrible at it.
Some people find it sufficient to use measuring cups/spoons. Others (typically) misuse them and end up eating more than they think.
Some people absolutely must use a food scale for accuracy. Others - as noted above - may never use one and be fine.
Additionally, some people find using scales quick, easy, and have no issues using them. On the other hand, some people get overly stressed and/or obsessive about either trying to get an exact number on the scale or what happens when they can't use it - such as at restaurants or other people's homes.
Finally, many people start by weighing/measuring everything. Then, later, they learn to estimate pretty closely and are able to tweak things, when/if necessary. They may only weigh/measure certain things, while simply estimating some/many items that are generally low-Calorie and that you don't use much of.
The point? Ultimately, it's up to you. If you feel like you can easily use a food scale and have no issues? Great! If not, then there's other options.
^ Pretty much exactly what I was going to type, great post.
I'd add that if you DONT log meticulously you should be open and aware of the fact that you probably are eating more than you think you are and that you may need to temporarily log accurately at some point, or reduce your calorie intake, or both.
Point being, acknowledge the lack of accuracy.2 -
paperpudding wrote: »I dont mean this to be snotty - but if you dont try to log precise then what is the point??? Its just a guess after that. No matter how hard to try to be exact some of has to be an educated guess to start with - so the more you move away from being exact - the more meaningless it becomes. Sorry - but if you really want to lose weight - it requires work. There are no shortcuts.
I dont agree with this.
The point is to lose weight - logging precisely in itself is not the point.
If you really want to lose weight you need to eat in a calorie deficit - that's all.
If you can acheive that without accurate logging, no problem.
I never weighed everything obsessively - I weigh calorie dense items and estimate rest from past experience and law of averages - ie every mandarine, egg, slice of bread etc I eat is about the same size and it evens out.
This worked for me and I lost to my goal and maintained since then.
The aim of the game IMO is not to log as accurately as possible - it is to log as accurately as you need to to get results.
If after the first month, you are losing as expected, then the level of logging you are doing is working for you.
If not, either tighten up your logging or conciously cut back intake - ie eat less without changing logging.
Agreed0 -
As precisely as is necessary and you are comfortable with.
I know - vague, huh?
Some people can have great success at eyeballing and estimating. Others are absolutely terrible at it.
Some people find it sufficient to use measuring cups/spoons. Others (typically) misuse them and end up eating more than they think.
Some people absolutely must use a food scale for accuracy. Others - as noted above - may never use one and be fine.
Additionally, some people find using scales quick, easy, and have no issues using them. On the other hand, some people get overly stressed and/or obsessive about either trying to get an exact number on the scale or what happens when they can't use it - such as at restaurants or other people's homes.
Finally, many people start by weighing/measuring everything. Then, later, they learn to estimate pretty closely and are able to tweak things, when/if necessary. They may only weigh/measure certain things, while simply estimating some/many items that are generally low-Calorie and that you don't use much of.
The point? Ultimately, it's up to you. If you feel like you can easily use a food scale and have no issues? Great! If not, then there's other options.
^ Pretty much exactly what I was going to type, great post.
I'd add that if you DONT log meticulously you should be open and aware of the fact that you probably are eating more than you think you are and that you may need to temporarily log accurately at some point, or reduce your calorie intake, or both.
Point being, acknowledge the lack of accuracy.
...and by "acknowledging the lack of accuracy" one must concede that they really don't know how much they are eating.
Honestly, as I said above I couldn't live without my food scale but I don't weigh everything. I didn't even get a food scale until I was about 30 pounds from goal - so the first 40 pounds I lost were done by package/portion sizes and guesstimating. I didn't start to rely on or even need a food scale until I got within 20 pounds of goal. I've been in Maintenance for years, and I don't even weigh vegetables that have negligible calories like spinach, lettuce, celery, cucumber, tomatoes, onion, garlic, cabbage, and others. I eyeball it or sometimes just use the entry for "medium" or "one stalk" or "medium orange."
I DO weigh fats, oils, cheese, meats, potatoes, squash, carrots, corn, rice, oatmeal, beans, nuts, and some other vegetables and fruits. I don't eat a lot of packaged things, but when I do I just use the package (like bread or crackers or cookies, I don't weigh those. A large egg is a large egg. Meh.)
It took me a while to figure out my Maintenance calories. I *know* when I've been cheating...and so does my weight.
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I like to eat out too. I don't use a food scale either. BUT I will say that there are ways out there to estimate how much of what you're consuming. Sometimes you just have to make a "best guess". If you've been to restaurants enough - you can tell that the fettuccini you get at Fazoli's is different than at Olive Garden. So if you're out - and you have fettuccini at some other restaurant or at someone's house - you can use one of those when you log it as to which it was more similar to. Also - it's good be cautious. Don't "leave the last two bites" and only count it for 75% of the dish. Count it as the whole dish. Better to count it on the high side than the low side, if that makes any sense.
Make sure you look at the nutritional information on what you select also. SOmetimes people put in foods for their counting method, and it might be different from your counting method. It might only show carbs, and you want it to show proteins - for example.
Just a few thoughts....1 -
yes - I acknowledge my lack of accuracy in every post on this subject - and I acknowledge that therefore I concede I do not really know how much I am eating.
Agreed.
But why does this matter???
What I thought I was eating made me lose weight at expected rate and what I think I am eating now makes me stay in maitenance - ergo it is accurate enough for me.
Results are what matters - not accuracy of method to obtain them.3 -
paperpudding wrote: »yes - I acknowledge my lack of accuracy in every post on this subject - and I acknowledge that therefore I concede I do not really know how much I am eating.
Agreed.
But why does this matter???
What I thought I was eating made me lose weight at expected rate and what I think I am eating now makes me stay in maitenance - ergo it is accurate enough for me.
Results are what matters - not accuracy of method to obtain them.
I don't weigh my food either, but I will say that doesn't work for everyone.
I've been yo-yo dieting since I was a preteen. I know what a serving size looks like. My problem has always been I constantly want to overeat - it's not that I don't know what a portion size is but some people genuinely do not know.
I probably am not accurately logging things either, but I am losing at exactly the rate I set on MFP eating exactly the amount of calories MFP says I should and every time I've lost weight I've done it the same way.
I imagine though I'm overestimating some things and underestimating others and it just evens out.1 -
OP, as far as eating out goes I was someone who ate out all the time and now I've pretty much cut it out and do not miss it.
For me, it wasn't sustainable. Most of the dishes I enjoyed were high in calories and even eating half of the dish often was more calories than I wanted to spend on one meal. I could often make the same dish at home for fewer calories and enjoy the taste better.
I still do go out occasionally. When I go out now I plan ahead, find a similar restaurant if the nutritional information isn't available for the one I'm going to, and I usually will forgo breakfast and have a light brunch beforehand.
Usually don't finish my food either because what they give you in restaurants is usually two portions of food not one.1 -
I'm not sure that anyone mentioned that some portion sizes on the labels of food are way off. I just bought some sliced swiss cheese and the slices weigh twice as much as it shows on the label. If that happens often to the foods you eat regularly, your deficit is not as much as you think and you won't lose like you are expecting to.
Also if you eat out a lot, keep in mind that they probably are not all accurate with your serving of food, depending on the chef or server. They can give you more or less than their calorie count would suggest. Not that you have to be so rigid, but keep in mind if you don't lose like you expect. I have measured very precisely and the calorie count I was given by MFP is pretty darn accurate to how many pounds I lose. I set to lose 1.5 pounds per week and if I take my total loss and divide by number of weeks, I have lost 1.5 per week. (Some weeks I lose 1 but the next week I lose 3 but my average is 1.5. Good luck!2
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