We are pleased to announce that on March 4, 2025, an updated Rich Text Editor will be introduced in the MyFitnessPal Community. To learn more about the upcoming changes, please click here. We look forward to sharing this new feature with you!

Guesswork?

danrawsterne
danrawsterne Posts: 4
edited November 2024 in Motivation and Support
I'm not much of a poster on the forums, but wondered how people deal with days where they CAN'T accurately record their intake. I've been at a function this evening for work. A couple of glasses of bubbly is fairly easily recorded, but a canapé here and there, and then a couple more, and a couple more, is difficult to track. I end up trying to find equivalent stuff on the database (like a supermarket ready meal version of similar stuff) then adding bits of that, just so I've recorded something. I figure that's better than nothing, for the days where you can't keep track properly. What do others do (if you can't avoid the situations)? Is it worth bothering?

Replies

  • runnercheryl
    runnercheryl Posts: 1,314 Member
    I do what you do - I find a version already on the database, and log that.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,458 Member
    I don't worry about logging it any more. I used to, but it is so tedious, and I figured I probably didn't get it right most of the time anyway. After a while you get a feel for this.
  • jsapninz
    jsapninz Posts: 909 Member
    Scan the bar code and measure.

    If you can't get it perfect, get the next best thing.

    Err on the side of caution.
  • lmarshel
    lmarshel Posts: 674 Member
    If I can find something similar in the database, I'll log that. But if we go to a really nice restaurant and there is just NOTHING even close in the database, I'll just log the calories in a chunk. Like the last time we went to our favorite restaurant I had wine with dinner and their jalapeno hush puppies before dinner, then seafood pasta in a peppercorn sauce for dinner and Mississippi Mud for dessert. I logged that meal as 1500 or 1800...something like that. I figure it's only once and it's okay as long as I log something.
  • veto1024
    veto1024 Posts: 20
    I do what you do and just guess. The rare occasions where you'll be at a loss for what you're eating won't do much to affect your overall goals. That's also why i tend to over-estimate calories eaten and underestimate the exercises I do so that I have a bit of a cushion for times like that. I figure when I don't have any info, I'll probably end up overestimating the calories (I read a good study that shows people consistently overestimate calories no matter who you are).
This discussion has been closed.

Categories