MFP - how accurate the calory count!

vatblack
vatblack Posts: 221 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Okay, okay, I know this question may have been asked a trillion times (if our government had a cent for each time... he-he!!)

Anyway, today is my 6th day of using MFP. The first few days I trusted that the amount of calories it says I have eaten is correct. I am VERY honest about my food intake and try to find the exact product I have used, which MFP thankfully makes very easy.

However, they seem to use the standard information on the labels. I have read somewhere that the labels are notoriously under the actual amount per portion and that a person should add x % onto the calories listed on packaging. So, I'm not so worried if it comes to apples, bananas, carrots or chicken breasts and the like; I'm sure that is pretty accurate. However, I am worried about peanut butter, humus, turkey burgers and that kind of stuff.

I was wondering if anyone has more information on this. Would it be wise of me to add a generic % of my total consumed calories each day and to "budget" for that % each day?

Replies

  • jzaz903
    jzaz903 Posts: 306 Member
    I'm pretty sure the labels can't legally claim they're lower calorie than they are. I know they typically round to the nearest 5 or 0, but really, 2 calories is not a big deal.
  • vatblack
    vatblack Posts: 221 Member
    The information I have read seems to talk about much more than just rounding. One claims there can be inaccuracies up to 250% (but that is for restaurant food and understandable that it is not so easy to pinpoint). Some packaged food also showed inaccuracies.

    I guess most people don't figure this in if they track their calories on here?
  • vatblack
    vatblack Posts: 221 Member
    anyone else with insight please?
  • psideon
    psideon Posts: 24
    Hey VB,

    Just use it as a general guide. If you're afraid of inaccuracies, I would advise walking another 10 minutes to your workout just in case. For me, I focus on the results. So long as I seem to be making steady (somewhat) accurate progress, I keep at it.

    Try not to stress yourself about it (as stress is bad for losing weight), chin up, look on the bright side and Good Luck!!
  • vatblack
    vatblack Posts: 221 Member
    ha-ha, yes, I guess I am stressing a bit! LOL. It just seems like so much food to eat. I guess my efforts to lose weight has never been around calorie counting and it is all new to me. I used to just follow a eat till you are no longer hungry and only eat when you are hungry approach. Lately, however, I have lost the ability to feel my hunger effectively and uses the calorie guide now.
  • Dagoth
    Dagoth Posts: 172
    >calory
  • djron
    djron Posts: 2 Member
    I have beeen using it for about 6 months after a lap band proicedure and I stay at about 1200 calories and have dropped 75 lb and 5 pant sizes since December 27. I do find that you have to be careful choosing the right descriptor for and look at the others and find the average not the lowest or the highest. I hope this helps.
  • krystina_letitia9
    krystina_letitia9 Posts: 697 Member
    Don't worry so much about the misinformation on the label so much as the portion size - make sure your portion sizes are accurate. I'm sure most of the labels are correct - and if not, well, c'est la vie. Look at all the pounds lost on this website, even with inaccurate food labels.
  • rcthale
    rcthale Posts: 141
    I use the labels anyway, but you're correct: Food companies are on the honor system to produce their own nutrition labels and numbers. The majority of products will never be selected for government auditing, but even that slim chance should deter most companies from lying too much.

    The US government's own nutrition info search is at: http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/

    I've noticed that MFP uses the same list; they are the only items that do not have an asterisk.
  • Klegl
    Klegl Posts: 48
    I think as long as you avoid overprocessed food and are active atleast 3 times a week you dont have to worry about your intake in calories. The labels may be off but if you have well balanced meals and exercise you will be just fine. Hope that helped
  • AZKristi
    AZKristi Posts: 1,801 Member
    The labels are not 100% accurate but they should be close enough. What else would you base your counts off of?
  • toe_moss
    toe_moss Posts: 1
    I started using the site in early March and always try to make sure the foods I enter have the same nutritional information as the packaging or restaurant website. My goal is to change my eating habits, so quick weight loss was not expected. In less than 3 months, I have lost almost 40lbs. Having said all of that, I am fairly confident that most labels are correct. The one thing I do try to do is not "use" all of my calories; I try to leave about 100-200 per day. When I exercise, I also try not use those calories, though I may soon have to if my daily allotment drops any more :)
  • vatblack
    vatblack Posts: 221 Member
    I use the labels anyway, but you're correct: Food companies are on the honor system to produce their own nutrition labels and numbers. The majority of products will never be selected for government auditing, but even that slim chance should deter most companies from lying too much.

    The US government's own nutrition info search is at: http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/

    I've noticed that MFP uses the same list; they are the only items that do not have an asterisk.

    Thank you! This is very helpful about looking for non-asterisk entries.
  • vatblack
    vatblack Posts: 221 Member
    Thank you for all the responses. I grateful for putting my mind at ease. I will just continue being very honest about my portions sizes and what I eat. I do weigh and measure because I'm an all or nothing person; if I had to guess what the portion size is, I'd be over or under estimating, or worse, think I have over or under estimated and then become obsessive.

    He-he, I'm in a 12 step program for food addicted people and our main goal is to stop obsessing about food and we use whatever tools will help us put the food down and empty our heads from worrying about food. MFP is a great tool for that. I find myself automatically reach for healthier choices and that I don't worry anymore whether I eat too much, enough or too little.

    Despite this post putting my mind at ease, it is also a warning sign to me that I might be starting to obsesses with the numbers instead of just using it as a tracking device. All the practical advice and your stories has made me see that I need to CHILL and just track my progress.
  • hpsaucette
    hpsaucette Posts: 102 Member
    Simple; don't go by portion size, go by weight.
    Get into the habit of weighing everything, get a digital scale with TAR if you don't have one, and then you know exactly what your eating rather than guessing what a portion is. If your worried about the rounding up of 0.05% - don't. Don't worry about it, MFP works. Obviously some of the database can be a lil wrong, but if you have the packet in front of you, you can do everyone a favour and make it right.
    Good luck!

    Oops you posted to quick for me!
  • Lynn_SD
    Lynn_SD Posts: 83 Member
    I think the labels are mostly correct but you have to really look at the portion size. Like, you might consider a package of some food to be one serving, but the package says that it is "2.5 servings". But all the data they are giving you is for one serving! So you have to be sure to correct for portion size. So if you eat the entire package, you have to multiply the numbers by 2.5.

    A lot of the data is entered by other MFP users; I like the system of having other users confirm the data. But I have still found an error here or there regarding portion sizing.
  • Lynn_SD
    Lynn_SD Posts: 83 Member
    Oh, I have a digital scale also and I do use it for the appropriate items.
  • Wendysworld13
    Wendysworld13 Posts: 225 Member
    The other piece you need to take on is that your specific calorie burn and calorie need is also an estimate. Unless you are working directly with a nutritionist, a dietician and an exercise physiologist you are only in an estimate space anyway. I have spoken to a dietician, and a exercise physiologist - calories burned are very VERY person specific. If you wear a good Body Bug or HRM with all the gizmos on it to track your heart rate and you have plugged in your current height, age, weight, etc, it will calculate more accurately the calories actually burned.
    Also, unless you are WEIGHING all your foods, your usage is inaccurate. Think about a cup of cereal - somedays there is a little more, and somedays a little less in that cup, but 113g is always 113g.
    Don't worry so much about being exact as trying to be consistent with yourself!
    Good Luck
  • fontinathefox
    fontinathefox Posts: 124 Member
    I work in food packaging and I can tell you that at least here in the UK, supermarkets have a legal team that ensures all the information they put on the packaging is legally correct. Otherwise, what would be the point of putting it on there? Obviously it's based on an average (so for examlpe, not every single pre-packaged sandwich is going to have EXACTLY the same amount of calories, fat etc. in them) but if you start stressing about that, you'd never get anything else done.

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