Counting Home-Cooked Meals

NeapolitanSixth
NeapolitanSixth Posts: 1 Member
edited December 2024 in Food and Nutrition
Hey, MFP community! :-D

I've got a question regarding calorie tracking. It's easy when I'm cooking for myself, but when Dad or Mom or a friend cooks, I have no control over what goes into my food, and I have no idea how to effectively track it in the MFP system. Does anybody have any suggestions?

Thanks!

- Brennan

Replies

  • Rilke
    Rilke Posts: 1,201 Member
    Find a similar-sounding food in the database and overestimate a bit to account for error.
  • myfitnessval
    myfitnessval Posts: 687 Member
    ditto to the above poster. also i usually interrogate my family on what they used to make such and such dish lol. after two meals with me they are finally getting used to me asking about the brands/proportions lol
  • jenbridges
    jenbridges Posts: 213 Member
    Find a similar-sounding food in the database and overestimate a bit to account for error.

    that is what i do, too! although i do tend to ask a lot of questions, due to food allergies. so i have a pretty good idea.
  • utes09
    utes09 Posts: 561 Member
    ditto to the above poster. also i usually interrogate my family on what they used to make such and such dish lol. after two meals with me they are finally getting used to me asking about the brands/proportions lol

    hahaha mine too!!!
  • DantheMan2517
    DantheMan2517 Posts: 134 Member
    Find a similar-sounding food in the database and overestimate a bit to account for error.
    Yeah, that's what I do. Once...ONCE...I asked details about what went into my Dad's spagetti and meatballs with home-made sauce and all kinds of other things. I only was able to ask that once. Did I mention that? Yeah, just overestimate, and you'll be fine.
  • TravelDog14
    TravelDog14 Posts: 317 Member
    My husband does all the cooking.
    I ask him specifically what every ingredient is that he's putting in the meal and I jot them down.
    When we eat, I carefully measure out my portion (learning what are acceptable portion sizes has been huge for me) and then when I log my meals I can extrapolate from that.
    When in doubt I always aim for recording a higher calorie amount than the lower.
  • Laddiegirl
    Laddiegirl Posts: 382 Member
    My dad & stepmom tend to make the same things over and over again (they don't do well with change, lol) so I know exactly what goes into each recipe and have created a recipe in my recipe box for each thing and add that to my diary if I eat it with them (I tend to make my own food 90% of the time). For example, my dad made his famous fried rice earlier this week and I ate half a serving and added that to my diary. I feel confidant that it is pretty accurate to what the reality is.
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