The easiest way to track foods/calories?

[KyliesMom]

So I went to ****** and it took me 10 minutes to figure out everything to put in just for breakfast and lunch! Is there an easier tracker out there? or an trick to using this that I do not see? I REALLY WANT TO STAY 100% HONEST - to see if this works for me... I am at my LAST straw!

[Beeb]

Originally Posted by KyliesMom

So I went to ****** and it took me 10 minutes to figure out everything to put in just for breakfast and lunch! Is there an easier tracker out there? or an trick to using this that I do not see? I REALLY WANT TO STAY 100% HONEST - to see if this works for me... I am at my LAST straw!

I LOVE Fat Secret!! I did not like ******, but others swear by it. Google food journals and then look at them. You will find a good fit, it just takes time.

And remember; once you put a food in there (at least with Fat Secret) you will have it in your food dairy to look up real quick the next time. I have recipes I put in there and Fat Secret lets you click on a meal and make it a favorite. Once everything is saved (does take time and patience sometimes) all you will have to do is click and it's done!

HTH AND, last straws can be good things!!! It makes us WANT to find a solution when we get to that "last straw" place!!

[SoHappy]

I use ******, only because I started on it years ago, and all my *stuff* is in there now. I know how to use it. It is familiar to me now. I feel comfortable with it.

But, yeah.. look around and see what site looks like it will work best for you.

And like Linda said, once you have entered your foods, all you have to do forevermore is click on them, and the previous work is done. Example: Once I'd figured out and entered my recipe for General Tso's sauce, the work was done. Now all I have to do is click it, and a 1/4 cup serving is added to my food log. But it does take longer at the beginning.

It really is important to track your calories. In order to do that, you really need to weigh out or measure out the quantity of food you are going to eat. On Up Days, I'm a whole lot more forgiving of myself, for example when we eat out and I then just haphazardly figure how much that might have been. But on my Down Days, I weigh and measure every morsel and figure my calories rigidly. But it's quick now. Just a click and the food choice is entered.

AND, so worth the few minutes spent in this record keeping, because it keeps me on track, and if I'm on track, the magic happens!

[Beeb]

Originally Posted by SoHappy

AND, so worth the few minutes spent in this record keeping, because it keeps me on track, and if I'm on track, the magic happens!

Absolutely!!! ^^^^^

[shirlc]

Originally Posted by beeb

I LOVE Fat Secret!! I did not like ******, but others swear by it. Google food journals and then look at them. You will find a good fit, it just takes time.

And remember; once you put a food in there (at least with Fat Secret) you will have it in your food dairy to look up real quick the next time. I have recipes I put in there and Fat Secret lets you click on a meal and make it a favorite. Once everything is saved (does take time and patience sometimes) all you will have to do is click and it's done!

HTH AND, last straws can be good things!!! It makes us WANT to find a solution when we get to that "last straw" place!!

I used to use ****** and decided I don't like it. So today, I tried Fat Secret. I can't figure out how to add a recipe for flaxmeal muffins that I eat just about every morning. It says that I have to look it up first and then the recipe that I find is not the same. How do I "customize" my own?

[Beeb]

Originally Posted by shirlc

I used to use ****** and decided I don't like it. So today, I tried Fat Secret. I can't figure out how to add a recipe for flaxmeal muffins that I eat just about every morning. It says that I have to look it up first and then the recipe that I find is not the same. How do I "customize" my own?

Where it says Cookbook on the side bar that has enter food, exercise, etc. you will see next to that where it say submit recipe. THAT is where you put your recipe, ingredient by ingredient, hit save and you got it!! It will not let you put a recipe in there is there is one by the same name so sometimes you need to be creative with naming your recipes. I usually call me Beeb's this or that. Now with JUDDD I say DD or UD this or that.

HTH

[shirlc]

Originally Posted by beeb

Where it says Cookbook on the side bar that has enter food, exercise, etc. you will see next to that where it say submit recipe. THAT is where you put your recipe, ingredient by ingredient, hit save and you got it!! It will not let you put a recipe in there is there is one by the same name so sometimes you need to be creative with naming your recipes. I usually call me Beeb's this or that. Now with JUDDD I say DD or UD this or that.

HTH

Thanks for the help, Linda...I really do appreciate it even though I couldn't make it work!

I tried to put the recipe in and got so frustrated I quit!!! No matter what I did to try and input 2 cups flax meal, I kept getting "servings" instead of cups. I guess the best way for me to lose is to write down everything I eat and keep track of exercise this way, too.

[BonnyLass]

Originally Posted by KyliesMom

So I went to ****** and it took me 10 minutes to figure out everything to put in just for breakfast and lunch! Is there an easier tracker out there? or an trick to using this that I do not see? I REALLY WANT TO STAY 100% HONEST - to see if this works for me... I am at my LAST straw!

Hi-
I to faced frustration with a number of recommended trackers then I tried "************" this was recommended by one of the administators here on LCF and it has been so simple and trouble free. I love using it as I have never used a tracker before and it has really been an eye opening experience. Just remember their recommendations as far as daily fat, fiber, protein are skewed towards the "normal" American diet, just use it and "read" results to suit our WOE.You can also customize what nutrients you want to keep track of in addition to the regular fat, carbs etc. I keep track of fiber, you may want to pay special attention to sodium. Example, for me they recommend 14 grams of fiber, that's crazy as I consume at least 35 w/o trying so I always go over my fiber. But it has a lot of food in their database that surprised me(coconut milk powder, i thought I would have to add this myself but it was already there).It is so easy and fun to use, hope you give it a try. On the other hand I'm not too thrilled with their forums so I stick to LCF(this really is the best place ever!). Good luck.

[SoHappy]

Originally Posted by shirlc

Thanks for the help, Linda...I really do appreciate it even though I couldn't make it work!

I tried to put the recipe in and got so frustrated I quit!!! No matter what I did to try and input 2 cups flax meal, I kept getting "servings" instead of cups. I guess the best way for me to lose is to write down everything I eat and keep track of exercise this way, too.

Nothing wrong with keeping track of your calories, nutrient levels, exercise, etc. this old fashioned way, and in many regards I much, much, much prefer the old notebook and pencil record keeping. So easy and fast to flip back and forth between pages to compare or look back over something compared to even the fastest computer. These online sites are nice for a lot of things, but certainly not necessary.

[BonnyLass]

SoHappy-

I have never had much success with keeping a food journal. I have notebooks galore with partial weeks, days, minutes. Like my dieting it starts off with a bang and ends with a whimper. What I like about the online tracker is it's easy and its fun, I don't have to look things up, and it's much less time consuming.The last time I used a calorie book to look something up the print was so small. Since I always check my e-mail I'm usually on line once a day so it's very convenient.

[SoHappy]

Originally Posted by BonnyLass

SoHappy-

I have never had much success with keeping a food journal. I have notebooks galore with partial weeks, days, minutes. Like my dieting it starts off with a bang and ends with a whimper. What I like about the online tracker is it's easy and its fun, I don't have to look things up, and it's much less time consuming.The last time I used a calorie book to look something up the print was so small. Since I always check my e-mail I'm usually on line once a day so it's very convenient.

I'm most often online every day too, so keep track of my foods and nutrition with ******. And now that I have pretty much everything entered into the log, it's pretty fast to plan out my day's menu and everything is laid out for me, lickity-split!

I'm with you in starting out with a bang and ending in a fizzle. My DH says I never finish what I start, but I tell him that isn't true. I finish every single thing that continues to be interesting, but if I become bored with something, what's the point of continuing to waste my time with it. IT'S BORING!

[shirlc]

Originally Posted by BonnyLass

Hi-
I to faced frustration with a number of recommended trackers then I tried "************" this was recommended by one of the administators here on LCF and it has been so simple and trouble free. I love using it as I have never used a tracker before and it has really been an eye opening experience. Just remember their recommendations as far as daily fat, fiber, protein are skewed towards the "normal" American diet, just use it and "read" results to suit our WOE.You can also customize what nutrients you want to keep track of in addition to the regular fat, carbs etc. I keep track of fiber, you may want to pay special attention to sodium. Example, for me they recommend 14 grams of fiber, that's crazy as I consume at least 35 w/o trying so I always go over my fiber. But it has a lot of food in their database that surprised me(coconut milk powder, i thought I would have to add this myself but it was already there).It is so easy and fun to use, hope you give it a try. On the other hand I'm not too thrilled with their forums so I stick to LCF(this really is the best place ever!). Good luck.

I said I "gave up," but decided to try this one and I do like it! I didn't have such a hard time finding the ingredients for my recipe. Also, for lunch, I had a Whopper without the bun and was actually able to find it. It just all around seems easier to use.

[shirlc]

So today is the first time I've tracked my food and exercise. Really excited to finally get to do it!!! I was quite a bit over in fat, but that works for me (well, actually, I'll have to see how I weigh in tomorrow).

[Joedi]

Originally Posted by BonnyLass

Hi-
I to faced frustration with a number of recommended trackers then I tried "************" this was recommended by one of the administators here on LCF and it has been so simple and trouble free. I love using it as I have never used a tracker before and it has really been an eye opening experience. Just remember their recommendations as far as daily fat, fiber, protein are skewed towards the "normal" American diet, just use it and "read" results to suit our WOE.You can also customize what nutrients you want to keep track of in addition to the regular fat, carbs etc. I keep track of fiber, you may want to pay special attention to sodium. Example, for me they recommend 14 grams of fiber, that's crazy as I consume at least 35 w/o trying so I always go over my fiber. But it has a lot of food in their database that surprised me(coconut milk powder, i thought I would have to add this myself but it was already there).It is so easy and fun to use, hope you give it a try. On the other hand I'm not

too thrilled with their forums so I stick to LCF(this really is the best place
ever!). Good luck.

I tried it too, for my first DD .... I really like it, though I Wish it had a few more amount options for foods! What I LOVE is the bar code scanner! When adding a food you just scan the packet, and the name and all the nutritional
info pop up to be added to your log, and saved in the data base!
I found it great for my first DD...some of the nutritional info on little packets are too minuscule to read!
Also , though I use it in my phone, it automatically syncs with my Pc too.
You can invent reciPes, save meals, track water n exercise, and weight...and view your fat, protein, cals and carbs as a percent or a pie chart...and best of all it's totally free!

Hugs
Jo
X
Just pop up to be logged and saved for another day

[Lbibclc]

Originally Posted by KyliesMom

So I went to ****** and it took me 10 minutes to figure out everything to put in just for breakfast and lunch! Is there an easier tracker out there? or an trick to using this that I do not see? I REALLY WANT TO STAY 100% HONEST - to see if this works for me... I am at my LAST straw!

Try several sites. I use Livestrong and stay with it because the longer you use a site the easier it is to use. Livestrong learns what you eat more often and makes it easier to search for it. I think that is true of a lot of sites. I also like that there is an app for my ITouch that syncs with my pc version.

Also, I stopped trying to do the different meals, snacks etc. I just put it in if I eat it.

If there is a recipe that you use a lot you can put it in and it will track your calories without having to put in each thing. Like my version of low carb Chili. It's all in there and I can just adjust my serving size as needed.

With any site it is up to you to chose wisely the results you use. If you only use the ones with lower calories than you might be off. Livestrong verifies submitted calorie counts and I try to use those as much as possible. Read the package if it has calories on it and make sure your choice matchs. Sometimes a choice will have the calories but not the other information. I use NutritionData for backup information.

So think about how you are going to be using the site, try several and go from there. I have 5 on my ITouch but keep going back to Livestrong.

[Lbibclc]

Originally Posted by Joedi

I tried it too, for my first DD .... I really like it, though I Wish it had a few more amount options for foods! What I LOVE is the bar code scanner! When adding a food you just scan the packet, and the name and all the nutritional
info pop up to be added to your log, and saved in the data base!
I found it great for my first DD...some of the nutritional info on little packets are too minuscule to read!
Also , though I use it in my phone, it automatically syncs with my Pc too.
You can invent reciPes, save meals, track water n exercise, and weight...and view your fat, protein, cals and carbs as a percent or a pie chart...and best of all it's totally free!

Hugs
Jo
X
Just pop up to be logged and saved for another day

Oh the bar scanner would be great! You have to have a smart phone for that, right?

I forgot to add that Livestrong also lets you choose different serving sizes. So if you want carrots and it say 1 large carrot, you can put in how many ounces it weighs and it will calc that. I love the pie chart. I wish it subtracted fiber from the carb total or would let you do that. Do any of the other trackers do that?

[Kismet311]

My Fitness Pal is so easy. I am lazy and semi-computer illiterate and I have had no problems with it!

[Beeb]

Originally Posted by Lbibclc

Oh the bar scanner would be great! You have to have a smart phone for that, right?

I forgot to add that Livestrong also lets you choose different serving sizes. So if you want carrots and it say 1 large carrot, you can put in how many ounces it weighs and it will calc that. I love the pie chart. I wish it subtracted fiber from the carb total or would let you do that. Do any of the other trackers do that?

Fat Secret does all this, plus the fiber subtraction.

[Lbibclc]

Cool, I'll have to check ********* out. Is there an app?

[Beeb]

Originally Posted by Lbibclc

Cool, I'll have to check ********* out. Is there an app?

YES, I got it on my android phone and it was FREE! I FREE!!

[shirlc]

I said I was going to use "My Fitness Pal," but kept going back and forth and now have ended up using "******" for several days. I really like being able to track percentages of fat, protein and carbs, and to be able to see the fiber to subtract out. This is very motivational! Also been exercising the last few days...I really needed a push to do that.

[Joedi]

On my fitness pal, like ******, it gives you a view of your days or weeks carbs/protein/fat as a little pie chart...which I love!

You can also choose to view the day/week as a list, and it gives you the fiber to subtract on the list...I was freaking out at first, cos in the UK, our fiber is already subtracted from the carbs...so, of course, when I first saw my daily carbs I thought they were way too high...till I saw the fiber still had to be subtracted!

I liked the look of ******...but couldnt find an app for my iphone!

hugs
Jo
x

[cheapside]

OK, those of you who use ************ and adjust goals, what percentage do you set your carbs, fat and protein to?

[itsmeshelly01]

I use the ************ app and love it. I'm very ocd. I use the app on my phone and I have a food journal at work that I write everything in. I also have an app to track my cardio. It has gps and I use it when I jog outside but I put all of my exercise in it. I'm a tad obsessive...lol

[shirlc]

I've been using ****** since Aug. 31, 2011...just finally got on to it! I've discovered that by concentrating on eating more fat and protein, net carbs have just naturally gone down to right around 20. The whole time I've been on low carb, I've been trying to just concentrate on lowering carbs and never have been all that successful with it!

Today, I noticed that, at 140, my waist size has gone down to what it was in April of this year when I had gotten down to 133. Of course, I definitely want to get back down to the lower weight of the earlier months of the year, but just this fact (lower waist measurement) is encouraging to me!

[Beeb]

Originally Posted by shirlc

I've been using ****** since Aug. 31, 2011...just finally got on to it! I've discovered that by concentrating on eating more fat and protein, net carbs have just naturally gone down to right around 20. The whole time I've been on low carb, I've been trying to just concentrate on lowering carbs and never have been all that successful with it!

Today, I noticed that, at 140, my waist size has gone down to what it was in April of this year when I had gotten down to 133. Of course, I definitely want to get back down to the lower weight of the earlier months of the year, but just this fact (lower waist measurement) is encouraging to me!

Are you also doing JUDDD? If so how do you like it and are you combining it with your LC CAD WOE?

BTW...WTG on the inches lost!!

[shirlc]

Originally Posted by beeb

Are you also doing JUDDD? If so how do you like it and are you combining it with your LC CAD WOE?

BTW...WTG on the inches lost!!

Linda, no, I'm not doing JUDDD...doesn't sound like something I want to do. I know a lot of people really like it, but it just doesn't sound like my thing.

Re. the inch lost, thanks...it amazes me how clothes can fit better when the scale doesn't move down!

[Beeb]

Originally Posted by shirlc

Linda, no, I'm not doing JUDDD...doesn't sound like something I want to do. I know a lot of people really like it, but it just doesn't sound like my thing.

Re. the inch lost, thanks...it amazes me how clothes can fit better when the scale doesn't move down!

OK, I thought you were doing JUDDD because you were posting on the JUDDD forum, but even if you are not doing this WOE you are SO to hang out with us here! It's nice to see you around!

[SoHappy]

Originally Posted by beeb

OK, I thought you were doing JUDDD because you were posting on the JUDDD forum, but even if you are not doing this WOE you are SO to hang out with us here! It's nice to see you around!

LOL. I was hopeful too and thinking maybe you were joining us in JUDDD.

[shirlc]

Originally Posted by beeb

OK, I thought you were doing JUDDD because you were posting on the JUDDD forum, but even if you are not doing this WOE you are SO to hang out with us here! It's nice to see you around!

Well I'm glad I saw this thread about tracking food and calories because I finally got on track with ******. It is such a big help...so thanks! And nice to see some of the JUDDD folks.