Calorie Counts inaccurate?

[crackerjack13z]

Are they? It says 110 grams of london broil is 168 calories. But I've read elsewhere that that same amount is 320. Any ideas?

[changeisgood29]

Just my opinion from using Fitday for the last 3mos or so... I think, 9 times out of 10, FitDay's calorie counts are indeed accurate. However, I've definitely raised an eyebrow at some of the counts. I use calorieking.com to double-check calorie counts that I'm not sure of; plus that site also has a lot more food in its database than FitDay does.

[nzgilbe]

Originally Posted by changeisgood29

Just my opinion from using Fitday for the last 3mos or so... I think, 9 times out of 10, FitDay's calorie counts are indeed accurate. However, I've definitely raised an eyebrow at some of the counts. I use calorieking.com to double-check calorie counts that I'm not sure of; plus that site also has a lot more food in its database than FitDay does.

I disagree. I found that 9 times out of 10, FitDay's calorie counts are inaccurate. Almost every time I find a food in their database I have to customize it to match the label. I don't understand how they can get it so wrong. Example: Today I searched for Kellogs Nutri-grain cereal bars and the calorie count was way lower than the package even when I took into account the difference in serving size. It's a pain to have to customize every food. It also makes me not trust any of their numbers.

[MunaAmin]

Originally Posted by nzgilbe

I disagree. I found that 9 times out of 10, FitDay's calorie counts are inaccurate. Almost every time I find a food in their database I have to customize it to match the label. I don't understand how they can get it so wrong. Example: Today I searched for Kellogs Nutri-grain cereal bars and the calorie count was way lower than the package even when I took into account the difference in serving size. It's a pain to have to customize every food. It also makes me not trust any of their numbers.

I don't know where you are located, but i guess this can also matter. Nutri grain bars can be different in the US then they are in Europe, and i guess sering size might be different too. The ones in the database can be the European ones and you might live in America, hence the difference in numbers. I always customize things like cottage cheese, bread etc. but i use fitday's count of vitamins.

[Kohsamui]

You might need a degree to figure this out, but I think FitDay did their homework on the meats. I got the same 168 cals for 110 grams for prime, lean only, trimmed to 1/4" fat, raw London broil. But, further down the page, are more values for "prime" cuts with the differences coming from "lean and separable" "trimmed to 1/4, 1/2, 0", "broiled" "choice" "grilled" etc. The cal count changes with each entry.
What I'm curious to know is whether there is a simple rule of thumb that tells me if I broil 110 grams (or 4 oz) of raw meat, how much cooked meat will that give me? Would I be able to use the same way to estimate how much cooked beef I'd get after doing a 4 pound (raw weight) roast? How about a turkey?

[Lizzycritter]

I usually use the "oz raw, yield after cooking" measurements, but particularly for meat, using the food browse tool on the left hand side of the screen instead of the search bar feels more accurate, because there is such a difference in calorie count depending on the cut of the meat. I use calorieking.com and packages to double check values, and when I'm using a marinade or sauce, I log that separately because I use low fat sauces, and fitday's are usually full fat values. In the US, package values can vary by the state you live in as well, particulary if you live in California. Manufacturers are allowed to "round" their nutritional values, and the rules by which they "round" the numbers vary by national and state law. Yet another reason to avoid prepackaged foods I suppose.