60+ with 25-50 lbs to Lose

How do you manage putting your foods for the day if that food is not listed on the site? As you can tell by site name I like real food. I buy fresh veggies and fruits, whole grains, beans, and protiens not packaged stuff. I wish I could just put in the number of calories. I eat lots of foods that are not listed so it takes lots of time to track down all the required nutritional info to enter anything.

I buy most of my food at various ethnic food stores and small fresh markets so the brand names etc don't apply. Like tonight I'm eating a Thai basil curry stir fry with a mix of oriental cabbage family greens, and chinese broccoli with chicken --was going to add some tofu that I thought I had but don't. So I added some gryo meat that the only info I have is calories for some extra protien. No clue on the oriental veggies I didn't go hunting. The curry sauce is in Thai I think but it does have calories listed that I could figure out. I end up hunting through some category trying to find something that the calorie count comes close.

For dinner I'm guessing with the amt of veggies per serving figuring the calories per oz for chinese broccoli for all the veggies, some of them I only have the market's oriental name that I scribbled down. My stir fried dish and my 1/2 cup of rice my meal is about 350 calories including my fruit for desert.

I list the ingredietns seperately, weigh them first, mainly meat and fish, veggies that contain more calories than most etc. If it is something I prepare more often, I put it in as a recipe for myself only, that way I don't have to start all over again next time. Simular recipes (I have a tendancy to change them a little) I try to just estimate, maybe increase the serving size in the food calendar to stay on the safe side.

thanks gigi, the problem I'm having is that some things are listed as a serving (no clue what a serving is) grams, or an ounce and I'm using a tablespoon or 1/4 cup. Most of the ingredients I buy are not name brands but bought in bulk at ethic markets, city market, and I rarely shop regular grocery stores. Instead of having having whole foods it's some name brand. They don't come with nutrition labels.

Also lots of the ingredients I don't have the info that this site looks for to be able to enter a food, it means I end up up looking for something with a calorie count that comes close. It takes me much time to try to track down nutrition info and enter it--then they put it on hold for moderator review that takes weeks.

Like Chinese broccoli-- has freda's don't even know who that is or if fresh or cooked. Fenegeek seeds won't let me put that in no matter wht.

If you want to see what a serving size is click where is says "view details" at the end of the top line of food description... it will lead you to what the size/amount of the serving they are referring to.

Sometimes it's very hard to find the calorie count of foods so I google the food and ask for the nutritional value and you can often get the facts you need to build you own food entry in the sytem.

I only eat whole foods myself... no more processed garbage for me