I have some questions. 1. Although my waist is 36″ and my hips are 45″ (inches), the program labels me as apple shaped. I have patently got a pear shape. What gives? 2. I make my own bread, eat leftovers for lunch and generally cook up unlabeled foods for dinner. Most of the snacks I eat aren’t labeled either. How can I calculate calorie intake? I can’t use the software you usually recommend. Thanks for your time.

If the calculation for waist to hip ratio resulted apple shape, then that is what you are. You may want to re-measure your body just to check again.

Options to analyze your food intake are: nutrition analysis software, a registered dietitian who will analyze your food records, the diabetic exchange list or My Plate Food Guide which you can use as guides.

All foods can be categorized into 6 different exchanges i.e. milk, meat, fruit, vegetable, bread, fat or combinations of several different exchanges. Or you could follow the My Plate Food Guide which separates foods into the same 6 groups (fats also includes sweets in the pyramid), but pyramid serving sizes are based on nutrient content not calories, protein, fat and carbohydrate like in the diabetic exchanges. You may want to talk to a registered dietitian to design an eating plan that utilizes a guide like exchanges or the pyramid servings to achieve your health goals.