Logging accuracy, consistency, and you're probably eating more than you think.

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Replies

  • kclay1021
    kclay1021 Posts: 56 Member
    I ALWAYS underestimate my intake. . . even when I'm trying to be sensible. I just don't have the right gauge on portion sizes yet. Which means I ALWAYS use measuring cups and food scales now. . not much room for error. Having to write down what I've had helps with this because how else can you track serving size? :-) For sure tracking necessary.
  • peterjens
    peterjens Posts: 235 Member
    I do all the cooking in our nest but when we go out to a restaurant I try to visualize my food portions in this manner - http://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition-pictures/picturing-proper-portion-sizes.aspx#01

    Bottom line - it's better to be close than to not log at all as was the case 15 lbs. ago.
  • Fitforevermore
    Fitforevermore Posts: 399 Member
    woah, rice should be a cupcake wrapper size?!
  • peterjens
    peterjens Posts: 235 Member
    edited April 2015
    fitfor30th wrote: »
    woah, rice should be a cupcake wrapper size?!

    According to the USDA a serving of white rice is 1/2 cup cooked or visually the size of a cupcake wrapper.

    http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/HHFS_RICE_WHITE_ENRICHED_LONGGRAIN100491,100492oct 2012.pdf

    The nutrition label on the rice I use - Calrose Shirakiku - says the serving size is 1/4 cup which would be 1/2 cup cooked.
  • Fitforevermore
    Fitforevermore Posts: 399 Member
    wow, I have way too much rice!
  • richlizzie
    richlizzie Posts: 8 Member
    I LOOKED AT ME WEIGHT RECORDS OVER THE LAST WEEK AND WAS QUITE HORRIFIED. WHEN YOU START PICKING , HEAVENS THOSE CALORIES REALLY ADD UP AND LOOK AS IF THEY WANT TO SHOOT RIGHT OFF THE GRAPH. ONE AMUSING PIECE OF INPUT WAS MY AGE WHICH GAVE ME A LICENCE TO EAT AN EXTRA 700 CALORIES A DAY!! INTERESTINGLY, I STILL LOST A ABIT, BUT NOW THAT THAT FACT HAS BEEN CHANGED THE TRUTH IS OUT. WELL, JUST OVER 1200 IS THE SUM TOTAL. THIS FEELS BETTER IN A WAY AND WILL MAKE ME PAY CLOSER ATTENTION - THIS IS A VERY GOOD AND SOPHISTICATED WEBSITE AND I AM VERY IMPRESSED. I SHALL BE AROUND FOR A GOOD WHILE AS I DO HAVE LOTS TO LOSE.
  • JongdaePark
    JongdaePark Posts: 3 Member
    하이
  • JongdaePark
    JongdaePark Posts: 3 Member
    edited April 2015
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  • SeoulSistah1908
    SeoulSistah1908 Posts: 8 Member
    Actually weighing & measuring has really been an eye opener for me! The greatest surprise is that my body (& mind) is actually good with the much, much smaller portions! AMAZING!
    dblanke01 wrote: »
    Very helpful and motivational. I've been "on a diet" for about 15 years, and some of those years I was even really diligent about measuring...but not logging EVERYTHING, and certainly not weighing. I weighed my breakfast for the first time ever. Had I just logged what I thought was accurate, I would have been underestimating by about 300 calories. Wow.

  • CandiceMcD
    CandiceMcD Posts: 115 Member
    peterjens wrote: »
    fitfor30th wrote: »
    woah, rice should be a cupcake wrapper size?!

    According to the USDA a serving of white rice is 1/2 cup cooked or visually the size of a cupcake wrapper.

    http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/HHFS_RICE_WHITE_ENRICHED_LONGGRAIN100491,100492oct 2012.pdf

    The nutrition label on the rice I use - Calrose Shirakiku - says the serving size is 1/4 cup which would be 1/2 cup cooked.

    Ha I have totally been eating just 1/4 cup of rice, cooked
  • mwyvr
    mwyvr Posts: 1,883 Member
    SideSteel wrote: »
    This discussion is interesting though, I'd be interested what's "average" in terms of frequency. Were I to guess, I would think 2-3 times/week is fairly normal.

    We eat out infrequently, maybe twice a month? Japanese usually. Thank goodness I don't travel for work like I used to.

    Fast foods: Very close to zero a month.

    Treats when buying my triple tall Americano (all 15 calories of it dash of cream included): frequent before CICO, non-existent afterwards LOL.
  • Britxclarity
    Britxclarity Posts: 235 Member
    I know this have been asked but the answer given confused me.. so I am going to ask it again in hopes I can understand it better. I got a food scale today. and I've used it twice so far. I plan on making me a side salad tonight. now in the past.. I would log all of the ingridents indivually and try to guesstimate how much I was eating.

    I still plan on doing that but I will be using my food scale to log it. But once the salad is actually "made" do I have to log the finished product as well? or even if i made a casserole., do I have to log the finished product? or at least the serving of the casserole that I eat? and if so.. like How would I go about that? cause wouldn't it be counting the calories twice?
  • lgm2495
    lgm2495 Posts: 2 Member
    Great info thanks for sharing
    Sarauk2sf wrote: »
    It is very easy to understate intake, even when you are being as diligent as possible. I know I do it and when I log, I am pretty careful with trying to be accurate.

  • Jill1066
    Jill1066 Posts: 4 Member
    I know I have been pretty accurate with food entry and have gained many more calories that I have not used because I have exercised a lot this week. My weight is the same as last week. It is my first week and I don't have a great deal to get rid of but I hoped to lose at least a little weight. Could
  • Jill1066
    Jill1066 Posts: 4 Member
    Jill1066 wrote: »
    I know I have been pretty accurate with food entry and have gained many more calories that I have not used because I have exercised a lot this week. My weight is the same as last week. It is my first week and I don't have a great deal to get rid of but I hoped to lose at least a little weight. Could I be toning up? Hello!
  • Jill1066
    Jill1066 Posts: 4 Member

    Oh by the way,I have not eaten back any of the exercise calories!


  • CynSearly
    CynSearly Posts: 23 Member
    kayfaei wrote: »
    I know this have been asked but the answer given confused me.. so I am going to ask it again in hopes I can understand it better. I got a food scale today. and I've used it twice so far. I plan on making me a side salad tonight. now in the past.. I would log all of the ingridents indivually and try to guesstimate how much I was eating.

    I still plan on doing that but I will be using my food scale to log it. But once the salad is actually "made" do I have to log the finished product as well? or even if i made a casserole., do I have to log the finished product? or at least the serving of the casserole that I eat? and if so.. like How would I go about that? cause wouldn't it be counting the calories twice?

    You would either log the individual ingredients in your journal or create a 'recipe' in the app, and log the serving you ate.

    For example, on meal prep day when I make for the whole week and divide it up, I add the recipe. I usually weigh the final product to find out how many servings of 100g there is in what I made.

    For example, if I made one of my favourite quinoa dishes, and divided it up to see how many 100g portions there are, then I measured out a 250g portion for each lunch I would log in my journal 2.5 servings of the dish every day for lunch. If I wanted to top it with a condiment (usually I like some avocado with it) then I add the avocado as a separate food, weighing the portion by grams as well.

    I hope that makes sense.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
    Jill1066 wrote: »
    I know I have been pretty accurate with food entry and have gained many more calories that I have not used because I have exercised a lot this week. My weight is the same as last week. It is my first week and I don't have a great deal to get rid of but I hoped to lose at least a little weight. Could I be toning up?

    When people say weight loss is not linear, this is exactly what we mean. You'll never go down every week, or even every day. You may have lost, but are retaining water for a variety of reasons--sodium intake, hormones, and increase in exercise (which you mentioned) are the biggest culprits.
  • CynSearly
    CynSearly Posts: 23 Member
    CandiceMcD wrote: »
    peterjens wrote: »
    fitfor30th wrote: »
    woah, rice should be a cupcake wrapper size?!

    According to the USDA a serving of white rice is 1/2 cup cooked or visually the size of a cupcake wrapper.

    http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/HHFS_RICE_WHITE_ENRICHED_LONGGRAIN100491,100492oct 2012.pdf

    The nutrition label on the rice I use - Calrose Shirakiku - says the serving size is 1/4 cup which would be 1/2 cup cooked.

    Ha I have totally been eating just 1/4 cup of rice, cooked

    This is a perfect example of how logging food can be really frustrating. I always question things like rice, etc. On the package, I assume it gives the measurements based on how the product is in the package (unless otherwise stated). Therefore, the weight of the rice or bean or lentil will be different when cooked. 45g of rice uncooked is a lot of rice. 45g cooked is a very small portion.

    What I have done in the past is familiarize myself with weights before and after cooking. I have sticky notes on the insides of my pantry doors that tell me "45g uncooked, 120g cooked" for things I eat all the time. I also have a sticky note on the inside of my pots & pans cupboard which will tell me how much each pot, pan, casserole dish etc weighs. So that when I make a meal prep for the week I can do the math for how many grams the recipe made without worrying about forgetting how much the pot weighed before I started.

    I hope this tips help (can you tell I've been logging for years...)
  • CynSearly
    CynSearly Posts: 23 Member
    tiffanyking1976 wrote: »
    birdiebunny wrote: »
    I tend to over log food. Not much but some. If I know I'm not getting a full serving of something but more then half I may log it as 1. And that's because I know something will get missed somewhere or to make up for the tasting I do while cooking.

    I do the same thing! Id rather over than under loo

    I'm the same. Or, I'll portion myself a bowl of something, but not eat it all or share it with whoever I'm with and then end up not changing my log.

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