How accurate are you?

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ftsolk
ftsolk Posts: 202 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
This is sort of a follow-up on my previous thread on transitioning to MFP from WW.

How accurate are you when it comes to counting calories for fruit and vegetables. Do you place your banana on the scale and track the exact number of grams, or do you just grab one and estimate that it's a "medium" banana? Do you grab a handful of spinach and just figure it's a cup? Do you loosely place it in a measuring cup? Or do you stick it on a scale and track the exact number of grams in it?

Right now, I use my scale to weigh out starchy foods, meats, cheese, etc, but I don't weigh/measure fruit and vegetables. I just eyeball portions if I double track.

(Note, that I DO weigh things like avocado and potatoes).
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Replies

  • Laurend224
    Laurend224 Posts: 1,748 Member
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    I weigh everything. This afternoon my lunch included 93 grams of romaine lettuce. Yesterday's oatmeal had 145 grams of banana. I frequently put two bananas in my smoothie, which can be upwards of 250 calories, depending on the weight. It all counts.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    I weigh most of my produce, including bananas. I might not weigh spinach added to my sandwich because I know from experience it's going to add up to about 2 calories. Or if I grab a baby carrot or two from the fridge I might not log it. But most things are weighed out.
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
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    I weigh all fruit and veggies (starchy or not).
  • michellemybelll
    michellemybelll Posts: 2,228 Member
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    weigh everything.
  • Roxiegirl2008
    Roxiegirl2008 Posts: 756 Member
    edited January 2015
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    I measure everything. Unless it is something pre-packet like mini baby bell cheese or my oatmeal in the morning.

    *by measure I mean to say weigh. Sorry!
  • higgins8283801
    higgins8283801 Posts: 844 Member
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    I place everything ok a scale. Banana, apple, bowl of grapes.

    I even measure out my coffee to a precision, by zeroing it out before I add sugar, zeroing it out again before I add cream.

    I'm pretty sure I'm as accurate as I can be.
  • SergeantSausage
    SergeantSausage Posts: 1,673 Member
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    As accurate as I need to be.

    I place the apple on the scale before AND after eating, so I can subtract out the weight of the core that I didn't eat.
  • dopeysmelly
    dopeysmelly Posts: 1,390 Member
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    I weigh pretty much everything at home, but only because the food scale is right there in the kitchen next to where I prepare food. If it's a snack I'm eating away from home, I'd estimate a medium banana, say. If I'm eating out, I very rarely log at all.

    I guess I weigh when it's convenient, so I'm not bothered when it's not.
  • ciacyrus29
    ciacyrus29 Posts: 109 Member
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    You guys are out of my league. I don't weigh anything. I've tried and can't seem to stick with it. So kudos to you all.
  • Phoenix_Down
    Phoenix_Down Posts: 530 Member
    edited January 2015
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    I weigh nearly everything
  • jurneeka
    jurneeka Posts: 3 Member
    edited January 2015
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    The only food items I don't weigh/measure (not counting pre-portioned single servings such as the Quest Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough bar I'm eating at the moment) are ultra low calorie veggies such as spinach, salad greens, kale, mushrooms, etc.

    It takes practice and planning, but now it's second nature to me to weigh stuff. My little food scale (electronic, cost me like $15 on Amazon and works like a charm) is right there in the kitchen with me and I even took it with me to my parents' house over Christmas Eve/Christmas (along with my body scale as I weigh myself pretty much every morning).

    Edit to add - forgot there IS one occasion when I don't weigh. Free/cheat meals. I still log, but I guestimate. When my favorite guy is visiting for the weekend, the diet takes a back seat. (that said, I lower my calories/macros a few days before and after...)
  • LeslieB042812
    LeslieB042812 Posts: 1,799 Member
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    It's a mix for me. If I'm home, I definitely weigh it--especially with something high calorie like a banana. If I'm out and need a snack and grab a banana, then I estimate it. Even vegetables can add up. For example, one serving of spinach is 20 calories, but if you saute it and have it as the base of your meal, you can easily eat 3 servings, which equals 60 calories! Another example is tomatoes, I had a handful of cherry tomatoes in my salad and it added up to 50 calories. As Dianne said, though, after a while you'll get used to your usual foods and then you'll be able to more accurately estimate for some things when you don't have your scale with you.

    The problem with weight watchers points plus system is that there can be a TON of calories in fruits and veggies. It really doesn't make sense to not count them. That's why I gained weight on WWP+, while I had lost on their prior system. I think you'll do better on MFP for that very reason--I sure have!
  • Yes2HealthyAriel
    Yes2HealthyAriel Posts: 453 Member
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    I weigh my spinach, lettuce and other veggies and most fruit. But with bananas I use a ruler and log it as 6" or whatever I end up getting. I just started weighing my avocados to because not one is identical so I log them by weight now also.
  • 4leighbee
    4leighbee Posts: 1,275 Member
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    I'm not accurate at all. I don't weigh anything, etc., because I need this to be sustainable for me, and I know *I* could never keep up with that diligence. Kudos to you all is right. For me, eating is something I have to do to stay alive and something that allows me to keep running - I don't give it much more thought than that. So, I'm trying to develop healthy habits (routine choices) now (more protein, less carbs) so I can forget about food again and get back to everything else ... ;)
  • TheVirgoddess
    TheVirgoddess Posts: 4,535 Member
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    I'm pretty meticulous with most things.
  • johng1973
    johng1973 Posts: 109 Member
    edited January 2015
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    I don't measure that much. I typically eye everything that isn't prepackaged. I know I may not reach my goals as quickly as I want but just doing that little bit keeps me from going overboard. I've measured religiously before and did well with my weight loss, but the minute I stopped weighing I started to go overboard. I figured that I need to adopt a behavior that is sustainable. I use the general rules here:

    http://caloriecount.about.com/article/when_you_cant_measure_estimate_portions
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
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    I weigh everything. Even liquids (my scale has a mL setting).
  • CarrieCans
    CarrieCans Posts: 381 Member
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    I weigh everything. First banana i weighed sort of shocked me, i had been guessing wrong and could have eaten a lot more of them along them way. A persons idea of a small, medium or large of something can vary. I even weigh pre-packaged items, it's amazing to see how far off those package weights differ from what the label says should be in there.
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
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    I weigh or measure calorie-dense items, such as meat, nuts, oils, cheese, avocados, etc. I don't bother with calorie-poor items, such as lettuce, sweet peppers, cucumbers, etc., unless I'm planning to eat a huge number of them, or if it's a particularly huge specimen. I figure that if that red pepper I ate had 60 calories rather than 51, it's still not a significant difference to my overall daily intake.
  • clambert1273
    clambert1273 Posts: 840 Member
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    I weight and measure every single thing. My scale will do fluid ounces so I even sit a glass on there to measure out my 8 oz of milk... I believe I am accurate to a point of being faulty.. lol

    I cut up apples this morning and was weighing them in a bowl.. made my note and logged them when I got to work. :)

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