Tracking Condiments

Tmochava

Does anyone measure and track sauces? Like BBQ sauce, ketchup, and mustard. I never have but should I be doing so?

lauracups

Yes I track it and what an eye opener....lots of calories in those things. Now I don't use as mmk much if at all

Tmochava

Also what about hot sauce? It has a sodium content but no calories and I figure I drink enough water to flush the sodium out of me.

StaciMarie1974

Depends on your goals. If you have a large deficit, it won't hurt you to miss 10 here, 25 there. If you're near the end then every little bit adds up and can wipe out a deficit.

brynnsmom

I don't track plain mustard despite the sodium, or my beloved sriracha sauce because I use such tiny quantities. I'm not overly concerned about my sodium intake. BBQ sauce, ketchup - that can be an upwards of 30 calories per tablespoon. Worth tracking that for sure!

dietcoke281

Yup, track everything. Especially things like mayo, there's soooo many calories.

beachlandia

I don't really use condiments but when I do I use very little and usually don't bother to add calories. I mean (and this isn't really a condiment but whatever), there are a few calories in the two pickle slices I add to my sandwich but not enough to really throw me off. But if you're adding large amounts of sauce to your food daily I would track it.

Maleficent0241

Yes on sauces. No on things like salt, pepper, and dried spices like basil. Too bothersome and almost no calories in those.

TheHumanMachine

I use my food scale to weigh ketchup and sauces.

DanniB423

The only condiment I don't track is mayo.. That's free right?!

T1DCarnivoreRunner

Yes, my food scale zeroes out. So let's say I have chicken nuggets. I'll do this:
1. Put empty plate on scale.
2. Zero out scale.
3. Add frozen chicken nuggets
4. Log weight of chicken nuggets.
5. Microwave nuggets.
6. Put plate and microwaved nuggets on scale.
7. Zero out scale.
8. Add bbq sauce / ketchup / whatever to plate.
9. Log sauce.

I have the most accurate calorie intake data possible using this method. It doesn't help me lose weight necessarily, but I struggle to see weight loss no matter what I do. In any case, nobody should say I'm not logging as accurately as possible (they do, but shouldn't).

MindySaysWhaaat

I don't track ketchup, barbecue or soy sauce. I do track mayo, orange chicken sauce (I bought the bottle from panda express lol), and any other kinds of dressings (like ranch).

edited to add: I also make sure that I use a minimal amount of the sauces I don't track.

vfit10

Sauces yes ... Spices naa

81Katz

I weigh/log all condiments.

AmazonMayan

Some of the condiments have noticeable calories. I looked up the mcd's bbq sauce and the one little tub was 45 calories. I track my hot sauce because sometimes I use it a lot and the sodium.....

I don't eat a lot of sauces/spreads because I usually mix up something of my own with some plain yogurt (weighed, logged), but the ketchup and bbq sauce does add up.

kandell

If you don't log condiments, you'll probably be left wondering why you haven't seen results. 2 tbsp of ranch dressing is 140 calories. It's also not very much when it's properly measured out.

Dragn77

For the very reason kandell mentioned... I log everything.

the way I see it..if Im going to log my 50 calories of spinach, why woudlnt I log my 120 calories of mayo..or what have you? Not to mention, I want to weigh it to make verrrry sure if Im going to log that many calories, Im getting every gram of that condiment in there LoL

kindrabbit

log EVERYTHING! I wouldn't sleep well knowing I had eaten something I hadn't logged. If you look at my diary there are quite a few <5 calorie entries. They all add up.
I do the same as midwesterner85. I put the bowl/plate on the scale, hit zero, add first ingredient and log then zero and add next ingredient. I also have a scale that weights fluids so I can weight a solid then change to fluid oz and add liquid.

7lenny7

I'll only track condiments with significant calories. That means I'm not logging mustard, sriracha sauce, but I am logging mayo or Miracle Wipe. If I'm getting towards the end of the day and I have plenty of excess calories in my budget, I may get lazy and skip it.

Gska17

The only thing I don't log is a squiggle of yellow mustard on my sandwich. I definitely log mayo, ketchup, and ranch.

Dragn77

7lenny7 wrote: »

I'll only track condiments with significant calories. That means I'm not logging mustard, sriracha sauce, but I am logging mayo or Miracle Wipe. If I'm getting towards the end of the day and I have plenty of excess calories in my budget, I may get lazy and skip it.

Im pretty sure that was auto-correct hard at work, but Im giggling at Miracle Wipe. I'll have to start calling it that from now on!

tracie_minus100

Condiments and sauces, yes. Spices, no. That's what I do.

NikonPal

Tmochava wrote: »

Does anyone measure and track sauces? Like BBQ sauce, ketchup, and mustard. I never have but should I be doing so?

Absolutely! Condiments/sauces can pile on the calories like there’s no tomorrow.

A tablespoon of mayo is about 100 calories. Two tablespoons of ketchup can be 40 calories; butter 200 calories, ranch dressing 145 calories etc.

I switch when possible – reg mayo (90 calories) v. Low fat mayo (15 calories); reg ketchup 20 calories v. reduced sugar ketchup (5 calories)etc.; Balsamic vinegar spray (14 calories or less) v. 90 calories for dressing. Instead of real Butter at 100 calories(per tablespoon), I use Olivio or yogurt or applesauce etc.

Everyone is different, but that helped me –

You even have to watch “0” calories – if you tend to overdo things… you might like this reference)

http://www.hungry-girl.com/newsletters/raw/37-i-cant-believe-its-got-calories

“The "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" spray has ZERO calories if you use just a few spritzes. However, if you do what most of us do and spray to your heart's content, you can rack up calories and fat grams pretty quickly. Here's the scoop: 12.5 sprays is 10 calories and 1 gram of fat, 25 sprays (1 teaspoon) is 20 calories and 2 grams of fat, and 37.5 sprays is 30 calories and 3 grams of fat. In case you're curious, the entire bottle contains 900 calories and 90 grams of fat! Helpful hint: When it comes to this stuff, stick with spraying as opposed to pouring.”

GOOD LUCK

mz_getskinny

Heck yeah I do!!! Condiments used to be my faves....now they ruin my life! Lol okay..that was over dramatic...but still. I hate wasting precious calories on condiments!

Tmochava

Thanks for everyones input. I'll start logging my condiments. I never thought about logging butter but I sure will now.

Tmochava

Dragn77 wrote: »

7lenny7 wrote: »

I'll only track condiments with significant calories. That means I'm not logging mustard, sriracha sauce, but I am logging mayo or Miracle Wipe. If I'm getting towards the end of the day and I have plenty of excess calories in my budget, I may get lazy and skip it.

Im pretty sure that was auto-correct hard at work, but Im giggling at Miracle Wipe. I'll have to start calling it that from now on!

Auto correct gets you every time.

Francl27

Gosh yes, it adds up.

xmarye

Yes I do, but I never had a problem overdoing it with condiments. I think that especially when I watch what I eat, I have to have it so that I can enjoy the foods I eat that much more. It's just important to be aware and fit it into your day. I haven't even thought about it twice!

MFP helps you to see what habits you have that brought you to where you were. I noticed that my 2 BLT sandwiches I used to eat for breakfast alone were 800cals... Now I have only one (less bread), I use only one slice of bacon cut in half, and portion the mayo. I can still enjoy it, but not in the way I used to! Also, I used to drink Tim Horton's large double double a few times a day, racking 300-1200cals (1-4 coffees). I still have my timmies ONCE IN A WHILE (the cup of coffee I make at home is only 62cals and I have it every morning) and I chose the medium size (200cals). It's all about balance

PAV8888

The other night I ate 105 calories worth of Dijon mustard. That's 70g in case you're wondering. Damn Chicken Loaf was fairly dry : - )

Liftng4Lis

Yep, everything counts.

SergeantSausage

My condiments usually add to over 150 cal/day. That's pretty significant. Why would you not log 'em? *Everything* counts, right?