Tracking the little things

moledew

I just ate 2 M&Ms out of my trail mix to kick the sweet tooth I have. We went to a restaurant last week and I ordered a turkey wrap that came with chips and salsa. The difference in eating just the wrap or having the wrap with the chips and salsa was 370 calories! I ate 3 chips and lightly dipped it in the salsa. I know I need a food scale but either way, I'm not measuring that swig of soda I had during a coughing fit before I drink it...How do I calculate these real life things? At first I thought "well, it cant be too many calories in a sip of soda or a bite of cookie, I'll just leave a little wiggle room in my daily deficit" but that mental process is what got me here in the first place and i do believe that that "one extra slice of pizza" is why I'm facing a 100lb weight loss goal now.

TimothyFish

I'm sure I'll make some people red hot made for saying this, but my view is that you should weigh this stuff with the bathroom scale instead of the kitchen scale. What I mean by that is that you keep an eye on your weight and if you see the scale starting to climb, you cut back on what you're eating. If it is falling too quickly, you allow yourself to eat more.

peachyfuzzle

That "one extra slice of pizza" could most certainly be why you're facing that amount of weightloss if given enough time. One swig of soda isn't going to matter all THAT much, same with one bite of a cookie, but one slice of pizza could be anywhere from a couple hundred calories to near a thousand depending on size/toppings.

Personally, I don't add in stuff like butter, or oil when I'm making my calculations. Instead, I log like 150, or 200 "quick calories" to make up for the difference. You could keep a running track of all of the little things, and then just add them to the snacks segment as quick calories.

BilianaStoyanova

Hahahaha... I really like your comment, shocking and funny but very true

tulips_and_tea

Well, I think realizing that you can't track EVERY little thing is important to accept right off the bat. A drink of soda to counteract a coughing fit I wouldn't even remotely worry about. Being conscious to not pick at things throughout the day because they DO add up is important.

I read an article recently that mentioned being mindful of the BLT's - bites, licks, and tastes. Allow maybe a 100 calorie "buffer" every day and you should even out over time. Of course, if being mindful of "BLT's" makes you think about the sandwiches then perhaps another method may work better for you!

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jemhh

Back when I did Weight Watchers, they would talk about BLTs--bites, licks, and tastes--and how you needed to record them. I agree to a certain extent but I don't log absolutely everything. The chips, I log. Salsa? I never log it. But I also don't eat much of it and don't eat it often so I assume that it evens out. We eat out a lot and I try to estimate well but err on the side of overestimating calories if I can't get nutrition info from the restaurant's website. I figure I overestimate enough that way that a tablespoon of salsa or two M&Ms aren't a problem. M&Ms are about 5 calories per piece and most salsas that I eat are around 20 calories per tablespoon so I am okay with being off by 10 calories. Oh, and also, chips are a "mindless" food for me, meaning that I will just keep reaching out and grabbing them if I don't pay attention so that's another reason why I count those calories. The chips I get are either 12 for 140 calories or 14 for 120 calories (have to look it up each time) so I just count out one serving and then push away the bowl.

JohnBarth

I was thinking about this topic recently with the focus on 100% logging that's often suggested throughout these forums.

I log as well as I can, but I don't log a 5 calorie cup of coffee or a few pieces of 5 calorie sugar free gum. I know these add up over time, but when is enough just enough?

For instance, I measure a lot of my recipes to the gram. Use my smoothie for example. It adds up to whatever it adds to, but what about the 1/2-3/4oz that's left in the blender? What about the 1/4-1/2oz that's still in my cup after I drink it? What about the 1/2oz of salad dressing that's still in the bowl after I coat my greens by shaking in a container? These are all of what I consider "offsets" to accurate logging.

Second, try logging a piece of sirloin steak sometime. There are literally dozens of suggestions in the database, some that vary quite a lot. What is right? Even the USDA recommendations use an average, so I recommend doing the same. If you want to be conservative, pick the highest you find knowing your serving will likely be less.

Now, if you're at a plateau and want to be sure it's real, get as accurate as you can, but if you're reaching your goals, two m&m's or a sip of soda aren't going to derail you in the least.

ActiveApril

BZAH10 wrote: »

Well, I think realizing that you can't track EVERY little thing is important to accept right off the bat. A drink of soda to counteract a coughing fit I wouldn't even remotely worry about. Being conscious to not pick at things throughout the day because they DO add up is important.

I read an article recently that mentioned being mindful of the BLT's - bites, licks, and tastes. Allow maybe a 100 calorie "buffer" every day and you should even out over time. Of course, if being mindful of "BLT's" makes you think about the sandwiches then perhaps another method may work better for you!

I am TERRIBLE with the BLTs! It definitely does add up.

nicfitnesszone

It is hard for me to keep track of little things while going about my business. Sometimes I'd grab a cracker with tiny block of cheese on top or add creamer to my coffee in meetings then forget. I addressed this issue by not eating back calories from my workout and outdoor activities. It is a great buffer! :-)

jaga13

I don't log itty bitty things, but I usually don't snack or graze throughout the day. I think your ticker says you have 80 lbs left to lose (congrats on the 15!), so you should have enough wiggle room in your daily calorie deficit that a few calories from these items won't matter. I am closer to goal and only have a 250 calories daily deficit, so I do tend to log almost everything, but I wouldn't log 2 m&ms or a sip of soda...as long as I'm not eating them all day long. Good luck!

nyponbell

I don't track cups of tea. I have once or twice checked out a particular brand, but the calories are about 4 cal per teabag. And even though I might drink "a lot of tea" I reuse the same bag at least twice, and I don't add anything to it besides water - so I drink it plain. Even on a day of drinking a lot of tea, I probably don't go through more than three teabags = ~12 calories. I don't really track these.

Also, when do food-prep, and I make my soup; I don't eat it on the same day, but will always taste it. Same with the smoothies I sometimes have to make the day before; I don't track these either, but assume that it will even out with an extra walking lap around the school yard while on duty.

callsitlikeiseeit

theres a big difference between 2 m&m's or a swig of soda and entire meals (ie: slice of pizza)

now, if you are a person who grazes ALL day, you need to weigh or devise a method that works for you to track it, but if its truly a rare thing, personally, i wouldnt worry about it.

lemonlionheart

Some days when I've had a few extra bites or tastes, I'll quick-add an extra 100-200 calories just to be safe

rainbowbow

The little things are where I found that I make the most mistakes. Most people who are constantly saying "but i'm tracking and just not losing! " are usually the people who aren't keeping track of the little things.

If i have a few bites here and there i automatically quick-add calories.

I avoid places (like costco) where tasting and tasting and tasting really adds up.

I agree you shouldn't worry about EVERY little thing like 2 m&ms, etc. But at some point I started asking myself "If i'm only going to have 1 bite/taste is it even worth it?" the answer is usually no. When i wasn't losing initially it's these things that were throwing off my whole day.