Rounding up your calories

moonagedaydream72

Hey everyone, I'm new to the boards. I have been lurking for a while and this is my first post.

After reading what everyone had to say about the importance of weighing and measuring food, I went out and bought a food scale. Now I know exactly how many grams/millilitres are in my servings. But, I've been continuing to log them using the pre-set serving option on the entry, if it is at or higher than my food. For instance, I weighed my slice of bread this morning and it came out to 32 grams, although the entry for that specific brand/type gives the calorie count for 38 grams. I count it as 38 grams anyway as a way to counter-act anything I may have mis-measured and to make sure I am still eating at a deficit.. Does anyone else do this? Is this a good idea?

Timshel_

I've always over logged food (like you) and under log exercise calories burned. That conservative approach helps me know I am keeping my CICO in check with usually a few hundred calories to spare each day. That said, if you are on a very limit caloric intake, getting an extra few hundred might be the difference between feeling hungry and a good snack.

Merkavar

I would probably think accuracy is best.

But if your going to estimate by a little then over estimating is the way to go.

Just as long as it's only a little it probably won't hurt.

But if you eat 1400 and over estimate it to be 1700 you might run into issues like losing weight too fast.

bpetrosky

There's no specific harm in that. You're overestimating some of your portions instead of underestimating. Some people will look at bread and weigh several slices to find the highest weight, and just log that weight each time. You're building in a modest buffer that allows for a little room for error.

The problem most people encounter is with measuring high calorie items like peanut butter instead of weighing and getting a lot more calories than they estimate.

Damien_Scott

I don't weigh things that are easy to estimate with nutrition information. The bag tells you how much a slice of bread is. I also don't measure stuff that I'll be using the whole Unit of. That's good enough for me. I also suggest getting some light wraps instead of bread to save 50-100 calories. I do weigh and measure everything else though.

Sometimes It can be hard to get the exact calories when you eat out. This is usually when I overestimate. I try to be under my goal if I eat a meal where I don't know exact measurements.

macgurlnet

I don't weigh individual things right now - things like slices of bread, my yogurt cups, protein bars - and it hasn't affected my weight so the estimates are off enough not to matter.

When I'm trying to lose weight, I do end up doing what you do - if a serving of something is 36 grams, I'll measure out 34 or so but log as 36. Not a huge difference but makes up for inaccuracies elsewhere.

If your calorie goal is very low, I would say it's better to be exact - that is, log your 32 grams as 32/36 - so 0.89 servings, etc.

~Lyssa

SimoneBee12

I think it's fine as long as you're not underestimating by a huge amount like the other posters said, because it could lead to you missing out on a snack, or getting hungry.

It's fine until you start really focusing on macros, once you start monitoring macros a lot, you need to measure more precisely so that you know you actually are getting enough protein/fat/carbs/potassium etc. rather than just thinking you are because of overestimating.

Kalikel

If you like it and it works for you, it's a good idea.

Ready2Rock206

I don't see the point in weighing or logging if you're not logging what you're actually eating. For me it just seems like a waste of time and energy.

Christine_72

I'd rather err on the side of caution and overestimate, rather than underestimate. ..

Merkavar

I tend to over estimate "bad" foods or foods with more guess work. Like takeaway that I can't weigh or know the ingredients.

Better safe than sorry.

Like a crap food tariff, to make healthy foods cheaper and more affordable.

BWBTrish

i rather log as accurate as possible. Because i want to know what and how much nutrition's i get...second...left over calories to to .>>>>>>>>>>>>>>ICE CREAMMMMMMMMMMM

moonagedaydream72

Ready2Rock206 wrote: »

I don't see the point in weighing or logging if you're not logging what you're actually eating. For me it just seems like a waste of time and energy.

I'm more concerned about going over calories than going under, so I weigh and log to ensure that I'm not overeating.

atypicalsmith

I always overestimate calories eaten, and underestimate calories burned. Because I truly believe that there is no way to know EXACTLY how much calories eaten or burned through exercise is. Fitbit? Not if you put in the wrong information, as in saying you are sedentary when you actually work at Walmart stocking shelves. Everything is an estimate. As long as I over estimate calories consumed and underestimate calories burned, it works. When I read that "so-and-so burned 1,196 calories doing cardio, including running, for 93 minutes", I think, huh??? That's an hour and a half. How can ANYONE possibly burn that many calories in an hour and a half???

But that's working for me, and I'm not here complaining that I'm doing everything right but not losing weight.

glitzy196

I would drive myself crazy if i weighed a slice of bread, i am camp..good enough. I do weigh anything that is not pre packaged or portioned, and i always weigh up instead of down. Like i cut cheese today that was 26g instead of 28, i used the 28 i already had atored. I weigh my chips..and always put 1 back. Same with cereal lol. Its like i don't trust my scale.

bpetrosky

It's usually the pre-portioned/individually wrapped foods that I find have the biggest variance. For example, a Clif bar might be 4-5 g more than the serving size on the label, which can be 25-30 cals more.

BWBTrish

pre_cut cheesecakes..label says 210 calories per 46 gram..weighing it and it was 253 calories...

So yeah i weigh everything

atypicalsmith

BWBTrish wrote: »

pre_cut cheesecakes..label says 210 calories per 46 gram..weighing it and it was 253 calories...

So yeah i weigh everything

Yeah, but it didn't say how much per serving. 210 calories per 46 grams does NOT mean 210 calories per serving.

BWBTrish

yes it said one serving ( 46 gram)=210 calories

BWBTrish

and my cheesecake wasn't 46 gram..but more...which of course means that one of the other pieces is less than 46 gram...But it doesn't mean i eat that piece...my husband could end up with that one.

So i ate more
Do this with a couple of things plus the inaccuracies of 23 % logging ( which seems to be for everybody) and you end up with quit some calories not calculated.

atypicalsmith

BWBTrish wrote: »

and my cheesecake wasn't 46 gram..but more...which of course means that one of the other pieces is less than 46 gram...But it doesn't mean i eat that piece...my husband could end up with that one.

So i ate more
Do this with a couple of things plus the inaccuracies of 23 % logging ( which seems to be for everybody) and you end up with quit some calories not calculated.

Which is a great reason for always rounding up your calories, and rounding down your exercise. How many posts do you see on here that say, "Help! I am doing everything right! Why am I not losing weight?"?

BWBTrish

No it is a great reason to weigh everything on a food scale!

BWBTrish

Why should i put in more???? like 60 gram...i ate less than that.

Ready2Rock206

atypicalsmith wrote: »

BWBTrish wrote: »

and my cheesecake wasn't 46 gram..but more...which of course means that one of the other pieces is less than 46 gram...But it doesn't mean i eat that piece...my husband could end up with that one.

So i ate more
Do this with a couple of things plus the inaccuracies of 23 % logging ( which seems to be for everybody) and you end up with quit some calories not calculated.

Which is a great reason for always rounding up your calories, and rounding down your exercise. How many posts do you see on here that say, "Help! I am doing everything right! Why am I not losing weight?"?

But those people aren't using a food scale or accurately logging. If you're using a food scale and being accurate you don't need that buffer.

BWBTrish

Ready2Rock206 wrote: »

atypicalsmith wrote: »

BWBTrish wrote: »

and my cheesecake wasn't 46 gram..but more...which of course means that one of the other pieces is less than 46 gram...But it doesn't mean i eat that piece...my husband could end up with that one.

So i ate more
Do this with a couple of things plus the inaccuracies of 23 % logging ( which seems to be for everybody) and you end up with quit some calories not calculated.

Which is a great reason for always rounding up your calories, and rounding down your exercise. How many posts do you see on here that say, "Help! I am doing everything right! Why am I not losing weight?"?

But those people aren't using a food scale or accurately logging. If you're using a food scale and being accurate you don't need that buffer.

Indeed and you know most accurate what you eat...which will the closest way you can get.
Plus it will be easier to know your maintenance when you get there.

BWBTrish

Oh and dont get me wrong when you want to log that way and works it is good.
But i just like to know as accurate as possible, so i dont hit a plateau. And most of all know how much nutrition's i get.

atypicalsmith

Ready2Rock206 wrote: »

atypicalsmith wrote: »

BWBTrish wrote: »

and my cheesecake wasn't 46 gram..but more...which of course means that one of the other pieces is less than 46 gram...But it doesn't mean i eat that piece...my husband could end up with that one.

So i ate more
Do this with a couple of things plus the inaccuracies of 23 % logging ( which seems to be for everybody) and you end up with quit some calories not calculated.

Which is a great reason for always rounding up your calories, and rounding down your exercise. How many posts do you see on here that say, "Help! I am doing everything right! Why am I not losing weight?"?

But those people aren't using a food scale or accurately logging. If you're using a food scale and being accurate you don't need that buffer.

Even weighing everything doesn't guarantee success. You can weigh your steak pre or post cooking. Regardless, so it weighs say 4 ounces either way. How does fitbit or MFP or any app know how much fat or protein is in that particular cut of steak?

BWBTrish

atypicalsmith wrote: »

Ready2Rock206 wrote: »

atypicalsmith wrote: »

BWBTrish wrote: »

and my cheesecake wasn't 46 gram..but more...which of course means that one of the other pieces is less than 46 gram...But it doesn't mean i eat that piece...my husband could end up with that one.

So i ate more
Do this with a couple of things plus the inaccuracies of 23 % logging ( which seems to be for everybody) and you end up with quit some calories not calculated.

Which is a great reason for always rounding up your calories, and rounding down your exercise. How many posts do you see on here that say, "Help! I am doing everything right! Why am I not losing weight?"?

But those people aren't using a food scale or accurately logging. If you're using a food scale and being accurate you don't need that buffer.

Even weighing everything doesn't guarantee success. You can weigh your steak pre or post cooking. Regardless, so it weighs say 4 ounces either way. How does fitbit or MFP or any app know how much fat or protein is in that particular cut of steak?

Thats true
And that is the exact reason to be as accurate as possible because they guess we are already 23% underestimating what we eat...( study some were online).
So by weighing everything as accurate as possible i minimized for myself the amount i can be off.

Other people do it differently or dont find it necessary

But this is how i lost my 103 pounds in 9 months and works super.

Liftng4Lis

I always log up.

Pawsforme

I don't weigh sliced bread or similar packaged foods. But on most things I do over-estimate calories or go just a bit under on my portions. For example, if I log 3 oz. of cooked chicken breast I'll typically weigh out a bit less than that -- maybe 2.5 or 2.75 ounces. If I use a tablespoon or cup of something I use a scant measurement. I watch that video showing someone measuring peanut butter and oatmeal that often gets posted on here and just roll my eyes. It seems stupid to me. Someone is either engaging in video hyperbole or has absolutely no clue about the proper way to measure, or they just want to fool themselves. I figure if we all really do have a subconscious tendency to under-estimate what we eat I'm going to try to counteract that by intentionally over-estimating just a bit.

SingRunTing

If I am estimating, I round up. Like if I look at it and think "that's one cup of rice", I'll usually put in 1.25 cups.

If I'm weighing, I put in what I weighed out. I would have opened my calculator on my phone and done the math. 32/38 = 0.84 servings.

I'm not anti-estimating. There's a time and place for it. But, why weigh if you're going to round anyway? I mean, if you're going to say one slice of bread is 38 grams even if it weighs less, why bother? Doesn't make much sense to me.