A Few Bites

luulu1999

If you have just a couple bites of something does that really have any calories to put in your diary....for instance I had 2 bites of rotel on 2 half pieces of a chip(so basically a whole chip dipped in rotel dip) would that even warrant putting in my diary...if I do something like that I usually don't but I want to be as accurate as possible and if I can have just a tiny bite of something yummy I will be ok

SlimJanette

Depends on how many times a day you do it.

lauraboo132

you'd be suprise how much it puts up cals I use to always peck at food and could easily eat 3000 calories a day beause "I've just had a little bit" my advice log it and see what happens

mrsriisky

I would say log it! Even if you have to "quick add" the calories. The "just a bite"s add up quickly!

cwolfman13

I'm not quite that OCD...but it does depend on how many times per day you do that. I've take a nibble her and a nibble there and the next thing you know it's about 2 servings worth.

slimdownsteph

I always do, but that's because I tend to graze. I know grazing is not the best, but I at least want to hold myself accountable for what I've eaten.

Skeet3121

For me, if I don't want to log it.... I better not eat it.

sw0301

I log everything! Logging makes you more conscious of everything you put in your mouth.

Say you only eat & don't log one chip & dip now, one mini candy bar later, a couple peanuts, a grape or two, a piece of gum... you could easily add 100 calories without even realizing.

luulu1999

O no its def not like doing it all day I had the chip and dip and walked away and won't go back and its not something I do every day but sometimes when I am cooking something that I really like for my kids and I am having something different I will have a little bite occasionally but its not something that I do constantly

Jaulen

You do it once a day....lets say that's an extra 10 calories...maybe no big deal

but if you do it multiple time a day.....because it's just a taste, a lick, a nibble, a bite......those 10 calories each time can add up to a meal's worth of calories....


Past my lips, in the log it goes.

LexiAtel

LOL, I was just thinking this last night, Dad had a tub of ice cream with that (very bad for you) Magic shell chocoalte topping. Well I grabbed a normal eating spoon and scooped a little and drizzled it with the chocolate.

I normally DON'T "Nibble eat" unless I am cooking fried food (because I tend to cook for around 2 hours or more and the smell is INSANE), so no, I didn't log it. If you do this a lot though, I would log it. Personally, it was the spoonful of ice cream or a bowlful... I made the proper decision, I was satisfied :P.

Katina3333

If I eat it, I log it. It counts.

whitecapwendy

I try to guesstimate how many calories would be in the item I am tasting and put it in as quick add. Sometimes it is amazing how many calories some of our tastes bites and licks have. Don't deny yourself the bites, but make sure they are fitting in your macros. You are only cheating yourself if you don't

luulu1999

And I typically log everything down to the two pieces of gum I have each day...but I don't want to have to try to figure out the calories in something that small....i guess I will just break myself from doing it even if its only a couple times a week

cmcollins001

Depends on how anal you want to be.

Calorie counting is not exact. How many calories stick to the knife when you spread peanut butter or the measuring spoon? When you make a protein shake, how many calories are left in the glass? Does one slice of bread weigh the exact same as the other one? If you take two identical products off the shelf that are labeled to have the exact same amount of calories and put them in a lab to determine the true calories in the product, you will get totally different numbers.

Bottom line, you want to pay attention to what you're eating, be conscious about the quantity and log as accurately as you can...within reason. And by "within reason" I mean, do what you feel is something you can do on a consistent basis. I started out logging Every. Single. Bite. then I realize that 100 calories here and there weren't going to throw me off track. 100 calories here and there ALL DAY...EVERYDAY...yeah..that's a different story.

One chip with ro-tel...I wouldn't even blink about that.

Calliope610

I log everything! Logging makes you more conscious of everything you put in your mouth.

Say you only eat & don't log one chip & dip now, one mini candy bar later, a couple peanuts, a grape or two, a piece of gum... you could easily add 100 calories without even realizing.

If I go 100 cals over b/c I didn't log my tastes, I'm still at a 20%+ deficit. I don't sweat the small stuff.

nvpixie

Little bites here and there are exactly what caused me to gain weight. So, yeah, I log them all or don't eat them. In fact, I suggest breaking the habit of taking little bites here and there and instead eat things you like at "snack time."

Calliope610

Depends on how anal you want to be.

Calorie counting is not exact. How many calories stick to the knife when you spread peanut butter or the measuring spoon? When you make a protein shake, how many calories are left in the glass? Does one slice of bread weigh the exact same as the other one? If you take two identical products off the shelf that are labeled to have the exact same amount of calories and put them in a lab to determine the true calories in the product, you will get totally different numbers.

Bottom line, you want to pay attention to what you're eating, be conscious about the quantity and log as accurately as you can...within reason. And by "within reason" I mean, do what you feel is something you can do on a consistent basis. I started out logging Every. Single. Bite. then I realize that 100 calories here and there weren't going to throw me off track. 100 calories here and there ALL DAY...EVERYDAY...yeah..that's a different story.

One chip with ro-tel...I wouldn't even blink about that.

This gets me too with the "super precise loggers". What if I have a strawberry that is just super sweet? Do I have to account for the additional calories due to the increased sugar content of the strawberry? What if I have a "sour" peach? Do I get to knock off a couple cals b/c it's not as sweet (less sugar cals) than the "average" peach?

Unless you analyze each bite of food, the calorie count is a SWAG.

kw85296

Depends,if I only have a bite and I know it is less than say 20 - 25 calories, I might not, but if I find myself doing it again then I will often do a quick add, but I also allow myself a little hedge room on my exercise and food calories to allow for errs in my day's calculations .

luulu1999

Depends,if I only have a bite and I know it is less than say 20 - 25 calories, I might not, but if I find myself doing it again then I will often do a quick add, but I also allow myself a little hedge room on my exercise and food calories to allow for errs in my day's calculations .

I do that also I have been trying to stay around 100-200 calories under for that reason

Ready2Rock206

I'd either not log it or log some quick add calories to cover it.

BarackMeLikeAHurricane

I frequenty log things like 3 grapes, 2tbsp cereal, 4 chips, etc.

fraydag

I'm curious how many calories you use in a quick add for a few bites. Like this morning i had one bite of buttered toast from my son's breakfast. Thanks!

Ready2Rock206

I'm curious how many calories you use in a quick add for a few bites. Like this morning i had one bite of buttered toast from my son's breakfast. Thanks!

This is how my mind works: Well that was probably around 25 calories - okay honestly around 50 - okay I'll compromise and add 35. :laugh:

I usually have a battle with myself wanting to put low - knowing I should put higher and then compromise and go with a middle number.

abbylg1983

I don't, but if I were actively trying to lose weight I would. If you're snatching bites here and there and still losing weight, then I see no reason to log. But if you're gaining or not losing, I'd say those extra bites are the culprit and if you want to lose, you need to track them. Personally, I grab handfuls of dry cereal and crackers all the time. I'd bet those probably add up to around 300 calories per day. If I were to get serious about losing weight again, I'd need to monitor that a little more closely.

themanda04

i log it. the other day, i ate three cheeze-it crackers...you'd better bet i logged those 15 calories! for me, it's about making the commitment to myself to be accountable for what i eat. if i put it in my body, i put it in my log. honestly, i think it keeps me from over-snacking while at the same time being a really good illustrator that no, those three crackers didn't kill me. were they worth it? sure, three was fine. five would be fine. a handful would not. i'm using my log to teach myself about food.

nocheinmal

I would say that if your gut tells you it's not a big deal and you are losing as you would expect to be losing that you're probably right that it's not a big deal.

If you have plateaued and you're trying to figure out why you're can't get off the plateau then maybe every little calorie becomes more important to log at that point.

The reason we're here is to learn healthy habits (like really only having 2 bites and walking away) and make our bodies healthier. If that's sincerely what you're doing then I say you're doing it right.

pluckabee

It depends on you really.

When I first started I logged absolutely everything and it was a really helpful tool for me to realise how many extra calories I was eating without even knowing it. They can really add up and I think if you have recently started its worth logging just for the knowledge.

I know it's helped me because now when I go to lick something off my finger or take a quick bite I stop and think first and will usually not eat whatever it was, because I don't need to.

If you really don't want to, don't but personally I suggest you do it just because it was such a powerful tool in changing some of my eating habits

NumbrsNerd

I log everything! Logging makes you more conscious of everything you put in your mouth.

Say you only eat & don't log one chip & dip now, one mini candy bar later, a couple peanuts, a grape or two, a piece of gum... you could easily add 100 calories without even realizing.

^This!

corgicake

If a few unlogged bites once in a blue moon means adherence to your diet long-term, do it. Those formulas can be off more than a few tortilla chips worth of calories anyway.