dumb question about weighing fruit

DoreenaV1975

cariduttry wrote: »

thanks everyone!

@jemhh, i like that idea because i don't like to have my apples turn brown.

@treegirl97, i was thinking that, but do you do anything to keep them from turning brown?

i'm trying to be obsessive right now because i'm just beginning to weigh food and want to keep it honest. as time goes on and i get good at it, i agree @gobonas99 that i probably won't need to be so ocd about it.

I just saw your question about them turning brown... I haven't had that happen and I slice and package mine the night before...I just put it in a Tupperware container. IDK if it makes a difference...

DoreenaV1975

midwesterner85 wrote: »

helenrosec0 wrote: »

What does everyone do, it they log all the ingredients they use to make a meal, and then don't finish it all? Separate all the ingredients weight them and then subtract them? Yeh it's probably minimal calories, but so it the OP's apple.

I have 2 methods, depending on how feasible this is for the particular dish.

1. Make the recipe with each ingredient. When finished, weigh the entire finished product of food. Go back and edit the recipe serving size based on weight. So if the finished product is 800g, then the recipe has 800 servings. When I log the food, if I ate 40g, then I log 40 "servings" of that recipe.
2. This method is less precise, but is because sometimes it is difficult to transfer food to a large enough container or a container that won't transfer heat and melt my scale. It also won't work if more than 1 person is eating it... definitely not the preferred method. But this method is to record all of the ingredients when you cook it and eat the first part. Don't record when you eat left-overs. I did this Fri. and was nearly 1,300 calories over for the day. But then I ate leftovers Sat. and Sun. and was under calories. For the week, I think I was pretty close to right on.

You can do whatever works for you, but I log with as much precision as possible. Sometimes it doesn't always look like it in my diary (such as the big day Fri.), but I definitely am logging every drop and every bite that contains calories. The only things i don't log are things without calories (mostly water)... I log diet soda for sodium data. Just keep in mind that if you start having trouble losing weight, the first thing to change will need to be tighter logging. I disagree with the "it is close enough" logic when it is feasible to have better information.

I just started using the recipe builder... thanks for the tips...

RMinVA

This is still my favorite video on why weighing food can be important. No, it isn't for everyone, but if you are trying to figure it all out, this is a good eye opener. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY

But to go back to the OP ? IMO, if it has a skin (banana and citrus) peel it before weighing, if not, just count the whole thing. You will have erred on the side of caution and will give you a little wiggle room for later. I used to always round up a bit on calorie dense foods.

And DorrenaV brought up a great point about nutritional labels on packaged food. They are not exact! I remember reading an article sometime ago that there can be as much as a 20% variance on those labels. So you think you are eating something with 200 cals, but really 240.

It all adds up and that extra couple hundred calories a day, that you don't even realize you are eating can make very big difference in whether you lose, maintain, or maybe even gain!

DoreenaV1975

RMinVA wrote: »

This is still my favorite video on why weighing food can be important. No, it isn't for everyone, but if you are trying to figure it all out, this is a good eye opener. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY

But to go back to the OP ? IMO, if it has a skin (banana and citrus) peel it before weighing, if not, just count the whole thing. You will have erred on the side of caution and will give you a little wiggle room for later. I used to always round up a bit on calorie dense foods.

And DorrenaV brought up a great point about nutritional labels on packaged food. They are not exact! I remember reading an article sometime ago that there can be as much as a 20% variance on those labels. So you think you are eating something with 200 cals, but really 240.

It all adds up and that extra couple hundred calories a day, that you don't even realize you are eating can make very big difference in whether you lose, maintain, or maybe even gain!

Yes...this video is a great reminder for those that may have forgotten and a great eye-opener for those that have never seen it!!!

cariduttry

RMinVA wrote: »

This is still my favorite video on why weighing food can be important. No, it isn't for everyone, but if you are trying to figure it all out, this is a good eye opener. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY

It all adds up and that extra couple hundred calories a day, that you don't even realize you are eating can make very big difference in whether you lose, maintain, or maybe even gain!

this and another video is exactly what convinced me that i needed to START weighing my food. currently, i want to know exactly where i'm at...eventually i'll loosen the reins once i'm satisfied that i have a good grasp on it.

i agree with @DoreenaV1975 that 20 calories IS a big deal when you consider that i could be making that mistake on 5 or 6 items of food a day. pretty soon, my goal is blown and i'm one of those people doing a "why haven't i lost any weight in 3 weeks" posts!

to clarify, my original question really had more to do with mfp entries and labels. in mfp (and on my bag of apples), it says that 154 grams is 1 serving worth 80 calories. my question was, does that include the core or not? i think the question is answered that it does NOT include the core, it is the edible part only. i'm sorry i wasn't clear on that. i'm just sayin', if i don't need to count those 20-ish grams of core i'm not eating, then i'm going to use them elsewhere LOL.

bonus fact: i have a coworker that eats apple cores and orange peels, so the first remark about how "obvious" it is what parts are included is not actually so obvious to me.