Counting every single calorie...

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  • dfwesq
    dfwesq Posts: 592 Member
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    ShannonMpls wrote: »
    I do add spices, garlic, ginger, etc in recipe builder but that's mostly because I use my recipe builder later as my actual recipe for a meal, and my shopping list. Also, some spices are actually kinda high calorie, like if you're making a hungarian goulash with a 1/2 cup of paprika :)
    Some spices also have significant amounts of vitamins or fiber in them, too - in case you're tracking that.

  • dfwesq
    dfwesq Posts: 592 Member
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    breathless575 wrote: »
    Yes, it's important to log every single thing. For example, I used to not log gum until I found out there were calories in it. At 5 calories per stick of gum, it can add up.
    I don't log calories from gum, or the calories I burn chewing it. :)
  • yskaldir
    yskaldir Posts: 202 Member
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    Once you've been tracking for a while you'd have a good idea what a serving of rice/beef/whatever looks like and that is usually good enough for maintaining a normal weight.

    But if you want to be shredded you gonna have to track every single Calorie.
  • spiffychick85
    spiffychick85 Posts: 311 Member
    edited April 2017
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    I track everything but spices, this has worked for me...as far as your tomatoes go, can you weigh them and then search for the weight and log that? If not I'll google calories in X grams of canned tomatoes and use that as a last resort :)
  • ConnieT1030
    ConnieT1030 Posts: 894 Member
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    Youll have to do what works for you, as you can see by the variety of responses.
    I dont log spices, but then I dont use much of them. Even if I made a recipe that day, its likely not going to account for more than 5 calories. I nearly always have a good chunk of calories left over, so I dont really care about things under 5 calories, there's plenty of room for it. When I am at the last 10 pounds or so, and I have very little room to play with, I will tighten up if it needs it. Most items in general are going to be off by a small amount anyway.
  • cmtigger
    cmtigger Posts: 1,450 Member
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    I only count spices if they are a blend with sodium. I need to track that for health reasons.

    If they don't have salt, I don't log them.
  • lemonychild
    lemonychild Posts: 654 Member
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    There's no way I'm obsessing over spices and some tomatoes.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
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    It won't hurt anything to be a little off (you're guaranteed to be a little off anyway), but be aware that vegetables have a significant number of calories.
  • Roey1231
    Roey1231 Posts: 7 Member
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    Thanks everyone. I have not tried the recipe builder yet, I guess that is my next task.
  • ktekc
    ktekc Posts: 879 Member
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    I put everything in the recipe builder even if its 0 calories because if my husband and i like a new recipe i print it out how i made it and it goes in a binder on my kitchen counter. I do this instead of printing the recipe where i got it from because i change stuff it sometimes ends up way different than it started and i dont like to have pen marks all over my recipes. I keep a post it note by my binder to note down any weight differences in ingredients and adjust those and the final weight as servings later.
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
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    Roey1231 wrote: »
    Thanks everyone. I have not tried the recipe builder yet, I guess that is my next task.

    The recipe builder is great. I really like the feature that lets you import a recipe from another website. Yeah, it's not perfect but it's really neat. You just have to go through and double check the results once imported, but it saves a lot of typing.
  • BlueSkyShoal
    BlueSkyShoal Posts: 325 Member
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    ndj1979 wrote: »
    CaitKilla wrote: »
    Just be careful... being so meticulous with calories can lead to disordered eating and/or an eating disorder. I know it because I'm there right now and trying to recover. If it's something that has so little calories like spices, don't count them. They won't matter.

    Please just stop. Being accurate with logging is not in any way disordered and that is a ridiculous assertion.

    She didn't say logging is disordered; she said it can (not will--CAN) lead to an eating disorder for some people. Which is true. For other people, obviously, it doesn't lead to an eating disorder.
  • setzerfan
    setzerfan Posts: 16 Member
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    I log as much as I can. I cook from scratch too and it surprised me how the carbs in particular can creep up when I add in all the spices, onions, etc.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,853 Member
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    Momjogger wrote: »
    I never log vegetable calories if they were on the old Weight Watchers "free" list. I do not log celery, broccoli, cucumbers, cauliflower, peppers, lettuce, spinach, peppers, onions, mushrooms, zucchini, and tomoatoes. I DO log butternut squash, carrots, sweet and white potatoes, corn, beans, chickpeas, peas. I use cucumbers, celery, and salads as a volumetrics trick to keep me full. I also bulk up meat with peppers, mushrooms, and onions as it helps me stay fuller and gives flavor for less calories. I do not count them because they keep me on track, are very low calorie and it works for me! I DO count pasta sauce, sauces, and dressings. I am not sure where homemade canned tomatoes would fall - as a sauce type condiment or as a veggie, but I find that if I do not stress over every little thing I tend to do better overall, so I say - "free."

    This varies by person, depending on how s/he eats. If I skipped logging non-starchy vegetables, I'd understate my day by several hundred calories. Last night's 692-calorie dinner had 18 ingredients, only 4 of them over 50 calories (only one over 70).

    Not trying to dispute what's working for you, just trying to encourage others to consider the influence of their food choices on their strategy.

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