Food tracking revelations - Share your ZOMG moments

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  • CollieFit
    CollieFit Posts: 1,683 Member
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    When I started this (this is my second time here) my biggest shockers were around weighing portion sizes. My idea of what a 'portion' looked like was clearly not in line with the general consensus on what a portion is... LOL Especially for things like muesli or spaghetti I would easily have 3x as much...

    Other shockers were.... rice.... white potatoes... full-fat milk... nuts...
  • Raevyns
    Raevyns Posts: 91 Member
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    Shockingly though pizza isn't that bad. I used to eat 2 pieces and still pretty much eat 2 pieces, although I don't get the very meaty kind anymore obviously.

    Aside from free beer my employer often gives us free pizza and salad. I too discovered that my two slices weren't all that bad macro/calorie-wise, so I still indulge. I just try to eat a huge helping of the free salad first. Filling my belly with veggies before I have something fatty and yummy helps a lot.
  • Raevyns
    Raevyns Posts: 91 Member
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    When I started this (this is my second time here) my biggest shockers were around weighing portion sizes. My idea of what a 'portion' looked like was clearly not in line with the general consensus on what a portion is... LOL Especially for things like muesli or spaghetti I would easily have 3x as much...

    ...I am so not looking forward to strictly measuring my portions. :/
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    I still mismeasure pasta, rice and couscous all the time, because we make some for 4 people and I can't be bothered measuring the whole thing dry then the whole thing cooked to calculate exactly how much I had. That's the only time I use measuring cups, even if I know they're not accurate... I typically don't eat as many calories as I should anyway so it's no big deal (plus it's maybe 3 times a week that I eat those). But still, I'll have a cup of pasta instead of the 3 I used to have...
  • Raevyns
    Raevyns Posts: 91 Member
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    Another revelation: I did not think that unsweetened black coffee had any calories.

    Guess who was wrong!

    Yep.

    Weird thing is that unsweetened straight-up tea doesn't have calories.

    My theory is the different brewing methods and volatile compounds extracted and stuff. Yep. I'll stick to that.
  • Raevyns
    Raevyns Posts: 91 Member
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    I still mismeasure pasta, rice and couscous all the time, because we make some for 4 people and I can't be bothered measuring the whole thing dry then the whole thing cooked to calculate exactly how much I had. That's the only time I use measuring cups, even if I know they're not accurate... I typically don't eat as many calories as I should anyway so it's no big deal (plus it's maybe 3 times a week that I eat those). But still, I'll have a cup of pasta instead of the 3 I used to have...

    I know I do. I'm forever confused about which measure matters when calculating calories, dry or cooked. Same with popcorn.
  • newmanel
    newmanel Posts: 61 Member
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    Another revelation: I did not think that unsweetened black coffee had any calories.

    Guess who was wrong!

    Yep.

    Weird thing is that unsweetened straight-up tea doesn't have calories.

    My theory is the different brewing methods and volatile compounds extracted and stuff. Yep. I'll stick to that.

    I must in total denial here because I do not log coffee. I drink it black and unsweetened. The calories have gotta be negligible... right?
  • Raevyns
    Raevyns Posts: 91 Member
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    I must in total denial here because I do not log coffee. I drink it black and unsweetened. The calories have gotta be negligible... right?

    Errrm....well 32oz of black coffee (four 8oz cups) is, like, 16 calories. So sorta negligible. Ish. :/
  • Raevyns
    Raevyns Posts: 91 Member
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    Tonight's zomg moment: Spices and herbs have calories. Craaaaaaaap.
  • Eirene80
    Eirene80 Posts: 36 Member
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    All salads are not created equal. One fast food salad can be under 300 calories but at another chain it can have more calories than a double a bacon cheeseburger. So not worth it.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,741 Member
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    The biggest shocker for me was that my "big indulgent treat" of a chocolate bar was SO much better (ok, SO less horrible) than a small milkshake from Sonic, which I never even liked that much anyway. My jaw seriously dropped the night I realized the small shake was over 700 calories and my beloved Snickers bars (which I now have only about once a month) are under 300!
  • tmalikia
    tmalikia Posts: 22 Member
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    My Zomg moment is how much sugar everything has, it so depressing. Oh and portion sizes, a cup of pasta is nothing my gosh!
  • emlott88
    emlott88 Posts: 75 Member
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    Pasta portions - didn't realise this until I got a scale
    Cereal - had no idea that 3/4 cup was a serving size
    Bread - Wonder bread sandwich rolls are 200 calories... whoa.

    On the up side:
    Chicken - until I weighed it, I was totally overestimating how much I had been eating - win!
    Burger King - sometimes I have a Double Cheeseburger for dinner as a delightful in-calorie treat. It's way less than their salads, and feels 'naughty' so satisfies any urge to binge. (I either bake fries to go with it, or have a side of cauli, broccoli and carrots).

    ^ I feel so bad saying that on a weight loss site, but it's all about moderation to make something long term!
  • Raevyns
    Raevyns Posts: 91 Member
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    All salads are not created equal. One fast food salad can be under 300 calories but at another chain it can have more calories than a double a bacon cheeseburger. So not worth it.

    That is madness! O_o
  • Raevyns
    Raevyns Posts: 91 Member
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    The biggest shocker for me was that my "big indulgent treat" of a chocolate bar was SO much better (ok, SO less horrible) than a small milkshake from Sonic, which I never even liked that much anyway. My jaw seriously dropped the night I realized the small shake was over 700 calories and my beloved Snickers bars (which I now have only about once a month) are under 300!

    I kind of love this. Long live the snickers!
  • brynnsmom
    brynnsmom Posts: 945 Member
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    A serving of salad dressing is 2 tablespoons. I was using more like 1/3 of a cup on my salads, and it was the really bad dressings, too, like blue cheese and ranch. :grumble: So much for making a "healthy" choice by having a salad. Now I make my own dressings or use a light vinaigrette.

    Dressing is definitely a big one for me, too. Turns out I was using way too much, and the standard 2 tbsp serving is actually plenty.
  • bevchen
    bevchen Posts: 8 Member
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    Pine nuts were my biggest shocker. I nearly had a heart attack when I realised 30 g of them is200 calories!! So much for my healthy couscous salad...
  • Raevyns
    Raevyns Posts: 91 Member
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    Pine nuts were my biggest shocker. I nearly had a heart attack when I realised 30 g of them is200 calories!! So much for my healthy couscous salad...

    o.o I love toasted pine nuts. Love them. 300 calories for 30g, though!?

    *Sniffle!*
  • LoosingMyLast15
    LoosingMyLast15 Posts: 1,457 Member
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    first it was portion size. once i started to weigh/measure my food i couldn't believe how MUCH i was over eating

    second was how bad kiebasa is for you - i love it until i logged it then said forget it

    third was how much processed hidden sugar i was eating. i'm not talking about fruit i'm talking about yogurt and fruit juice and granola bars etc.
  • determined_erin
    determined_erin Posts: 571 Member
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    I never realized how much sugar I was consuming until I started tracking on MFP.

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