Do you log gum?

cassiejofthe88

I chew a lot of gum through-out the work day. It's all sugarless gum, but I usually go through a pack every two days and noticed that each stick usually has about 5 calories.

For accuracy reasons, should I be logging each piece?

RoxieDawn

When I started weight loss I logged everything that had calories it assured me my intake was on point.

If a pack of gum is 30 sticks and 1/2 pack a day that is 75 calories.

mgookin

I dont, only because it doesnt affect my weightloss. I have a lot to lose and 2100 calorie limit so I have wiggle room so I dont have to be exact.

ShayCarver89

I don't. But I'm not as spastic as a lot of people. I'm a 'eat the fry at the bottom of the bag and don't worry about it' kind of person.

Crafty_camper123

I dont log my gum. I'm pretty sure I burn more then the 5 calories per stick just chewing it. Also, I rarely swallow my gum. I'm assuming most of the calories are in the gum itself? Not the flavor you chew out of it? I've never seen it as something to log.

Gisel2015

Nope, I never did, and I never will.

Crafty_camper123

Food for thought:
https://livestrong.com/article/315274-how-many-calories-does-chewing-gum-burn-per-hour/

NovusDies

I generally advise that everyone begin by logging everything that has calories and then after a few weeks decide what you feel might be overkill. Some of this is decided by how much deficit you are working with as well. A person with a 250 per day deficit should really log everything. Since I have a 1000 calorie per day deficit I tend not to worry about the minutia calories that will seldom add up to even 50 calories which I learned by logging everything.

About every six months I start logging everything again for a week or two to check myself and make sure I am not allowing the small things to add up to more than I think they should.

WifiresGettingFit

I log everything even 2-3 calorie mints. I have chewed an entire pack of gum in one day before. It's 80 calories for that particular pack. Right now I'm running about 750-1000 calorie deficit so 80 calories isn't really going to hinder that much but eventually I'll be smaller and thus running a much smaller deficit around 250 and those little sticks of gum will not only add up but will in fact make a dent into my smaller deficit (especially if I have other things I don't bother to log. )

Lillymoo01

I don't but have always gone by the assumption that the effort of chewing the gum would come close to the calories that are in the sugar-free gum.

Danp

How strictly you need to log is different from one person to the next.

My motto (for myself) is to log only as diligently as I need. I want to continue to lose weight but I want it to impact on the rest of my life as little as possible. The less of a hassle it is, the easier it is and as a consequence the more likely I am to continue.

Up till this point a 'near enough is good enough' approach is still working for me. I can get a way with little things like eyeballing condiments or not logging the 1 or 2 mentos that I ate during a meeting and still continue to lose weight.

That said I also know as I get down to a healthier, more appropriate weight that this won't be the case. I'll have to be far more mindful of my calorie intake as my deficit 'wiggle room' will diminish. When that happens and my weight loss stalls I'll have to up how stringently I'm logging, at least enough to start losing again.

Lillymoo01

Simple maths
Average stick of sugar-free gum - 5 calories
Average calories burned per hour chewing gum - 11 calories.

Therefore if you are chewing one gum for at least 30 minutes why bother logging it?

elisa123gal

no. I don't want to live a life where I think about how many calories my gum could be.

Talan79

I log gum. Some days it’s one piece and other days may be 5.

GottaBurnEmAll

Lillymoo01 wrote: »

Simple maths
Average stick of sugar-free gum - 5 calories
Average calories burned per hour chewing gum - 11 calories.

Therefore if you are chewing one gum for at least 30 minutes why bother logging it?

This is how I've always felt about it. Not logging it has ever had any impact on my results.

Elijah8468

I never do. I also dont track calories burned either so I just tell myself it balances out

frameloss

Nope! It’s minimal

Anniebotnen

No. I chew quite a lot of sugarless gum, and have never logged it for either weight loss or maintenance. I still lost,and have been maintaining now for 4 years.

happytree923

I would get crippling TMJ long before I could chew enough gum to significantly impact weight loss.

stricklee11

I do. It accounts for 15-18 calories per day.

callsitlikeiseeit

i guess maybe if you chew a LOT of it.

on the exceedingly rare occasions i do, i do not log it.

cassiejofthe88

That was a lot of replies! Thank you everyone! It's nice to see the different views on this. When joining MFP they tell you to log everything at the start, I suppose to help build the habit of logging in the foods. I'm interested to see how my snacking habits effect me journey, and I bet chewing gum so much might even be a trigger for my snacking. I guess the only way to see that is to be diligent about logging each piece. But it's good to know that it's not that big of an impact.