"Catch All" for all the calories you don't think about

Options
These are both quotes from Chalene Johnson's Facebook page:

"This fact just really drives home the need to write your in your food journals.....75 calories over your daily maintenance calories equals 7.8 pounds of fat gain per year! EVERY calorie counts!!!"

"A health tip that I use when I count calories is include a 200 calorie catchall for small slip-ups during the day like gun, candy at the office, sugar and creamer in the coffee and tea, or the crusts off your kids sandwich or that last bite of pizza the kiddos didn't eat. I could go on stop me...."

I just thought I would share with anyone that is not on her facebook. I created a food in my own food list that says Catch All, and I am adding it to the snacks, so I know I will not be going over my daily limit! Hope this helps!! Have a fabulous day!!

Replies

  • momtojacob
    Options
    I completely agree with this. I usually have about 200-300 calories under my goal for the day. I generally take in about 1100 and my goal is 1400. That is logged calories, but if I think about the m&m I pop in my mouth when I give my son his snack or the lick of his ice cream cone to keep it from dripping I am probably much much closer than what I think to that 1400 calories a day.

    Great post!
  • jrich1
    jrich1 Posts: 2,408 Member
    Options
    It all averages out for me, and I dont log those sample while cooking dinner etc
  • AnnaPixie
    AnnaPixie Posts: 7,439 Member
    Options
    I think that's a great idea!! I know I wasnt adding my cups of white tea, and at 28calories per cup, I am now conscious of how many I drink. Even thought I log them now, I know there are other things that I might guess at or forget. I think a 200 or 300 contingency is safe :)

    Thanks for sharing :flowerforyou:
  • rachel5576
    rachel5576 Posts: 429 Member
    Options
    great idea!
  • dgroulx
    dgroulx Posts: 159 Member
    Options
    I do the same. My gummy vitamins are 10 calories, coffee cream 40, calories. I don't log those. I just try to stay under my goal to compensate for those.
  • ltlemermaid
    ltlemermaid Posts: 637 Member
    Options
    This is a good idea...I do however log everything in even a piece of gum when by rare chance I have it.
  • kelsully
    kelsully Posts: 1,008 Member
    Options
    I suppose it depends on if you log every moment of exercise then too. I don't see the need for the catch all because I have my activity level as sedentary but I am a SAHM of 4 kids 9,7,5, and 3. I log my exercise but I don't log the 3 walks to the park or the mile round trip to school twice a day. I am not exerting a ton of calories in those activities as they are done leaisurely but I bet they make up for the nibble of pbj sandwich I take before I throw the crusts away. LOL...I log nearly everything..from the 4 animal crackers I just ate to the gum...ok so I don't log the tic tacs or my vitamins. I guess there are a few ways to make sure you aren't going over. I think either could work.
  • jlizgar
    jlizgar Posts: 104
    Options
    I suppose it depends on if you log every moment of exercise then too. I don't see the need for the catch all because I have my activity level as sedentary but I am a SAHM of 4 kids 9,7,5, and 3. I log my exercise but I don't log the 3 walks to the park or the mile round trip to school twice a day. I am not exerting a ton of calories in those activities as they are done leaisurely but I bet they make up for the nibble of pbj sandwich I take before I throw the crusts away. LOL...I log nearly everything..from the 4 animal crackers I just ate to the gum...ok so I don't log the tic tacs or my vitamins. I guess there are a few ways to make sure you aren't going over. I think either could work.

    HA! I know what you mean about all that activity from running after your kids....I also live in a 3 level townhome and go up and down my stairs about 20 times a day so im sure that burns a good number of calories, but I dont track any of it as exersize....only my gym time or special exersize thats not apart of my regular normal day.
    I also try to make sure that I leave 100 - 200 calories at the end of the day as a buffer, I dont beat myself up if I dont have that buffer but it makes me feel better to have it
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,550 Member
    Options
    I log everything, even my tic tacs. My food journal here is easily 2 pages long with every teaspoon of mustard, tic tac, grape, and even the samples at the grocery store. If I eat it, I log it.
  • Mookz0r
    Mookz0r Posts: 143
    Options
    I found - by logging it ALL - that my "catch-all" was actually more around the 700 cal mark - and therein lay my problem!

    I now log it all. The 3 bits of popcorn I had round a friends house and realised I didn't like them, so stopped eating? Logged. The 2 forkfuls of pasta bolognaise that my kids had left and couldn't possibly go to waste? Logged. When I stop eating that kind of "snack" I'll stop logging them...

    oh, an no, I don't log my SAHM exercise! My kids are 15.5kg and 13kg respectively... and the younger still isn't walking. Well, that's my weights and cardio for the day!