Who really counts the BLTs?

sargessexyone

We ALL do it and I will have a hard time believing anyone who says they don't. BLTs are the Bites, Licks and Tastes we take through out the day but do you really track them?

Mothers cleaning up after their children. There's two cheetos left in the bag, do you eat them? If so, do you bust out the scale to see how many calories they are? Scrambled eggs, chicken nuggets? There's one or two bites left, what mother out there has NEVER cleaned their childs plate?

Anyone making a sandwich? Who hasn't gotten peanut butter, mayonnaise, etc on their fingers and then licked it off? Making some of those healthy cookies or muffins? Most people will use their fingers to scrape the dough/batter into the pan. Do you risk making a mess and losing all that goodness to just to make sure you count all those calories?

For all the chefs/cooks out there. We are taught to always taste your food so do you stop and weigh the taste of gravy, chili, the low fat alfredo sauce that you found a great recipe for and possibly burn something because you left the stove long enough to see how many calories a slurp of soup is?

So tell me honestly, who really counts the BLTs and how do you do it?

I like your style. I thought you were talking about Bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches, though, which I LOVE.

Seriously, for the most part I do log in when I grab that extra tiny piece of roast as I'm putting it away, or if I eat a spoonful of cookie dough while baking cookies, or if I want a spoonful of Coconut milk frozen dairy desert before dinner. For me, accuracy is essential- it was what helped me lose my 37 pounds, and it's helping me to maintain now.

Thanks!

sargessexyone

I don't count them. That's what my exercise calories are for. ????

This is what I do.

sargessexyone

So tell me honestly, who really counts the BLTs and how do you do it?

+500cal to 'Snacks' account errr'day. Allows for discrepancies in measurement, forgotten mouthfuls, variances in exercise length etc.

But then again I average a burn of around 1000 cal / day above allowance, so....

This is the kind of information I was looking for when I originally wrote this post.

Sharylyn

I leave an allowance of up to 200 calories. My biggest saboteurs are blts.

Mcgrawhaha

i do log them, every single one! i log 1 skittle, a cough drop, a piece of gum, a drink of a slurpee, a bite of a burger, a lick of ice cream,1 french fry, etc... i log everything, because i know how fast calories can add up, and im not here to sabatage myself!

i do my best when logging bites / drinks / etc... for example, i had a drink of my sons slurpee the other day, i logged my 1 little drink as an ounce, even tho, i know i had less than that... or i log a bite of a burger as a percentage of the burger, depending on the size of the burger and the size of my bite... i do my best!

Achrya

I don't log them but I rarely have any blts to begin with and even I do I usually leave some calories on the table at the end of the day to cover any 'user error'.

I don't log tictacs or gum or cough drops. Because I don't.

So far its working out fine.

auntiebabs

BLTs were my down fall.
On the surface my diet didn't seem that bad, but it was the little things that added up that killed me.

First couple of days I was here I almost gave up.
Then the next couple of weeks I didn't worry about losing.
I just tracked EVERYTHING to get an honest assessment of what I was actually eating vs. what I thought I was eating.
Turns out, the devils is in the details.

Once I saw everything in black and white it was much easier to make changes where I wouldn't notice so much.

redambition

I don't tend to count tasting during cooking, or the odd lick of the spoon when prepping ingredients. However, eating a sweet or two gets logged. Stealing a bit of someone's food gets logged. Grabbing a slice of cheese from the fridge gets logged. If I'm baking, any mixture or frosting I eat would be logged.

I am aware of my bites during cooking, and now I usually make a conscious decision as to whether I will lick the spoon or not, whereas before I would do it on autopilot. If I have done it, I'll try to be a little more active to make up for it or leave a little wiggle room in my calories.

And the two-spoon move to scrape spoons off cleanly is a saviour. Never much left to lick after using that method of serving things.

sargessexyone

BLTs were my down fall.
On the surface my diet didn't seem that bad, but it was the little things that added up that killed me.

First couple of days I was here I almost gave up.
Then the next couple of weeks I didn't worry about losing.
I just tracked EVERYTHING to get an honest assessment of what I was actually eating vs. what I thought I was eating.
Turns out, the devils is in the details.

Once I saw everything in black and white it was much easier to make changes where I wouldn't notice so much.

I may have to try this. I have come to the conclusion that I have to start weighing my food instead of just measuring it so I'm gonna do that first and then reassess my BLTs.

dmt4641

You should definitely invest in a scale and start weighing. I was so surprised at how inaccurate my previous cup measurements and guesstimates were.

As far as BLTs, I don't do that too much anymore. I do taste a soup or sauce when cooking and I generally don't log it unless it is something calorie dense. One 1/2 spoonful of broth based soup for tasting can't be more than 1 or 2 calories. If it was something calorie dense, I may serve myself a very slight amount less than a serving size to make up for it and just log it as a serving.

sargessexyone

You should definitely invest in a scale and start weighing. I was so surprised at how inaccurate my previous cup measurements and guesstimates were.

As far as BLTs, I don't do that too much anymore. I do taste a soup or sauce when cooking and I generally don't log it unless it is something calorie dense. One 1/2 spoonful of broth based soup for tasting can't be more than 1 or 2 calories. If it was something calorie dense, I may serve myself a very slight amount less than a serving size to make up for it and just log it as a serving.

I have a scale. I just need to get in the habit of using it. My BLTs aren't as bad as they used to be but that is a good idea about a slightly smaller portion for a more calorie dense tasting.

whitehusky3

Sargessexyone, have you ever heard the quote, "Don't trust a skinny chef"? There's a reason for that. A skinny chef tends to not taste the food they're serving others, so they don't know for sure if the taste is where it should be. Often, it isn't (hence the quote). An overweight chef samples the food as they're cooking to ensure it's turning out correctly. All those BLTs they take add up quite a bit, and on top of their regular meals, they've consumed more calories throughout the day than they should. That's why they are overweight.

So while many of us don't sample our food as often as a professional chef might (or should), they DO add up if you're not counting them.

crlyxx

I generally don't count them, because I know that they rarely add up past 200 calories and being a college student, I walk around campus all the time, probably burning off much of that.

sargessexyone

For those of you still following this post, I am happy to report I logged my BLT yesterday. I for some reason can not make popcorn for someone without taking a handful. Yesterday when I did it I actually logged it and today I managed to not take any at all. Yay me!

I knew this was something I needed to work on which is why I originally wrote this post. I know I will never be perfect at it but if I can get just even a little bit better I'll be in good shape.

Thanks to all for advice and tips.

HelloSweetie81

I made cupcakes for my kid's birthday last week, and ate a spoonful of frosting before I even realized what I was doing. 140 calories in that spoonful! So, yeah, I definitely count that stuff.

Iwishyouwell

I don't count calories at all.

And the kind of thought pattern that even would be debating about the "BLTs" is a prime example why. I absolutely refuse to have that kind of relationship with food anymore. Been there, done that, so glad it's in the past.

sweetpea03b

This is why when I go to the deli.... and they cut the first slice ("is this thick enough? would you like a sample?") I ALWAYS say no. I don't take a cube of melon/strawberry/cheese/whatever samples are scattered throughout the store either. Granted, I know that the fruit is a miniscule amount to account for... but I always say "no thank you... its too hard to track the calories" and go on my merry way.

RaspberryKeytoneBoondoggle

When I was losing I did. Now I'm in maintenance so I don't. That's really the only thing that I've let slide a little since switching over. I just set my calorie goal a little below maintenance to cover the margin of error. So far it's working.

^this is exactly what I was going to say.

yumbinkbugonrox

Depending on how many bites I have, I'll delete that amount from whatever my serving is, so if I'm having a cup of rice and I had two teaspoons to taste it (to make sure it was cooked all the way through), I'll deduct from my plate.

Cleaning up, for me, seems to be hardest...so I'll just estimate and like not eat a full desert or something.

str8bowbabe

I can honestly say that since I started eating small meals throughout the day...I do not have many BLT's at all...so no I do not track them. I am not saying I DONT WANT TO...I just remind myself I am on a mission...and the blastoff date is only 6 months away!!!!