1 Meal.300 Calorie Error..Why It's Important to Weigh Food

FP4HSharon

You find the right food in the database, compare the calories to the package/restaurant website, then enter in "1 serving." But there can be a HUGE difference in what a "serving" is & what you're getting. Whether you're eating healthy or splurging, weighing the food (when you're home) could keep you from shorting yourself. Some recent examples...

1 burrito weighed only 75% of what a "serving" was listed as on the package

Boston Market Meal of Quarter White Chicken, Steamed Veggies, & Corn was shorted in all 3 items, than what a serving size is. Difference in calories...300. So if I had just entered in a "serving," I would have been counting 300 calories that I didn't eat.

A lot of people talk about how servings are usually over what is listed on websites & packages, but in my experience, they're usually shorting you.

GingerLolita

I suppose since there is a general tendency to overestimate, it evens out for most people like myself. However, for those at extreme (1000-cal) deficits and those who have a tendency to underestimate, this could be a big deal.

Kevintron2

Joseph's - Crispy Bite-Size Cookies

It takes nine (9) of these little puppies to make 1 serving (28 grams) and NOT four (4)! :happy:

pkw58

Amen.

SezxyStef

Yes there are times the serviing size in qty is not quite the serving size in grams...cottage cheese for example...

1/2 cup is a lot less than 125g which is a good thing...

But it goes the other way a lot too...

1tbsp of peanut butter vs 15g...or better yet raw meat vs cooked meat...

It's not just weighing your food it is choosing the right entry as well...I have found so many entries that were just wrong...so wrong...I swear it almost feels like sabatoge sometimes.

Dragonslayer183

I only worry about the servings being correct if the thing I'm eating is a calorie dense food item (peanut butter) or if they are really unhealthy (sweets) usually I'll take the servings and don't worry about the calorie details.

chivalryder

You could also note: The calories listed on the nutritional information is always off and lower than the real number of calories. Take a 355mL can of Pepsi or Coke.

Both have the same amount of carbohydrates in them, 43g, yet Pepsi says it's 150 calories and Coke says it's 140 calories. In reality, they're both 172 calories (43g x 4 cal/g). Sure, 32-42 calories doesn't sound like a lot, but drink 5 of these each day and you're under estimating your calorie intake by 210 calories. If you're trying to lose 0.5 lb/week, that's nearly your entire deficit for the day! You wouldn't lose any weight.

This is why I feel it's important to eat to your macros, and ignore your calorie intake. If you hit your macros, you've hit your calorie goal. If you only eat to your calorie intake and follow what the packaging says, you're under estimating.

FP4HSharon

Yes there are times the serviing size in qty is not quite the serving size in grams...cottage cheese for example...

1/2 cup is a lot less than 125g which is a good thing...

But it goes the other way a lot too...

1tbsp of peanut butter vs 15g...or better yet raw meat vs cooked meat...

It's not just weighing your food it is choosing the right entry as well...I have found so many entries that were just wrong...so wrong...I swear it almost feels like sabatoge sometimes.

Yes, the database can be frustrating at times. Sometimes it's because people enter it wrong, but I know from experience that sometimes it's because the manufacturer changes the formula. I wish they would synch w/Calorie King's website...it's much easier to sort through.

kelsully

If you were satisfied then keep it as there are just as many overages through the day you don't count on.

Tabithas_Transformation

The packet of my steam vegetables said 160g and I had a good chunk of fish with it. It didn't quite feel heavy enough when I boxed it up for lunch so I put it on the scale out of curiosity and the whole thing (fish, vegetables and tupperware) was 190g. Somehow I don't think I'm getting the vegetable quantity as advertised. :grumble:

geebusuk

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/calorie-counts-accurate/story?id=18164180

Trying to find another report that showed similar - a significant number were over the claims on various pre-packaged and restaurant/fast food.

Even measuring individual ingredients, when it's more than dry pasta say, who's to say that piece of chicken didn't have more water/fat than the next one per gram?

Kevintron2

I have found so many entries that were just wrong...so wrong...I swear it almost feels like sabatoge sometimes.

Yes I agree! If I'm entering something without a label for the first time I will look at several entries from the database and then decide with what I feel is most accurate. I will also do a web search to verify entries.

writergeek313

My weight loss has stalled, and after playing around with calorie intake and upping the intensity of my workouts, I finally ordered a food scale today. I have a hunch I'm going to be in for some big surprises when I start using it!