Do you log zero calorie foods in your dairy?

jmv7117

I haven't been logging zero calorie foods like pickles and hot sauce. I figure it shouldn't make a difference since they are essentially "free" items. Just wondering if any of you log them in.

EDIT: Diary*

lol you'd think they would allow you to edit the subject line, not just the body of the post :ohwell:

I log them and all 0 calorie foods including my dietary supplements. This helps me track sodium and other important nutrients.

jmv7117

This thread has taken an unexpected turn (I guess that just goes to show how much I have to learn!) ... as I was thinking the same way, "... it's ONLY 5 calories.... who cares?!?!" But now I can see some value in tracking sodium, etc.

I am a little concerned that tracking every piece of gum, 0 calorie soda / lemonade, etc. could become laborious...

I record everything that goes in my mouth whether it has calories or not. It is not as laborious as you would think. For some things, it is as simple as changing the number of servings after the original serving entry.

jlynnm70

No I don't log every tiny thing. If I did that I'd go nuts. That is why I don't freak out at the end of the day if MFP says I'm under or over a little bit for the calories of the day. I'm at 1200 - which some of you say is too low, but I'm short and not very active at work (desk all day!) - so what if I eat an extra 30 calories in freebies - I figure somewhere between 1200-1300 is my range. I also don't log every single second of exercise. So if I do 10 push ups 3 times a day - and some lunges or something else at my desk that literally takes me minutes (sometimes seconds) to do - I even out by the end of the day. I've been consistently losing for the last 8 weeks and I currently only worry about calories and kind of eyeball the fat intake but don't stress it on a daily basis - nothing else - I have low blood pressure and cholesterol so I don't care about sodium at all - heck if I didn't eat it - I'd have no blood pressure LOL - and if I eat something super high - I usually know it anyway (ie. Chinese food or Pizza).

jmv7117

I don't log coffee (drink it black). And I only sometimes log raw or boiled veggies. If it has sauce, I log that. My understanding of a "free" food, is not that it doesn't have *any* calories, but that the amount of calories it has does not compensate for the amount of calories it takes your body to digest it.

For those not logging coffee, it comes in at 2 calories and 5 mg sodium per cup. Four cups a day is only 8 calories but that 20 mg of sodium can be a problem for those on a low sodium diet. Another problem, not logging foods with low calories leads to later problems like "I'm doing everything right but still am not losing weight". During the weight loss phase, I think it is important to log everything as a learning experience that will help keep the weight off during maintenance where logging more than likely for most is not needed. I imagine that logging comes into play again when bulking but I'm not sure.

luca15306

I log everything apart from water and herbs and spices, as everything else definitely adds up. I do things I eat often as recipes, such as salad at lunch and then it splits the portions. This is really helpful for 'zero' calorie salad, because even though its mainly water, the calories add up easily. All my zero calories add up to a 200 calorie salad. Then I add sauces alongside on each day.

I also find that logging, as it is mainly for my own use helps me to be more honest, there's no point logging at all if you aren't going to list everything

best of luck everyone

KatiesNewGoals

I don't log everything. If I have ketchup with my meal or a little sauce, I don't log it. I usually do log butter, if I have it on waffles or toast, but don't log olive oil when cooking. I definitely log coffee beverages if I'm having a latte, but I don't log a cup of coffee. For me, it works, but do what works best for you! :-)

jmv7117

I log everything including vitamins. I take vitamin C 500mgs. I was very surprised when I learned that it has 9 calories. a calcium gummy has 15 calories.

I take a large number of dietary supplements daily, actually twice daily, and have done so for a few years now. Before I even start the day, I know these will cost me 35 calories and 5 g of carbohydrates for the day. Some have recommended to eat back the entire calorie burn which I don't but if I did, that 35 calories would put me over instead of at my daily food goal. So, it is important to log.

Annie_01

I don't log coffee (drink it black). And I only sometimes log raw or boiled veggies. If it has sauce, I log that. My understanding of a "free" food, is not that it doesn't have *any* calories, but that the amount of calories it has does not compensate for the amount of calories it takes your body to digest it.

For those not logging coffee, it comes in at 2 calories and 5 mg sodium per cup. Four cups a day is only 8 calories but that 20 mg of sodium can be a problem for those on a low sodium diet. Another problem, not logging foods with low calories leads to later problems like "I'm doing everything right but still am not losing weight". During the weight loss phase, I think it is important to log everything as a learning experience that will help keep the weight off during maintenance where logging more than likely for most is not needed. I imagine that logging comes into play again when bulking but I'm not sure.

If someone tracks their potassium the logged coffee helps with that. Potassium is something that most people don't get enough of so for me every little bit helps.

quentinhayesgreen

As alot of you have commented, I too log everything. I feel it will help me later down the road if I get stuck. If I see that I have controlled caloires but my sugar consumption has gone up then I will use that to cut down on sugar. I guess it's a personal decision. My wife only logs calories but I try to scan the different components going in so that I can keep up with everything. Good luck!

jmv7117

what about water? I drink the Sparking water and it has Zero everything.

Municipal water has 5 mg sodium per 8 oz. Some bottled waters have other micronutrients like calcium. We use filtered municipal water as a beverage so I record that sodium. I'm not sure it gets filtered out.

stormbornkraken

Yes. I try to log things like my plain tea to keep me in the habit of logging. Not a perfect behavior but consistency and intent keep me pretty well on track.

240sxgurl

Even if food or drinks have no calories.....most likely they still have something in them. So it is important to log everything.

lisalsd1

I was hoping to come to this thread and find zero calorie foods! No such luck!

Honestly, I don't log plain spices. I also don't usually log mustard either. I put a couple of tspns on salmon (10 cals; nbd, BUT I'm not trying to lose weight right now). I would definitely be logging things like pickles and sauces if I were actively trying to lose weight.

amblight

Pickles are not zero calories at all 70cal/100g. So maybe 35cal for 1.
And hot sauce might have 1cal/100g, so for a table spoon-ish, that would be 15cal.
If you eat these frequently, because you view them as free foods, it might add up.

I try to add everyyyything, but if things are truly, really, zero or almost zero, I don't log it.
The sweetner I have says 0-1cal per 100g, so I only occaisionally log it (in case I want to hint at what my breakfast actually looked like for instance).
I tend to log my coke zero too, though I suppose I didn't "have" to. But it's good to keep check on that too.
I just bought some "chocolate" sauce that "contains trace calories" (less than 1cal for 100g), and I don't think I'll log that either - even though it technically must have some calories, all entries on MFP don't account for it, so even if I logged a literal ton of it, it still says zero.
I used to not add spices, until I did it once - noooo! I had made a 'dressing' with 77 calories worth of spices, and vegan burger patties with spices worth of 147calories.
I don't log water intake anymore either, since I know I get plenty enough, so it's not something I need to keep an eye on.

majorumpalumpa

The only foods I don't really log are things like lettuce, carrots, onions, etc.
Stuff that by no means can even accidentally, or purposely depending on how hungry you are, add up to anything substantial.
I typically overestimate with calories too when logging which helps me stay honest.

bwogilvie

I log everything. The main reason is because later in down the road if I am super stuck, I can go back and see what I ate. Secondly, things you think don't have calories actually do. I put cumin, red pepper flakes, garlic salt, and pepper in my egg whites. The combo of just the spices is about 15 calories. Chewing gum has 5 calories a stick. Those add up.

Wow - you must put a lot of those spices in your egg whites! 1 teaspoon of sugar has 16 calories; since sugar is quite calorie dense, I think you'd need a tablespoon of those spices to get 15 calories. My mouth would be on fire.

Annie_01

The only foods I don't really log are things like lettuce, carrots, onions, etc.
Stuff that by no means can even accidentally, or purposely depending on how hungry you are, add up to anything substantial.
I typically overestimate with calories too when logging which helps me stay honest.

Carrots are 35 cal for 3.5 oz. serving.

When you have a lot of weight to lose those 35 cals might not be as important as they are when you only have 30lbs to lose. All of those small things add up over the course of the day and adding possibly 100-200 cals. That amount would make a difference as to whether I lose a pound or not. Onions are 12 calories for 2 thin slices.

They also add to your macro/micros...if you don't care about those and don't care about the calories then your good to go but I have found that if I make this as much about being healthy as losing weight then I am better able to stick with this.

canadjineh

I don't log real zero cal stuff like black coffee, unsweetened tea, vinegar, etc. But I do log things that have a Nutrition label because they usually have other 'nutrients' I should look at such as sodium, vitamin RDA %, etc. And yes those little things like lettuce, pickles, etc. CAN add up - you can think you are well under your calorie threshold or your sodium limit, when you are only fooling yourself.

"Wow that's strange, I'm eating only 1000 calories every day for the past 10 months and I haven't lost any weight..." :noway:

canadjineh

Pickles are not zero calories at all 70cal/100g. So maybe 35cal for 1.
And hot sauce might have 1cal/100g, so for a table spoon-ish, that would be 15cal.
If you eat these frequently, because you view them as free foods, it might add up.
I don't log water intake anymore either, since I know I get plenty enough, so it's not something I need to keep an eye on.

To get 15 calories of hot sauce according to your measure above... you'd need to eat 1500grams (there are 15 grams in a tablespoon - you would need to eat 100 tablespoons of hot sauce) or 6 cups of hot sauce. Better check your math...