Calorie Counting 101
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Insightful, thanks for the break down.0
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Great post. Thanks.0
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I've been telling everyone about weighing vs measuring and explaining why and ppl are just shocked! I was using 15 oz cans of black beans in a recipe and found that once drained and rinsed there is really only 9.6 ounces in each can. not the 15 they said. I found that the 15 oz weight includes the liquid and the can. My question then is do I then calculate the calories for 9.6 ounces of beans instead of 15. I'm thinking that's a no brainer yes but just want to be sure. Pasta is the same way... One box of gf pasta is 12 oz but that 12 oz includes the packaging. So annoying!0
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This is exactly what I would do! I use the USDA database A LOT!HappyCampr1 wrote: »I've been telling everyone about weighing vs measuring and explaining why and ppl are just shocked! I was using 15 oz cans of black beans in a recipe and found that once drained and rinsed there is really only 9.6 ounces in each can. not the 15 they said. I found that the 15 oz weight includes the liquid and the can. My question then is do I then calculate the calories for 9.6 ounces of beans instead of 15. I'm thinking that's a no brainer yes but just want to be sure.
I'm not the expert, so you may want to wait for someone else to answer, but... I had the same issue with garbanzo beans and managed to find an entry in the USDA Database for canned drained garbanzos. The calories and nutrients are higher per gram in the drained version because the liquid has weight, but not many calories. When you take that away, you aren't taking away many calories, but you're adjusting the weight a lot. I don't know the right way, but I just weigh with the liquid and then drain it knowing that I'm not eating quite as much as I'm claiming. Not perfect, I know.
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I looked up how many calories were in 9.6 ounces of cooked black beans. So are you saying by doing that I am under the amount of calories that are really in them? I don't see how if your only consuming 9.6 ounces.0
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This is what I found... If you measure out the beans in ounces you get 9.6 so I just don't see why I should count the calories for 15 ounces of beans if the rest of the ounces is liquid. Am I over thinking this?!? My brain hurts trying to wrap my mind around this one lol0 -
Very informative,thx for the info0
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Always make sure your information matches what you are weighing. If your information is for drained, rinsed, black beans, use that information only if you beans are drained, rinsed, and black. This is true of all foods. If you have 12 ounces of grilled chicken breast on your scale, don't use information for raw chicken breast. Don't use information for boiled chicken breast. Use information for grilled chicken breast because that's what you have. Is your information for cooked white rice? Don't use information for dry, brown, rice. You should always be able to find information to match what you have on the scale.0
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I found this to be very helpful! Thank your posting this! I will now weight in grams (minus liquids!)0
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I think I need some help guys. I just started p90x and the book is saying I should be taking in around 2200-2500 calories a day. I may be way off with the calculation but if I'm not I just physically don't think I can eat that much in a day. I've been trying for a few days... does this calorie intake sound right? I am 6'2, 215lbs if that helps.
Thanks for any help!0 -
I believe that fitness pal should be used as guidance. I've learned to make healthier and conscientious choices. There's no perfect way to track our food intake. If for some of you this is a lifestyle journey, becoming too systematic over what you ingest could lead to failure. We should view food as fuel instead of a scientific ritual. This is coming from someone who has lost 20 in one month. What works for some will not apply to every individual. The key is maintaining a heathy balance and in using self control. One of the things that I tend to do is to add extra calories to my meal entry. That way I say myself from over analyzing and developing an OCD.0
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If your goal is to lose weight, that seems like a reasonable starting point. You may need to decrease it a little as time goes on. I am 6'1 around 210 at the moment and I'll eat 25-2700 calories when I start my cutting phase in a month or two. That is not really all that much food. I would say to maintain a weight of 215, you'd have had to have been eating that much or more for quite some time. Fattier meats, ice cream, peanut butter, avocado, nuts, whole milk, and many other foods all have a fair amount of calories compared to how full they make you.I think I need some help guys. I just started p90x and the book is saying I should be taking in around 2200-2500 calories a day. I may be way off with the calculation but if I'm not I just physically don't think I can eat that much in a day. I've been trying for a few days... does this calorie intake sound right? I am 6'2, 215lbs if that helps.
Thanks for any help!
This is a guide for calorie counting. I agree that closely monitoring calorie counting, weighing foods to the gram, etc, might not be best for everyone. This thread is dedicated to people who want to give that route a try. It works wonder for plenty of people. Most of the people who find success with calorie counting cannot find a healthy balance without it. Self control is needed whether you calorie count or not. If your goals are on the extreme side, you may find that you will be unable to achieve them without strict calorie counting (I know I could never achieve my personal goals by just trying to have balance). Also, I don't see the point of arbitrarily adding calories to a meal. If you are taking the trouble to add everything into MFP in the first place, take the extra 2 seconds to weigh everything. Then you don't need to extra calories to a meal. I only add calories when I am fairly certain I have underestimated for one reason or another. This is usually when eating at a restaurant.pinkpetals84 wrote: »I believe that fitness pal should be used as guidance. I've learned to make healthier and conscientious choices. There's no perfect way to track our food intake. If for some of you this is a lifestyle journey, becoming too systematic over what you ingest could lead to failure. We should view food as fuel instead of a scientific ritual. This is coming from someone who has lost 20 in one month. What works for some will not apply to every individual. The key is maintaining a heathy balance and in using self control. One of the things that I tend to do is to add extra calories to my meal entry. That way I say myself from over analyzing and developing an OCD.0 -
Very interesting and helpful...loved reading it...thank u!!0
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Help me in this one. I am a chef and my calorie count, I know the weight, measurement and the food I eat, but I have a problem. I want to lose the last few pounds and have my abs showing, but I'm stocked. According to this app I need to have a deficit of 500 calories a day and nothing over a 1000. The problem is I am very active. My Fit Bit last night marked me I burnt around 4200 calories, after a 12 hr shift and almost 2 hour of soccer, How can I fit almost 3500 calories on my day on eating clean, I mean that's a lot of freaking food. So any help0
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I don't weight to the gram, or weigh all the time, but I do record all my meals, every single bit of them. To make up for not weighing, I always overestimate. I also use things like my palm of my hand to measure out meats, or even pasta. At least then I know I'm not going way over by just eyeing something. Besides logging here, I also write down as in old fashion journal what I eat. It just makes me more accountable I feel.0
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livinatthegym wrote: »I agree. Calories listed anywhere cannot be taken as gospel. I'd also like to mention (and I'll keep it brief), that the same goes for calories burned. There are too many intangibles that cannot be accounted for. One of my favorite examples is form. New runners, especially those who are overweight, will often bounce while they walk/ run at speeds they are not used to. They also will often sway from side to side. An experienced runner's form will be tight with deliberate movements. The inexperienced runner with bad form (if running at the same pace) will burn more calories from their form alone. A machine or exercise expert cannot accurately assess your form during every workout. A person could do the same exercise (say running at 5mph on a 5 degree incline) every day for a week and have used varying amounts of energy. This is why I never eat back calories I burn.
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"I never eat back calories I burn." This is great advice and so simple, I think even I can remember that.
I also come the challenge from the other direction - if I know I'm eating out in the evening, I'll pay-it-forward by burning more calories in the daytime. I appreciate that's not ideal or scientific, but life's for living, not counting calories.0 -
...How can I fit almost 3500 calories on my day on eating clean, I mean that's a lot of freaking food. So any help
Before anyone answers with logical things like a large bagel for breakfast along with bacon and eggs, or a T-bone steak cooked in 3 tablespoons butter for supper, I think you need to clarify if by "eating clean" you mean you will only eat certain things cooked certain ways and if you are cutting out some food groups because you think you must.
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I don't care for that much of a margin of error. If I'm going to go through all the trouble of tracking 100% of what I eat, I'm going to take the extra 3 seconds and weigh my portions. Honestly I don't see how weighing something takes any longer than comparing it to my palm. Too much overestimation can lead you to consuming fewer calories then you want to. This isn't always a good idea either. I'm a much bigger fan of just being accurate.I don't weight to the gram, or weigh all the time, but I do record all my meals, every single bit of them. To make up for not weighing, I always overestimate. I also use things like my palm of my hand to measure out meats, or even pasta. At least then I know I'm not going way over by just eyeing something. Besides logging here, I also write down as in old fashion journal what I eat. It just makes me more accountable I feel.
I would say in return for that, life is for living not doing makeup cardio. If you just want to have a day where you don't worry about calories, then don't worry about them. Doing more activity then planned is still IMO, worring about them. Breaks can be good when done infrequently. I'm all for taking a day off every now and again."I never eat back calories I burn." This is great advice and so simple, I think even I can remember that.
I also come the challenge from the other direction - if I know I'm eating out in the evening, I'll pay-it-forward by burning more calories in the daytime. I appreciate that's not ideal or scientific, but life's for living, not counting calories.
There's quite an easy solution to this. Don't eat 100% "clean". It makes no difference. If you are struggling to eat all your calories eat something like ice cream, or a donut, or a snickers bar, or whatever high calorie food you like.Help me in this one. I am a chef and my calorie count, I know the weight, measurement and the food I eat, but I have a problem. I want to lose the last few pounds and have my abs showing, but I'm stocked. According to this app I need to have a deficit of 500 calories a day and nothing over a 1000. The problem is I am very active. My Fit Bit last night marked me I burnt around 4200 calories, after a 12 hr shift and almost 2 hour of soccer, How can I fit almost 3500 calories on my day on eating clean, I mean that's a lot of freaking food. So any help
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You know what? I've had a gutsful of weighing, measuring, being obsessed with weight loss! If you must,measure with your hand:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2537130/Portion-sizes.html0 -
I have trouble with the fact I can drink soda eat a muffin and sub from subway on top of frozen meal for dinner still be under my calories day not to mention when enter my unhealthy eating lol it says if keep like that few weeks should lose 7 pounds???.0
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that's just not accurate, and to be honest, more work to remember all that. It's not hard to put food on a scale. It takes roughly 1 or 2 seconds more to place something on a scale and hit a button than to hold something up to your palm. Who has time to remember how many "dice size pieces of cheese are in an ounce. I'd rather press a button and be accurate.coconutbuNZ wrote: »You know what? I've had a gutsful of weighing, measuring, being obsessed with weight loss! If you must,measure with your hand:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2537130/Portion-sizes.html
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Thanks! That was awesome!! I always wondered about meat, so frat insight there! Do you know how to weigh popcorn to know how many calories per serving?0
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Getting a lot of great info here.0
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So I weigh them u popped and count calories for 1/3 of a scoop?0
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So I weigh them u popped and count calories for 1/3 of a scoop?
i eat every night 40 to 80 gram of popcorn ( this is the weight unpopped)
40 gram of popcorn is 120 calories and is a nice big bowl of popcorn I use Orville Redenbacher's - Original Popcorn,
And i use a butter spray and Kennels seasoning, they have lot of different taste
Marvelous when you want to eat a couple of hundred of something
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So I weigh them u popped and count calories for 1/3 of a scoop?
i eat every night 40 to 80 gram of popcorn ( this is the weight unpopped)
40 gram of popcorn is 120 calories and is a nice big bowl of popcorn I use Orville Redenbacher's - Original Popcorn,
And i use a butter spray and Kennels seasoning, they have lot of different taste
Marvelous when you want to eat a couple of hundred of something 0 -
Awesome thread, thank you for sharing all your knowledge in it!
It's got me incredibly motivated and far more clear on things now! I've learned SO much from you with all the questions you helped out with.
Wanna say thanks again for your time, patience and insight.
Take care and congrats on all the wonderful things you've gained back in losing the weight!
Hearts 0
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