Calorie Counting 101
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This was so helpful! The condiment trick is genius. I do hope you could add exercise estimates eventually (if you're knowledgeable on that subject) because that's so hard to track. Would we maybe reverse the adding 10% like you did with the food and subtract 10% of the exercise calories? Definitely sticky this!
MFP grossly overestimates EVERYTHING! I often wear my heart rate monitor and I find that the only thing that's right is the stationary bike (probably because weight has less to do with it). I suggest cutting everything in HALF (I do this when I enter it and then don't worry about having to eat less.)
Also, interval training is not as accurately measured by HRMs, so I usually knock it down.
And, if you're ever taking a Les Mills class or something that says "burn up to____calories!" I usually end up burning about 2/3 for my weight.
Finally, I found that when I started my workout stuff back up I "burned" more calories say, on the elliptical, than I do now. Why? I'm in better shape, so my heart rate is lower. But, the machine will always tell me I'm still burning 30% more than I am...and it will record the same calories burned in both cases.0 -
But what if you enjoy chips and cookies? I ate/eat those things all the time. You simply need to track them, and account for them. Why ban foods? You can't hide from cookies forever. Eventually you will come face to face with these foods and rather then binge when faced with cookies at work or a friends house you can just have 1 cookie because you practice moderation.HappyCampr1 wrote: »I managed to lose my 70 pounds while eating a dessert each night after dinner. I pre-logged my dessert so I could make sure I saved enough calories for it.
The way to do that is to learn to incorporate the occasional treat into your diet without going overboard and/or beating yourself up for enjoying a brownie. And I agree it does nothing for satiety, but it does do something for my mental state and my ability to live with this long-term.
I think that eating 'clean' isn't realistic long term, and people do realistically need to deal with having SOME junk or some treats in the house.
For me, I'm quite strict about things like cheese (I could eating a wheel of Brie right now, easy) and milky chocolate. Instead, I do allow some hard parmesan - I'm not going to just eat that on its own like most cheese, and i get the added flavour in meals or salads. For chocolate, I substitute something like HobNobs to Jaffa cakes - I get that little hit of chocolate that I might crave that day, but even if I have 4 instead of 2 it's manageable within my daily calorie limits.
People like Barry have very fixed ideas of what is right and wrong for people - to be fair, each person needs to face their challenges and manage fitness, weightloss or whatever themselves.
If your methodology is counting calories, then it's your business how you choose to spend those calories. No-one here is advocating eating ONLY junk or fast food. But let's not pretend we don't crave a bit of trash every now and again! As long as we do it sensibly and count the calories.2 -
Speaking for myself and myself alone, I can tell anyone here that my weight loss has always been and will continue to be MY battle. Nobody else's. It is all about self control. I told myself I didn't have self control and I would fail. Guess what. I did. I finally decided to be accountable for what I shoveled into my mouth and guess what. I have lost over 60#. If you say you don't have self control, and you say your weight problem is because you don't have it, then you are lucky! You know what the problem is! Practice your self control and you will win. If you don't, and instead you try and "trick" yourself by not allowing all those yummy high calorie foods in your home, then sure you could lose the weight. But what happens when you reach your goal, and you start letting those foods into your home again? If you admit to yourself that YOU are responsible for YOUR actions you will be ready for life AFTER you reach your goal weight. If not, you'll fail.0
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I'm loving this post!!0
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I am finding that I get closer towards my goal that calorie counting is getting stricter for me. So I decided to invest in an additional scale to have at work. It is identical to the one I have at home. I actually tell coworkers if they need to use it please feel free. I keep it on my desk. Makes me feel more accountable and maybe I can help someone else.0
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Thank you for your informative information and links. The more you weigh food items the less it becomes a burden. Thanks again!0
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I find this to be the case with most people. In the beginning you can lose weight without being strict. You can estimate a great deal. You can even have several days a month where you do not track at all. The closer and closer you get to your goal (and the more aggressive your goal is), the more consistent you need to be.mattyc772014 wrote: »I am finding that I get closer towards my goal that calorie counting is getting stricter for me. So I decided to invest in an additional scale to have at work. It is identical to the one I have at home. I actually tell coworkers if they need to use it please feel free. I keep it on my desk. Makes me feel more accountable and maybe I can help someone else.
I agree. After weighing things for a few years, its second nature. I don't even think about it anymore. I just do it.Thank you for your informative information and links. The more you weigh food items the less it becomes a burden. Thanks again!
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very informative! I like it thanks for sharing0
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Hi and thank you vismal
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Great post! I bought a new scale so I could weigh grams. Turns out the PB2 that I love has a major discrepancy in tablespoons vs grams. The serving size is 12 grams (2tbsp) but 2 level tbsp is actually 19 grams! I'm still confused on the best weigh to record meat though. If I portion out 4 oz raw meat but then it cooks up to be 3 oz, should I go weigh it as 3 or 4?0
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As stated in the main guide, weigh it based on what your nutritional information says. If the label says 4 oz raw. weight it raw. If it says 4 oz cooked, weigh it cooked. If it doesn't specify, always assume raw. If you have no nutritional info with the food you have and are going to use the usda information found on MFP, then weigh raw. Basically unless your packaging or data specifically says cooked, weigh it raw.gingermarie11 wrote: »Great post! I bought a new scale so I could weigh grams. Turns out the PB2 that I love has a major discrepancy in tablespoons vs grams. The serving size is 12 grams (2tbsp) but 2 level tbsp is actually 19 grams! I'm still confused on the best weigh to record meat though. If I portion out 4 oz raw meat but then it cooks up to be 3 oz, should I go weigh it as 3 or 4?
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What do people do when food is cooked for them? I don't mean by friends or partners when you can influence it, but when you're a guest of someone else's?
I had a roast dinner today, and I have NO idea how many calories it included.0 -
Simply do you best to estimate, and purposely overestimate to be safe.LazyButHealthy wrote: »What do people do when food is cooked for them? I don't mean by friends or partners when you can influence it, but when you're a guest of someone else's?
I had a roast dinner today, and I have NO idea how many calories it included.
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Thanks, vismal! 0
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Wow! Reading these posts has been very sobering. I am guilty of saying "I can't lose weight on 1200 calories" but I've never counted calories as accurately as you describe. You've motivated me to get down to business and count and weigh everything that goes into my mouth. I appreciate you sharing your tips.0
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gingermarie11 wrote: »Great post! I bought a new scale so I could weigh grams. Turns out the PB2 that I love has a major discrepancy in tablespoons vs grams. The serving size is 12 grams (2tbsp) but 2 level tbsp is actually 19 grams! I'm still confused on the best weigh to record meat though. If I portion out 4 oz raw meat but then it cooks up to be 3 oz, should I go weigh it as 3 or 4?
This is really good to know about the PB2. I use it in my smoothie every morning and this makes a difference.0 -
God I learned so much from this. So I just noticed I ate 6 mini pork lumpias at 130calories, but u need to fry them before you eat them, they are frozen and raw? Im thinking, Im not sure if I have to add the oil? and how much? wow. so confusing, they are deep fried. no where on the bag did it say raw or fried. They are raw in the package. omg0
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If they are only 130 calories, I'd bet money that is before they are fried. Just 1 tablespoon of most oils is around 120 calories by itself.God I learned so much from this. So I just noticed I ate 6 mini pork lumpias at 130calories, but u need to fry them before you eat them, they are frozen and raw? Im thinking, Im not sure if I have to add the oil? and how much? wow. so confusing, they are deep fried. no where on the bag did it say raw or fried. They are raw in the package. omg
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If they are only 130 calories, I'd bet money that is before they are fried. Just 1 tablespoon of most oils is around 120 calories by itself.God I learned so much from this. So I just noticed I ate 6 mini pork lumpias at 130calories, but u need to fry them before you eat them, they are frozen and raw? Im thinking, Im not sure if I have to add the oil? and how much? wow. so confusing, they are deep fried. no where on the bag did it say raw or fried. They are raw in the package. omg
Part of the reason I said goodbye to home made fried chicken. Just confusion on how to log it properly
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in0
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I use my scale for everything, I also use the bar scan on my app when I log what I eat. Although I have hit a plateau for about two weeks now and I'm a bit frustrated. I have made my profile public so I can have some input. There are some days that I haven't logged in.Calorie Counting 101
With the crazy amount of "I'm eating 1200 calories and I'm not losing weight" or "My weight loss has stalled" threads that get posted every day I decided to copy a calorie counting sticky I wrote for another forum. This is a guide to help ensure as much accuracy as possible when counting calories. It may seem OCD to some but for beginners I feel the more accurate they can be, the better. Before you post about how you can't count calories because of an ED, this thread isn't for you. If you have psychological issues with counting calories, simply don't. This thread is to help those who want to use calorie counting as a means to lose weight. It is based on the fact that if you eat less calories then you burn in a day you will lose weight. If you do not believe in this fact then please just don't post here. This thread is also not about how much you should eat and what you should eat. It is simply about how to accurately track what you do eat. Please keep the reply's to things that deal with calorie counting. If you want to talk about any of the aforementioned things, start a new thread.
Logging foods: In the old days, to calorie count, we had to use paper and pencil. This is why programs like weight watchers became so popular. It essentially dumbed down calorie counting to a point system and made things easier to track. With the advent of software like Myfitnesspal, there is no need for the dumbing down. You can track calories, macro nutrients, micro nutrients, and exercise with very little hassle.
To correctly implement calorie counting you must log everything you consume in a day that contains calories. This includes liquids and/or supplements that contain calories. Some people also log calorie free foods (gum, diet soda, black coffee, etc). Since they do not contain any calories, this is optional. They may however contain something that you want to track (vitamins, minerals, sodium).
Weighing foods: You must weigh your foods! Do not estimate! Weigh everything on a kitchen scale. Preferably a digital scale that weighs in grams. Only liquids should be measured by volume (cups tablespoons, etc). On a package of oatmeal the label will usually say that a serving size is ½ cup. It will also have 40g in parentheses. Use a scale to weigh out 40 grams. You will find that if you dump oats into a ½ cup measuring cup that it won’t always equal 40 grams. This becomes more important with calorically dense food such as peanut butter. 1 tablespoon is usually 100 calories, however one can easily put 2-3 “tablespoons” worth of peanut butter on the end of a normal kitchen spoon. Instead weigh the peanut butter according to how many grams are in a serving. The same goes for scoopers found in supplements. One scoop of whey does not always equal 1 serving. Always weigh your whey! Here are some links to a couple of kitchen scales for purchase:
http://www.amazon.com/EatSmart-Precision-Digital-Kitchen-Silver/dp/B001N07KUE/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1391480839&sr=8-5&keywords=eatsmart+scale
http://www.amazon.com/Ozeri-Digital-Multifunction-Kitchen-Elegant/dp/B004164SRA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391480816&sr=8-1&keywords=food+scale
[b[Handling foods with no nutritional information[/b]: Sometimes fruits, vegetables, and meats do not come with nutritional information. The USDA has a comprehensive list of nearly all fruits, vegetables, and many different cuts of meats in grams.
http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list
Using myfitnesspal you can simply search the fruit, vegetable, or meat with “usda” afterwards to obtain the same nutritional information. When weighing meat, ALWAYS WEIGH IT RAW. The nutritional facts are based on the raw weight of meat unless packaging specifically states otherwise. This is true for just about any food you cook. If you are simply searching the database for a food with no nutritional information, be wise at what you pick. Don't pick the one option that is significantly lower in calories then all the others simply because it is. You must also be careful with the bar code scanner. Sometimes the scanner will not give you the correct product. Verify this whenever possible.
Dining out: When dining out, attempt to find nutritional information on the restaurant you are at. Many larger chains have all that information available. Know that this is somewhat of an estimate as they are not weighing things to the gram in the kitchen. They also might be liberal with ingredients like butter and oil which can add up quickly. If the restaurant does not provide nutritional information for their meals, attempt to deconstruct your meal and track it piece by piece. If you want to be 100% accurate you can bring a scale to a restaurant. This not something I do as I don't often eat out, but depending on how accurate you wish to be, it is an option. It's worth considering if you eat out frequently.
Accuracy: Accept the fact that you will never be 100% accurate. The FDA allows for up to a 20% margin of error with nutritional information. You must simply do the best you can possibly do to not let that margin grow any larger by estimating what you have eaten. Along these lines you will find products that claim to be zero calories like mustard, cooking spray, and many others. They actually have somewhere between 0-5 calories per serving. Because of rounding they can claim zero on the label. If you want to be precise, count them as 5 calories a serving. This is increasingly important if you consume these products frequently.
Once you have a solid idea of what your daily/weekly consumption is like, it is easy to manipulate calories to fulfill whatever your goals may be. Before you decide that you need to increase or decrease calories to help accomplish goals, ask yourself “Am I tracking everything correctly?” Are you drinking something with calories and not counting it? Are you weighing everything to the gram? Are you having cheat days/meals that you are not tracking? If you answer yes to any of these then your caloric goals may be correct, you are simply not meeting them. Know that if you eat 1500 calories a day and have a once a week cheat day of 3000 calories you are effectively eating 1714 calories a day. This is why you need to track your cheat days. It's okay to have them but if you track them, you can prevent them from skewing your results.
Tips:Here are some tips that I personally like to use in my own tracking of calories:
When weighing condiments I zero the scale with the container sitting on the scale. I apply the condiments to my food. I then put the container back on the scale. It will read a negative number in grams. That is how much condiment I used. This does not work for aerosols like pam or whip cream.
If my goal is weight loss and am going out to eat at a restaurant with no nutritional information, I reconstruct the meal in myfitnesspal and add 10% to the caloric total. This is in case I underestimated. Research shows humans are notorious at underestimating what they eat. In the rare case I overestimated the calories contained in the meal, I can enjoy a small extra deficit for the day. Even if they do provide nutritional information, this might be worth doing. Again, the chef is going to exercise portion control but he isn't weight his butter or your steak on a food scale and tracking to the gram.
Myfitnesspal lets you enter in your own foods. If something is not in their database you can add it. I get my burritos from Chipotle the same way every time. They have all their nutritional information listed on their website. After I determine the values of my burrito I create the food in MFP and don’t have to bother with it next time. The same goes for Subway.
If you want to weigh liquids, this site will help you based on what liquid you are weighing http://www.convert-me.com/en/convert/cooking/
Final thoughts: Counting calories is in my opinion the best thing one can do to help lose weight. This guide was written to help you be as close to 100% accurate as possible. Some of you might not like the idea of bringing a food scale to a restaurant or weighing condiments. These things aren't musts. If you don’t want to do them then you must accept that you will be less accurate than if you had. If you are a bodybuilder preparing for a competition then you will want to be as accurate as humanly possible. If you are just trying to lose weight with no real deadlines and don’t mind if your diet takes a few weeks longer than planned, feel free to be a little less strict. If you find you are not losing weight despite the fact that your caloric intake is low enough that you should be, then you need to start considering doing things like weighing condiments. Only then can you be truly sure it is time to lower calories. I hope this guide helps you guys. Feel free to add your own tips and ask questions! Again, don't turn this into a debate about anything, that isn't the intention of this thread. Make sure your reply's are about calorie counting!
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I have another question on the "weigh it raw" subject... When you weigh a FROZEN chicken breast still frozen because you don't have time to thaw it, doesn't the ice attached to a frozen breast weigh more than the water a thawed breast contains... therefore making the weight inaccurate? BTW I'm posting as someone who's weight loss has stalled and does yet own a scale but will be purchasing one based on the information on this thread.0
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It will usually weigh slightly more frozen then raw. I weigh my chicken before I freeze it, place it into freezer bags, and write the raw weight on the bag with a marker.PleaseSendPants wrote: »I have another question on the "weigh it raw" subject... When you weigh a FROZEN chicken breast still frozen because you don't have time to thaw it, doesn't the ice attached to a frozen breast weigh more than the water a thawed breast contains... therefore making the weight inaccurate? BTW I'm posting as someone who's weight loss has stalled and does yet own a scale but will be purchasing one based on the information on this thread.
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(*)hollydubs85 wrote: »Geez, you must have a never-ending supply of self-control and motivation to do something like this (weighing to the gram, always overestimating calorie amount, etc.).
You do whatever it takes. Not having self-control and motivation is what makes us complacent.
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It will usually weigh slightly more frozen then raw. I weigh my chicken before I freeze it, place it into freezer bags, and write the raw weight on the bag with a marker.
Thank you for the advice, Vismal!0 -
Awesome post. So glad I came across it.
I've been needing to read something like this0 -
my question is how to you weigh soup say like Campbell's chicken noodle soup weigh the liquid and noodles together or liquid then noodles and add them together just trying not to over think0
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Many of the soups do not list their nutritional information based by weight, they list it based by volume even though the soup is not 100% liquid. I would either eat half a can, or the whole can of soup and just go off what the nutritional information says for the whole can.hansel2001 wrote: »my question is how to you weigh soup say like Campbell's chicken noodle soup weigh the liquid and noodles together or liquid then noodles and add them together just trying not to over think0 -
hansel2001 wrote: »my question is how to you weigh soup say like Campbell's chicken noodle soup weigh the liquid and noodles together or liquid then noodles and add them together just trying not to over think
I've noticed that their tomato soup actually needs to be measured in mL, so you need to use a liquid measuring cup for it. I'd check the nutrition label to see if it's the same. But yes, generally anything like that will be weighed/measured together.0 -
Good info. Saving.0
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