Be Exact!

randyv99

....or at least approximately exact.

Hey my fellow fitness freaks, macro and micomanagers and slackers. This is just a reminder to everyone that you have to take everything you read on a label of any sort anywhere with a grain of salt (or salt substitute if you're on a sodium restriction.)

i've said this before and many other people have posted and already know that the labels on most foods are just approximations or averages of lab tests. Meaning ther can be variations of up to 100-200 calories in foods that are labelled similarly. So give yourself a litte leeway with your intake.

Also, be forewarned things that say 0 Calorie are not actually 0 Calorie...in the U.S., the FDA allows products with fewer than <5 Calories to be listed as 0 Calories. Taken together with the last point, this means that there can be a substantial calorie intake from sugar-free products such as gum, soda and cooking oil. Check the little asterisk next to a 0 Calorie claim the next time you can. Coca Cola's website even lists the calories in so-called zero calorie product such as Diet Coke and Coke Zero. In many cases, these calories are barely worth the time to track but if you've been going on a sugar free binge and haven't been coming any closer to you goals, you might try cutting back on the calorie-free calories.

randyv99

P.S. I didn't really re-read what I wrote so if it doesn't make any sense just ignore it. I'm pretty exhausted it seems and falling asleep at the key.

Kerilovestherain

Thanks for the tips!

robin52077

I even log splenda as 4 calories and 1 carb per packet. (yes, people, sorry, it's true. Less than 5 = don't have to say it, but they're in there...so don't think you can dump ten splenda into that large iced coffee, that's about 40 extra cals!)

And I log in my diet sodas because of sodium, they're not zero EVERYTHING, just some things! I knew there are a few calories in there but I don't know how many so I don't add them.

randyv99

Exactly! Even "zero" calorie things need to be imbibed and otherwise consumed in moderation. If you're drinking 3 diet cokes a day then you're drinking a few more calories and a bit more sodium than you thought.

catcrazy

yep, I log my black sugar free coffee...no point logging at all unless youre logging EVERYTHING

JaneZv

Thanks for the tips. I never knew that <5 calories can be listed as 0 calories on the products. I had been logging my splenda and diet coke as 1 calorie, looks like i should add 3 more calories to it just to be on the safe side... :sad:

BoresEasily

The deviations are really that high? upwards of 200 calories?

shellydd

this all seems soooo exhausting at times

robin52077

14 ounces of black coffee has about 10 calories, 1 carb, 1 protein, and 10 sodium.
(from Dunkin Donuts website)

So anyone who is chugging coffee thinking it doesn't count is fooling themselves.

I log my espresso shot every morning...2 cals is 2 cals...and it reminds me how much caffeine I am taking in....