Why do they make calories so confusing? Help!

Losingthedamnweight

So me and my girlfriend are trying to figure out how many calories are in a bag of popcorn and we...yeah. We had a hard time for a second there lol why the heck doesn't it just simply say how many calories popped per bag? Craziness! How many calories is it for just a bag? I think stuff like this is easily responsible for people miscounting cals and confused about lack of weight loss


http://i.imgur.com/IRHyzo1.jpg

Posting the pic made it too big so here's just a link

kommodevaran

My brain just popped :explode:

vismal

Yeah, companies use tricks like that to make their products seem more calorie friendly. The truth is most people will eat the whole bag. We generally don't pop a bag of popcorn and save 2/3's of the bag for later. Same with a 16 oz soda. Most people drink the whole thing yet you will see the servings per container listed as 2, the 20 oz soda sometimes lists servings as 2.5. Again, most people drink the whole thing. You just have to pay attention to the serving sizes of EVERYTHING you eat.

BombshellPhoenix

It's definitely a marketing technique to sell things. I bought those protein cheerios. Sure, they're a little better macros for the calories...maybe haha. They claim to be 10g of protein per serving but in small font it says "with milk". Alone, they are only 6g of protein for like 200 calories

Also, poptarts. I used to think 200 calories was both poptarts in the wrapper. Nope. Just one.

Have to be careful, those sneaky hobbitses.

lporter229

My brain just popped :explode:

+1. 500 bonus points to anyone who can explain the logic behind that label.

Losingthedamnweight

I tried to do the math and i got 420 calories for a bag. Is that right? So far nobody has actually answered lol

Holly_Roman_Empire

I seriously made a status about this two days ago. Math is not my strong point, so yeah, just putting the calories per bag would really help me out.

ChildrenCryinNCoffee

It would be roughly 105 calories for the bag/3 cups popped.

They say there's enough kernels to make 4 cups per bag, however, not all kernels pop.

So, if you just eat the popped kernels of one whole bag and leave the unopened kernels, you'll have consumed 105 calories for an entire bag.

maidentl

Yeah, companies use tricks like that to make their products seem more calorie friendly. The truth is most people will eat the whole bag. We generally don't pop a bag of popcorn and save 2/3's of the bag for later. Same with a 16 oz soda. Most people drink the whole thing yet you will see the servings per container listed as 2, the 20 oz soda sometimes lists servings as 2.5. Again, most people drink the whole thing. You just have to pay attention to the serving sizes of EVERYTHING you eat.

I saw a candied apple at the store the other day and peeked at the calories out of curiosity. They were listed for 1/4 of the apple. :grumble:

StaciMarie1974

I've always been confused by the nutrition info on popcorn - had this conversation with my husband last night when he was trying to figure out calorie content of the Orville Reddenbacher's pour-over butter package. I can't do it. I'm good at math, I'm even a finance major. Time-value of money is nothing compared to this!

For me, I stick to the little 100 calorie bags. The one's that say: 1 bag = 100 calories.

allie_00p

So the serving size is 2tbsp unpopped & there are 3 servings per bag (about). So go with the 2tbsp unpopped serving size & multiply by 3.

540 calories
36g fat
45g carbs
6g protein

suppakana

2 tbsp of unpopped kernels per serving.
Makes 4 cups of popped popcorn.
3 servings per bag
= 12 cups of popped corn per bag

Take the numbers on the right-hand side of the label and multiply by 12 for one bag.
=420 calories

Losingthedamnweight

It would be roughly 105 calories for the bag/3 cups popped.

They say there's enough kernels to make 4 cups per bag, however, not all kernels pop.

So, if you just eat the popped kernels of one whole bag and leave the unopened kernels, you'll have consumed 105 calories for an entire bag.

I did math that way too, but it was by accident on my part. Not thinking ahead like you are about how many cups actually pop and whatnot. But if we go on the safe side just to have our bases covered, then a serving size is 4 cups popped. 1 cup popped is 35 calories so per serving so that would be 140 per serving right? And there's 3 servings in a bag so that's...420? God dammit my brain hurts. Figuring this out is irritating cause I've been going off "100 calories or so a bag" for awhile and now I'm worried I might be mis counting

MLowe13

I tried to do the math and i got 420 calories for a bag. Is that right? So far nobody has actually answered lol

I always figure based on the popped calories. So 1 bag contains about 3 cups popped popcorn and that equals 105 calories.

April0010

Also, poptarts. I used to think 200 calories was both poptarts in the wrapper. Nope. Just one.

Ha! i've totally made that mistake before!

StaciMarie1974

From the image you posted, I'd guess that 1 bag has 3 x 2 tbsp unpopped and each 2tbsp unpopped makes 4 cups popped. So 3 x 4 cups = 12 cups.

But if that is so I don't understand this logic: 2 tbsp = 4 cups popped. 2 tbsp = 180 calories, but 4 cups popped = 140 calories. Unless the difference is to account for the fact some kernels won't pop?

whippetwomen

Go to home page, click on food, decide which meal to add it to, click on add food and then just type in as much info as possible. Brand name, size of packet, (in grams) then click add to food. Then when you have the whole packet size, divide by portion size and it should then tell you how many calories in a portion and in the whole bag.

MarissaPalm

I'd go with the popped calories... you're not gonna eat the kernels, right? LOL

There are 3 cups of popcorn per pag, assuming all the kernels pop. Therefor, a whole bag of popcorn has about 100 cals, since 1 cup of popcorn has 35 cals.

lolybear

The front of the box should say how many grams of kernels there are per bag.

From a quick google, it looks like one bag contains 99g of kernels. (Double-check your box!)

So one bag contains 3 "servings" (lol) of popcorn.

33g of unpopped kernels has 180 calories.

Therefore each bag has 180x3 = 540 calories.

(This assumes all kernels pop... but honestly, you're hardly going to be left with that many that don't pop. Really what you should do is start with 540, then weigh the unpopped kernels at the end. Say you have 11g unpopped kernels at the end... that means that 60cals worth of kernels did not pop, so the total amount in the bag was 540-60 = 480 calories.)

StaciMarie1974

No, 1 bag contains 3 servings and 1 serving is 4 cups popped. So 1 bag is 12 cups popped.

Serving is NOT 1 cup - which is where it gets confusing.

I tried to do the math and i got 420 calories for a bag. Is that right? So far nobody has actually answered lol

I always figure based on the popped calories. So 1 bag contains about 3 cups popped popcorn and that equals 105 calories.

Losingthedamnweight

No, 1 bag contains 3 servings and 1 serving is 4 cups popped. So 1 bag is 12 cups popped.

Serving is NOT 1 cup - which is where it gets confusing.

I tried to do the math and i got 420 calories for a bag. Is that right? So far nobody has actually answered lol

I always figure based on the popped calories. So 1 bag contains about 3 cups popped popcorn and that equals 105 calories.

This is turning into the most frustrating and controversial thing I've ever posted about. Can we get a mathematician in here?

husseycd

So the serving size is 2tbsp unpopped & there are 3 servings per bag (about). So go with the 2tbsp unpopped serving size & multiply by 3.

540 calories
36g fat
45g carbs
6g protein

This.

whippetwomen

Sorry, didn't realise you bought it unpopped. Ours comes already popped, usually coated in sugar.

MissBlunts420

NVM

allie_00p

The label itself doesn't even make sense, it says 2 tbsp unpopped = 4 cups popped. It lists 1 cup popped at 35 calories, but 2tbsp unpopped at 180 calories... 180 / 4 = 45 ???

Is it saying that by popping it, 20% of the calories magically disappear?

ETA: personally I'd just go with the unpopped number. 540

Unknown

This content has been removed.

meridianova

I tried to do the math and i got 420 calories for a bag. Is that right? So far nobody has actually answered lol

I always figure based on the popped calories. So 1 bag contains about 3 cups popped popcorn and that equals 105 calories.

no, it doesn't.

1 bag contains 6 tablespoons of unpopped popcorn, and can make 12 cups of popped popcorn. so do the math based on the 3 servings per bag of 2 tablespoons unpopped popcorn. you'll get 540 calories total.

seriously, pop a bag and then measure out in cups how much popped corn you get. it'll be a lot more than 3.

laurenjill

If the entire bag makes around three cups popped, the entire bag post-popping is around 105 calories.

StaciMarie1974

This is a good idea. But... Wouldn't the weight of the cooked kernel be less than the weight of an uncooked kernel? I'm thinking some of the moisture in it would be cooked out. Dried fruit/etc. tends to be less in weight than the original.

Not like we need anything further to complicate things.

I do think the entire bag would be ~420. The little bag of the 'low fat' variety is 100 so the big bag of any variety must be more?

(This assumes all kernels pop... but honestly, you're hardly going to be left with that many that don't pop. Really what you should do is start with 540, then weigh the unpopped kernels at the end. Say you have 11g unpopped kernels at the end... that means that 60cals worth of kernels did not pop, so the total amount in the bag was 540-60 = 480 calories.)

bgelliott

I tried to do the math and i got 420 calories for a bag. Is that right? So far nobody has actually answered lol

Depending on what kind, yes it could totally be right. We make pop secret home-style or something like that and it's 360 per bag popped. When I'm watching calories, I use the 100 calorie bags to make it easier on my brain. Popcorn is the worst at just giving the info without having to do math.

Tiernan1212

The front of the box should say how many grams of kernels there are per bag.

From a quick google, it looks like one bag contains 99g of kernels. (Double-check your box!)

So one bag contains 3 "servings" (lol) of popcorn.

33g of unpopped kernels has 180 calories.

Therefore each bag has 180x3 = 540 calories.

(This assumes all kernels pop... but honestly, you're hardly going to be left with that many that don't pop. Really what you should do is start with 540, then weigh the unpopped kernels at the end. Say you have 11g unpopped kernels at the end... that means that 60cals worth of kernels did not pop, so the total amount in the bag was 540-60 = 480 calories.)

Seriously, go with this.

And next time, buy the 100 cal bags, they're easier to log!

Or, I think the ValuTime brand actually breaks the calories down by bag.