Why such a HUGE difference in calories ??

MernyMac
MernyMac Posts: 37 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I had 2 fried eggs and 3 pre-cooked bacon strips for breakfast this morning, along with a nice hot cup of coffee....When I looked up the calories for eggs, I found 2 fried eggs cooked in Pam listed at 320 calories....i then looked up 2 large eggs (140 cal), and 1 tsp Pam cooking spray (32 cal) for a grand total of 172.....Where did that other 148 calories come from ???.....I opted for the second choice....Was I wrong ??

Replies

  • morgansmom02
    morgansmom02 Posts: 1,131 Member
    I always choose the bigger choice...if I choose the lower choice I might be actually going over in calories but not realize it.
  • myshell67
    myshell67 Posts: 64 Member
    if there's more than one choice, i look at how many confirmations each entry has & go with the one with the most.
  • TexanThom
    TexanThom Posts: 778
    It's what people put on the log. Look up corn on the cob....15 diff. calories for the same corn. Read labels if you can and go by them.
  • lunchgirlie
    lunchgirlie Posts: 101 Member
    Sometimes the things people enter are wrong. You have to use your judgement. I would have done the same thing you did.
  • jdragione
    jdragione Posts: 18 Member
    People can put whatever they want in the log. I would make sure before you add someone to your diary you look at VERIFIED and see how many people agree with those numbers.
  • looking4lisa
    looking4lisa Posts: 36 Member
    I would have gone with the 2nd one. I use free range eggs which are 70 cals each, I boil my eggs, but the pam seems accurate with what you've listed. Have a blessed day!!!
  • llamalland
    llamalland Posts: 246 Member
    I think the 2nd is correct. Some food nutrition listings have errors. Eggs average 70 calories each, so the 140 is right on, and while I don't use Pam, I think the 32 cal/spray is pretty close.
  • Christine1110
    Christine1110 Posts: 1,786 Member
    Sometime you have to research it your self to see what it is. It sould say above it in little writting how many people comfirmed the amount. It might help you. We all find the same thing. That is why I don't eat back all my exercise calories.
  • vypeters
    vypeters Posts: 475 Member
    Maybe because 1 tsp Pam cooking spray isn't very much? Don't know how you measure the cooking spray you use, but I'd bet the fried eggs calories include a lot more Pam.
  • NikkiSmo
    NikkiSmo Posts: 180 Member
    When availabe I always check the packaging for my calroie amounts and then scan the bar code (with my phone) and adjust my serving size to reflect what I ate. If the packaging isn't availabe then I will always go with the higher cal amount along with the majority.
  • Jacwhite22
    Jacwhite22 Posts: 7,010 Member
    I had 2 fried eggs and 3 pre-cooked bacon strips for breakfast this morning, along with a nice hot cup of coffee....When I looked up the calories for eggs, I found 2 fried eggs cooked in Pam listed at 320 calories....i then looked up 2 large eggs (140 cal), and 1 tsp Pam cooking spray (32 cal) for a grand total of 172.....Where did that other 148 calories come from ???.....I opted for the second choice....Was I wrong ??

    This is why you should get a food scale.
  • BAMFMeredith
    BAMFMeredith Posts: 2,810 Member
    I always choose the bigger choice...if I choose the lower choice I might be actually going over in calories but not realize it.

    If I don't have labels that tell me the exact amount, this is usually what I go with. I'd rather eat less calories than I thought than more. However, 320 sounds a little high for 2 eggs.
  • hbrittingham
    hbrittingham Posts: 2,518 Member
    I had 2 fried eggs and 3 pre-cooked bacon strips for breakfast this morning, along with a nice hot cup of coffee....When I looked up the calories for eggs, I found 2 fried eggs cooked in Pam listed at 320 calories....i then looked up 2 large eggs (140 cal), and 1 tsp Pam cooking spray (32 cal) for a grand total of 172.....Where did that other 148 calories come from ???.....I opted for the second choice....Was I wrong ??

    This is why you should get a food scale.

    Just curious how a food scale would help in this instance?

    I would go with the second one. Read your labels. Most eggs have 70 calories each and the spray of Pam sounds accurate at 32 calories.
  • Faye_Anderson
    Faye_Anderson Posts: 1,495 Member
    I had 2 fried eggs and 3 pre-cooked bacon strips for breakfast this morning, along with a nice hot cup of coffee....When I looked up the calories for eggs, I found 2 fried eggs cooked in Pam listed at 320 calories....i then looked up 2 large eggs (140 cal), and 1 tsp Pam cooking spray (32 cal) for a grand total of 172.....Where did that other 148 calories come from ???.....I opted for the second choice....Was I wrong ??

    This is why you should get a food scale.
    How would a food scale help in this case? Eggs are pretty standard 70 calories and you can't really weigh the cooking spray!!

    ETA:hbrittingham: Great minds :smile:
  • MinnesotaManimal
    MinnesotaManimal Posts: 642 Member
    Measure your fats accurately and enter the items individually for best accuracy. if it is an item you consume frequently create it as a "meal" or a Recipe. I rarely rely on other peoples entered info and ALWAYS compare total nutrients and calories to be sure that things are as close to accurate as possible.

    edit:

    also, if you want to measure fats for cooking eggs why not just use an accurately measured amount of butter? gram per gram most fats are comparable calorie wise. And butter might be easier to measure than spray from a can!
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
    For something as simple as this I just log my ingredients separately. You can't trust some of the "meal" entries that people have put in. 2 eggs are absolutely only 140 calories. And I personally use a teeny spray of Pam, a tsp actually sounds like a TON! If you don't want to enter the ingredients separately, then create your own recipe for "Two eggs w/ Pam"
  • ahamm002
    ahamm002 Posts: 1,690 Member
    I found 2 fried eggs cooked in Pam listed at 320 calories

    Thats seems kind of high, and is probably incorrect. I usually count each fried egg as 92 calories.
  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,237 Member
    Doesn't PAM also make a shortening-type product (not the spray)? Something more like Crisco in a tub? Maybe the 300 calorie listing is using that other stuff-not the spray. I would have gone with the second option too.
  • hbrittingham
    hbrittingham Posts: 2,518 Member
    I had 2 fried eggs and 3 pre-cooked bacon strips for breakfast this morning, along with a nice hot cup of coffee....When I looked up the calories for eggs, I found 2 fried eggs cooked in Pam listed at 320 calories....i then looked up 2 large eggs (140 cal), and 1 tsp Pam cooking spray (32 cal) for a grand total of 172.....Where did that other 148 calories come from ???.....I opted for the second choice....Was I wrong ??

    This is why you should get a food scale.
    How would a food scale help in this case? Eggs are pretty standard 70 calories and you can't really weigh the cooking spray!!

    ETA:hbrittingham: Great minds :smile:

    LOL. I thought the same thing when I saw your post.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    Entries with an asterick are member added. The ones without are the MFP database. I also notice that they use the same info that Nutrition Data uses.
    There is no telling where the other calories came from. The user who added it could have included cheese or something else that they didnt specify in the title.
    When i enter soemthing like that, I search for the MFP ones, or google the nutrition so I know I am getting the Most accurate one (I track everything and find many user added ones dont include all the data) . I would log the eggs, then Pam separately, since you can cross reference the Pam label.
  • LillysGranny
    LillysGranny Posts: 431
    Crazy variations is calories....always look for confirmation. In this case, I think you made the right choice.
  • dr_tina
    dr_tina Posts: 225 Member
    The second one is more accurate. Oh, also you might want to look into getting a Misto, which is a pump for oil. It allows you to use any kind of oil you want in a spray, but you don't get all the chemicals that are included in Pam. I love mine and use it many times a day
  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
    If there is such a difference, I try to check the packaging. Yes, they round, but it can still give a fairly close idea of what is accurate.
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,300 Member
    And that is why when I add foods or recipes to my personal diary, I do NOT allow it to be used by others. I don't want to confuse people based off of what I add. I mean, if I add what is MY normal breakfast as "Eggs", then I don't want people thinking it is just for eggs... but it is only for my use.
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
    I had 2 fried eggs and 3 pre-cooked bacon strips for breakfast this morning, along with a nice hot cup of coffee....When I looked up the calories for eggs, I found 2 fried eggs cooked in Pam listed at 320 calories....i then looked up 2 large eggs (140 cal), and 1 tsp Pam cooking spray (32 cal) for a grand total of 172.....Where did that other 148 calories come from ???.....I opted for the second choice....Was I wrong ??

    This is why you should get a food scale.
    How would a food scale help in this case? Eggs are pretty standard 70 calories and you can't really weigh the cooking spray!!

    ETA:hbrittingham: Great minds :smile:

    I'm guessing the person who posted that advice was thinking of one of those digital scales with a foods database inside, so you could look up the calories in an egg in it.

    Personally, I think your best off just knowing the rough calorie amounts in basic foods so you can catch those bad database entries and avoid them. It comes with time spent logging.

    A TEASPOON of Pam? Barf. That's about 25 sprays or 5 whole seconds of spraying continuously. I don't even count Pam calories.
  • MernyMac
    MernyMac Posts: 37 Member
    Thank you all so much for your replies....I feel better about the choice I made....I will watch for what others have deemed correct for an entry, and also use labels when I have them.....I did add the Great Value pre-cooked bacon to the data base, as I did not find it in there, and others may use it....I took all the info right from the package......Thanks again, Merny :flowerforyou:
  • ElizmaKnowles
    ElizmaKnowles Posts: 43 Member
    I am fortunate enough to have an iphone and on the app you can actually scan the bar codes of the things you eat which is what I go by. When there are no bar codes to scan I always opt for the highest just in case
  • fernandesg
    fernandesg Posts: 54 Member
    When there is a huge variation like that, I also go with adding it up myself. Here are a couple links you may find useful for nutrition information:

    http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/nutrition/fiche-nutri-data/index-eng.php Health Canada's food database
    http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ USDA's nutritent database

    I use these alot for calculating my own recipes and double-checking some of the odd entries I see in MFP

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