How to record spreads, marmalade etc?

Noshalot

Hi folks,

I just started using MFP and Fitbit the One a few days ago, so far I'm loving them and feeling positive about their ability to help me. The only issue I have so far is how much to record in the food log for small things such as flora proactive light spread on my toast, low sugar marmalade and philidelphia extra light. I don't have scales that can weigh in that small quantities, so have no idea how much I'm using. General I use a thin spread of each on my toast/bread/ryvita.

Any tips on how I should record them?

Thanks

Norah

msbunnie68

if you don't have food scales to measure it then look on the packaging and record it as one serving size... (if one serving is a tablespoon or 15-20ml then record 1 teaspoon or 5ml if your scrapings are thin.

jesswait

I started using a measuring spoon at first, after getting used to portion sizes it's easier to estimate when needed. If you do not have measuring spoons you can use flatware, just remember a heaping spoon is closer to two spoons than one.

http://www.epicurious.com/tools/conversions/

SmallMimi

if you don't have food scales to measure it then look on the packaging and record it as one serving size... (if one serving is a tablespoon or 15-20ml then record 1 teaspoon or 5ml if your scrapings are thin.

I would still use a measuring spoon to help correctly calculate the calories. What I would consider a "thin scraping" of spread may be totally different than what you actually use. You would be surprise how many calories DON'T get logged because over or under estimating.

athenasurrenders

Invest in a cheap scale or at least some plastic measuring spoons. 10g (the usual serving size given for butter and margarine) is roughly two teaspoons and a proper teaspoon is much smaller than the spoons you actually stir your tea with. Something like marmalade will add a lot of calories if you are accidentally eating double the amount.

Pandy1962

what I do is, weigh my toast, bread, bagel or whatever I am putting spread onto before hand then weigh it after I have put the spread on, the difference tells me how many grams I have added of spread,

I do like to log correctly :bigsmile:

msbunnie68

Invest in a cheap scale or at least some plastic measuring spoons. 10g (the usual serving size given for butter and margarine) is roughly two teaspoons and a proper teaspoon is much smaller than the spoons you actually stir your tea with. Something like marmalade will add a lot of calories if you are accidentally eating double the amount.

Interesting thing about serving sizes...I logged my margarine use as 1 serving (10g) for my first week of MFP. After I remembered to weigh it I found I actually used 4g - consistently every time 4g. Food scales are the best method, but if you have to eyeball it then try to keep to known measures like teaspoon/tablespoon rather than guess grams.

jennieth

Measuring spoons. 1 tablespoon is 14 grams.

JesterMFP

A cheap digital scale is a very good investment for calorie counting. Makes it very easy. I just put my toast (or whatever) on a plate, plate on scale, zero it, and add the spread. It tells me exactly how much.

mabelbabel1

I use diet scales, they measure in 5g increments...best thing I ever got. I do use spoons for some things but I find it annoying to have to keep levelling them off!! Lol

JesterMFP

Measuring spoons. 1 tablespoon is 14 grams.

Of what? Tablespoons of different substances will weigh different amounts.

mwbulechek

Smuker's - Low Sugar Orange Marmalade, 1 Tbsp (17 g) 25 calories (This is taken from the MFP listing I used)

Try to find the listings marked in Tsp or Tbsp, I just use measuring spoons because I do not have a scale.