Do you log drinks?

bethFromDayton

I log beverages with calories. Yesterday it was an alcopop. Today it was a glass of orange juice. Normally, though, I drink diet soda or water. I sometimes log the water with the little glass. I hardly ever log the diet coke.

I know some people log their meds/vitamins and I don't log those. Even if I take 25-50 calories a day in medicine and supplements, I am not going to log them--partly because it's a level of detail I don't want to deal with--and partly because I'm not going to *stop* taking them, so any adjustments are going to have to happen with the calories I eat and drink--that's just standard.

The other thing I don't log is Pam cooking spray :-)

PrettyPearl88

If I'm faithfully logging, I log everything that is listed as having calories, including gum.

Why wouldn't you? How would you expect to get an accurate report of calorie consumption without doing it? Fruit juice has a lot of calories.

I've seen this question before here, and frankly I don't understand it. I can only chalk it up to a complete ignorance of food values or the purpose of tracking calories.

I just don't understand how some people, without exercise, can still manage to eat below 1200 calories even including drinks and all the other little things.

Simple. They don't "drink their calories," meaning the only drinks they have are water, and maybe things like tea or coffee with no cream, sugar, or sweeteners. They also tend to eat lots of foods that are high in protein and fiber, and low in fat and calories, such as fish and steamed veggies. It's difficult, but it is doable. I personally can't do 1200 cals/day most days, but I can do it some days when I'm less hungry. But regularly, no. I just can't lol. I honestly think it's because I tend to move around a lot and can't really sit still for too long haha!

I'm glad you decided to start logging your calories from drinks though because they DEFINITELY can add up QUICK! Orange juice has 110 calories for one little 8oz cup! Most fruit juices are in the 70-180 cals/8oz range, with most being somewhere around 120. I log every single thing I put into my mouth, including coffee, tea, yellow mustard (has 0 cals), and even zero calorie "diet drinks." The ONLY things I don't log are: water, sodium free club soda (carbonated water), chewing gum (but I don't eat a lot it of it, so it's honestly not contributing more than like 15 cals/day MAX), and Pam cooking spray (I also only use a little bit of it though and rarely).

Also, 1450 sounds like a much healthier and more reasonable goal that you'll be able to keep it! Good luck!

PhatBaeB

I dont drink sodas and i dont log my coffee or oolong tea. I do however log any sweetners, fruit, or creamers that i add. I measure everything to the tablespoon. Those things add up pretty quickly, especially my coffee creamer:(

sweetpea03b

The only thing I don't log are zero calorie drinks like Fruit Water.... or things like Mio and other drink packets I put in my water... since they have so few calories. But I do log everything else including the creamer/sugar i put in my coffee!

LissaK1981

I log all drinks except for my homemade kombucha because I got too frustrated with trying to figure out calories, and it depends on how long I let it brew for anyway.

deksgrl

Of course. Those things have calories, so they count. If you are not logging all of your calories, then you don't know how much you are really consuming, and then what's the point?

JulesAlloggio

The only drinks I log are like coffee..but they are always 0 calories 2 carbs or something like that. I drink a gallon of water a day..I'm sure no body cares about that LOL

babydiego87

I log things like smoothies or milkshakes but I never know if I should enter things like a glass of orange juice or the milk with my cereal.

it has calories...ergo you log them. otherwise whats the point in 'counting calories'?

AllonsYtotheTardis

If I'm faithfully logging, I log everything that is listed as having calories, including gum.

Why wouldn't you? How would you expect to get an accurate report of calorie consumption without doing it? Fruit juice has a lot of calories.

I've seen this question before here, and frankly I don't understand it. I can only chalk it up to a complete ignorance of food values or the purpose of tracking calories.

I just don't understand how some people, without exercise, can still manage to eat below 1200 calories even including drinks and all the other little things.

the point is that they shouldn't

ovidnine

Its been said before, repeatedly, but I'll in too, yes, log any drink with calories.

I don't drink juice anymore because I'm too lazy to make it at home and the bottled/frozen stuff is so high in calories. Milk I have about a cup a day, and that's just skim, again, I don't want to drink too many calories, even if its good for me. I want to EAT my precious calories.

I don't bother tracking water (mostly what I drink), coffee (black) or tea (unsweetened).

Its amazing how fast you can add calories up just by drinking "healthy" things like milk and juice. Especially because its easy to down 2 cups before you know it!

SVieira1987

Many people don't realize how many calories they take in from beverages alone. They absolutely count, especially since many of them aren't very nutritious at all. Milk has "good calories", the juice you have though you may find has so much sugar and is just a complete waste of calories. Start logging them and be HONEST about how much you're having. Try measuring out that cup of OJ or cup of milk and you will likely realize you have much more than one serving. That single glass of orange juice you think you're having every day could be the difference between you and your goal weight.

cgolden1701

I don't bother logging drinks, only because I drink nothing but water now. I feel if I'm going to put in some cals it better be worth it. And a Dr. Pepper isn't worth drinking with all the cals it has it in. But if I were to have something besides water, I would make sure to log it.

babydiego87

If I'm faithfully logging, I log everything that is listed as having calories, including gum.

Why wouldn't you? How would you expect to get an accurate report of calorie consumption without doing it? Fruit juice has a lot of calories.

I've seen this question before here, and frankly I don't understand it. I can only chalk it up to a complete ignorance of food values or the purpose of tracking calories.

I just don't understand how some people, without exercise, can still manage to eat below 1200 calories even including drinks and all the other little things.

the point is that they shouldn't

mind your own

khall86790

I just don't understand how some people, without exercise, can still manage to eat below 1200 calories even including drinks and all the other little things.

Those people are very hungry, and most won't be able to sustain that calorie level for long before giving up. They're also more likely to have binges. I've been that person many times and have always given up because the suffering outweighed the benefits. I also quickly gained back whatever I'd lost.

Just by upping my calories a few hundred a day (I generally eat between 1400 and 1600 and don't really exercise) I'm much happier and can see doing this for the next year or more. But I still don't drink my calories - what a waste when I could use those calories to actually chew and swallow something and feel much more satisfied.

Okay, I changed my calorie goal to 1450 and hopefully that'll make everything a little easier haha :happy:

1450 is much more manageable. After 1200 cals for 2 months I upped to that after observing lots of advice on the boards and went on to continue having successful losses. I've now upped to 1600 and still seem to be seeing results. Don't be afraid to up

drvvork

Log everything - I know I've logged gum when I've chewed it. :blushing:

PackersSteelers808

The only time I DON'T log drinks is if I'm drinking plain water... Otherwise, it gets logged (even the water that I flavor with Propel Zero Grape packets gets logged; (no calories, fat, etc. in the Propel, but it DOES have 30 mg of Sodium per 1/2 packet serving), therefore, it gets logged. That way I know where I'm at with my daily sodium intake. I do this because (at least for me) most of my weight gain (it seems) comes from fluid retention due to excess sodium intake.

Also in the last couple of days, I've also started strictly watching my sugar intake as well. I'm not diabetic, but diabetes does run in my family, so I've gotta watch out for that too.

rotill

I just don't understand how some people, without exercise, can still manage to eat below 1200 calories even including drinks and all the other little things.

Those people are very hungry, and most won't be able to sustain that calorie level for long before giving up. They're also more likely to have binges. I've been that person many times and have always given up because the suffering outweighed the benefits. I also quickly gained back whatever I'd lost.

Just by upping my calories a few hundred a day (I generally eat between 1400 and 1600 and don't really exercise) I'm much happier and can see doing this for the next year or more. But I still don't drink my calories - what a waste when I could use those calories to actually chew and swallow something and feel much more satisfied.

People are very different and have very different needs.
I don't eat below 1200, but I normally end just above it, and I try to log everything. I do get the occasional day when it feels like I will never feel full again, but it's rare, and I had those days when I was not counting calories as well. The rest of the time I am only hungry when it's time to eat again - then I eat and the hunger is gone. That's how it works. I also didn't change much when I started logging. I stopped drinking juice, drinking alcohol and eating nuts and chocolate, and neither of those things were main meals or part of making me feel full. I may have cut out perhaps 2-300 calories a day by cutting that - I didn't eat that much before, either.

But I have a very slow metabolism, and you may not want to use me as a model. I just want to point out that people have very different bodies, and "those people eating below 1200" may be perfectly comfortable and able to sustain it indefinitely, even if they may have special reasons for why it is so.

peachfigs

If I'm faithfully logging, I log everything that is listed as having calories, including gum.

Why wouldn't you? How would you expect to get an accurate report of calorie consumption without doing it? Fruit juice has a lot of calories.

I've seen this question before here, and frankly I don't understand it. I can only chalk it up to a complete ignorance of food values or the purpose of tracking calories.

I just don't understand how some people, without exercise, can still manage to eat below 1200 calories even including drinks and all the other little things.

Maybe they drink water instead of drinking calories?

JesChernosky

I log everything. I also added a new "meal" labeled "drinks" so I can see how many calories/sugars/carbs I used on those drinks. I've logged alcohol, sodas, anything in their but water. Even tea, which doesn't cost me anything I log in there, just so I see what I've done.

mstrickland9

You may find that if you are drinking the recommended 8 cups of water each day, which I do, that you don't have much more room for anything else to drink. But to answer your question, I log anything with calories, including drinks. Although if I do drink something other than water, it won't have any calories in it, so I don't log it. Good luck!