Do u count calories if it is just a bite or two?

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I love to cook! Most of the meals I cook now are healthy but 2 night I made some mashed potatoes for the family to go with healthy roast turkey. Whenever I am cooking I like to taste , seasoning ,etc do I really have to count every bite ? I didn't eat any with dinner .
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Replies

  • crzyone
    crzyone Posts: 872 Member
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    Depends upon what works for you...but calories are calories....
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,044 Member
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    It's your weight loss.

    I don't snack. I measure and weigh my foods, and eat them when they're done.
  • jennifermaffei17
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    People are right on this thread...calories are calories. You need to account for absolutely everything if you wish to lose weight. Good luck!
  • tmauck4472
    tmauck4472 Posts: 1,784 Member
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    I think you should but good luck with that.....I kick myself everytime I do that because now I have to figure out how much I ate of what and how many spoonfulls I had and how the heck do you even log a sample....ugggggg...lol
  • 126siany
    126siany Posts: 1,386 Member
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    I love to cook! Most of the meals I cook now are healthy but 2 night I made some mashed potatoes for the family to go with healthy roast turkey. Whenever I am cooking I like to taste , seasoning ,etc do I really have to count every bite ? I didn't eat any with dinner .

    I would, especially as you only have 10 lbs to lose. If you aren't really accurate, you're going to wonder why you aren't losing.

    Say you only have 5 of these bites a day. For 100 calories. If you're on a 250 calorie deficit to lose .5 pounds per week, there's nearly half your deficit wiped out!
  • kjw1031
    kjw1031 Posts: 300 Member
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    It is difficult when you're cooking.

    You might try regularly staying under your calorie goal by 100 or so calories to account for 2 or 3 tastes and an occasional grape stolen from the bowl in the fridge. Uh oh! Gave myself away!
  • camelgirlmn
    camelgirlmn Posts: 226 Member
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    i mark down everything i eat. from a tiny bite to a spoonful to a normal portion i want to be completely honest with myself and what i eat and what i dont eat
  • Denjo060
    Denjo060 Posts: 1,008
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    it all depends on how many bites and tastes you take maybe add 150 extra calories on a good cooking day just to be safe or maybe more depending on what you are tasting
  • kclarkss
    kclarkss Posts: 69 Member
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    I don't not if it is a small bite, a taste. I figure I put in extra exercise calories each day.
  • ang3h
    ang3h Posts: 185 Member
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    I personally am not that militant. A bite of mashed potatoes isn't going to hinder your weightloss.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    Yes. I find that I think I'm done and have tons of calories and then it's . . . oh yeah I had a bite of . . . and a sip of . . . and a bit of . . .

    And all of a sudden I've got an extra couple hundred calories.

    But I eat what I cook for dinner. And just had some yummy mashed potatoes.
  • JacksMom12
    JacksMom12 Posts: 1,044 Member
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    OP- since you are eating so far under your calorie goal (according to the last 2 days where you only ate around 800), it won't matter.
  • debjae
    debjae Posts: 242
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    It is amazing how many calories a bite or two can add to your waist.
  • just4nessa
    just4nessa Posts: 459 Member
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    I struggle with the same issue. I love to cook and know the importance of tasting while cooking. I account for it by reducing my portion size for the meal. I agree with the previous responses; if you eat it, there are calories to be counted. That said, it is difficult to calculate "tastes" when tweaking a recipe so you just have to use good judgment. None of this is an exact science but as long as you have a reasonable deficit at the end of the day, or average for the week, a taste or two while cooking is not going to break you. If you are willing to calculate the calories per spoonful, I would suggest you log it because in the end you are only accountable to yourself. By the way, when I calculated my mashed potato recipe, it was not as bad as I'd originally thought so I ate them!
  • jamm2000
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    In Weight Watchers these are referred to as BLTs - bites, licks and tastes. The best thing to do is refrain from doing it. I've left many bowls covered in cupcake batter to avoid the extra calories. That kind of thing would be really hard to accurately measure.
  • AllTehBeers
    AllTehBeers Posts: 5,030 Member
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    I love to cook! Most of the meals I cook now are healthy but 2 night I made some mashed potatoes for the family to go with healthy roast turkey. Whenever I am cooking I like to taste , seasoning ,etc do I really have to count every bite ? I didn't eat any with dinner .

    I would, especially as you only have 10 lbs to lose. If you aren't really accurate, you're going to wonder why you aren't losing.

    Say you only have 5 of these bites a day. For 100 calories. If you're on a 250 calorie deficit to lose .5 pounds per week, there's nearly half your deficit wiped out!

    Nice observation. I personally have a lot to lose and I don't count things like a cracker or a few chips because my margin for error is bigger. If I come out 50 calories under for the day, I figure it balances. Plus, I'm moving constantly at work somedays and can walk a good five miles, other days I do hardly anything so for the week I figure it balances somewhere.
  • Zyphun
    Zyphun Posts: 102 Member
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    For me it depends on what it is and how many 'bites' I have had that day. A taste of something I am making? Nope. A piece of a chip? Naw. A bite of chocolate cake? You betcha. I don't tend to log minor exercise either. But, I always look at the calories of what I am eating, if nothing else it's good practice.
  • Absolutely. I do. These calories can add up QUICKLY. For example, say you are 44-years-old, 5'4" tall, and weigh 157 pounds. You "forget" and put mayonnaise on your hamburger. That is 100 calories. It would take you 25 minutes of walking at 3 mph to work off the little bit of mayonnaise. Maybe a few fries left over from the kids? More calories, more walking. A couple spoons of mashed potatoes? More calories, more walking. One could easily add 500 extra calories a day by "tasting" a little bit of this and a little bit of that while cooking.

    It is your weight loss journey and the choice is yours. :)
  • TheLongRunner
    TheLongRunner Posts: 688 Member
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    Absolutely. They add up.
  • b0t23
    b0t23 Posts: 260 Member
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    one bite of raw baby spinach.. probably not.

    one bite of milk chocolate or a whole spoonful of mayo, or something else high in calories per serving :) YES