CONFUSED WITH MY OATMEAL!!!

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curvycarrie
curvycarrie Posts: 56 Member
in Food and Nutrition
okay, so I am a little confussed here, I thought you guys could offer up some advice. Usually I eat some sort of oatmeal for breakfast. I use 1/3 cup of large flake quaker oats DRY, for 120 calories, and 1/4 cup of red river cereal DRY for 140 calories. ( i add Chia seeds as well) Anyways, this ends up being 260 calories. Today i made this an decided I wasent that hungry so what i did was measure out a cup of this mixture COOKED and then I logged...1/2 cup of quaker oats COOKED for 180 calories, and 1/2 cup of Red River COOKED for 75 calories...so I ate half the breakfast I usually do and it was 255 Cals, only 5 Cal difference. So I'm thinking that i have been eating wayyyyyy more Calories then I'm usually logging when I eat the whole thing (which could be why my numbers aren't that great ha ha ) Please offer up any advice, how do you guys log your oatmeal??? Thanks :smile:
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Replies

  • curvycarrie
    curvycarrie Posts: 56 Member
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    thats the problem i need to know how to log it dry or cooked...its a 5 calorie differnce when im eating half of what i normally eat..something is not adding up...this may mean that i should be logging double!!
  • Cyndieann
    Cyndieann Posts: 152 Member
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    I log cooked only, but lately I've been using the instant packs...just easier that way.
  • Lunatic379
    Lunatic379 Posts: 58
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    The measurements are for pre-cooked oatmeal, not after water, etc has been added.
  • trialstyle
    trialstyle Posts: 68 Member
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    I go by what the package says.
    You're going to find differences with everything, like you, I was really concerned at first but I find its better to log something as long as it close. Otherwise you can get frustrated and loose momentum.
  • blackiris49
    blackiris49 Posts: 128 Member
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    Try entering all the ingredients into the recipe maker as one serving then decide how much you ate ( 1/2, 1/3 etc) of the serving. Then enter that into your diary.
  • kristy6ward
    kristy6ward Posts: 332 Member
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    The nutrition information on my oatmeal lists the serving size with it's dry weight (40 grams). So I weigh out 40 grams of oats dry and log it as such. Then I also log the 1/2 cup of milk and whatever add ins. Perhaps you need to find the proper listing in the data base for your actual ingredients. If you are making a big pot of oatmeal to last the week say, maybe you should create a recipe using your core ingredients. You could list the servings as the total weight after cooking, and then weigh out y.our serving for the day.
  • 0ebergst0
    0ebergst0 Posts: 7 Member
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    Ok. Part of the issue with trying to come up with the cooked calories is that it depends how you make it. If you like it more wet = less calories. Also, there are lots of different oats that range in calories by 10-15%. Regardless, it sounds like what you care about is really you normal dry calories, which is a better way to measure. So this is how I see in calc:

    1/3 cup dry oats = 130 cal
    1/4 red = 140

    Total with just plain water is 270 cal

    Then you should add Milk+Sugar+Chia etc ...
  • silversociety
    silversociety Posts: 222 Member
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    The oatmeal I select on here (homemade - oatmeal) comes in at around 260 cal/1.5 cups. I honestly feel that is a good approximation to the true caloric content.

    1 tbsp of brown sugar is extra.
  • StaceySuperfly
    StaceySuperfly Posts: 101 Member
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    I buy the Quaker instant high fiber maple and brown sugar oatmeal. 160 calories, very filling and not too sweet! If you are cooking your oats with water it should not change the calorie amount. If you are still worried go with the higher number. Or you could be like my weird kid, he eats his oats uncooked with milk on them. Ick!
  • cmcollins001
    cmcollins001 Posts: 3,472 Member
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    You always measure stuff like oatmeal dry. That's the way it is intended and the way it is listed on the box.

    When you cook it, you add to the weight of the oatmeal because of the water absorption. Water = calories/nutrients and there for does not add to the calories, but it does add to the weight and will increase the measurements. A 1/4 cup of dry oats is not the same amount of actual oats as a 1/4 cup of cooked oats as the cooked oats will fill more volume since they soaked up the water.

    Best thing to do is what was suggested earlier, create a recipe for the original batch and decide how you want to break up the servings (like 1/4 cup per serving or something like that) and then if you have any leftovers and get some later you already have the calculations done and you just add them via the recipe list. This will give you a consistent measurement throughout.
  • Jo2926
    Jo2926 Posts: 489 Member
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    Have you been losing weight? If so you probably haven't been misguiding it too much. I would have thought the dry measurements would be the most accurate myself.
  • Controversial
    Controversial Posts: 157 Member
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    This is partly why I don't count calories. Your post gives me a headache.
  • KenosFeoh
    KenosFeoh Posts: 1,837 Member
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    If I ate half the usual amount, I'd go back to the original dry measures and put 0.5 instead of 1.
  • bearwith
    bearwith Posts: 525 Member
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    5 tablespoons in a large bowl. Add hot water, seeds and few drops of milk. The microwave for 2 mins. Stir then leave for 2 mins. It will cool and expand. Top it up with boiled water. It will be delicious and keep u going for hours. I have this and weetabix on alternate days. T
    Same cals but this fills me up for longer.
  • Lunatic379
    Lunatic379 Posts: 58
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    Ok. Part of the issue with trying to come up with the cooked calories is that it depends how you make it. If you like it more wet = less calories.
    Really more wet is less calories? I disagree. I don't think adding something with no calories, changes the amount of calories in any way.
  • MrsSWW
    MrsSWW Posts: 1,590 Member
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    I understand exactly what you're saying. Weigh the dry ingredients in grams rather than in volume and it will give you the most accurate numbers. Too many variations to rely on cooked numbers in my humble opinion x
  • KimFriesen64
    KimFriesen64 Posts: 14
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    Oatmeal wet or dry should be the same calories. You must have made a wrong calculation (didn't divide in half). I would try recalculating...that makes no sense.

    Are you adding the calories of whatever you are cooking it in (if not water)?
  • jeslaughter
    jeslaughter Posts: 131 Member
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    You always measure stuff like oatmeal dry. That's the way it is intended and the way it is listed on the box.

    When you cook it, you add to the weight of the oatmeal because of the water absorption. Water = calories/nutrients and there for does not add to the calories, but it does add to the weight and will increase the measurements. A 1/4 cup of dry oats is not the same amount of actual oats as a 1/4 cup of cooked oats as the cooked oats will fill more volume since they soaked up the water.

    Best thing to do is what was suggested earlier, create a recipe for the original batch and decide how you want to break up the servings (like 1/4 cup per serving or something like that) and then if you have any leftovers and get some later you already have the calculations done and you just add them via the recipe list. This will give you a consistent measurement throughout.
    I agree with you, this is the best way to work it and how I usually measure for portions smaller or larger. Add your foods to your 'my recipes' then you always have it there, no guessing in the future. Good luck!
  • curvycarrie
    curvycarrie Posts: 56 Member
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    Oatmeal wet or dry should be the same calories. You must have made a wrong calculation (didn't divide in half). I would try recalculating...that makes no sense.

    Are you adding the calories of whatever you are cooking it in (if not water)?


    I know it makes no sense lol which is why i was confused and wondered how everyone else logged. i cook it in water and i do log anything extra i put in it..i was just concerned with the "base" of my oatmeal ( oats and redriver), cause the database gave me some different numbers for the cooked!
    Thank you all for your help, i will continue to log my dry..much appreciated, you guys are great xxxxx

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