How nit-picky are you about calorie counting?

SandyRevolution · April 2013

Hello, all. I have a question about how nit-picky you should be about calorie counting. I love all sorts of foods, so getting enough healthy fruits and vegetables has never been an issue for me. I love salads, too. My question is this: How strict are you in counting each and every calorie? If you sprinkle three tablespoons of diced onion on a salad, do you track the minimal amount of calories? If you chew two pieces of sugar-free gum, do you track the five calories? If you grab a quick bite of raw spinach while you're making a salad, do you track the two calories? You get my drift.

I got into trouble when i did Weight Watchers last year (lost 122 pounds and gained it all back). I got too wrapped up in the point-tracking process and basically drove myself nuts over it and quit. How nit-picky are you? I have *a lot* of weight to lose, so it'll be a long haul. I most definitely know how to diet, it's just a question of long-term motivation.

Thanks for any thoughts you might have!

be_runner · April 2013

I'm relatively lax. I track everything except when I'm traveling but I'll estimate fruits and veg sometimes. Anything packaged PR processed I always scan with the app so its accurate but I eye ball things like lettuce or fruit. I figure its not very high cal so it can't hurt too much. I also under estimate some exercise such as walking. Yesterday I went on a leisurely two mile walk and didn't track that deficit. I think it balances out.

Carnivor0us · April 2013

I don't count calories, although I do monitor them to get a general idea of how much I'm eating. I count carbs strictly, and I make sure I eat enough fat and protein.

ktsmom430 · April 2013

I count everything.
A bite here, a tsp there, it all adds up, and I do not estimate.
I know what goes into my mouth, and so far it is working for me, so I see no reason to get lax about it.

yanniejannie · April 2013

I don't count gum or seasonings. Other than those, I TRY to be honest and correct with everything that goes in my mouth. I do measure in both gms. and oz.

Admiral_Derp · April 2013

I'll be honest. I'm not nearly as nit-picky as I should be. That said, the more precise your measurements are with food (macros, calories, etc.) the better you will be able to gauge how you're doing. The better your data, the more accurate your information will be. It really depends on your time, and willingness to track it. That's not to say you won't lose with less precision, but again, data quality can provide more reliable information to help you plan.

Consider getting a food scale, and logging everything.

etoiles_argentees · April 2013

I'm not. I did it daily for the first 6 months after joining and now I do here and there for micros and macros.

Sarauk2sf · April 2013

It's a balance between being accurate enough to make sure you have enough data to make informed decisions and becoming too OCD about it where it may negatively impact your life in some ways and also may make adherence an issue (if dieting is too much of a chore, you may not stick to it)

Not tracking the little, and very low calorie, 'extra's' is fine as long as you continue to get the results you want. It is when results are not as expected that it may become an issue.

I do not track coffee, gum, artificial sweeteners or cooking spray - but I use these regularly, so I may be consistently under-recording by about 50 calories a day. As long as I use my prior results as a gauge, there is no issue. It may however be one of the reasons, among many others, that someone's results =/= that predicted by one of the online calculators for example.

Yooperm35 · April 2013

I don't count gum, I take a ball park figure for salad toppings, except cheese, bacon bits and dressing - I ballpark meats that I eat, I try to over-estimate rather than under.

Admiral_Derp · April 2013

It's a balance between being accurate enough to make sure you have enough data to make informed decisions and becoming too OCD about it where it may negatively impact your life in some ways and also may make adherence an issue (if dieting is too much of a chore, you may not stick to it)

Not tracking the little, and very low calorie, 'extra's' is fine as long as you continue to get the results you want. It is when results are not as expected that it may become an issue.

I do not track coffee, gum, artificial sweeteners or cooking spray - but I use these regularly, so I may be consistently under-recording by about 50 calories a day. As long as I use my prior results as a gauge, there is no issue. It may however be one of the reasons, among many others, that someone's results =/= that predicted by one of the online calculators for example.

Look at you! Sayin everything I wanted to say, and all better, and making more sense and what not.

jofjltncb6 · April 2013

It's a balance between being accurate enough to make sure you have enough data to make informed decisions and becoming too OCD about it where it may negatively impact your life in some ways and also may make adherence an issue (if dieting is too much of a chore, you may not stick to it)

Not tracking the little, and very low calorie, 'extra's' is fine as long as you continue to get the results you want. It is when results are not as expected that it may become an issue.

I do not track coffee, gum, artificial sweeteners or cooking spray - but I use these regularly, so I may be consistently under-recording by about 50 calories a day. As long as I use my prior results as a gauge, there is no issue. It may however be one of the reasons, among many others, that someone's results =/= that predicted by one of the online calculators for example.

Was going to post pretty much exactly the same thing, especially the bolded part. Glad Sara did all the work for me so all I have to do is type: ^this.

Sarauk2sf · April 2013

Look at you! Sayin everything I wanted to say, and all better, and making more sense and what not.

:flowerforyou:

magerum · April 2013

It's a balance between being accurate enough to make sure you have enough data to make informed decisions and becoming too OCD about it where it may negatively impact your life in some ways and also may make adherence an issue (if dieting is too much of a chore, you may not stick to it)

Not tracking the little, and very low calorie, 'extra's' is fine as long as you continue to get the results you want. It is when results are not as expected that it may become an issue.

I do not track coffee, gum, artificial sweeteners or cooking spray - but I use these regularly, so I may be consistently under-recording by about 50 calories a day. As long as I use my prior results as a gauge, there is no issue. It may however be one of the reasons, among many others, that someone's results =/= that predicted by one of the online calculators for example.

Was going to post pretty much exactly the same thing, especially the bolded part. Glad Sara did all the work for me so all I have to do is type: ^this.

I got nothing other than ^this.

Crossett0803 · April 2013

I try to be as close as I can be, but I focus on my fat intake. Maybe my theory is totally wrong, but I exercise almost every day and burn enough calories that I don't usually go over my calorie goal. Maybe that's wrong, but I do definitely focus on the fat. But I am pretty faithful and fussy about measuring and recording accurately.

NaomiJFoster · April 2013

I log everything, but I estimate most of it. Close enough is close enough. For me. I often over-estimate the food amounts, and underestimate my exercise calories burned. But again, for me close enough is OK. I'm changing my life slowly, but I don't want this to dominate my entire world. And I hate math.

nokanjaijo · April 2013

I don't log my protein shake because it's only about 8 calories.

pagermain · April 2013

I never estimate on higher calorie dense items. I measure exactly and use a food scale. For lower calorie items, I will sometimes overestimate on other items (show 2 cups of lettuce instead of 1-1/2 cups in my salad) to make up for very minor add-ins (a small taste of what I'm preparing, a teaspoon of onion added to a salad, etc). But you have to do what works best for you. Because I'm concerned about salt consumption I always try to measure exactly anything I know that shows a significant sodium content.

This has worked well for me. I've lost 17 lbs in 3 months.

Bottom line you have to be honest, but not a fanatic! LOL

Pinkylee77 · April 2013

It's a balance between being accurate enough to make sure you have enough data to make informed decisions and becoming too OCD about it where it may negatively impact your life in some ways and also may make adherence an issue (if dieting is too much of a chore, you may not stick to it)

Not tracking the little, and very low calorie, 'extra's' is fine as long as you continue to get the results you want. It is when results are not as expected that it may become an issue.

I do not track coffee, gum, artificial sweeteners or cooking spray - but I use these regularly, so I may be consistently under-recording by about 50 calories a day. As long as I use my prior results as a gauge, there is no issue. It may however be one of the reasons, among many others, that someone's results =/= that predicted by one of the online calculators for example.

Was going to post pretty much exactly the same thing, especially the bolded part. Glad Sara did all the work for me so all I have to do is type: ^this.

I got nothing other than ^this.

Me too! :laugh:

DalekBrittany · April 2013

I logged the less-than-a-teaspoon of Tobasco I put on my boiled eggs this morning. So that should answer that question.

I'm not saying that one way or the other is right, but if you find yourself obsessing too much, don't do it. But, do keep in mind that the things you don't bother to log sometimes can add up. Let's say I have a Dr. Pepper Ten, two pieces of sugar free gum, and 2 teaspoons of mustard on a hot dog at dinner. That adds up to 30 calories. I usually like to stay pretty close to my calorie goals, so some days, 30 calories can make or break if I go over or not. However, that's just me

What's right for some is not right for everyone.

Also, I used to estimate my foods if I couldn't find it right off the bat. Or if I wasn't sure exactly how much of something I had, I estimated. Now, I measure everything. I found that I wasn't being honest with myself and was probably underestimating by a good 200 calories a day. But again, what's right for some...:)

LavenderBouquet · April 2013

I try my best to be as accurate as possible, but really, you can't ever really know EXACTLY how many calories your body absorbs anyway, there are just too many factors involved (e.g. the way your body digests, the efficiency of your body's processes, the differences in two pieces of food that may look/weigh similar, the types of foods you are consuming, etc.). I don't think there's a need to go crazy about it. As long as you're seeing results, you're likely doing just fine tracking, if you find that despite meeting calorie/macro goals you aren't losing, maybe you aren't tracking accurately enough.

weese17 · April 2013

When I was trying to lose, I was pretty darn careful about logging everything. If it was the sort of things you say - a bite of spinach, maybe a taste of sauce while cooking - I'd usually just add 100 calories to the end of the day to cover that sort of stuff, rather than tracking 6 calories here and 15 calories there. However, if you're having "tastes" of mac & cheese or something, then I'd definitely count it.

How nit-picky are you about calorie counting?

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