snackers! do u count EVERY calorie?

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karissastephens
karissastephens Posts: 324 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am a HUGE snacker......reason?? welllll I can't cook, I am busy all the time, and I am impatient. haha :blushing: So usually I eat a bite of this and a bite of that...sometimes unhealthy but mostly healthy foods. When I do eat a meal, my meals are usually a salad or something quick and small. Then I just snack the rest of the day but I know I am not remembering ALL of the little bites I had consumed all day so I do not add them to my log.

Anyone else do this? What should I do??

Replies

  • Fuhgeddaboudit
    Fuhgeddaboudit Posts: 88
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    Its called grazing. I used to do it. As soon as I stopped my weight loss increased significantly. Count the bites!
  • spaul82478
    spaul82478 Posts: 709 Member
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    If it enters my mouth.. I LOG IT.... and yes.. I HAVE REALLY bad days... BUT I found if I eat Healthy meals.. I don't snack as much.. For instance today.. NOT a good DAy.. I couldnt even log things because I had no idea what I ate... (check out my log.. chocolate dove pieces) BAD.. but seriously.... LOG IT... and then put a note on the bottom of the page saying why you ate what you ate IE bored, watching TV, whatever... and see where you can stop the snacking... I know easier said than done. BUT if you log it you will t hi nk more about it GOOD LUCK :bigsmile:
  • Buckeye_Mama
    Buckeye_Mama Posts: 30 Member
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    Gotta log everything or else it's pointless counting calories.
  • krockwell
    krockwell Posts: 34
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    Why not put a little notebook into your bag/purse, and write down everything that passes through your lips. THAT way when you have a chance to put it into your MFP you know exactly what you've eaten all day.

    *hugs*
    Hope that you get your snacking under control - I know I have the same issue Ugh.
  • Duganhorse
    Duganhorse Posts: 55
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    I snack alot too but I try to count every bite. I eat fairly small, low calorie meals most of the time so I can have enough room in my calories for my snacks.
  • 4lafz
    4lafz Posts: 1,078 Member
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    I log it all - every little bite. What do you mean you can't cook? I used to say if you can read - you can cook! Here are a couple of easy recipe sites....

    www.hungry-girl.com
    She has simple swaps for less calories - a lot using just a microwave (search for Egg Mugs)

    http://www.foodnetwork.com/5-ingredient-fix/index.html
    Look what you can make with just five main ingredients!

    Have fun - experiment and you will be amazed at how much better home cooking tastes!
  • msciccone1
    msciccone1 Posts: 288 Member
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    You have to hold yourself accountable for everything so write it down on a piece of paper and log it in at the end of the day or whenever you have the time to do it. Like today I had like 2 chips from my daughter's bag and I logged it. I want to hold myself accountable for every bit that goes through my mouth :wink:
  • metco89
    metco89 Posts: 578 Member
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    I log everything. I sometimes think I am now addicted to MFP, cause i will be in bed about to go to sleep and i will remember something i didn't log and have to get up and log it in!!! I have to or i will get complacent and end up gaining the weight back like i always have in the past
  • valeriebpdx
    valeriebpdx Posts: 499 Member
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    Yes, sometimes it is appalling in black and white, but I too log every bite. Sometimes there are many of them, and the snack column is much longer than any of the meals. I agree w/ Buckeye that it is pointless to log if you are leaving things out--it will make you more frustrated because it will look on paper like you should be losing weight (or losing more weight) but you're not. Also agree w/ 4lafz that you can certainly cook. Find a recipe on the internet that sounds good and you have all the ingredients for, make it, and if it isn't great, make it again, changing whatever was not great about it. Good luck!
  • patricepeop
    patricepeop Posts: 50 Member
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    I log every bite! It stinks but it works! There have been so many times I wished I would have logged it before I ate it! I would never have eaten it!
  • wiseg2
    wiseg2 Posts: 210 Member
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    Yup. 95% of the time I log every bite. As you can see from my food diary, I'm a big snacker.
  • Will_Lift_4_Shoes
    Will_Lift_4_Shoes Posts: 238 Member
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    If you find it hard to remember exactly what you ate, try to prepackage your snacks...1 cup of grapes, or 1 oz of nuts, whatever it is then you can know what the calorie counts are and give yourself a daily limit. That might help keep the snacking to a minimum or at least let you know that when your snacks are gone you are going to have to find a meal. keeping track will help you lose the weight and know how much exercise you need to do to keep up with your snacking.
  • hannah_lin
    hannah_lin Posts: 54
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    If it enters my mouth.. I LOG IT.... and yes.. I HAVE REALLY bad days... BUT I found if I eat Healthy meals.. I don't snack as much.. For instance today.. NOT a good DAy.. I couldnt even log things because I had no idea what I ate... (check out my log.. chocolate dove pieces) BAD.. but seriously.... LOG IT... and then put a note on the bottom of the page saying why you ate what you ate IE bored, watching TV, whatever... and see where you can stop the snacking... I know easier said than done. BUT if you log it you will t hi nk more about it GOOD LUCK :bigsmile:
    smart idea to write down WHEN you graze... that way you can really focus during those times!
  • karissastephens
    karissastephens Posts: 324 Member
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    OKay....New goal. STOP GRAZING and sit and EAT :laugh: Grazing is too much work to log...thats what Ill remember next time I want a little "bite". Thanks everyone for the responses!
  • karissastephens
    karissastephens Posts: 324 Member
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    I log it all - every little bite. What do you mean you can't cook? I used to say if you can read - you can cook! Here are a couple of easy recipe sites....

    www.hungry-girl.com
    She has simple swaps for less calories - a lot using just a microwave (search for Egg Mugs)

    http://www.foodnetwork.com/5-ingredient-fix/index.html
    Look what you can make with just five main ingredients!

    Have fun - experiment and you will be amazed at how much better home cooking tastes!

    Let me rephrase that haha....I can cook...but do not have the money for Hungry Girls massive ingredient lists and groceries right now...Im living with the family for the summer until college starts again so I use what they have. But maybe I can find some goodies :) I just need to find time to get it all together and cook it!
  • Michellerw1
    Michellerw1 Posts: 367
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    Ugh I am a huge snacker/grazer. And I just love food in general. Lose lose haha. I have transitioned into snacking on fruit and veggies so that at least my grazing is healthy. Also, I pistachios. Its alot of work to shell them so I find i eat fewer in a sitting.

    I love the HG recipes but totally hate all the ingredients. I cook alot of Cooking Light and Eating Well "5 ingredient" meals. There are lots of recipes on both the sites. Also, I dig this cookbook. It has alot of easy recipes, with alot of things like veggies and beans.

    http://thestonesoup.com/blog/images/free_stonesoup_ecookbook.pdf
  • KimbersNewLife
    KimbersNewLife Posts: 645 Member
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    I can tell you from experience!! LOG EVERY BITE! With a two year old I have found over the last few months that I stopped logging some of the smaller stuff and it actually lead to me eating more and gaining weight. Always log it even if you just have a bite For example if he is eating a roll and take a bite I will log like 1/4 a roll or so depending on how big a bite I take. I have learned that when I know I have to log it I am a lot more likely not to do it since it takes up some of my time. Also figuring out the serving size it's a real pain so usually when I am logging I just say no. Even 10 or so calories here and there add up over a day so best to make yourself log so you get a true picture.
  • karissastephens
    karissastephens Posts: 324 Member
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    WOW! Glad I changed my habit of not logging bites because now that I do it adds up A LOT! Just my breakfast was 500 calories....
  • allabouthersheys
    allabouthersheys Posts: 10
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    Nah not every single little bite only if its like 50 and higher in calories.!! :)
    Btw- HOW DO U POST A TOPIC?
  • Jesusfollower72
    Jesusfollower72 Posts: 95
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    I log it all too. Like a previous poster said, why count calories if you're not going to count them all?

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