How strict are you with your food diary?

lizcr13 · May 2013

Just wondering how others with logging are because I was very strict in the beginning but have relaxed a little and really use my intake as a estimate. I still keep track of everything I eat, but are not so obsessed with exact portion size and trying to get as close as possible. I used to measure out things to get the exact amount, but I usually eyeball it now. As an example if I was going to have a serving of goldfish crackers, I would count out exactly 55 of them. Now I just estimate and adjust, like if a serving size for a type of pasta is 1 cup but if think I ate a cup and a half I'll just put 1.5 next to it when logging. One little thing that irks me is if someone offers me a bite of something or I just snag a few chips, ect. what to do. I used to feel guilty if I didn't log exactly everything I ate but unless its a high calorie food or I take a larger amount I don't worry about it any more. Not logging those two pieces of popcorn is not going to kill me LOL.

But I really don't know what to do with restaurant food sometimes though. If it's not a chain or anything, all ingredients or calories aren't usually listed. I just kind of pick the closest thing I can find. Last night really stumped me though, I went out Thai food and split an appetizer sampler with 3 other people. We just divided it up with who wanted what so I had a half of this or that or a fourth of something and maybe a whole of another. When logging I had no idea what to do. Even if I had any idea of how much I ate of each thing, honestly I didn't know what most of the things were even called. I knew it was definitely enough calories that I should log it so I just picked something I knew such as the dumpling and just used that and took a guess at the portion size for everything combined.

Long story short, how do you log your portion size, dishes when you really don't know how many calories (such as at restaurant), and just how strict are you when logging your food diary in general?

khall86790 · May 2013

Whenever I wasn't able to know the exact amount through measuring/weighing, I would guess as best I could. I found cups were easier for guessing than grams so I'd look for whatever was close with cup measurements.
I used to be super strict, now I don't log at all so I'm not but when I was logging I was really strict and got great results.

jamiek917 · May 2013

i do the best i can without making myself insane (sometimes i go overboard). i log as accurately as possible- even if it means sometimes asking a waitress or hostess was brand of something they used (and if i do i try to be discrete about it so people dont think im crazy)

SteelySunshine · May 2013

I am not terribly strict at all. But, I have a whole lot of weight to lose so my calorie intake is relatively high for someone that is restricting calories. The other reason is that I walk for 1-2 hours a day and that gives me a pretty good calorie burn and I don't eat those calories back. I consider those calories my cushion for things like not logging Crystal Light or not logging all my vegetables like once I ate a whole big salad didn't log a thing not even the dressing (120 calories) so that was like 160-180 calories right there. Did it matter I didn't log it, not really I walked for an hour and a half that day.

However if you only have a little bit to lose (in my world 50 pounds is a little bit) then you might have to be stricter. If you add to that you only exercise or whatever for a half an hour a day and your job is a desk job, yeah you are going to have to be extremely strict. Even to the point of a food scale, because in that scenario just being over by 200 calories in a day everyday or even just most days will impact your ability to lose weight.

JDBLY11 · May 2013

I have to be very strict or I gain weight. I measure and weigh everything I eat or use its online nutritional information. I log everything except water.

Loves418 · May 2013

Not going to lie when I used three of four pieces of butter lettuce on my sandwich I don't count it. So hard to do the math that far down when a serving of lettuce is like 2 cups.Same thing with red onion I take the smallest piece and chop it into my salad maybe its half a teaspoon..
. On the same note if I don't finish my food I don't go back and take it away. I guess it all balances out.
Restaurants make me crazy because our favorite ones are not chains so I use a chains if I can find it for calories.

MadameLAL · May 2013

I think strict logging is a necessity for some people. I'm actually one of those people.

When I lower my guard and start guesstimating too much, it is the beginning of the end for me. I start sliding down the slippery slope to total food debauchery.

If your personality isn't an all-or-nothing one like mine is, I applaud your looser method of logging. It truly sounds liberating and mentally healthy. I wish I could do that without stimulating my food demons.

scrapjen · May 2013

I was just having this same question this morning! I made breakfast for the family and didn't really sit down and eat a specific one myself, just had a couple bites of one of the kids waffles, some of the bacon scraps, a forkful of hashbrowns ... had to make brownies for hubby to take as treats to church and I did lick the spoon ... I'm really not totally sure how to input all my "baby bites" ...

Yesterday we went Cheesecake Factory and I was pretty happy that many foods did seem to be in the database already (not super sure about accuracy of everything, but I did double check online and saw that Cheesecake Factory had officially posted nutritional information online) ... yet their bread at the beginning of the meal wasn't there (I had one little slice), my son and I split a Fettuccine Alfredo (and then still took leftovers home), I had one of my son's chicken tenders and a couple fries. It's hard when you aren't having anything close to an official "serving" even if you know what that is. (Yesterday, I did just input everything and estimated the amount).

I don't want to get too lax though, as I know even a little bit here and a little bit there DOES add up. I know the most logical and self-controlled thing to do would be to just commit to what I was eating, measure and record and NOT just take a bite here and there of little things ...

jchrisman717 · May 2013

Its all estimates anyway - so I log and try to get the best estimates I can but I use TDEE -20 so I have a range of calories I try to stay in - no less than xxx and no more than xxx and I use a weekly total to really see what my intake is. I know there is no way I could eat the same every day. I would and was driving myself crazy trying to be super strict.

lizcr13 · May 2013

Thanks for the input! I think I will try to go back to being a bit more exact, especially if I'm at my house and it's easier to control and see what is going my food. I'll leave being more lenient for when I'm at a friend's or going out to eat, so I don't drive myself or the people I'm with nuts.

hmg90 · May 2013

Like you, I was more obsessive in the beginning - to the point that I registered a cup of green tea. Now I don't (as some say it has no calories, some say 1).
I put parmesan on food often, and sometimes I measure it to fit 1 tbsp, sometimes I just do approximate. I can feel on my general shape how I've been eating though. When I've stayed within 1300 cal, I'm feeling very light and slightly hungry when I go to bed.

AlongCame_Molly · May 2013

Very strict. I have a very, very small amount left to lose, so I've cracked down pretty hard.

I portion out my meats into serving sized bags as soon as I bring them home from the grocery store. I log the small amount of milk and butter I put into mac and cheese sauce. I eat ice cream out of my measuring cups to make sure I am eating EXACTLY half a cup. Nothing goes in my mouth before I log it and make sure it all fits.

Most days I log everything and close out my diary before I even eat anything. It's so much easier to resist my husband's "hey, let's order pizza!" if I have a delicious healthy day already planned out, and it would be too much hassle to delete it all and try to wrestle a few slices in. I've been doing it for so long it's just second nature to me and I do it without even thinking.

PandaCustard · May 2013

I'm pretty strict, but some things just cannot be 100% accurately counted. I went to the farmer's market today and bought some gluten-free bread. It was remarkably healthy -- organic, whole grain, celiac-friendly, and all-natural -- but no nutritional information was available since it was grown, milled, mixed, and baked by a small local farm and not a huge brand. I always try to stay a little bit under my usual goal if I have something like this for the day to make up for inaccuracies.

DatMurse · May 2013

I want to hit single digit bodyfat so I think I may utilize it for this last 5-10 lbs. I am not sure how much fat I have to lose until I get to single digit, but I need to make it much more controlled than using mental notes

honeysprinkles · May 2013

I am strict. I measure EVERYTHING on my food scale at home, but the good thing about that is that after over a year of doing it, when I don't have one I'm really good at estimating serving sizes...this also helps a lot when I'm not eating food that I've made or when I go out to dinner (easier to log when you have a good idea of the amount that you ate). If I'm eating at a restaurant that doesn't have nutrition info. available, I always try to find something similar (that is also from a restaurant bc it'll be higher in calories than homemade) in the database. For example: if I get 5 wings and chili cheese fries from a local place, I usually log buffalo wild wings and krystal's chili cheese fries bc they are similar.

I also use a heart rate monitor to log exercise calories, I like knowing that my estimates are as close to accurate as I can get them because even just a few small errors here and there can add up to a couple hundred calories depending on the food.

As for logging very small portions of food, it depends on what it is. If I eat a few bites of something really calorie dense, then I'm definitely going to add it because it'll probably be at least 50 calories. If I have one or two chips or a bite of popcorn, I won't. Sometimes I'll let small things go if I know that I was more active during the day than usual too.

Overall, I don't let my food diary or occasionally not knowing the exact serving size stress me out but I do try to be strict about it most of the time because it's a good habit for me and it keeps me on track. A day here and there that is really off won't bother me, but I like to at least try to guesstimate when I can. The habit of logging everything has helped me a lot because I do this on my bad days too and it keeps me accountable but often it also shows me that my "bad day" wasn't really that bad and isn't something to worry about.

Sorry for such a long response!

Madaly320 · May 2013

I use MFP as an estimate. I usually track 95% of what I eat. Combined with my fitbit, I am better at eating at a deficit than I ever have been and am steadily losing weight. Slowly, but losing. If I were 100% strict, I am sure I would lose faster. But I am not in it to drop it all so fast. I am happy with the slow loss because I am giving myself time to learn to eat appropriately and that is what is most important to me. So basically, for the time being, I use MFP as a guide. I may step it up down the road but I am taking this in baby steps. Before, when I used to "diet" I would inevitably stress out, give up and binge after a few weeks. I refuse to go through that again.

also I should say, if I had little left to lose, I would definitely be strict. But I still have 60lbs left to lose and it comes off even when I eat 2000 cals a day at this point. When I get to the point where it is no longer sliding off, or where I only have 10-15lbs to lose, I will be sure to switch over to monitoring every bite.

honeysprinkles · May 2013

Very strict. I have a very, very small amount left to lose, so I've cracked down pretty hard.

I portion out my meats into serving sized bags as soon as I bring them home from the grocery store. I log the small amount of milk and butter I put into mac and cheese sauce. I eat ice cream out of my measuring cups to make sure I am eating EXACTLY half a cup. Nothing goes in my mouth before I log it and make sure it all fits.

Most days I log everything and close out my diary before I even eat anything. It's so much easier to resist my husband's "hey, let's order pizza!" if I have a delicious healthy day already planned out, and it would be too much hassle to delete it all and try to wrestle a few slices in. I've been doing it for so long it's just second nature to me and I do it without even thinking.

I do this too, prelogging helps a ton! I would recommend getting a food scale, as I've noticed that the serving size listed in cups for a lot of foods is completely off, it's a lot easier to weigh it and pay attention to the serving listed in grams and it leaves a lot less room for error!

honeysprinkles · May 2013

Its all estimates anyway - so I log and try to get the best estimates I can but I use TDEE -20 so I have a range of calories I try to stay in - no less than xxx and no more than xxx and I use a weekly total to really see what my intake is. I know there is no way I could eat the same every day. I would and was driving myself crazy trying to be super strict.

I do this too (except the TDEE - 20%), I have my calorie goal set to maintain my weight and I pay attention to my deficit on a weekly basis. I like it a lot more than having a specific calorie goal everyday and it lets me have higher days when I want them without hurting my overall progress for the week!

zinatara · May 2013

I'm logging everything at the moment. I'm quite new to this and I want to learn how much I can eat of different foods and still get full and have a balanced diet. I haven't eaten out much latelty, but if I do I do an estimate of what I eat and then add some calories to be sure.

LouLoulost · May 2013

I am pretty strict with myself , however I don't put salad fixins like romaine , onions or tomatos , but I do log dressing - I do add starchy veggies and fats but if I have a pickle or a few strawberries it's like 18 calories so I don't sweat it- eating out I do the same as you , I look for some thing very close and usually I'm on the over counting side of things , but that's okay with me , I also don't eat the calories I burn - I have lost 74 lbs. and have like 60 more to go - I don't want to become to soft with it , because otherwise I feel worried I will slip into bad habits- , you look amazing , son't be so hard on yourself , it's a journey, enjoy the ride , and know that your very aware and not eating mindlessly! good job!

heywithers · May 2013

Just wondering how others with logging are because I was very strict in the beginning but have relaxed a little and really use my intake as a estimate. I still keep track of everything I eat, but are not so obsessed with exact portion size and trying to get as close as possible. I used to measure out things to get the exact amount, but I usually eyeball it now. As an example if I was going to have a serving of goldfish crackers, I would count out exactly 55 of them. Now I just estimate and adjust, like if a serving size for a type of pasta is 1 cup but if think I ate a cup and a half I'll just put 1.5 next to it when logging. One little thing that irks me is if someone offers me a bite of something or I just snag a few chips, ect. what to do. I used to feel guilty if I didn't log exactly everything I ate but unless its a high calorie food or I take a larger amount I don't worry about it any more. Not logging those two pieces of popcorn is not going to kill me LOL.

But I really don't know what to do with restaurant food sometimes though. If it's not a chain or anything, all ingredients or calories aren't usually listed. I just kind of pick the closest thing I can find. Last night really stumped me though, I went out Thai food and split an appetizer sampler with 3 other people. We just divided it up with who wanted what so I had a half of this or that or a fourth of something and maybe a whole of another. When logging I had no idea what to do. Even if I had any idea of how much I ate of each thing, honestly I didn't know what most of the things were even called. I knew it was definitely enough calories that I should log it so I just picked something I knew such as the dumpling and just used that and took a guess at the portion size for everything combined.

Long story short, how do you log your portion size, dishes when you really don't know how many calories (such as at restaurant), and just how strict are you when logging your food diary in general?

i feel your pain girl! i had to just stop going to places that didnt have calories listed because it was bothering me too much not knowing. i would sit and wonder "what if it had an insane amount of sodium or fat in it that i am not aware of?" so my advice is either just dont log the days you want to go out and celebrate/eat or only go to places that have calories listed

foot1647 · May 2013

I don't measure anything unless its for a recipe. For example I make a quesadilla with 1 tortilla and some shredded cheese in my toaster oven I just guess what 1/4 cup (a serving) is. Other than a set amount needed for a recipe I just guess, but I always over shoot it because I doubt my measurement guessing abilities. If I think I put that 1/4 cup of cheese on my tortilla I put in my journal "1.2 servings" instead of just 1.

I'd rather over-count and say I ate a few more calories than I actually did than say I ate less and over ate. If I make a home made meal like large bowl of Egg Salad I add individual ingredients like 1 hard boiled egg, 1 tablespoon light mayo, 0.5 small pickle... ETC instead of choosing "Egg Salad" from a list because anything could have been made in the other users version of egg salad. I'm really picky about my counting and have added everything individually, everyday since I started here on the 9th.

On topic about how strict I am with myself adding an entry, its not really will power, its actually kind of fun to see what I am eating and how much of each nutrient and substance I am consuming. I've never counted before which is why I got so big, the simple entertaining task of adding my food has helped me with 20 pounds so far since I started and I feel even more full now than when I ate crappy food and just ate when I was bored.

I just need a smart phone so I can scan bar-codes for food items. Searching through 50+ of the exact same named item can get annoying, especially when you add an item and you check the nutrition amounts and its not even near what the label says or everything is a value of zero for some reason. That usually happens to me with the first 3 or so versions of the 1 item I choose.

How strict are you with your food diary?

Replies

Categories