Do you log?.....

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rachso
rachso Posts: 174 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Gum? I've been chewing gum lately, esp at work to keep me from eating and instead make me drink more. (mouth gets dry when chewing gum). Since I do it mainly at work I chew at least 5 days a week. Haven't logged it cause I figured it wasnt actual food. But someone told me gum still has calories..not many, but it does. So should I log gum?

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  • lucasmoten
    lucasmoten Posts: 143 Member
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    Yes. I log gum. It's not many calories for chewing gum, but the way I see it, it all adds up. Plus, logging everything is easier to look back on and attempt to infer what worked and what didn't.

    In the case of something like gum, you may find that it helps stave a craving for some higher calorie snack and being able to see that is helpful. Likewise, I log coffee and sweetener. I switched from sugar over to sweet and low. While all those so non-natural sweeteners are listed as 0 calories on their packets, it turns out that's due to some FDA rule where everything is rounded DOWN to the nearest 5 calorie increment. So if its 4 calories, it shows up as 0 on the label.

    Count them all, as tedious as it is, can act as a gentle reminder that yes, you are consuming something and helps reflect in reports here on MFP. That simple act may have you thinking twice every time you reach for a stick.
  • MissVamp13
    MissVamp13 Posts: 53
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    Ill be truthful... I went through a stage that I wasnt logging everything I was eating and I was wondering why I was gaining weight!! I now log daily and log everything I eat and drink :) Just hope I see results x
  • 81Katz
    81Katz Posts: 7,074 Member
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    Yes I log gum. I like those peppermint star light hard candies (I buy sugar free) and I also log those. 10 calories in each hard candy!
  • lngman
    lngman Posts: 23 Member
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    I don't log...and here's the reason why. As Lucas says, logging is tedious and it has really helped me be more mindful of everything I eat. That said, I don't want it to be so tedious that I quit doing this all together. For me, generally I don't log gum, or very low cal condiments like hot sauce (I do log BBQ sauce, salad dressing, etc.). I also tend to "round up" on my foods when I don't know exact amounts (better safe than sorry), and that should more than make up for a few calories of gum, tic tacs, etc. during the day.

    I also stopped logging my water....I know I drink plenty because I drink it all day, so for me it became too much of a pain.

    Each of us needs to tackle this in our own way....your mileage may vary.
  • thisismeraw
    thisismeraw Posts: 1,264 Member
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    I do log it. I log everything and even those things that only have a few calories each can add up.
  • jbgolf52
    jbgolf52 Posts: 210 Member
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    It's not worth it. Chewing gym for 1hr burns 11 calories, so if you get sugar free gum like stride which is less than 5 calories per stick you actually burn more calories than you take in. Also, unless you chew a pack a day it will not significantly impact your total calories, there is much bigger fish to fry.
  • JDHINAZ
    JDHINAZ Posts: 641 Member
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    It's not worth it. Chewing gym for 1hr burns 11 calories, so if you get sugar free gum like stride which is less than 5 calories per stick you actually burn more calories than you take in. Also, unless you chew a pack a day it will not significantly impact your total calories, there is much bigger fish to fry.

    Exactly.
  • rachso
    rachso Posts: 174 Member
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    It's not worth it. Chewing gym for 1hr burns 11 calories, so if you get sugar free gum like stride which is less than 5 calories per stick you actually burn more calories than you take in. Also, unless you chew a pack a day it will not significantly impact your total calories, there is much bigger fish to fry.

    I had not realized chewing gum burnt that many calories. I thought maybe 5. LOL. Looks like I finally have a good addiction!!
  • Pearsquared
    Pearsquared Posts: 1,656 Member
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    I do if I'm really chowing them down (on piece 4 today), but if I just have a stick, I won't bother.
  • melindasuefritz
    melindasuefritz Posts: 3,509 Member
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    YES IT HAS CALORIES
  • dport7
    dport7 Posts: 123 Member
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    If I chewed gum, I would.:smile:
  • SkagitYogini
    SkagitYogini Posts: 112 Member
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    I don't log...and here's the reason why. As Lucas says, logging is tedious and it has really helped me be more mindful of everything I eat. That said, I don't want it to be so tedious that I quit doing this all together. For me, generally I don't log gum, or very low cal condiments like hot sauce (I do log BBQ sauce, salad dressing, etc.). I also tend to "round up" on my foods when I don't know exact amounts (better safe than sorry), and that should more than make up for a few calories of gum, tic tacs, etc. during the day.

    /quote]

    I agree. If logging every single tiny item becomes too tedious, I might get discouraged and just not do it. I also stopped logging water, as I drink at least 10 glasses a day, and logging isn't helpful to me.

    I do, however, log my "bad" eating. I figure it keeps me honest and focused on the reason I'm here in the first place.
  • ashleyisgreat
    ashleyisgreat Posts: 586 Member
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    I don't chew gum (got a bit of the ol' TMJ and it aggravates it), but if I did, I probably wouldn't log one piece.

    Other things I don't log: herbs and spices, hot sauce, and mints. I don't really stress over tiny things. Everything is an estimate, so I figure as long as I am diligent with 99% of my intake, I'm good. I weigh everything meticulously and keep track of almost everything that I eat, but some things just don't seem that important.
  • keltoi93
    keltoi93 Posts: 51 Member
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    I dont log for two reasons, as mentioned above the chewing actually loses alot of the calories in the gum even though there is only 5/6 per piece. Secondly I tend to do walking throughout my day that I dont log such as walking to/from bus stops which for me accounts for 3/4 km per day. In general I dont really log exercise.

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