Stupid Stupid Question...but I must ask

trackmyday1973
trackmyday1973 Posts: 393 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Please don't judge..... I know this may be a stupid question for some....however, I would like to know :)

Do you put a caloric value on supplements?

I take B vitamins and Biotin..... don't assign calories.

I see some products actually put calories on supplements.

I was wondering.

Thanks :)
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Replies

  • nikkip1982
    nikkip1982 Posts: 18 Member
    I guess you could track it, but isn't most of that stuff like 5 calories. I think if you have 20 calories a day in vitamins, it is not going to hurt anything if you dont track it.
  • Dark_Roast
    Dark_Roast Posts: 17,689 Member
    I've seen people log their vitamins, but I don't. I'm sure they are in the database if you care to look.
  • Birder150
    Birder150 Posts: 677 Member
    Some people do to track calories however minimal. I think others track to keep a record of what they're taking.
    It's a matter of personal preference.
    I don't think not adding them to your daily total is going to make or break your weight loss though.
  • askeates
    askeates Posts: 1,490 Member
    No such thing as a stupid question.

    If you are tracking calories, then that means all calories. If it goes past your lips, track it :drinker:
  • Bry_Fitness70
    Bry_Fitness70 Posts: 2,480 Member
    I scanned my vitamins and supplements and created a section for them in my food diary. That way you can track all of your vitamin consumption, as well as any calories they may have.
  • trackmyday1973
    trackmyday1973 Posts: 393 Member
    Thank you everyone :)

    You are all very helpful :)
  • SkinnyMsFitness
    SkinnyMsFitness Posts: 389 Member
    Not stupid!! I don't track mine...I'm starting biotin today and I've been taking OxyElite Pro to assist in weight loss and boosting my metabolism. Whether or not they have caloric value...It's minimal so I don't worry about it. A few cals won't make or break ya!!

    I do know some ppl track all their pills! I've seen some diaries where it seems a dozen pills are listed but no calories. For that, I guess it keeps records of what you've taken and when. I guess do what suits you?!

    Hope you're feeling awesome! You should be since you're living this new, amazing lifestyle! =))
  • chrisloveslife
    chrisloveslife Posts: 180 Member
    I track them but I don't really care about how many calories they are. I mostly track them to see if I'm getting my recommended values of vitamins.
  • trackmyday1973
    trackmyday1973 Posts: 393 Member
    Not stupid!! I don't track mine...I'm starting biotin today and I've been taking OxyElite Pro to assist in weight loss and boosting my metabolism. Whether or not they have caloric value...It's minimal so I don't worry about it. A few cals won't make or break ya!!

    I do know some ppl track all their pills! I've seen some diaries where it seems a dozen pills are listed but no calories. For that, I guess it keeps records of what you've taken and when. I guess do what suits you?!

    Hope you're feeling awesome! You should be since you're living this new, amazing lifestyle! =))

    I do feel awesome :) Today is my 10 day anniversary on MFP :)

    I checked... I am on Biotin as of today as well. It says zero calories :)
  • chandanista
    chandanista Posts: 986 Member
    I've seen others track theirs, but I don't track mine because I KNOW me, and I know that if I'm consistently 20 calories over in a day then I'm going to kick myself and restrict tomorrow, so for my own peace of mind I don't track my daily fish oil, calcium, multivitamin supplements. Those things aren't going away anytime soon, my body just has to deal with it.
  • kaylacroswhite
    kaylacroswhite Posts: 19 Member
    Log the vitamins but make the calories 0. You're not gonna get fat from vitamins! Lol but it would be good for you to keep track that you are taking them.
  • jdad1
    jdad1 Posts: 1,899 Member
    I track mine to help me remember to take them. However, it if has calories it should be logged.
  • scottaworley
    scottaworley Posts: 871 Member
    I track my supplements, but mainly just for reference. I will say that I was somewhat surprised to see how many calories my omega-3 supplement had (though I should not have been. Fatty acid = fat - duh.)
  • ChrisLindsay9
    ChrisLindsay9 Posts: 837 Member
    Please don't judge..... I know this may be a stupid question for some....however, I would like to know :)

    Do you put a caloric value on supplements?
    Definitely not a stupid question. I tracked mine for awhile because I wasn't sure. And maybe it had some benefit when I was trying to drop weight awhile back.

    But I don't track vitamins or fish oil anymore because it's more of a nuisance and doesn't really have any significance. I do list what vitamins I take in my profile in case my MPF friends are curious. Otherwise, I just track the supplements specific to a my fitness goals (pre-workout, creatine, etc.).
  • scottaworley
    scottaworley Posts: 871 Member
    Log the vitamins but make the calories 0. You're not gonna get fat from vitamins! Lol but it would be good for you to keep track that you are taking them.

    Let's say that I am eating at maintenance, but maintenance is hard to figure out, so I'm 80 calories over maintenance. Add 20 from supplements and I'm now 100 over maintenance. In one month I will gain one pound. I'm not weighing myself, and I do not notice the small changes in the mirror. Over a year I add 12 pounds. I'm not lifting, so that's all fat. I just got fat from (in part) vitamins.

    ETA: The weight that I gained from supplements in this scenario was about 2 pounds.
  • Ophidion
    Ophidion Posts: 2,065 Member
    I just log supplements to track them and their nutritional value.

    The only two that I take with any discernible calorie value are flax-seed oil and Protein powder.
  • lakishamcquany
    lakishamcquany Posts: 17 Member
    I track mine otherwise i come up lacking iron all the time.. i just use the barcode scanner and log it as a recipe...
  • poedunk65
    poedunk65 Posts: 1,336 Member
    I don't track anything under 5 cals.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    I do not log vitamin/mineral supplements. Not even the fish oil, which I'm sure has calories. The only supplement I log is protein powder, when I use it.
  • todayis4me
    todayis4me Posts: 184 Member
    I log it....
  • fit4lifeUcan2
    fit4lifeUcan2 Posts: 1,458 Member
    I used to log mine just to keep track of taking them. In the beginning I kept forgetting to take them so I was tracking them as soon as I took them. Now I'm in the habit of taking them so don't need to put them in my diary.
  • Putcake
    Putcake Posts: 93 Member
    Tracking can help you remember to take them. I was tracking for a while, but the calories didn't make a huge difference, not to mention I'm not even sure the caloric content for some of my prescriptions.
  • Melissa22G
    Melissa22G Posts: 847 Member
    Not stupid.

    And no, I don't log vitamins just like I don't log tic tacs.

    Too few calories to worry about.
  • bumblebums
    bumblebums Posts: 2,181 Member
    One of these days, you might want to go back through your diary and see, for example, your iron or calcium intake. If you do not track your vitamins at all, the information will be inaccurate. Then again, I've seen way too many entries for things like beef sirloin that had accurate macros but no micronutrient values at all... still, logging vitamins and sups might not be something you need to you now, but it could come in useful later.
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
    Some have calories, some don't. I log my vitamin D and creatine but it doesn't have calories. I log my BCAA's which have 7g amino acids (protein) but some days I have as many as 4 scoops which is >100 calories.
  • thisismeraw
    thisismeraw Posts: 1,264 Member
    I track all the suppliments I take simply to record what I Have taken and to account for the small amount of calories they can have.. I have a habit of forgetting if I have taken something so tracking them helps. Some supplements have calories... my flaxseed oil pills have 15 cals each in them.
  • new_beth_2013
    new_beth_2013 Posts: 109 Member
    As long as you are not drinking a protein shake for your vitamins, then I wouldnt even bother. Doing something THAT tedious will end up driving you crazy.
  • new_beth_2013
    new_beth_2013 Posts: 109 Member
    I track them but I don't really care about how many calories they are. I mostly track them to see if I'm getting my recommended values of vitamins.

    Hmm, maybe I should rethink what I posted. This is smart :)
  • tasharock
    tasharock Posts: 136 Member
    I track mine for the purpose of having the record in case I get sick. I also have dealt with iron-deficiency anemia so I like to track my micro nutrients as well as macro nutrients.
  • twinteensmom
    twinteensmom Posts: 371 Member
    I've seen others track theirs, but I don't track mine because I KNOW me, and I know that if I'm consistently 20 calories over in a day then I'm going to kick myself and restrict tomorrow, so for my own peace of mind I don't track my daily fish oil, calcium, multivitamin supplements. Those things aren't going away anytime soon, my body just has to deal with it.

    I could not agree more!!

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