How precisely do you log your food/exercise?

Oooh I would be logging butter and sugar, both are very high cal density, same with oil.

I don't always weigh my vegetables that I put in the salad - I mean 30gm of carrots Vs 50gm ain't going to account for much.

But anything with sugar or fat in it - definitely - that gets weighed and measured carefully.

I wouldn't count "exercise" (like the walk) that I've done every day as exercise but anything additional I would.

not your height and weight but I'll tell you what I do and have done. I log everything if I consume it I log it. The only thing I don't log is water. Exercise wise when I started I logged all my dog walking as that was my main exercise I never ate those calories back as to me it was low intensity so in reality I did not feel I needed to fuel those walks in any special way. I now no longer log dog walks they are part of my daily activity. I run a lot I eat back on average around a third to half those calories (to take into account error rate). Running is obviously higher intensity than walking a dog so eating enough is important. I know some people eat every calorie of there exercise calories back. I don't get preachy about what people should do. Do what works for you but be sensible don't deprive yourself (as that normally ends in failure) and make sure you eat enough. Most people who count calories accurately realise they can eat more than they though and healthily lose weight.

I only log planned exercises (if I go out and dance or do extra cleaning or go on a walk just for fun, I never log it) and I log everything I eat, I either weigh or measure almost everything that's calorie dense (pretty good at estimating since I've cooked for the past 20 years) but low calorie foods like veggies I usually guess at and spices and seasonings I rarely log, unless it's something like taco seasoning, which is something like 120 cal a packet.

if i smell a cookie ...i log it

I assume about a 10% margin for error and make that up with extra gym time

Thank you so much for all your quick replies. Sorry for my ignorance, but if you log 30 mins running and then eat the calories you've burnt off running, doesn't that mean you have defeated the object of running?

That's what I've got in my head and it might be completely wrong!

Will def log EVERYTHING for the next week to see how that changes things, thanks

Depends what the object of running was.

Exercise is not just about losing weight, it is also about, well, exercising. Elevating heart rate, pumping through some adrenaline, building muscle etc. It helps improve mood, improve overall health and improve how you look even if you do eat all of the calories back.

And then there are the days I want to go to a party and know I will eat lots so I head to the gym beforehand so I know I can fit some extra treats in. :P

As a good friend of mine once said "I don't exercise to lose weight, I exercise so I can eat more"

Of course I try to go somewhere in the middle and usually I don't eat all my exercise calories back.

I assume about a 10% margin for error and make that up with extra gym time

If I have to guess how much of something I ate I usually add an extra 10% margin on to try to be safe.

I think the point of eating back your exercise cals is MFP already has whatever deficit you require built in so if you don't eat them back you're probably not eating enough! That's easy for me to say burning 1000cals upwards everyday with my cycling commutes but as for smaller burns I don't really know. Some people only eat a certain percentage of their exercise cals back to err on the side of caution.

I log everything, even if it takes me over and I've been pretty successful! :happy:

Thank you so much for all your quick replies. Sorry for my ignorance, but if you log 30 mins running and then eat the calories you've burnt off running, doesn't that mean you have defeated the object of running?

That's what I've got in my head and it might be completely wrong!

Will def log EVERYTHING for the next week to see how that changes things, thanks

MFP sets you up with a calorie deficit designed to allow you to lose weight at the rate you have specified and expects you to eat back exercise calories.

If you do not eat them back, as many do not, then you are just increasing your deficit and there have been some heated debates about whether doing that is healthy or not

My view is that my body needs a certain amount of calories to survive and to keep doing what I do on a daily basis, my TDEE if you will. Now I know the body can make up for a deficit by burning fat (which is why we are eating at a deficit in the first place) but it also makes up the deficit by burning away lean body mass, which is bad. I have read in forum posts and elsewhere that the bigger the deficit then the more LBM you burn.

I am not sure how true that is or what size deficits are being talked about, but if I am losing at a healthy rate using the MFP deficit and eating back exercise calories based in a HRM then why would I want to take the risk of burning more LBM?

Hope that makes sense

Edited to say that I also think that the reason this works for me is that I weigh and log everything I eat and measure and log everything I drink.

I don't log fruit or veg, and to make up for that I don't eat back my exercise calories

That sounds fair enough - If I find logging everything too tough I think I'll do this as then the pressure it off a bit if i can eat lots of bananas and melon!

One banana can be 100 calories. An apple can be 100 calories. It's not unusual for me to eat 2 or more pieces of fruit each day. If I don't count those and the vegetables that I eat... I've just killed half my deficit for the day. I could exercise to make up for it but, then why not just log the food, log the exercise, and make sure I'm actually burning off the extra food I ate. As far as weight loss, It doesn't matter if what takes you over your goal is a banana or a cookie, it's still extra calories.

bump to read later x

One banana can be 100 calories. An apple can be 100 calories. It's not unusual for me to eat 2 or more pieces of fruit each day. If I don't count those and the vegetables that I eat... I've just killed half my deficit for the day. I could exercise to make up for it but, then why not just log the food, log the exercise, and make sure I'm actually burning off the extra food I ate. As far as weight loss, It doesn't matter if what takes you over your goal is a banana or a cookie, it's still extra calories.

I think everyone missed the part about not logging fruit. While fruit is good for you, it's also pretty high in calories and sugar which can definitely put you over your total calories for the day. I think MOST veggies would be ok not to log but even some veggies can be high in calories and sometimes sugar.

I only log planned exercises (if I go out and dance or do extra cleaning or go on a walk just for fun, I never log it) and I log everything I eat, I either weigh or measure almost everything that's calorie dense (pretty good at estimating since I've cooked for the past 20 years) but low calorie foods like veggies I usually guess at and spices and seasonings I rarely log, unless it's something like taco seasoning, which is something like 120 cal a packet.

This is my approach as well. If I eat out and can't find a nutritional breakout for the food I ate, I either guess or sort of average the calorie counts for similar items.At home I use a kitchen scale to measure lots of stuff, but I estimate based on experience as well.

I would echo what others have said about the sugar and butter. Even stuff like ketchup has calories I believe and certainly mayo does.

Food wise, I log what I can - I'll ignore herbs and spices, and the odd lettuce leaf, but I'll definietly log oils/ butter and sugar, and I log fruit as it adds up so much.

I rarely log any exercise.