Um. I just ate a tub of ice cream and need help

:indifferent:
Ok, so I measure out whenever I eat ice cream, rice, pasta, etc...and I bought some Edy's no sugar added vanilla slow churned ice cream...really good. Last night I measured out 2 1/2 cups servings (serving per container: 12), then another 1/2 cup serving for myself. 300 calories. Ok. Then I gave my sister 3 sevings as well. I opened the tub today to make some oatmeal a-la-mode for breakfast. I was so hungry. I measured it out--one 1/2 cup serving. Good. Then I measured out 1/2 cup again. Then I caved and had another 1/2 cup. I logged it in my calories. When I looked in the stupid tub, all the freaking ice cream was GONE. HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE. I MEASURE EVERYTHING COMPULSIVELY!!!! And yes, I'm doing it right. How would the numbers lie? (And no, nobody in my house had any ice cream in that 12 hour period. We got the ice cream last night at 7:00 pm and now its 7 AM and poof, ice cream gone) So how is 9 servings=12 servings?! WHAT GIVES? Should I count the extra servings in my calorie count even though according to the real world and measuring I only had 6 1/2 cup servings in two days? WHATTTT

i also realize maybe I packed it down too much in the cup, but that means my whole calorie counting has been a lie and i'm going to see weight gain soon cause I've been doing this every week! (eating ice-cream, obviously not a whole tub but i've worked it into my calories to have a treat and maintain). am I gonna see some scary weight gain of some hidden 3500 calories or something soon? I'll cry. I just got over the fact that i have to eat to a certain amount to maintain, i don't wanna loser my progress. :brokenheart:
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Replies

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  • brynnsmom
    brynnsmom Posts: 945 Member
    Log nine and move on. Don't over obsess on stuff like that. It happened, can't be changed, the world's not ending, period. And I second the food scale - measuring on the scale will prevent mistakes like overpacking the cup, etc.
  • Velum_cado
    Velum_cado Posts: 1,608 Member
    My immediate thought is that it seems you could easily consume three extra servings in there by simply not measuring out level half cup servings each time. Just a little bit over would add up.
  • Saratini76
    Saratini76 Posts: 115 Member
    Sometimes the servings listed on the package may vary by the type of measuring cup used. Perhaps they measured with a food scale (in grams or ounces) then calculated how many "cups" it should have. I have run into this several times with veggies so I have started measuring everything on a food scale instead.

    Don't feel bad though! One mistake won't ruin all your hard work! Today is another day to begin again!

    :flowerforyou:
  • EDollah
    EDollah Posts: 464 Member
    You've made a compelling case for a food scale. Ice cream is a perfect example of something that should be weighed (oz or grams) and not based on volume (cups or liters). As you showed, you can pack it more densely to get more servings per volume.

    If you want to be accurate, I would indeed multiply the ice cream you've logged by 1.33 (12/9, based on your statement "how is 9 servings=12 servings").
  • gypsy_spirit
    gypsy_spirit Posts: 2,107 Member
    I also agree with the advice to get a food scale. ALL solid foods should be measured with one.

    Just a side note - while ice cream is an awesome treat, it seems like you may have a problem with self control with it. I was that way when I first started changing my eating habits. Moderation is the most important skill you will learn here. Long term it may mean the difference between success and failure.

    good luck.
  • livstir
    livstir Posts: 1
    I Thank You for your honesty. It's refreshing. Cz it is a struggle and my late nite dates with ice cream have been a big downfall.
    I've been trying to look realistically at it. For me, If I over indulge...Plain and Simple... I have over over indulged no excuses. All I can do is pick myself up and move forward.... I also swapped out the ice cream for low fat frozen yogurt The Elan Brand. The Container is smaller and the taste is great. However the bottom line is if i eat the whole container...I've over indulged.
    Also, I try to look at the way I'm feeling when I over eat...Am I stressed...Thirsty, Bored, Habit... It's a challenge and I am going to take it one day at a time. Best Wishes!!
  • Hi! I'm actually usually pretty good about control. It's been over a year since I've started this whole journey and I have not once done something like this. As far as everyone mentioning the food scale...I do have one, I just don't understand how one would measure ice cream...I mean my cup that I put the ice cream in weighs something, so how would I gage it w/ice cream inside?
  • smand2000
    smand2000 Posts: 88
    Like everyone said - food scale. I would have left it at that ... but really the answer you are looking for is, no. You are not suddenly going to blimp up from the hidden calories accumulated over the past several weeks / months. You have successfully lost / maintained / whatever over the last (x) period of time. Miscalculated calories are not suddenly going to explode like a time bomb in your body and nullify all of your hard work. You succeeded despite the ice cream measuring errors. Get a food scale, start using it, and move on.

    Well done.
  • urdialese
    urdialese Posts: 3 Member
    I am an ice cream addict. I buy regular old full fat, full calorie ice cream sandwiches at 150 cals/each. The fact they are individually wrapped= portion control...if I want soft serve, I hit up mcds, again, portion control and no chance of eating 6 servings...just a thought.
  • I guess I should also add that besides preventing this from happening in the future (not packing the ice cream down) how should I go about what i've done right NOW?

    I mean I've had ice cream like this for three weeks or so now, and each time my calculations must have been incorrect. So I'm very nervous that I've been carrying extra calories in me for weeks now and if I go over my calorie count even a wee bit I'm gonna have built up 3500 calories and gain a pound unknowingly. I hate not having control and I hate the unknown factor of not understanding what you eat (it has to do with my OCD but honestly I don't think it is all that weird to want to know how much you are eating to maintain your weight).

    Anyways, the thing I want to know is should I clock in the extra servings calories (Like the 12 instead of 9 servings) and add to my count the extra 300 calories that I 'must have' eaten if there are absolutely, without a doubt 12 servings in the tub? I could clock in the 9 servings, but then 300 calories difference is A LOT.
  • Like everyone said - food scale. I would have left it at that ... but really the answer you are looking for is, no. You are not suddenly going to blimp up from the hidden calories accumulated over the past several weeks / months. You have successfully lost / maintained / whatever over the last (x) period of time. Miscalculated calories are not suddenly going to explode like a time bomb in your body and nullify all of your hard work. You succeeded despite the ice cream measuring errors. Get a food scale, start using it, and move on.

    Well done.

    YOU MADE ME FEEL ABOUT 700% BETTER.
  • Saratini76
    Saratini76 Posts: 115 Member
    I mean my cup that I put the ice cream in weighs something, so how would I gage it w/ice cream inside?

    Does your food scale have a "tare" button? If it does, put your empty bowl on the scale, hit tare, then the measuring should go back to zero. This is how ours works!
  • smand2000
    smand2000 Posts: 88
    Measure bowl, measure bowl w/ice cream, subtract bowl = ice cream.

    Get individual portion wrapped treats as a failsafe measure. Trader Joes mocha or chocolate European yogurt is a great start if you like those flavors. Good luck ...
  • EDollah
    EDollah Posts: 464 Member
    Hi! I'm actually usually pretty good about control. It's been over a year since I've started this whole journey and I have not once done something like this. As far as everyone mentioning the food scale...I do have one, I just don't understand how one would measure ice cream...I mean my cup that I put the ice cream in weighs something, so how would I gage it w/ice cream inside?

    Two ways to weigh:

    1) If you put your container on the scale, then turn the scale on, it should start at 0. Mine does, and it's a fairly simple one so I assume that's standard. If it doesn't, then...

    2) Turn on scale, put container on scale. Note the reading of the container (let's say it's 1.5 ounces). Put ice cream in. Note that reading and subtract out the weight of the container. So if ice cream in container weighs 4.5 ounces, you've got 4.5 - 1.5 = 3 ounces.
  • taziarj
    taziarj Posts: 243 Member
    I have started using a food scale for ice cream. Always just used to eyeball it. Weighing proved that my servings were too large when eyeballing it. The serving size on the container may say 1/2 cup (65g). Weigh to the gram when it comes to calorie rich foods like ice cream. Going over by 20 grams can make a difference on the calorie counts.

    Also, buy a few ramekins, the small porcelain baking/serving cups. Even while measuring, mentally having the smaller cup makes a difference. A 1/2 or even 1 cup in a huge bowl doesn't look like a lot, but 1/2 cup in a ramekin mentally doesn't look as bad. At least I tell myself that.
  • ElizabethFuller
    ElizabethFuller Posts: 352 Member
    Always weigh on a scale, but it'll be fine, don't panic, it's not going to undo all your hard work.:flowerforyou:
  • EDollah
    EDollah Posts: 464 Member

    Anyways, the thing I want to know is should I clock in the extra servings calories (Like the 12 instead of 9 servings) and add to my count the extra 300 calories that I 'must have' eaten if there are absolutely, without a doubt 12 servings in the tub? I could clock in the 9 servings, but then 300 calories difference is A LOT.

    As I mentioned in a prior post, if you want those entries to be accurate, then type in "1.33" in the number of servings field. If this is confusing or causes any sort of distress for some reason, forget about it and move on. It's not that big a deal in the grand scheme of things.
  • I mean my cup that I put the ice cream in weighs something, so how would I gage it w/ice cream inside?

    Does your food scale have a "tare" button? If it does, put your empty bowl on the scale, hit tare, then the measuring should go back to zero. This is how ours works!

    Oh man, no, mine is from the 70's lol...it's really old but it's my mother's and she 'doesn't see a reason' in having another one even though I'd undoubtedly use it. Long story short, my parents are very unhealthy, overweight, and angry when people try to better themselves. I live at home to save money and commute to college and as a result I have a living hell being in the same household as them and them trying to sabotage my weight maintenance (evil people, am I right?). Anyways, if I were to bring home a new scale my Dad would break it (he did this to my other weight-maintence technology...my Fitbit, my scale for my body...he breaks things of mine cause he's an *kitten*.) So I really don't foresee myself purchasing another scale only to have him break it. And I can't hide it from him, we live in a small trailer-sized ranch home.

  • Anyways, the thing I want to know is should I clock in the extra servings calories (Like the 12 instead of 9 servings) and add to my count the extra 300 calories that I 'must have' eaten if there are absolutely, without a doubt 12 servings in the tub? I could clock in the 9 servings, but then 300 calories difference is A LOT.

    As I mentioned in a prior post, if you want those entries to be accurate, then type in "1.33" in the number of servings field. If this is confusing or causes any sort of distress for some reason, forget about it and move on. It's not that big a deal in the grand scheme of things.

    sorry bad at math here...what exactly am I doing with that 1.33?
  • EDollah
    EDollah Posts: 464 Member

    Anyways, the thing I want to know is should I clock in the extra servings calories (Like the 12 instead of 9 servings) and add to my count the extra 300 calories that I 'must have' eaten if there are absolutely, without a doubt 12 servings in the tub? I could clock in the 9 servings, but then 300 calories difference is A LOT.

    As I mentioned in a prior post, if you want those entries to be accurate, then type in "1.33" in the number of servings field. If this is confusing or causes any sort of distress for some reason, forget about it and move on. It's not that big a deal in the grand scheme of things.

    sorry bad at math here...what exactly am I doing with that 1.33?

    It's not that important, don't worry about it. The main thing is to use what you've learned here to measure accurately going forward.
  • taziarj
    taziarj Posts: 243 Member
    sorry bad at math here...what exactly am I doing with that 1.33?

    The reason for the 1.33 is because it seems that you over portioned by one third when you ate 9 servings when it should have been 12. The 1.33 takes care of that mistake in your diary.
  • palomino698
    palomino698 Posts: 36 Member
    Definitely get scales and when accuracy matters, measure weighable foods by weight, not volume - leave the measuring jug for liquids ONLY.

    It's a blip, it's not a disaster, and you know for next time! Hang in there, and good luck (I love ice cream...) :)
  • sorry bad at math here...what exactly am I doing with that 1.33?

    The reason for the 1.33 is because it seems that you over portioned by one third when you ate 9 servings when it should have been 12. The 1.33 takes care of that mistake in your diary.

    ah! yes, ok, thank you! sorry for my confusion
  • palomino698
    palomino698 Posts: 36 Member
    I mean my cup that I put the ice cream in weighs something, so how would I gage it w/ice cream inside?

    Does your food scale have a "tare" button? If it does, put your empty bowl on the scale, hit tare, then the measuring should go back to zero. This is how ours works!

    Oh man, no, mine is from the 70's lol...it's really old but it's my mother's and she 'doesn't see a reason' in having another one even though I'd undoubtedly use it. Long story short, my parents are very unhealthy, overweight, and angry when people try to better themselves. I live at home to save money and commute to college and as a result I have a living hell being in the same household as them and them trying to sabotage my weight maintenance (evil people, am I right?). Anyways, if I were to bring home a new scale my Dad would break it (he did this to my other weight-maintence technology...my Fitbit, my scale for my body...he breaks things of mine cause he's an *kitten*.) So I really don't foresee myself purchasing another scale only to have him break it. And I can't hide it from him, we live in a small trailer-sized ranch home.

    Sorry, I should have picked up here that your Dad wouldn't approve of you getting new food scales - in that case why not take a notebook, measure out your various foods in cups and tip onto your mother's scales to check the weight? Keep a note of what a cup of ice cream weighs, for example, or even do it the other way round, measure out the correct weight of ice cream and then pack it into your measuring cup to see how full it looks? You'll get used to what the portion size looks like, and it's not terrible if there are very slight inaccuracies anyway, it's the general trend of your eating that really matters, and how much exercise you have to use up excess calories.
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  • MB2MN
    MB2MN Posts: 334 Member
    I mean my cup that I put the ice cream in weighs something, so how would I gage it w/ice cream inside?

    Does your food scale have a "tare" button? If it does, put your empty bowl on the scale, hit tare, then the measuring should go back to zero. This is how ours works!

    Oh man, no, mine is from the 70's lol...it's really old but it's my mother's and she 'doesn't see a reason' in having another one even though I'd undoubtedly use it. Long story short, my parents are very unhealthy, overweight, and angry when people try to better themselves. I live at home to save money and commute to college and as a result I have a living hell being in the same household as them and them trying to sabotage my weight maintenance (evil people, am I right?). Anyways, if I were to bring home a new scale my Dad would break it (he did this to my other weight-maintence technology...my Fitbit, my scale for my body...he breaks things of mine cause he's an *kitten*.) So I really don't foresee myself purchasing another scale only to have him break it. And I can't hide it from him, we live in a small trailer-sized ranch home.

    Dafuq?? First of all, I'm sorry that your parents are so treating you so poorly. Maybe it's time to ask yourself if saving the money by living with them is worth the mental and physical stress. I know that wasn't your question, but it sounds like a pretty terrible situation.

    Just weigh the bowl and subtract the weight from how much the bowl and serving are in total...If bowl is 2 oz and bowl with ice cream is 5 oz, 5-2 = 3 oz of ice cream.
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  • I mean my cup that I put the ice cream in weighs something, so how would I gage it w/ice cream inside?

    Does your food scale have a "tare" button? If it does, put your empty bowl on the scale, hit tare, then the measuring should go back to zero. This is how ours works!

    Oh man, no, mine is from the 70's lol...it's really old but it's my mother's and she 'doesn't see a reason' in having another one even though I'd undoubtedly use it. Long story short, my parents are very unhealthy, overweight, and angry when people try to better themselves. I live at home to save money and commute to college and as a result I have a living hell being in the same household as them and them trying to sabotage my weight maintenance (evil people, am I right?). Anyways, if I were to bring home a new scale my Dad would break it (he did this to my other weight-maintence technology...my Fitbit, my scale for my body...he breaks things of mine cause he's an *kitten*.) So I really don't foresee myself purchasing another scale only to have him break it. And I can't hide it from him, we live in a small trailer-sized ranch home.

    Dafuq?? First of all, I'm sorry that your parents are so treating you so poorly. Maybe it's time to ask yourself if saving the money by living with them is worth the mental and physical stress. I know that wasn't your question, but it sounds like a pretty terrible situation.

    Just weigh the bowl and subtract the weight from how much the bowl and serving are in total...If bowl is 2 oz and bowl with ice cream is 5 oz, 5-2 = 3 oz of ice cream.

    Makes sense! Thanks to all the other answers saying the same thing. I can't respond to every single quote so I'll attempt to just acknowledge that here....

    I mean I'm still hurting cause I just ate so much damn ice cream and I'm gonna clock in all the servings I must have ate (12) divided between the 12 hours but that has nothing to do with the scale. I'm glad I will know in the future how to measure the cup and whatnot...i'm also gonna not pack the stuff down as much. Because I was packing it down a good deal before and the ice cream was equaling out to the servings, but it was a different brand. I suppose this brand is just different and I will measure it.

    But still, I'm pissed I just ate 12 servings of ice cream. Now I have to cut sooo many calories today
  • MACnificence
    MACnificence Posts: 419 Member
    Also calories don't just build up until 3500 and then poof you gain a Ib

    I doubt your extra servings of Ice cream have put you over that much

    Now to know how to measure more accurately do that from now on , and forget out yesterday's blip

    Lifestyle change not diet don't panic , we can't always be spot on