Do you log zero calorie foods in your dairy?

1235

Replies

  • jmv7117
    jmv7117 Posts: 891 Member
    I don't log coffee (drink it black). And I only sometimes log raw or boiled veggies. If it has sauce, I log that. My understanding of a "free" food, is not that it doesn't have *any* calories, but that the amount of calories it has does not compensate for the amount of calories it takes your body to digest it.

    For those not logging coffee, it comes in at 2 calories and 5 mg sodium per cup. Four cups a day is only 8 calories but that 20 mg of sodium can be a problem for those on a low sodium diet. Another problem, not logging foods with low calories leads to later problems like "I'm doing everything right but still am not losing weight". During the weight loss phase, I think it is important to log everything as a learning experience that will help keep the weight off during maintenance where logging more than likely for most is not needed. I imagine that logging comes into play again when bulking but I'm not sure.
  • luca15306
    luca15306 Posts: 111 Member
    I log everything apart from water and herbs and spices, as everything else definitely adds up. I do things I eat often as recipes, such as salad at lunch and then it splits the portions. This is really helpful for 'zero' calorie salad, because even though its mainly water, the calories add up easily. All my zero calories add up to a 200 calorie salad. Then I add sauces alongside on each day.

    I also find that logging, as it is mainly for my own use helps me to be more honest, there's no point logging at all if you aren't going to list everything :)

    best of luck everyone
  • KatiesNewGoals
    KatiesNewGoals Posts: 29 Member
    I don't log everything. If I have ketchup with my meal or a little sauce, I don't log it. I usually do log butter, if I have it on waffles or toast, but don't log olive oil when cooking. I definitely log coffee beverages if I'm having a latte, but I don't log a cup of coffee. For me, it works, but do what works best for you! :-)
  • jmv7117
    jmv7117 Posts: 891 Member
    I log everything including vitamins. I take vitamin C 500mgs. I was very surprised when I learned that it has 9 calories. a calcium gummy has 15 calories.

    I take a large number of dietary supplements daily, actually twice daily, and have done so for a few years now. Before I even start the day, I know these will cost me 35 calories and 5 g of carbohydrates for the day. Some have recommended to eat back the entire calorie burn which I don't but if I did, that 35 calories would put me over instead of at my daily food goal. So, it is important to log.
  • Annie_01
    Annie_01 Posts: 3,096 Member
    I don't log coffee (drink it black). And I only sometimes log raw or boiled veggies. If it has sauce, I log that. My understanding of a "free" food, is not that it doesn't have *any* calories, but that the amount of calories it has does not compensate for the amount of calories it takes your body to digest it.

    For those not logging coffee, it comes in at 2 calories and 5 mg sodium per cup. Four cups a day is only 8 calories but that 20 mg of sodium can be a problem for those on a low sodium diet. Another problem, not logging foods with low calories leads to later problems like "I'm doing everything right but still am not losing weight". During the weight loss phase, I think it is important to log everything as a learning experience that will help keep the weight off during maintenance where logging more than likely for most is not needed. I imagine that logging comes into play again when bulking but I'm not sure.

    If someone tracks their potassium the logged coffee helps with that. Potassium is something that most people don't get enough of so for me every little bit helps.
  • quentinhayesgreen
    quentinhayesgreen Posts: 3 Member
    As alot of you have commented, I too log everything. I feel it will help me later down the road if I get stuck. If I see that I have controlled caloires but my sugar consumption has gone up then I will use that to cut down on sugar. I guess it's a personal decision. My wife only logs calories but I try to scan the different components going in so that I can keep up with everything. Good luck!
  • jmv7117
    jmv7117 Posts: 891 Member
    what about water? I drink the Sparking water and it has Zero everything.

    Municipal water has 5 mg sodium per 8 oz. Some bottled waters have other micronutrients like calcium. We use filtered municipal water as a beverage so I record that sodium. I'm not sure it gets filtered out.
  • stormbornkraken
    stormbornkraken Posts: 302 Member
    Yes. I try to log things like my plain tea to keep me in the habit of logging. Not a perfect behavior but consistency and intent keep me pretty well on track.
  • 240sxgurl
    240sxgurl Posts: 2
    Even if food or drinks have no calories.....most likely they still have something in them. So it is important to log everything.
  • lisalsd1
    lisalsd1 Posts: 1,519 Member
    I was hoping to come to this thread and find zero calorie foods! No such luck!

    Honestly, I don't log plain spices. I also don't usually log mustard either. I put a couple of tspns on salmon (10 cals; nbd, BUT I'm not trying to lose weight right now). I would definitely be logging things like pickles and sauces if I were actively trying to lose weight.
  • amblight
    amblight Posts: 350 Member
    Pickles are not zero calories at all :o 70cal/100g. So maybe 35cal for 1.
    And hot sauce might have 1cal/100g, so for a table spoon-ish, that would be 15cal.
    If you eat these frequently, because you view them as free foods, it might add up.

    I try to add everyyyything, but if things are truly, really, zero or almost zero, I don't log it.
    The sweetner I have says 0-1cal per 100g, so I only occaisionally log it (in case I want to hint at what my breakfast actually looked like for instance).
    I tend to log my coke zero too, though I suppose I didn't "have" to. But it's good to keep check on that too.
    I just bought some "chocolate" sauce that "contains trace calories" (less than 1cal for 100g), and I don't think I'll log that either - even though it technically must have some calories, all entries on MFP don't account for it, so even if I logged a literal ton of it, it still says zero.
    I used to not add spices, until I did it once - noooo! I had made a 'dressing' with 77 calories worth of spices, and vegan burger patties with spices worth of 147calories.
    I don't log water intake anymore either, since I know I get plenty enough, so it's not something I need to keep an eye on.
  • majorumpalumpa
    majorumpalumpa Posts: 6 Member
    The only foods I don't really log are things like lettuce, carrots, onions, etc.
    Stuff that by no means can even accidentally, or purposely depending on how hungry you are, add up to anything substantial.
    I typically overestimate with calories too when logging which helps me stay honest. :)
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
    I log everything. The main reason is because later in down the road if I am super stuck, I can go back and see what I ate. Secondly, things you think don't have calories actually do. I put cumin, red pepper flakes, garlic salt, and pepper in my egg whites. The combo of just the spices is about 15 calories. Chewing gum has 5 calories a stick. Those add up.

    Wow - you must put a lot of those spices in your egg whites! 1 teaspoon of sugar has 16 calories; since sugar is quite calorie dense, I think you'd need a tablespoon of those spices to get 15 calories. My mouth would be on fire.
  • Annie_01
    Annie_01 Posts: 3,096 Member
    The only foods I don't really log are things like lettuce, carrots, onions, etc.
    Stuff that by no means can even accidentally, or purposely depending on how hungry you are, add up to anything substantial.
    I typically overestimate with calories too when logging which helps me stay honest. :)

    Carrots are 35 cal for 3.5 oz. serving.

    When you have a lot of weight to lose those 35 cals might not be as important as they are when you only have 30lbs to lose. All of those small things add up over the course of the day and adding possibly 100-200 cals. That amount would make a difference as to whether I lose a pound or not. Onions are 12 calories for 2 thin slices.

    They also add to your macro/micros...if you don't care about those and don't care about the calories then your good to go but I have found that if I make this as much about being healthy as losing weight then I am better able to stick with this.
  • canadjineh
    canadjineh Posts: 5,396 Member
    I don't log real zero cal stuff like black coffee, unsweetened tea, vinegar, etc. But I do log things that have a Nutrition label because they usually have other 'nutrients' I should look at such as sodium, vitamin RDA %, etc. And yes those little things like lettuce, pickles, etc. CAN add up - you can think you are well under your calorie threshold or your sodium limit, when you are only fooling yourself.

    "Wow that's strange, I'm eating only 1000 calories every day for the past 10 months and I haven't lost any weight..." :noway:
  • canadjineh
    canadjineh Posts: 5,396 Member
    Pickles are not zero calories at all :o 70cal/100g. So maybe 35cal for 1.
    And hot sauce might have 1cal/100g, so for a table spoon-ish, that would be 15cal.
    If you eat these frequently, because you view them as free foods, it might add up.
    I don't log water intake anymore either, since I know I get plenty enough, so it's not something I need to keep an eye on.

    To get 15 calories of hot sauce according to your measure above... you'd need to eat 1500grams (there are 15 grams in a tablespoon - you would need to eat 100 tablespoons of hot sauce) or 6 cups of hot sauce. Better check your math...
  • amblight
    amblight Posts: 350 Member
    Pickles are not zero calories at all :o 70cal/100g. So maybe 35cal for 1.
    And hot sauce might have 1cal/100g, so for a table spoon-ish, that would be 15cal.
    If you eat these frequently, because you view them as free foods, it might add up.
    I don't log water intake anymore either, since I know I get plenty enough, so it's not something I need to keep an eye on.

    To get 15 calories of hot sauce according to your measure above... you'd need to eat 1500grams (there are 15 grams in a tablespoon - you would need to eat 100 tablespoons of hot sauce) or 6 cups of hot sauce. Better check your math...

    Depends on the hot sauce - I calculated for sririachi, 1tbsp
  • redheadmommy
    redheadmommy Posts: 908 Member
    I did log everything even black coffee, plan tea for a while, but it was tedious. I started to have very obsessive tendencies being super strict and logging everything felt like I am on a roll to have an eating disorder.

    I stopped doing it, and I just break through month log plateau, go figure!

    I do not drink soda or chew gum anyway. I do not log spices , mustard, hot sauce, but of course I log dense condiments like mayo. I log pickles, and MFP never showed zero calories for it.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,228 Member
    Log it all. You will not get a full nutritional picture if you do not log everything. Veggies contain a lot of nutrients and contribute to your carb count. Condiments like hot sauces contribute to sodium counts, which can get pretty high.

    What if you don't really want a full nutritional picture?

    I don't really look at that anyway and I am not concerned about my sodium levels so if something is insignificant to calorie count, like a dash of sauce or one lettuce leaf , then I do not bother logging it.
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
    Given you appear to often be netting below 1000 calories, and sometimes even negatives, I think the calories in your pickles are the last thing you should be concerned about, no offence.

Categories