how important to log "good" calories ?

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  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    I eat very little in the way of "junk" food...I take in roughly 2200 - 2500 calories per day in "good" calories...roughly 200 - 300 of those come from fruits and veg. I can easily make a salad that is 200-300 calories before adding the dressing...
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
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    I log everything!!!!
  • davers2k
    davers2k Posts: 7
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    I'm not one to see a difference in foods. They all have calories and protein/carb/fat etc. So I log them all, because they all count to my total. You can easily go way over not counting them... IMO

    Also I looked at your profile. doesn't seem like you have a lot to lose. 2 pounds per week may be too aggressive, stick with 1 pound and don't worry about how long it takes and I'm willing to bet you don't see a 'plateau'* .

    *Unless you continue to not log "good" food and you end up actually eating at maintenance and are not in a deficit.

    Edited to add- I use the recipes a lot since I do all the cooking so I weigh everything and then divide by the number of servings. Works great!

    plenty to lose - 3 stone before i hit "healthy" according to the NHS lol

    I started with the 2lb loss more to see how it goes and figure ive got to over eat by a fair bit to get back to maintenance
  • FireOpalCO
    FireOpalCO Posts: 641 Member
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    There is more to logging then calories.

    Are you getting enough fiber?
    ...calcium?
    ...Vitamin A?
    ...Vitamin C?
    ...Iron?
    ...Potassium?

    Are there certain foods that leave you satiated longer? (how can you tell if you don't log them all)
    Are there certain foods that make you bloated or constipated?

    Pineapple is good for you, but if you sat and ate an entire one every morning for breakfast, that would be a huge hit of sugar (and calories) to you daily totals.
  • davers2k
    davers2k Posts: 7
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    some valid points made thanks - has made me think

    another question - how do you get your signature with the lbs lost etc in it ?
  • serindipte
    serindipte Posts: 1,557 Member
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    some valid points made thanks - has made me think

    another question - how do you get your signature with the lbs lost etc in it ?

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/settings
  • davers2k
    davers2k Posts: 7
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    some valid points made thanks - has made me think

    another question - how do you get your signature with the lbs lost etc in it ?

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/settings

    Cheers :D
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
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    Cool - I think my Good calories are now going to be cupcakes and donuts. This diet stuff is fabulous.
  • kikityme
    kikityme Posts: 472 Member
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    ( i do log frozen / pre packed veg)

    Milk adds up, especially if you have to track sugar like I do. There is no nutritional difference between frozen veg and fresh, so if you're going to cheat, go all out.
  • Nedra19455
    Nedra19455 Posts: 241 Member
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    If you find it too tedious and you are currently losing weight, go for it. If you stop losing, you'll know why.

    This is me. I realize that I am in the minority as far as MFPers go, but I accept that I am responsible for my decision not to log certain foods. The fact is, a goal of mine is to eat more fruits and vegetables and they are tedious to weigh and measure and I know it would be a disincentive to eat them if I was being "good" and accurately logging all of them. So I don't log most of them. Not because they are "healthy" and certainly not because I don't think those calories "count" -- but simply because I have non-weight-loss goals too and having these foods be "free" is part of what has kept me having fun!
  • davers2k
    davers2k Posts: 7
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    Double post
  • davers2k
    davers2k Posts: 7
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    Cool - I think my Good calories are now going to be cupcakes and donuts. This diet stuff is fabulous.

    Chuckle. Chicle oh ho ha ha ooh Thanks, just lost another few Lb's as my sides have split ;-p
  • CaptJackDaniels
    CaptJackDaniels Posts: 44 Member
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    How do you know if they are "good" calories? Do they have halos and angel wings?

    Do the "bad" ones have horns and the evil curly mustache and laugh like mid scientists when you try to eat them?

    Just checking. I eat them all. I like it when they GET IN MAH BELL-AY!
  • kristinegift
    kristinegift Posts: 2,406 Member
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    I log everything -- even the "good" calories/foods -- because there's more to what I'm eating than straight-up calories. I take my macros/micros at least kind of seriously, so logging "good" foods helps me keep track of carbs, sugars, vitamins, etc. so I know if I'm getting the right amount or too much/little.
  • Veryme
    Veryme Posts: 19 Member
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    I woul add good food to know your nutrient value. So it will be more obvious to eat more good food to fulfill not only calori intake but also vitamins. That is how I look at this. But I am newto this system.,
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
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    Cool - I think my Good calories are now going to be cupcakes and donuts. This diet stuff is fabulous.

    Chuckle. Chicle oh ho ha ha ooh Thanks, just lost another few Lb's as my sides have split ;-p

    :heart: you're welcome. :flowerforyou:
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
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    lol - my excuse is i live a busy life and as its usually a bowl of salad made for the family its difficult log exactly how much my portion would be. I generally aim for the biggest lb loss a week amount of calories and dont stress if i only lose half the amount etc

    I do like the idea a couple of posts down of making a general "salad" recipe entry so will give that go

    The thing is...none of this is really terribly precise. You're not going to get precise calorie measurements, you're not going to get precise weight loss for calories burned....
    Weight loss is as much an art as it is a science. Don't let that stop you from doing what you need to do to lose the weight.
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
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    I log everything. Things add up over time, even if they're only 10 calories a serving. Plus it helps me track fiber.

    And you're not going to be able to be totally accurate, but you can gauge it fairly close.
  • kdeaux1959
    kdeaux1959 Posts: 2,675 Member
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    There is NO SUCH THING as cheating the SYSTEM... Whenever we cheat, we cheat OURSELVES. That being said, if it is minimal calories such as lettuce, I seldom log it... The accuracy of calorie counting just is not so accurate that those 5-10 calories is going to matter that much... Condiments, on the other hand can really add up quickly... For instance, a lettuce and tomato salad will likely be about 10-15 calories BUT the salad dressing you put on it may be between 50-100 calories.
  • jensiegel39
    jensiegel39 Posts: 163 Member
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    I log EVERYTHING! If I'm not honest with myself, what's the point. I really watch carbs more than anything. Even lettuce has carbs. It can be a slippery slope if you don't log everything because then there will be other items that fall by the wayside and you'll get what's called calorie creep. You'll think you're doing fine but start gaining, and it's because you're eating more than you realize.

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