What do you do when you don't know the calorie?

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Baileymqt
Baileymqt Posts: 28 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi. I've been trying to eat healthy and follow the calorie allotment amount but my husband does the cooking and I never know what to put in for calorie. Tonight, for example, he is making burritoes with a wrap and left over chicken/black bean/rice mix. While I know to watch my portion, after today's lunch, this will definitely put me over on my calories. (This includes my exercise of 45 minutes aerobics too). I really don't want to add each ingredient individually since it is all mixed together and I really don't know the serving size I'm eating.

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  • ajbeans
    ajbeans Posts: 2,857 Member
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    Add it in as a recipe, all the totals of ingredients that he's using, as best as you can. In the "servings" box, think about the amount you would normally eat (say, 1 burrito) and put in the number of that size servings you'd get out of that recipe. It'll be fairly accurate, and it'll be saved in your recipes for the next time he makes those. You can always edit the recipe too if he makes it slightly different next time.
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,549 Member
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    Sounds like you don't want to hear this, but I identify and log each ingredient. I will often create a recipe so I don't have to do it over and over. I also weigh and measure serving sizes so I know exactly how much I'm eating. For me, that's the only way to know for sure.
  • wewon
    wewon Posts: 838 Member
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    I log each ingredient.

    For me personally (and the reason I come to this site) it was not paying attention to my calories that is my worst enemy.

    When I log my foods and keep my diary it really helps me make some better decisions.
  • Baileymqt
    Baileymqt Posts: 28 Member
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    So far it's unanimous. I will log in each ingredient.... grrrr. I know I am over my limit then. It would have been nice if someone said "put in 290 cals". That would have made me at my goal cal count. hahaha I really did a larger calorie lunch so it makes dinner hard to stay under now.
  • Therapist_mama
    Therapist_mama Posts: 135 Member
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    If I don't know the exact information first hand, I will look up in the food database the same
    kind of food and work with the calories listed there. ie. I will search Burrito and see what comes
    up and look through the information listed there and estimate based on amounts of serving size.

    Weighing and measuring is actually our best friend in finding our answers though. Hope this helps,
    best of everything to you!
  • ajbeans
    ajbeans Posts: 2,857 Member
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    You'd be over whether you logged it properly or not -- your body doesn't care what you log in your diary, it cares what you actually consume. :) If you're going to be over, you can either eat a smaller portion of the higher-cal stuff and then fill up with a veggie or something, or you could take a walk or something to burn off the extra cals. Don't let it get to you. One day isn't a big deal.
  • ChassityGetsFit
    ChassityGetsFit Posts: 173 Member
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    Yeah, you would have to put in each thing! If it's a package or something that cam from a box then that is simple enough without having to log each thing in that package! Also, to help out, try eating a larger breakfast, a moderate lunch, and a smaller dinner This will help you to not only sleep better but it should put your body into a fat burning state while you sleep, especially if you don't eat within 3 hours before bed!
  • Jami22
    Jami22 Posts: 253 Member
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    I love being able to log a recipe because chances are I'm going to eat it again and the next time I do all I have to do is go find it in my recipes. Only takes a few minutes the first time! Sorry that you will go over your calories for the day but it happens to everyone! Just try to be better tomorrow!
  • Baileymqt
    Baileymqt Posts: 28 Member
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    Wow, I just typed in burrito and there were some recipes that were very similar to what my husband will be serving. Makes it so much easier than adding in each ingredient. I suppose I'm being anal if their ingredients are 50 calories different than my husbands. It's in the ballpark.
  • Meag83
    Meag83 Posts: 43 Member
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    The most accurate way to do it is measure out the ingredients before they are put into the pot then divide the total weight of each serving by the total calories.

    For example: If you make scrambled eggs with 4 oz ham- 80 calories, 3 egg whites (1 oz) - 24 calories, and 2 oz cheddar cheese - 180 calories. So per oz of scrambled eggs you would have 284 callories for 7 oz of food which would be about 40.6 calories per oz.

    I know this is not an easy solution. I'm in a similar situation where someone else is cooking for my family and I don't always know. I try to make my best quess and add up all the calories and divide or I microwave a smartone.

    Sorry this probably is no help.
  • Baileymqt
    Baileymqt Posts: 28 Member
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    When I cook (which is infrequently) I do put my ingredients in the recipes for a later meal selection. But when my husband cooks (most of the time) I don't pay attention to what he is doing.

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