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anything you dont count in daily calories?

Posts: 35
hi there
I was wondering if there is anything that people leave out of their daily calorie count?
eg teas, coffees, and other drinks around 20cal and under?

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Replies

  • Posts: 7,724 Member
    Gum, coffee, drink mixes, spices & condiments, diet sodas and drinks, sweeteners - basically your typical 5 calories or less items
  • Posts: 106
    Only very small (e.g. a pinch, so 1g or less) quantities of spices.

    I rarely have them but do log any drinks with cals no matter how small as if you have a few a day, it could end up being close to 100 cals which is the same as a small snack. All adds up!
  • Posts: 17,456 Member
    I don't count coffee (but I count milk at start of day)
    Diet soda
    Herbs and spices, including garlic cloves

    I count absolutely everything else ...by weight
  • Posts: 1,159 Member
    if you can, log everything you eat---it tells a true story of what you have put into your mouth. it also helps to explain why you are full or why you are hungry.

    you can make a "meal" of spices you regularly use and "save" it to easily reuse without having to enter each spice separately. ( cilantro, ginger, black pepper etc)
  • Posts: 602 Member
    I don't count my cordial (fruit concentrate I sometimes add to my water). I can't really be bothered measuring it and it's not much anyway.
  • Posts: 665 Member
    I log EVERYTHING.
  • Posts: 562 Member
    JaneiR36 wrote: »
    Gum, coffee, drink mixes, spices & condiments, diet sodas and drinks, sweeteners - basically your typical 5 calories or less items

    You dont count condiments?

    Those can really add up depending on what your eating!
  • Posts: 9,382 Member
    I don't log water,spices,tiny amounts of things like lettuce or pickles. I don't always log diet soft drinks.
    If I used no calorie sweeteners or sugar free gum. I wouldn't log that either.
  • Posts: 149 Member
    I dont add tea coffee and sugar in those drinks but if I had a lattee or cappuccino then I do. im sure I will get to a point when I will have to log these as well but while I can get away with it I don't. the odd boiled sweet I don't bother but if I have a few in a day then I log them
  • Posts: 1,027 Member
    My Thai sauce, bbq sauce, ketchup, spices, fresca and coke zero.

    I have a large enough deficit that I feel comfortable ignoring these things for now. It lets me feel relaxed but safe which I definately need.
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    edited October 2014
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  • Posts: 100 Member
    Log everything because it might have sodium even though it is very low in calories...and sodium can derail your efforts if it gets too high. Once I know it is truly a zero value, I feel more comfortable skipping it.
  • Posts: 202 Member
    I don't log gum, or squash/cordial. Scale is moving in the right direction so I'm not going to worry about those.
  • Posts: 27 Member
    I don't log spices, or single sachets of Stevia or a few drops liquid Stevia, gum, green tea or sugar free cordial.
  • Posts: 83 Member
    Water and really small amounts of herbs and spices
  • Posts: 712 Member
    I log EVERYTHING.
    If I dream about eating, I wake up and log it...
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  • Posts: 37 Member
    Donuts. I read somewhere they're mostly air.
  • Posts: 7,724 Member

    You dont count condiments?

    Those can really add up depending on what your eating!

    Good point, it does depend on what kind. I'll log a little pack of honey mustard or bbq sauce, but those tiny packets of Taco Bell fire sauce or a small packet of ketchup (which I seldom use) I typically don't log. Dijon mustard, bbq sauce etc used in larger quantities in a recipe do get logged
  • Posts: 2,765 Member
    I don't bother to log the sprinkle of salt I put on my veggies at dinner, or the pepper I liberally cast onto my buttered noodles, because it isn't enough to even register on the scale and because sprinkling it out of a half-full 1/8 tsp measure doesn't spread it evenly over my plate ;) but I log mints, condiments, most other spices. I thought I HAD to when I started, so I did; now I continue because it's habit.
  • Posts: 562 Member
    JaneiR36 wrote: »

    Good point, it does depend on what kind. I'll log a little pack of honey mustard or bbq sauce, but those tiny packets of Taco Bell fire sauce or a small packet of ketchup (which I seldom use) I typically don't log. Dijon mustard, bbq sauce etc used in larger quantities in a recipe do get logged


    The first thing that came to my mind when reading condiments was MAYO! Which can have tons of calories. But things like mustard - most are 0cal or 5cal - but I usually log them because of all the sodium.

    I always log my ketchup & bbq sauce though - some bbq sauces I have are 60-70 cals a serving!

    But - what ever works best for the individual doing it :smiley:
  • Posts: 31 Member
    edited October 2014
    I never count gum or other sugar free breath mints. I don't eat a bunch, just one or two and I did see that my gum is 5 calories. I also never count my coffee (I drink it black). But I do log things like condiments (ketchup, mustard) because those have higher calorie counts per serving. To me it's part of the meal. My gum isn't. LOL
  • Posts: 7,724 Member


    The first thing that came to my mind when reading condiments was MAYO! Which can have tons of calories. But things like mustard - most are 0cal or 5cal - but I usually log them because of all the sodium.

    I always log my ketchup & bbq sauce though - some bbq sauces I have are 60-70 cals a serving!

    But - what ever works best for the individual doing it :smiley:

    Yeah I don't track sodium or other micronutrients, barely keep an eye on my macros other than to try to get enough protein
  • Posts: 1,007 Member
    Coffee, condiments (I prefer low calorie ones like dill pickles, mustard & vinegar anyway), onion/garlic, herbs & spices, salt. I also estimate fruit & veggies if they are plain and not part of a recipe. I have to may change the fruit & veggie estimating now that my deficit is so low.

    I should note I don't track sodium at all, some of the above would definitely skew a sodium count.
  • Posts: 9,812 Member
    I don't log herbs, spices, garlic, some condiments, small bites and tastes, low cal veggies sometimes if I can't be bothered.
  • Posts: 369 Member
    Out of curiosity I've been logging everything this go-round (after putting on 10 lbs) but I've lost weight previously without ever worrying about counting vegetables (provided they weren't covered in dressings, sauces, etc.) and it has never been a detriment to my weight loss.
  • Posts: 15,573 Member
    garlic. I get a protein shake once a week and log everything in it except for the scoop of fiber.
  • Posts: 4,064 Member
    Gum
  • Posts: 91 Member
    water, coffee, tea, and pickles - if the jar says 0 calories per serving. I count everything else, including garlic cloves when cooking.
This discussion has been closed.