Has logging food opened your eyes?

3438nancy · July 2015

I just now realized that after 3 weeks of logging that I have a fat tooth while I thought my biggest problem was sugar and salt.

Salads have more fat in the dressings than I thought. Even though my calories are under the goal on most days my log reveals a high fat percentage 42-51well over the 30% goal
Brownies and sausage for lunch? what was I thinking ?

How can I keep the flavor and cut fat without adding sugar? does anyone have any suggestions I am trying to stay away from artificial sweeteners and hidden sugars in lowfat foods and cut processsed food as much as possible 80-90 percent of the time

miriamtob · July 2015

I aim for moderate protein based on my activity and lean body mass, keep carbs around 100g per day and the rest is fat! Yay, fat tooth! So, like you I'm at ~42% fat, but I have my macro goals set this way on purpose. Fat is an essential nutrient and many find it very satiating. More and more evidence is showing that saturatated fat is not the artery clogging demon it was made out to be since the 70s. Think twice and do some research before cutting fat. You probably don't really need to cut fat just based on MFPs default settings. Find a way of eating that is nutrient dense and allows you to eat at a deficit without feeling hungry all the time.

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld · July 2015

I think brownies and sausages sounds lovely. I don't worry about my fat intake. I more worry that I am hitting my protein and fibre.

flamingblades · July 2015

You bet it has opened my eyes....I'm glad I saw how much sodium I was taking in. Yikerz!

Furbuster · July 2015

Yeah I don't eat enough salt or protein so I've started adding salt to food and increasing legumes. Iron was way low too so I make sure I take my vitamins every day now and more Marmite!

B_TEEN · July 2015

Yes, logging food helped me realized that I consumed too much fat. The larger quantities of fatty foods resulted in excessive calories consumed. Even when I made improvements on the SAD, my fat content was high -- and it showed physically.

Firefly0606 · July 2015

Absolutely. When I started being honest with the logging it became obvious why I'm carrying all this extra weight, even though I ate a pretty balanced and healthy diet with a treat here and there. Portion sizes matter. And what is actually in some of my meals... a healthy spaghetti bolognese loaded with veggies with "a bit of cheese on top" - mmmm, was going a bit overboard with the cheese so my healthy meal was top heavy with extra calories. Logging has made all the difference and I don't miss out. I still have the cheese, just not so much.

Justthisgirl1994 · July 2015

Logging made me see that my protein and calcium were too low. It also made me see how too much fruit is a thing. I love apples, I used to have like 10 a day, but now I know apples have very little fiber but have a lot of calories, sugar and carbs.

Francl27 · July 2015

Oh yeah. I knew that a lot of food were high calories, but I never really realized how high calories until I started looking up nutrition information. Yikes.

Don't worry about high fat. Fat is filling. As long as you stay under your calories, you're fine. Just make sure you have enough protein too. For salad dressings though typically I just use Dijon mustard and vinegar now. Or if it's some creamy dressing I just dip the fork in it then in the salad, instead of dumping the container on the salad. You still get the taste, but way less calories from it.

kjhicks327 · July 2015

Yes.... i hit a plateau and this was a major eye opener. Once I started logging the pounds started coming off again...
So easy to eat mindlessly and think that the small things dont matter.

bioklutz · July 2015

I saw that I was not eating enough protein. It was so easy to fix too! 100 calories of greek yogurt or 100 calories of protein powder (or sometimes both depending on the day) was enough to get my protein up.

If you really like creamy dressings on salad and want to trim a few calories, you could try some of the yogurt based ones. They are usually right by the salad bags- kept cold. Just keep an eye on the expiration date (they do not last as long).

Really though - there is nothing wrong with fat. If you are staying within your calorie goals enjoy the dressing you like. Whatever you do, KEEP THE BROWNIES!

Kalikel · July 2015

Flavor - spices. Even those bottles of Mrs. Dash are great for flavor, but there are so many spices out there just waiting to be tried! Try new foods and new recipes, too.

It takes some time to get used to less salt and sweetened things, but it opens up a whole new world of flavor. And it's good.

debubbie · July 2015

It totally opened my eyes too about the number of calories that I was consuming on a daily basis in all of the pop and candy that I devoured! I just made small changes and over time they have started to stick. I still have cheeseburgers with bacon, or thin crust veggie pizza, and always a piece of chocolate everyday but I make them work into my calorie goals.

Also, I typically make my own dressings by using the same amount of olive oil or flaxseed oil to apple cider vinegar (usually a half cup and lasts for a few salads) add in some fresh minced garlic, red pepper flakes, and Mrs. Dash seasoning (all to taste) and shake it up before using. I have found that I can use a tablespoon or so of this on my salads and cut calories versus the bottled stuff. Plus, I am still getting some healthy fat into my diet and the fat will help me to feel full.

GreenGoddess22 · July 2015

Absolutely. At the end of the day I used to think "I ate pretty well today". Then I started logging every food and those calories sure added up. I make a true effort to select what I eat based on health factors now. Logging is the way I started losing my weight.

wendybirdx · July 2015

Oh my, yessss! I never knew how caloric my "it's just a little, so it's okay" foods were. 470 calories for a Starbucks lemon loaf!? I suddenly get those reality shock posts that compare calorie portions.

I honestly find that veggies taste amazing on their own. Beets and pumpkin especially (makes chowing down broccoli and cauliflower a little easier). Onions are, of course, super tasty. Maybe try adding veggies you like! Boiling them alone or with a little salt makes for a lovely dinner or lunch option with some chicken or fish. (:

Kexessa · July 2015

I don't pay much attention to fat because it goes hand in hand with calories. The higher the fat content generally the higher the calorie content. But I do try to have "good" fats, like avocadoes. But really, no food is safe around me.

Logging my food really helped me put what I was eating into perspective. Before logging, at the end of the day I would think over what I had and determine 'oh this was a pretty good food day'. But once I started logging I realized that my calories, even with an hour of exercise, were way over what my body needed.

What made the most difference though was weighing my food. For the first 3 weeks on MFP I though weighing my food was ridiculous and unnecessary. I'd have avocado on my salad and log from the database "avocado medium 100g". I'd look and think, yeah, that's a medium avocado. I bought a food scale after not losing even an ounce after 3 weeks. I have MFP set to 1/2 pound a week. Well, I weighed one of my medium avocados and it weighed 340g! So I was logging 167 calories and eating 330+ more just on that one item. I don't weigh everything. Like fresh spinach, lettuce, and some other things. But I've discovered measuring/weighing to be eye opening. 2 TBSP of hummus or peanut butter is a lot less than you think. It's actually not equal to two gobs on a knife.

professionalHobbyist · July 2015

I started logging olive oil I use for cooking

Adds up quick!

shaneozouf · July 2015

Mostly how much sodium I consume. I also guess i underestimated how many calories are in some things.

I roughly eat the same, just a bit less

rhtexasgal · July 2015

I realized that I was not consuming enough protein and could use some extra fat too. I upped my nut content and added a tablespoon of coconut oil in the morning and one at night. I eat a lot of salad so I have learned to add some meat/protein to it to ensure I get what I need.

3438nancy · July 2015

Thank you so much everyone for your responses and support. We are all in the same boat. For some of us it is a lifeboat that we wish we could fit more people into.
I like the pre-packaged portions for hummus wholly guacamole and peanut butter I recently tried sauteing some vegetables with coconut oil. A little seems to go along way and doesnt burn easily. It was almost kind of like butter in some way or maybe just more like butter than olive oil which I was raised on. I used to think olive oil had to go on everything or food wouldnt taste right or good. I stopped using it in salsa which by some miracle requires no fat at all to taste good I just use

lime juice
garlic
onion
fresh cilantro
tomatoe
bell pepper
sea salt
jalapeno

then I started cooking shrimp in it and chicken and vegetables

then I realized that I don't need to add olive oil to asparagus brussell sprouts or string beans
that I cook in the microwave. Sea salt and lemon juice actually compliment the natural flavor
better and everything dosn't have to taste like olive oil anyway.
I told my mom about this thinking it would be a big revelation to her but she said she had started doing this years ago.Typical,cant tell her anything she doesnt already know! LOL

3438nancy · July 2015

I thought apples had tons of fiber too

3438nancy · July 2015

I will start focusing on getting enough fiber and protien and not worry about healthy fats but try to swap them for bad fats like fats that are bound chemically to processed foods

griffinca2 · July 2015

Absolutely! Started logging what I age; discovered I wasn't eating enough and what I was eating (although healthy) had too much sugar. Increased the calories and cut back on the sugar and lost the few lbs I wanted to (and then some). Don't realize what you are eating till you start writing it down and tracking it.

Zarnoo · July 2015

Sure! I was eating way too much protein. And my carbs where high in sugar.
Now protein levels are now on point, the excess is replaced with high fiber carbs and so the extra sugar is gone. Also my sleep has improved a lot..
Tracking/Logging = Easy Results

Drewlssix · July 2015

3438nancy wrote: »

I just now realized that after 3 weeks of logging that I have a fat tooth while I thought my biggest problem was sugar and salt.

Salads have more fat in the dressings than I thought. Even though my calories are under the goal on most days my log reveals a high fat percentage 42-51well over the 30% goal
Brownies and sausage for lunch? what was I thinking ?

How can I keep the flavor and cut fat without adding sugar? does anyone have any suggestions I am trying to stay away from artificial sweeteners and hidden sugars in lowfat foods and cut processsed food as much as possible 80-90 percent of the time

My biggest revelation was an average day equated to 3500+ calories a day.

Once I was aware of that fact I easily cut 1500 a day without feeling remotely hungry. Cravings yeah but not real hunger.

I'm just getting to the point where I really have to concern my self with macros and such. My base intake is 2000, or 1500 less than before. At first the weight fell off and I really ate whatever I wanted within my budget. I think when the margins tightened up as the weight came off I felt the effect of not getting the nutrients and such I needed. I had a few days where I felt sick and lethargic. When I stopped replacing meals with treats I immediately got better.

I'm transitioning from weight loss to wanting to build muscle so paying attention to these things will be more important than ever.

NEWMEKELLIB · July 2015

Vinager and mustard and plain greek yogarts are all great bases for salad dressings, measure it you make it... for example

yogart / garlic / a pinch salt/ mustard/ and a herb of choice

its a great dressing...
I always have fat and protien and veggie and to every meal nuts/ cheese/ egg or animal protien chicken ect..

mariannekehl · July 2015

flamingblades wrote: »

You bet it has opened my eyes....I'm glad I saw how much sodium I was taking in. Yikerz!

ME TOO!

Has logging food opened your eyes?

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