Just curious about how you log

Options
2»

Replies

  • bioklutz
    bioklutz Posts: 1,365 Member
    Options
    I don't log items that say 0 calories. For example, I won't log hot sauce that I put on my turkey burger. I don't log vitamins. I don't log spices.

    I pre-log my meals and snacks most of the time. If I log 28 grams of chocolate chips and later weigh out 29 grams I may or may not remember to change it.

    When I was eating at a deficit I used to try to guess how many calories I had when eating out. Now I don't bother. If the nutritional is not available I type what I ate in the food notes.
  • myfitnesspale3
    myfitnesspale3 Posts: 276 Member
    Options
    I don't log anything but weight after the first six months, during which I logged everything down to 1-2 guessed calories. Ignoring water and diet soda. EXCEPT special days when I go big off low carb, about 6-10 days a year, to see the macros and gauge the next day's reaction in appetite, weight, other things.
  • 20yearsyounger
    20yearsyounger Posts: 1,643 Member
    Options
    I log spices only because I need to control my sodium intake and I need to remember which ones I used that taste good. Usually there are 0 or 5 calories though so perfection isn't important. I don't log water but I do log my diet sodas. I don't log gum. I log coffee to measure potassium. I log my vitamins. At this point though 80% of my meals are either very frequent or saved so logging isn't a challenge for me.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    Options
    I can be slights sloppy with my logging (I don't weigh everything and I fairly frequently use generic entries) but I am consistent.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    edited September 2015
    Options
    I think the consistency is what's important as long as you're stable. So I may not be perfectly 'accurate' from a scientific perspective, but I am completely consistent so my weight remains stable. And I'm always under a few hundred calories, which absorbs the slop.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    Options
    I don't log diet drinks, water, and spices.

    I recently started chewing a crap ton of gum and started logging that because it was getting out of hand.
  • runningforthetrain
    runningforthetrain Posts: 1,037 Member
    Options
    Like jennifer_417 I regularly use generic entries from the database- especially because I eat out often and not at chain restaurants. I log everything I eat everyday except for small portions of veg and do not log 0 cal drinks generally. I have been using MFP just over a year and have lost 10 pounds- which is extremely hard for me to keep off! I am back up 3 already. I LOVE good eats and cocktails. I find I am less angry now about my weight because I log- :)
  • MeiannaLee
    MeiannaLee Posts: 338 Member
    Options
    I used to log everything when I was losing including gum, spices, pickles, soy sauce, hot sauce, everything!
    Now that I'm maintaining, I dont weigh spices, lettuce on burgers, lemon juice, peppers etc.
    However, I still try to weigh almost everything I eat. For example when I make myself a salad, I weigh all the lettuce and tomatoes and croutons :)
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    Options
    To be honest, I wasn't very strict with my logging. I would weigh some stuff up until dinner most days, but once I got a feel for the portion size, I stopped. Dinner I guestimated 75% of the time. I also left out a lot of little things, but I think it's about being consistent. It worked for me.

    As for one or two things entered on random days, not sure why others do it, but for me sometimes I like to check the calorie count on a snack or food item I'm having so I will enter it to see what the total comes to.
  • Maries_wine_calories
    Maries_wine_calories Posts: 152 Member
    Options
    sijomial wrote: »
    Caveat - I've always chased consistency rather than accuracy and worked from actual results rather than blind faith in numbers.

    When losing initially:
    Logged fairly comprehensively (very educational to see what my portion size was compared to the suggested portion sizes!).
    But gave up logging water and zero calorie drinks very quickly as it seemed ridiculous and still does.
    Happy to guess-timate amounts of very low calorie foods (salad for example)
    Would have a rough guess after holidays/vacations when logging suspended.

    After hitting initial goal:
    Consciously relaxed logging, more eye-balling and estimating. Still tended to weigh high calorie items (cheese, cereal as examples). Used quick add calories rarely.

    After hitting final goal relaxed logging even more. More likely to use educated guesses and quick adds. Really as much interested in macros as calories.

    After a long while maintaining successfully I stopped logging completely. Found habits and choices entrenched enough to maintain easily. Not so easy to lose a few pounds after a holiday/vacation though but there's other tools and tricks to create a temporary deficit without logging.



    Thanks for your honesty!
    I'm somewhere between final and long term according to your outcome and I'm happy with that. I enjoy the math of my eats/burns but although I'm not afraid to return to "checking myself" this (logging) will not be a forever and ever regimen for me (if I've gotten it right).
  • lovabee
    lovabee Posts: 30 Member
    Options
    I actually enjoy logging my food. It makes me plan ahead and look forward to dinner when I log my food in advance. I do not log anything that has less than 5 calories, like diet coke, tea or most spices.
  • klrenn
    klrenn Posts: 245 Member
    Options
    I have just settled into maintenance though I have my MFP goal set lower than my maintenance calories. I track protein, calcium, and iron so I still weigh/log everything I can, but I figure this accounts for any inaccurate logging, dinners out, and the occasional drink or late night dessert/snack that I don't weigh or log
  • pinkteapot3
    pinkteapot3 Posts: 157 Member
    Options
    I log everything except water, black tea/coffee, diet soft drinks, and like you, the occasional lettuce leaf!

    Basically, anything with cals, gets logged. :smile:

Categories