Tracking salads

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lll109
lll109 Posts: 11 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
When you track a salad do you track each and every ingredient or do you pick something you're think is close? Worried I am overestimating and taking away calories I can use for fun. Had a big 5 cups salad but tossed any veggies that needed to be eaten up. Only real add ones were some artichoke hearts, sun dried tomatoes, and touch of fried onions. What would you think reasonable for calories?
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Replies

  • jakkrk
    jakkrk Posts: 54 Member
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    I estimate for my salads as its usually not that much. 5 cup salad would be huge to me . Dressing you should be able to track pretty well.
  • howekaren
    howekaren Posts: 159 Member
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    I typically track each vegetable I put in by weight. Pretty easy to do if you use a set of scales and zero the weight before each addition. If it's a salad I typically make, as in my spinach salad favourite, I add it to my meals so I can easily add it each time.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    I weigh everything down to my leafy greens.
  • DaisyHamilton
    DaisyHamilton Posts: 575 Member
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    I track each item individually. For MFPs salad listings, you don't know what was in it. Maybe it was just lettuce, or maybe the listing included chicken breast, tomatoes, avocado, croutons, etc. It's better to track everything yourself.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
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    Track each ingredient. I just put my bowl on the scale. Tare the scale. Add the lettuce or whatever. Log it. Tare the scale. Toss the next ingredient in the bowl. Log it. Tare the scale. Add the next ingredient... etc. until I'm done. Just takes a minute or so. Easy peasy and I have an accurate log.
  • itsbasschick
    itsbasschick Posts: 1,584 Member
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    i weigh and add each ingredient separately. it sometimes makes for a looong list of stuff :D
  • sarahlifts
    sarahlifts Posts: 610 Member
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    I weigh everything that has calories.
  • endlessfall16
    endlessfall16 Posts: 932 Member
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    I do not bother with leafy greens at all. I only roughly estimate the cheese, the nuts, the amount of dressings, sour cream.

    Gotta count the chicken or turkey, ham slices if I want them.

    If you fry stuff, estimate the oil that might soak in. Go by 1 or 2 tsp. I don't think it's possible for a whole onion to soak up more than 1 tspn of oil!!!

    Been doing this for weeks. Weight is dropping off just fine.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    endlessfall16 wrote: »
    I do not bother with leafy greens at all. I only roughly estimate the cheese, the nuts, the amount of dressings, sour cream.

    Gotta count the chicken or turkey, ham slices if I want them.

    If you fry stuff, estimate the oil that might soak in. Go by 1 or 2 tsp. I don't think it's possible for a whole onion to soak up more than 1 tspn of oil!!!

    Been doing this for weeks. Weight is dropping off just fine.

    If you cook with a tablespoon of oil, you log a tablespoon of oil. Whatever you cook in it soaks it up, yes. I was not quite as accurate when I first started either, but I had more to lose then.
  • treegirl97
    treegirl97 Posts: 70 Member
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    I weight every ingredient that I put in my salad. Even lettuce has a few calories, even if it is only a small amount.
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 4,975 Member
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    If I buy a bagged salad I go buy the label and then anything I add too it I weigh and log. The salad I usually get is 15 calories for 85g. But that is still 15 calories so I count it.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    kgirlhart wrote: »
    If I buy a bagged salad I go buy the label and then anything I add too it I weigh and log. The salad I usually get is 15 calories for 85g. But that is still 15 calories so I count it.

    Yeah, some of these bags are 30 for 85g and I can eat two bags per day. So I am definitely weighing and logging 120 calories worth of lettuce.

    I eat a lot of lettuce. I know it's weird.
  • RachelElser
    RachelElser Posts: 427 Member
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    I make my own- when I by the bagged mixes they always seem to get slimy very quickly- and I set the bowl on a scale and toss how many ounces of each that I want.
  • lauraesh0384
    lauraesh0384 Posts: 463 Member
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    I weigh and log each individual ingredient. Romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, chicken and dressing. It's the best way to ensure you're not going under or over your calories.
  • Rage_Phish
    Rage_Phish Posts: 1,508 Member
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    every ingredient
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 4,975 Member
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    rachelelser wrote: »
    I make my own- when I by the bagged mixes they always seem to get slimy very quickly- and I set the bowl on a scale and toss how many ounces of each that I want.

    The bags can get slimy quickly, but they don't usually last me more than 2 meals. Most often just one.
  • KristenNagle1
    KristenNagle1 Posts: 83 Member
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    I usually put in 100 calories to account for the vegetables - especially if it's a bunch of stuff like peppers, onion, lettuce, tomato, carrots etc. Then Ill roughly estimate the cheese (if I have any) and add for 2 T of dressing. If there is meat I would add that separate too.
  • Afura
    Afura Posts: 2,054 Member
    edited April 2016
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    If I'm making my salad at home, everything gets weighed (ok maybe not the olives), carrot shreds, lettuce, tomato, sunflower seeds, etc. If I'm out and about I try and guesstimate it as best as I can.
  • perkymommy
    perkymommy Posts: 1,642 Member
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    jakkrk wrote: »
    I estimate for my salads as its usually not that much. 5 cup salad would be huge to me . Dressing you should be able to track pretty well.

    It's easiest to weigh them in this instance. Salads were always tough for me as well because I always used to wonder if I was overestimating the items I put in it.
  • snowflake930
    snowflake930 Posts: 2,188 Member
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    I eat the same salad all the time, so I entered it in a recipe.
    I never buy salad. $7.00 at Culvers...................for what, mostly lettuce. At that price you could make a lot of salads.

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