Gum calories.....Seriously!

cheermom614
cheermom614 Posts: 97
edited September 29 in Health and Weight Loss
Yesterday, I saw a post from a guy asking if he needed to count the 5 calories in the sugar free stick of gum he was eating. I was more than shocked to see how many people responded back with YES!

Seriously! Do you count all the mundane physical activities you do each day as well. "Emptied the dishwasher", "Walked to the mailbox", "Swallowed water". 5 calories in a stick of gum is not something to get into a tizzy about, I think you burn that off climbing into your bed at night!

No weight loss program or lifestyle change will ever work if you are that rigid! I tend to believe if you are that strict about your calorie intake then there is a more serious issue of a major negative self image at work and that needs to be addressed!

Sorry for the rant and of course that's just my opinion!
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Replies

  • jrich1
    jrich1 Posts: 2,408 Member
    Are there even calories if you dont swallow the gum anyway?
  • Marcieb21
    Marcieb21 Posts: 127 Member
    I always think that you burn those gum calories by chewing it anyways...so i don't count it :D
  • gentlebreeze2
    gentlebreeze2 Posts: 450 Member
    Are there even calories if you dont swallow the gum anyway?


    giggles... too funny mister.
  • cheermom614
    cheermom614 Posts: 97
    My point exactly! I was just shocked to find all the people who responded telling this guy that he absolutely needed to count the gum!
  • bethdris
    bethdris Posts: 1,090 Member
    Okay, I had to laugh when I read your post. I agree, I don't log a piece of chewing gum or a mint I may eat. The stick of gum isn't what got me here. It was the bag of chips, pizza, soda, and all the other junk I ate without thinking.

    I too don't log every calorie burned during the day. Unless I'm doing some HEAVY duty cleaning, and I mean butt kicking, sweat producing cleaning the only thing that really gets logged is my treadmill work out, dvd (when I do those), and 1x a week mowing the lawn.
  • jbucci1186
    jbucci1186 Posts: 440 Member
    haha i agree
  • angela828
    angela828 Posts: 498 Member
    I have to agree with this.... I chew 1-5 pieces of gum a day and never log it. I chew dentyne pure and it is less than 5 calories per piece. I think I burn that much just taking out the pack and popping the piece out and bringing it to my mouth! My gum chewing has not had any negative affect on my weight loss... in fact, it has helped.. especially at night when I want to snack, I just pop a piece of gum!!

    I agree you should log everything you eat, and also things like cough drops (they can be HIGH in calories, especially when you're sick and down like 20 a day like I do when I have a cold) but seriously, how often do you chew gum that it could hinder your weight loss?
  • Texas501
    Texas501 Posts: 274
    I counted the calories it took to type this post......am I doing wrong?....lol
  • niresupernova
    niresupernova Posts: 33
    I agree- I've seen it on some food diaries and I always think if it works for you, it works. But it wouldn't work for me... some people really feel that they need to count everything that they consume but I personally do not subscribe to that philosophy!
  • cheermom614
    cheermom614 Posts: 97
    Hilarious!
  • VeganGal84
    VeganGal84 Posts: 938 Member
    I saw that post and thought the exact same thing! There is no reason to count sugar free gum...

    I counted gum when I was anorexic, so I kind of equate that with disordered eating, but I know that is just because of my history.
  • niresupernova
    niresupernova Posts: 33
    I counted the calories it took to type this post......am I doing wrong?....lol

    Now that made me laugh!
  • marie_2454
    marie_2454 Posts: 881 Member
    Lol I feel the same way. I chew gum all the time, but never log the calories. Even if I chew 10 pieces a day, that's still only 50 calories and as long as I'm recording everything else, it won't matter.
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
    You burn more calories chewing gum than you get from it. Likewise you burn more calories walking to the cupboard to get vitamins out than they contain.

    I think counting stuff with fewer than 10 cals is bordering on insanity. I only do it with superfood powders to remember I have taken them!
  • Galathea
    Galathea Posts: 420 Member
    Just my two cents...
    But I noticed that people tend to get ridiculously strict about their calorie intake. Most people forget that it is almost impossible to be absolutely accurate on this. You may weigh everything that goes into your mouth. But the plain truth is that even in veggies and fruits the calories aren't always the same.
    For example:
    Two tangerines with the exact same weight don't hold the exact same calories. It depends on so many things like how mellow they are, how much fruit juice they have and so on. Being absolutely accurate is impossible. Even with such a wonderful site like MFP you only get an estimation about your calorie intake. It's most likely pretty close to what you really eat. But it's never 100 % safe.
    And therefore personally I would never freak out about 5 cals in a gum. If I would have 50 gums a day things would be a bit different though. =^_^=
  • PaulaJKelly
    PaulaJKelly Posts: 96
    Good luck everyone!
  • Phanessa917
    Phanessa917 Posts: 100 Member
    I'm guilty of logging my sugar free hard candy :embarassed: I even logged in my zero calorie diet soda in the beginning :laugh: ... tracking it just to "keep track" haha. Not anymore though.

    I don't chew gum but if I did, I probably would log it so I can keep track. It's not that silly. It's your log, so you can log whatever you choose to log.
  • kd10680
    kd10680 Posts: 31
    I agree with you! I at least deserve some sugar free gum without having to think about it!!! lol :laugh:
  • jbucci1186
    jbucci1186 Posts: 440 Member
    Just my two cents...
    But I noticed that people tend to get ridiculously strict about their calorie intake. Most people forget that it is almost impossible to be absolutely accurate on this. You may weigh everything that goes into your mouth. But the plain truth is that even in veggies and fruits the calories aren't always the same.
    For example:
    Two tangerines with the exact same weight don't hold the exact same calories. It depends on so many things like how mellow they are, how much fruit juice they have and so on. Being absolutely accurate is impossible. Even with such a wonderful site like MFP you only get an estimation about your calorie intake. It's most likely pretty close to what you really eat. But it's never 100 % safe.
    And therefore personally I would never freak out about 5 cals in a gum. If I would have 50 gums a day things would be a bit different though. =^_^=

    i'm always thinking about that when i eat! like, "this watermelon tastes like crap today... it must have less calories/sugar than it's supposed to"
  • _Khaleesi_
    _Khaleesi_ Posts: 877 Member
    I personally like to add it. I add every calorie I consume. It's all part of the need to over estimate the calories I have eaten rather than under estimate. Do I count unloading the dishwasher? Nope, but thats because I rather think I only have 76 calories left and not eat more than think I have 300 cals left and eat them... and be over. Ya know? Maybe it's the little paranoid person in me, but I am always careful that way.
  • pittsblue99
    pittsblue99 Posts: 277 Member
    Haahaa - too funny! There was a post a long while back about the calories in iceberg lettuce and should they be counted. I believe a cup of shredded lettuce has like 7 or 8 calories - you burn those just chewing!
  • catcrazy
    catcrazy Posts: 1,740 Member
    I log mine (loosely), I chew about 10 pieces a day (sugar free and some of those are nicotine gum), I also drink about 8 cups of decaf black coffee (4 calories) which I also log...its not about the calories, its knowing what I was doing when I look back....this is the way I'm doing it, its MYfitnesspal. If you don't want to thats fair enough but if others want to why knock them?

    ETA. would you log a 50 calorie sweet?? Now would you log a 50 calorie sweet but ignore 5 sticks of 5 cal gum, 5 cups of 4 cal coffee, 2 cups of iceberg lettuce and a quarter cup of cucumber............

    but as i said its not just about the calories
  • Amber824
    Amber824 Posts: 51 Member
    I always think that you burn those gum calories by chewing it anyways...so i don't count it :D

    Never thought about that...GREAT point! :happy:
  • Melbel85
    Melbel85 Posts: 240 Member
    I keep track of every single thing. Its just my way. It shouldn't really bother anybody.
  • happy_jax
    happy_jax Posts: 289 Member
    I log mine (loosely), I chew about 10 pieces a day (sugar free and some of those are nicotine gum), I also drink about 8 cups of decaf black coffee (4 calories) which I also log...its not about the calories, its knowing what I was doing when I look back....this is the way I'm doing it, its MYfitnesspal. If you don't want to thats fair enough but if others want to why knock them?

    ETA. would you log a 50 calorie sweet?? Now would you log a 50 calorie sweet but ignore 5 sticks of 5 cal gum, 5 cups of 4 cal coffee, 2 cups of iceberg lettuce and a quarter cup of cucumber............

    but as i said its not just about the calories

    I agree with this post...it's not just about the calories - it's what works for you and your weight loss.

    No, I don't log gum - but I do log herbal/green/white tea - all of which vary from 0 - 6 calories. This is mainly because I don't log anything other than actual water as part of my liquid intake, but I want to see how much I have had to drink that day as a whole.

    Also, as the above poster pointed out...that way, if you had a good week (or bad week!) but were not sure why - you have a really accurate record of everything you ate and drank - regardless of how many calories they contained.

    Each to their own though...why was the gum question even asked in the first place? THAT'S what seems a bit odd...not those who responded with their own personal points of view and ways of making MFP work for them... Surely you can make that sort of call for yourself?
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,549 Member
    I log everything I eat. All normal activities are included in lifestyle - sedentary, lightly active, active, very active so I log no activities unless it is sweat inducing, planned fitness related (and over 100 calories).

    If I don't log the 5 calories from the mint (did I just have 1? or did I have 5?) then I'm allowing myself an excuse to not log something.

    What else did I not log? The left over crackers on my daughter's plate? The 10 blueberries I put in my cereal? The 15 calorie drink? A tsp of suger in my coffee? The oil I cooked that chicken with? The breading I coated it with? The 3, or was it 4, tablespoons of ice cream from the carton while serving my husband? The single donut hole I snagged in the lunchroom? The 1/2 tin of mints I polished off while working? If I don't log each of those miniscule items, I have eaten what may very well be 495 calories MORE than I expected and completely demolished my deficit.

    That is why people don't lose weight and then wonder why.
  • LizC26
    LizC26 Posts: 319 Member
    I'm pretty sure you will burn at least 5 cals chewing the gum up...
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,549 Member
    I'm pretty sure I burn 1950 calories a day too.
  • MrBrown72
    MrBrown72 Posts: 407 Member
    Careful! gum is a gateway snack! It can lead to larger and more un-logged calories. Next thing you know the rational is "this is sugar free. not logging it." "this says diet on the box. not logging it.""this says Weight watchers on the box. not logging it." "this says Fat free on the box. not logging it." The next thing you know there is nothing on your log and you starve to death while eating 5k un-logged calories.

    Seriously though I believe that many folks are here to unlearn some bad habits and to learn new and healthier habits. So yes, the uber strict "log everything" is a good idea for most of us. It helps us not get into the habit of a bite of this and a taste of that and a diet cola, nah I'll just log the actual meal I'm having later.

    For instance after I started logging everything I realized I was eating 200 calories of mints a day. Sure it was helping me quit smoking but getting mints with lower calories was also a good idea.
  • sauerkrautpolka
    sauerkrautpolka Posts: 266 Member
    I record gum because I am counting carbs, each piece of gum (sugarfree Orbit, anyway) has 1 carb in it (I usually chew 2 pieces at a time), so that is 2 less carbs that I can have that day. Restricting my carbs to 20 a day, 2 carbs is a lot for just gum.
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