Let's be honest

135

Replies

  • grinning_chick
    grinning_chick Posts: 765 Member
    I measure them all.

    If I want more than two tablespoons of salad dressing, then I eat more than two tablespoons of salad dressing. But then I have account for those calories regardless of how many it is. Either make them fit my daily calorie limit one way or another or go for a hike with elevation gain and loss in it to burn off calories. One way or another, room has to be made for those dressing based calories to be accounted for.

    If I choose to do neither - because that's what it is, a choice - I either stay fat for years and years on end, insidiously adding more fat every year -or- always yo-yo weight-wise when I do try to lose weight, never getting where I think I should be. BTDT, lost all but ~18 months of my 30s to it.

    So it's either one or the either. Me? This time I choose Door 1, thanks.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,897 Member
    edited July 2017
    Nexus902 wrote: »
    hey every one I want your honest thoughts about this. Am I the only one who doesn't measure their food. I mean really I'm not measuring out how much katchup I am putting ony eggs but it's not a table spoon. Just like salad dressing how do they expect salad to taist good with just 2 tablespoons of salad dressing. Honest opinions please.

    I think 2 T of salad dressing is plenty, even for a big salad. But 2 T of full fat ranch has more calories than I want to spend (150), so I use 1 T plus 56 grams of much lower calorie cottage cheese. Also, I put my salad bowl on my scale and weigh out the equivalent of 1 T because it is much easier and accurate to do it this way, plus I don't have to wash the tablespoon.

    If you're just not happy with a salad unless it is copiously dressed, try this recipe:

    Homemade ranch dressing
    Adapted from "Joy of Cooking"

    2/3 C fat free yogurt thinned with about 1/3 C water (if using Greek yogurt, use more water and less yogurt)
    2 T lime juice
    1 garlic clove, crushed and minced
    a few big pinches of salt
    1/4 t pepper
    1 T minced parsley
    1 T minced chives or 1 T very finely minced onion
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    I rarely log anymore, but I measured everything when losing, and I still will measure a higher cal dressing (I normally make my own, so I measure the olive oil I add, and use vinegar freely, because it's low cal). I don't measure mustard, because low cal, but sometimes use aioli, and sure thing I measure that!

    It's probably worthwhile learning to enjoy foods without drowning them in sauces, but that's up to you, it's not required, but if you eat the calories they count, measured or not.
  • 92joann
    92joann Posts: 67 Member
    I don't tend to weigh or measure, sometimes I will but I won't measure protein or veg, I don't see the point, so I guess most. Like I'm not weighing a chicken breast, because I don't mind being a few calories out. But I have a printout of portion sizes by the cooker so I feel like I can make good enough judgements. I'm on 1200 calories a day, as long as I'm within that by a couple hundred, I'm losing weight. If I started gaining or maintaining, I would weigh. I do a lot of basic cooking though so usually mfp has it all figured out for me
  • lucypstacy
    lucypstacy Posts: 178 Member
    Honestly, I had to learn to measure because I was overestimating by more than I had ever thought. My 4oz of meat was more like 6oz and so on. Now I have gotten better at understanding portion sizes, but I just feel safer with measuring everything I can.

    As for salad, I used to be one of those people that really poured on the dressing. The first few times I tried too tablespoons, I thought it was far too little, but now I'm used to it. Salad dressing is a bit of pain for me because I have a sensitivity to vinegar, which eliminates a lot of dressing.
  • Ironandwine69
    Ironandwine69 Posts: 2,432 Member
    I don't measure or log 95% of the time. The other 5% of the time I don't bother measuring dressings and anything of that nature
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,572 Member
    I don't even use salad dressing and I love my salads. I put hot sauce on them which is "zero" calories but even then, when I"m serious, I account for some calories because nothing is zero calories.
  • 4545868
    4545868 Posts: 5 Member
    "how do they expect salad to taste good with just 2 tablespoons of salad dressing" If you're buying commercial bottled dressing, maybe you can switch to the lighter version? Honestly, my favorite "dressing" is some olive oil, a little salt, and black pepper. It brings out the natural flavors and doesn't mask them.
  • Nexus902
    Nexus902 Posts: 38 Member
    amusedmonkey wrote: »
    I weigh and measure everything than I can weigh and measure. If you're losing weight without measuring right now, then continue doing what you are doing, but at one point (and this is very likely) your weight loss could stall. If it does, you know what you need to start doing. Salad dressing in particular can be very high in calories. If you do a simple oil and vinegar dressing (classically 3 parts oil 1 part vinegar) and you use more than 2 tablespoons you're talking about 200 extra calories, if not more. It can add up and wipe out your deficit completely. Ketchup is forgiving at roughly 1 calorie per gram, but mayo is not if you're using mayo.

    I use a light mayo and I usually just spread I find with that if I do the full 1 Tbsp it over powers the wonderful flavers of the meat. Only exception I use way more when I am making tuna because I find fish disgusting.
  • Nexus902
    Nexus902 Posts: 38 Member
    jenniferinfl wrote: »
    I weigh or measure pretty much everything. However, every once in awhile I might have like 3 jellybeans out of the candy bowl at work. If that's all I have, I don't bother logging it. It's like 8 calories. I'm usually under my calories anyways and I've averaged a loss of 1.5 lbs a week for the last 16 weeks.

    I wish I was losing that every week I would be so much happier
  • Nexus902
    Nexus902 Posts: 38 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Nexus902 wrote: »
    hey every one I want your honest thoughts about this. Am I the only one who doesn't measure their food. I mean really I'm not measuring out how much katchup I am putting ony eggs but it's not a table spoon. Just like salad dressing how do they expect salad to taist good with just 2 tablespoons of salad dressing. Honest opinions please.

    If you're just not happy with a salad unless it is copiously dressed, try this recipe:

    Homemade ranch dressing
    Adapted from "Joy of Cooking"

    2/3 C fat free yogurt thinned with about 1/3 C water (if using Greek yogurt, use more water and less yogurt)
    2 T lime juice
    1 garlic clove, crushed and minced
    a few big pinches of salt
    1/4 t pepper
    1 T minced parsley
    1 T minced chives or 1 T very finely minced onion

    Can you get the stuff in lactose free? I get sick with I have anything with milk in it.
  • InkAndApples
    InkAndApples Posts: 201 Member
    snickerscharlie wrote: »
    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    I weigh and measure just about everything. I estimate sugar free ketchup and sriracha, but they are low calorie condiments.

    To compensate for my somewhat loose logging (I might pour an extra ml or two of creamer in my tea and not bother to change the entry I use every day), I leave extra exercise calories on the table.

    Me, too. I only eat back @ 50% of my 'bonus' exercise calories to allow for inaccuracies in either my food logging or my exercise burn. :)

    I do the opposite - psychologically I find something extra gratifying about eating my exercise calories and it motivates me to do more, knowing I'll eat them all... So I purposely tend to over estimate my food logging to "make up" for it.

    Funny how we're all different. Whatever works, I say.
  • Nexus902
    Nexus902 Posts: 38 Member
    4545868 wrote: »
    "how do they expect salad to taste good with just 2 tablespoons of salad dressing" If you're buying commercial bottled dressing, maybe you can switch to the lighter version? Honestly, my favorite "dressing" is some olive oil, a little salt, and black pepper. It brings out the natural flavors and doesn't mask them.

    I use balsamic vinaigrette which is 20 cal, or cucumber dressing which is also 20 cal.
  • Nexus902
    Nexus902 Posts: 38 Member
    livingleanlivingclean wrote: »
    Nexus902 wrote: »
    jenniferinfl wrote: »
    I weigh or measure pretty much everything. However, every once in awhile I might have like 3 jellybeans out of the candy bowl at work. If that's all I have, I don't bother logging it. It's like 8 calories. I'm usually under my calories anyways and I've averaged a loss of 1.5 lbs a week for the last 16 weeks.

    I wish I was losing that every week I would be so much happier

    If you aren't getting the results you want, surely trying to weigh and measure more accurately would be a good start? At least you have a better idea about your intake that way?

    I agree I will try to start to do that. Measuring cups and spoons are only $2 for a set so I will start there
  • Nexus902
    Nexus902 Posts: 38 Member
    MaddMaestro wrote: »
    Let me guess, ranch dressing, right?

    Cucumber or Balsamic
  • taziarj
    taziarj Posts: 243 Member
    I agree on the two tbsp of dressing. That is hardly nothing. I also don't weigh out all my foods. I do some things, like peanut butter or when I am prepping my Greek yogurt for breakfast. But for the most part I eyeball it. I put ketchup and relish on a hamburger without weighing it. I usually weigh my cheese for a baked potato but rarely weigh the butter or sour cream. I don't weigh meats, but I generally know the overall weight of the cut and if I cut it in to two or four pieces, I just divide the total by that amount and that is what I count. Like a 16oz ribeye, if I grill it and split it with my wife, I count 8oz. I seem to be doing okay but I am still on a 750 calorie deficit per day and the higher your deficit the more forgiving everything will be. I am still losing 1.5lb or more a week. I know when I get closer to maintenance that I will probably have to tighten up the logging.

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