How serious are you about logging your calories in?

dlpnrn2b
dlpnrn2b Posts: 441 Member
edited December 19 in Food and Nutrition
I am just curious, not criticizing anyone on their diaries or anything of the sort but I notice a lot of people use the "quick added" calories etc. While looking at my diary at the end of each day, it seems like if I didn't know better, I had eaten the entire kitchen, LOL.. I log every single thing separate, even spices... is it just me?
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Replies

  • Funsoaps
    Funsoaps Posts: 514 Member
    I do too, sometimes.
    I'll log in stevia, my Teavana (calorie-free) iced tea, every bite I take, etc. It's a painstaking process when I bite this and that some days LOL.
  • obsidianwings
    obsidianwings Posts: 1,237 Member
    I take it seriously, sometimes I also wonder why some other people don't seem to, as the logging is going to take the same amount of time either way, so might as well do it right, but each to their own.
    Usually my spices and such are in my recipes so my diary isn't massive lol.
  • lilmisfit
    lilmisfit Posts: 860 Member
    I'm very meticulous about it. I weigh everything and add everything. The only issues I have are when I go out to eat. Then I try to do my best guess based on what's in the MFP food library but always err on the side of "too many calories is more accurate".
  • dlpnrn2b
    dlpnrn2b Posts: 441 Member
    usually when eating out on a planned day, I will check the internet for calories of what I want and if it's a spontaneous meal out, I will do the same and over estimate just to be safe.
  • connollyda
    connollyda Posts: 23
    I do the same thing you do. Every bite of everything gets logged. Its a pain but I've tried other ways and it just leads me to cheat(accidentally or on purpose) so I finally figured if I'm gonna do it, I'm gonna do it right.
  • slkehl
    slkehl Posts: 3,801 Member
    I log pretty well. Rarely use quick calories unless its something I can't find in the data base
  • Karri_Bryant
    Karri_Bryant Posts: 10 Member
    I do the same thing and I obsess over which chicken breast or food item to choose because there will be 5 4oz breast they all have a different calorie count. I usually just choose the highest to be safe.
  • Elizabeth_C34
    Elizabeth_C34 Posts: 6,376 Member
    I have only quick added once or twice in the almost year and a half I've been logging.
  • rahrahrita
    rahrahrita Posts: 225 Member
    I only add stuff I can't find on MFP. I went out to eat at a local cafe and I looked for something similar on MFP but I couldn't find anything, so I quick added calories. I usually over-estimate a little bit when I do that, mostly because when I eat out it's not exactly healthy.

    And I don't add 0 calorie things like Truvia or Stevia, and sometimes I leave out some vegetables and spices and stuff.
  • victoria4321
    victoria4321 Posts: 1,719 Member
    I log everything I eat. I never logged spices but I log condiments. I figured a tsp of cinnamon isn't high enough in calories to even matter
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,327 Member
    The only time I will use the Quick Added Calories is if the food I eat isnt in the database. So far thats only happened once.
  • KaleidoscopeEyes1056
    KaleidoscopeEyes1056 Posts: 2,996 Member
    When I quick add calories, I almost always leave a comment saying what it was. There are sometimes that I just cannot find the calorie count for what I ate on MFP or even online, so I guess, and I try to overestimate it.
  • EchoOfYourPast
    EchoOfYourPast Posts: 459 Member
    I log everything that goes into my mouth....the only time i use quick add is when i cannot find something and then i will search the web to figure out what the calories are.
    San :)
  • dlpnrn2b
    dlpnrn2b Posts: 441 Member
    I do the same thing and I obsess over which chicken breast or food item to choose because there will be 5 4oz breast they all have a different calorie count. I usually just choose the highest to be safe.

    Yes, this to me is annoying.. I don't understand how the same food, cooked the same way is so drastically different in calories.. I'd rather guess over then under for sure.
  • KaleidoscopeEyes1056
    KaleidoscopeEyes1056 Posts: 2,996 Member
    Oh, and I also quick add if I feel like the calorie count for something in the database is off a little and can't find a more accurate listing. Once again, I put that in my comments though
  • bikinibeliever
    bikinibeliever Posts: 832 Member
    I log everything. If I use a teaspoon or a tablespoon of oil to fry something, it's there. If I add a teaspoon of butter, it's there.

    I have looked at food logs and have wondered if they never use oil or butter or parmesan cheese...lol. Yeah my diary looks like I ate the entire house in one day!

    Oh and eating that entire house is working! :wink:
  • dlpnrn2b
    dlpnrn2b Posts: 441 Member
    I will admit, that I used quick add one time and that was before I was serious and I had consumed all my calories in beer that night... totally was NOT worth it!!
  • Bagman12002
    Bagman12002 Posts: 216 Member
    I do the same thing and I obsess over which chicken breast or food item to choose because there will be 5 4oz breast they all have a different calorie count. I usually just choose the highest to be safe.

    Yes, this to me is annoying.. I don't understand how the same food, cooked the same way is so drastically different in calories.. I'd rather guess over then under for sure.


    ditto and ditto
  • hubkal
    hubkal Posts: 125 Member
    I log every single thing! even on bad days, no use in hiding it...its not hiding on my body!
  • Dwamma
    Dwamma Posts: 289 Member
    Nope I do the same thing! It is just me! I want to know! I only use quick add if I take a bite of something at work to 'taste' it...but yes I have to log it as well! LOL but that is me! :)
  • seal57
    seal57 Posts: 1,259 Member
    I'm guilty of not logging everything I eat.....:blushing:

    But I do sometimes had quick calories.....This is mainly when I'm working and I can't get to a subway when it's time to feed the worms......So I just have a guess and add 50cals......
  • suzan06
    suzan06 Posts: 218 Member
    I don't add spices, a tablespoon of salsa here or there (basically I am lazy about small quantities of raw veggies) or things like that. Raw vegetables did not make me gain weight, and eating extra of them is not going to stop me from losing weight!

    I also use a lot of approximation entries- every time I eat a lettuce salad, or have lettuce on top of something, etc, I use an entry for salad + tomatoes, cucs, onion, etc, so that I can do one entry instead of taking the time to count out the number of cucumber slices I put on my salad. It is like 8 calories, so who cares!
  • kathleennf
    kathleennf Posts: 606 Member
    I am tracking calories and protein and have been on MFP for a year and a half. I use quick-add calories occasionally for things that have basically no protein, and that I won't be eating often enough to make it worth adding all the info myself. But in general I am pretty compulsive about logging everything best guess possible, and like others have commented overestimating if there is a question.
  • ediesmommy
    ediesmommy Posts: 76
    I usually add the quick calories to my breakfast because I have homemade popcycles I eat after I walk my hour. Because it's homemade, I add up all the calories I put into the blender, and divide it by the number of pops I make. The first batch were 36 calories, the last batch was 32 calories each. I know what my quick calories are for, and even though a pop is 32 calories, I still count them, every time.
  • katemme
    katemme Posts: 191
    I did log a gnat once that flew into my mouth when I was running. Its in the database. Just for ****s and giggles.

    But generally if I have one bite of something I don't log it. Like, when I just take a pinch of quick oats to eat. Everything else I add. Never quick calories. And if its not there I'll find the closest thing to it in the database.

    And I have developed and obsession/anxiety over having to log everyday. I think I'm at 160 some days in a row now :/
  • deeva2266
    deeva2266 Posts: 65 Member
    I have not missed a single day of logging in since Jan 17,2012 and log everything but spices. Only had to quick add once and just so happens it was today. I also select the higher calorie option on foods when I am not sure of something.
  • camila_scl
    camila_scl Posts: 238 Member
    I only use the quick added calorie for vegetable soup. I log everything else except for spices, I don't think pepper and oregano have many calories =)

    I do log salad dressings or ketchup/mayo.

    I don't log things that are calorie free like diet coke.
  • LatinaGordita
    LatinaGordita Posts: 377 Member
    I am pretty serious but do not log splenda, spices like pepper or garlic, I do log condiments like ketchup, mustard and mayo. If I have not pre-logged what I am eating, I make my breakfast/dinner/lunch and let it sit until I am ok with the calorie/macro count.

    Also I only quick added calories once since I been here. I do not do it anymore. I have noticed others do this but it just not accurate, you need to have carbs grams, protein grams etc.
  • IrishHarpy1
    IrishHarpy1 Posts: 399 Member
    Every single bite, every single day, for the past 560 days. I've never used the "Quick Add" feature - if it isn't in the database, then I break it down to individual components or create a recipe to account for it. Of course, this also can lead to days where it looks like I've eaten FAR too much, but it's just another reason to keep my diary private. I had too many people looking at the quantity rather than the quality.

    Considering my results, I must be doing *something* right... :wink:
  • jadedone
    jadedone Posts: 2,446 Member
    I am not super meticulous. I generally do not log spices, salt, tea (unless I add something), stevia.

    Sometimes I forget to add a splash of coconut water or juice (I add 1 ounce to a cup of water if I am having trouble drinking water. And most of the time I forget all about any samples or sips I take. I know these are calories, but generally they don't add up to more than a couple dozen so I am not too concerned about it. They aren't every day occurrences.
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