How serious are you about logging your calories in?

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Replies

  • sarabig2fit
    sarabig2fit Posts: 274 Member
    i log every morsel i put in my mouth. however, seasonings started getting ridiculous. if they have a calorie count, i add it, if not, i leave it out.
  • jillian769
    jillian769 Posts: 247 Member
    I try to be exact. It is a weird thing I do...I will actually get a tape measure out on casseroles or desserts! And when I had cereal this morning...I measured 1/2 cup Grape nuts and 1/2 cup of milk...when I had eaten all the Grape nuts and had milk left over I measured the left over milk at 1/4 cup and subtracted it from the 1 cup I had originally poured. So I guess you could say I am pretty serious about measurements. :blushing:

    this is when I would drink the milk :) you've got great dedication!!



    I measure things that I'm not sure of, but measuring and weighing every single solitary thing would personally drive me to the insane asylum!!! If it ever came to that I would end up giving up. I am too A.D.D!!!! LOL

    Your A.D.D. but I have a slight O.C.D

    Oh, I'm OCD too!!!!! LOLOL
  • MsMandyGrace
    MsMandyGrace Posts: 16
    I log every little thing. gum, a mint- everything! but, I use "quick add" calories ALL the time. A lot of the things I eat I pick up on the go ( I know, i know, terrible) so If i grab something premade, it always has the calories right on the front. It is much easier to just enter in the calories with quick-add than to go through mfp, search for something similar, then see if the calories are the same, thats a waste. Not sure why youd do it when the calories are right there! If I am cooking though, or eating something whole, like an apple, then I use mfp to search for the calories.
  • carrietehbear
    carrietehbear Posts: 384 Member
    I used quick calories in the beginning b/c I didn't realize you could scan barcodes using your smartphone. I log almost everything I eat. I don't add spices or ketchup. I rarely eat ketchup and when I do I don't eat a full serving. I also create recipes for my own dishes instead of "guessing" which entry is the closest to the one I made.
  • Way_2_a_Healthy_Mel
    Way_2_a_Healthy_Mel Posts: 175 Member
    I log every little thing. gum, a mint- everything! but, I use "quick add" calories ALL the time. A lot of the things I eat I pick up on the go ( I know, i know, terrible) so If i grab something premade, it always has the calories right on the front. It is much easier to just enter in the calories with quick-add than to go through mfp, search for something similar, then see if the calories are the same, thats a waste. Not sure why youd do it when the calories are right there! If I am cooking though, or eating something whole, like an apple, then I use mfp to search for the calories.

    Do you have MFP on your phone? If so, you can just scan it...also, if you are tracking other macronutrients like sodium, carbs, sugars, etc, you aren't getting all the info you need for that by adding the quick calories.
  • ElizaGeorge
    ElizaGeorge Posts: 140 Member
    I take it very seriously haha I weigh everything and portion everything I eat and then log it. Everything I home-cook gets put in as a recipe. It I add something later I either alter the recipe or add that ingredient separately. I'm constantly putting in new recipes. If an item randomly isn't in the database, I add it, but that's only happened once. I count every bite! I figure that I'm in the training stages and I'm known for snacking, so all of it adds up. Better be safe than sorry imo!
  • milkandtea
    milkandtea Posts: 116 Member
    I log everything separately except for dishes that are made up of several ingredients. It makes logging easier and keeps my entries from getting cluttered. So tonight's dinner entry looks like:

    - Salmon, raw weight
    - Marinade/seasoning used
    - Salad (logged as a single entry w/ all of the ingredients accounted for in the recipe)

    I don't use the quick-add feature because I like to know the carbs/fat and also want to be able to reference what each dish consists of in the future. Everything I eat is measured out and I overestimate sometimes because I don't want to underestimate what I'm eating. I take it too seriously, maybe. :)
  • imbanter
    imbanter Posts: 72 Member
    For me this can't be a chore so I do not log every single spice unless I'm creating a recipe in MFP. I figure on a daily basis their nutritional value and caloric intake is minimal and like I said - I want it simple. I also have my goal set at 2,000 instead of the 2.200 it really is so that it allows for the little things during the day I might miss. If I am sure I didn't miss anything I use those 200 calories each day as my freebies for something like a little butter on some bread or a snickers bite size. Usually though - they just go unused.
  • Spanntastic12
    Spanntastic12 Posts: 181
    I try to do my best. And I generally go with the "more" calories on items that I'm unsure about. I figure if I'm overestimating my caloric intake then my net will be better in real life. I will generally try to add any sauces or condiment choices that I have in with my foods.
  • underthecherrytree
    underthecherrytree Posts: 532 Member
    I am like you, I log every little thing
  • c8linmarie
    c8linmarie Posts: 358 Member
    I am pretty good about measuring and logging everything, but I always end my day with 100 quick added calories. Not because I had anything I shouldn't have or would be ashamed of, but because no matter how diligent you are, (with 64 different chicken breast entries to choose from in the database) there's always room for miscalculations and as most have said: I'd rather be over than under.
  • essjay76
    essjay76 Posts: 465 Member
    I log everything. If you consume something, it will directly or indirectly affect your body and your overall health. Onions, garlic, spices, and other low or non calorie items, believe it or not, have health benefits and nutrients.

    If you're only interested in counting calories, I guess doing a quick add or not counting the non calorie items should suffice. But if you're really interested in your overall health and you care about your body in the long run, I don't see why tracking the small things is so hard. Even a diet soda or drink, at zero calories, can add loads of sodium to your daily intake. You might be wondering why you've registered a 1 pound gain after drinking Diet Coke religiously for a few days. Well guess what? That durn sodium is making you retain water, that's why!

    And if you use non-natural products like Splenda and such, wouldn't you like to know how much your consumption is if someday the FDA comes back and determines that xx amount of consumption leads to cancer, liver damage, increased blood pressure, etc.? (I'm taking things to the extremes but think about what's been discovered with saccharin intake....)
  • essjay76
    essjay76 Posts: 465 Member
    I am pretty good about measuring and logging everything, but I always end my day with 100 quick added calories. Not because I had anything I shouldn't have or would be ashamed of, but because no matter how diligent you are, (with 64 different chicken breast entries to choose from in the database) there's always room for miscalculations and as most have said: I'd rather be over than under.

    OK, I can see the benefit of using the quick added calories in this case, but is it all about calories?
  • mquarry
    mquarry Posts: 21
    I log every little thing that I eat. I even create recipes of stuff that I eat regularly and make it the same every time. I also weigh stuff that is supposed to be weighed, and use a measuring cup for other things.

    ...but I know I am super hardcore about it...
  • jentarver
    jentarver Posts: 192
    I rarely use quick add cals in mine unless what I am logging is not in the database and I am unable to add it to there, since I can't figure out all the ingredients. IF I am guessing on those cals, I generally add extra to them to be safe.

    I am pretty OCD in other words. Its not just cals I am concerned with, it is protein and fiber, and then I keep tabs on my sodium, carbs, and fat as well.

    I also like knowing about my potassium and vitamins. (in the daily nutrient section)
  • Debbe2
    Debbe2 Posts: 2,071 Member
    I am quite serious about logging and that is a primary purpose for me in using MFP. But, I do believe it's not for me to judge how someone else uses it or what their needs may be.
  • neurogirl
    neurogirl Posts: 706 Member
    I log everything as best as I can every day for anything I eat (including calorie free drinks and the like). I even added the ONE dark chocolate covered almond I ate when I was making dinner tonight (super hungry lol). There are days I have to give my best estimate for local restaurants. I try to find those items in the database and usually choose one that's closest. If multiple items are similar, I try to use the higher calorie version just to be safe. Typically, I try to figure what I'm going to eat out before I leave home, and at times, I will even use my MFP app on my smartphone if impromptu munching out occurs.

    It's a lot of work, but totally worth it for the results, and since the databse is easy to use here, it only seems to take 5 minutes out of my day to do (less time than I spend telling myself I need to get off MFP from reading message boards). :laugh:
  • femmi1120
    femmi1120 Posts: 473 Member
    I'm getting better about this but I used to be pretty bad about logging random bites of food (like samples at the grocery store or trying my parent's meals at a restaurant). I just recently started logging vitamins, since mine are adult gummies (don't judge!). I'm getting better with logging herbs and spices, but not salt and pepper. And I rarely log anything that's 0 cals, like diet tea or splenda or cooking spray.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    My aim is to log my calorie input and output as best I can. I consider it a mental illness.
  • CaseRat
    CaseRat Posts: 377 Member
    You could see exactly what food has been ingested by me every day for the past 12 months or so :)
  • SteffieMark
    SteffieMark Posts: 1,719 Member
    I have never used that feature. But, I am always home and have all the time in the world. I understand that not everyone's schedule allows them the time to always get it in.
  • c8linmarie
    c8linmarie Posts: 358 Member
    I am pretty good about measuring and logging everything, but I always end my day with 100 quick added calories. Not because I had anything I shouldn't have or would be ashamed of, but because no matter how diligent you are, (with 64 different chicken breast entries to choose from in the database) there's always room for miscalculations and as most have said: I'd rather be over than under.

    OK, I can see the benefit of using the quick added calories in this case, but is it all about calories?

    I am always within my macros, so 100 "unaccounted" quick added calories is (to me) negligible.
  • GO_NadZ_xO
    GO_NadZ_xO Posts: 445 Member
    I did do it everyday for a while, on here and another site. But now I dont see that it actually helps me anymore. I know what I ate, how much I eat etc. It's always pretty much the same things so I kind of have a rough idea of how many cals I've had in a day. I rarely log now.
  • mustangbass
    mustangbass Posts: 18 Member
    I'm serious as a root canal. I find it easier to do the quick calories if I am cooking an entire meal. I factor in everything from cooking oil to seasonings. I measure the wine I drink with meals, count the beers I drink. I track just about every place I walk and I walk a lot. Logging has helped me realize how oversized my portions were, including food and alcohol.
  • abbiepql
    abbiepql Posts: 45
    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.

    You can make those up as a recipe and that way you will be logging all the nutritional value as well. My internist looks over my numbers I log on MFP and he wants to know about other stuff including calories. I got caught a couple weeks back not logging my diet sodas or coffee - he asked to know where my "water" was coming from because he knows I HATE to drink water! LOL

    I have used quick calories as place holders or estimates until I can figure the actual foods eaten, but don't keep them in there.:wink:
  • Karebear_68
    Karebear_68 Posts: 67
    I generally try to log in all of it... I have a few recipes I use and that makes it easy since I am a creature of habit and can eat the same things over and over. But - I usually don't log in housework, etc because if I didn't log in some stuff ( which I think happens when I eat and cannot get to a computer asap) I try to make up for it. I do some sort of cleaning, laundry etc every night when I go home, I try not to just go and sit on my butt. But I only log it in when I a scared I will go way overboard on calories that day! It is all a work in progress!!! Oh, and I didn't even try to finish last night.... I knew I blew it bad and am starting fresh today.
  • cgray
    cgray Posts: 129 Member
    I log everything. I've actually kept a food diary for years. Wanna know what I ate on this date in 2007? I could tell you. I do use the quick add feature at times though, mostly when I'm out to eat or with friends and I don't want them to know I'm writing it down. I need to count calories. If I couldn't count calories I would stop eating, I was anorexic 15 years ago and this is a lingering side effect, but people don't understand. I get a lot of crap for being thin and tracking calories especially when I go out to eat. So, I get sneaky, I enter my calories under the table, in my purse, I act like I'm texting, but I have to enter it so to answer your question I take my diary very seriously and I also quick add.
  • trink68
    trink68 Posts: 48 Member
    I do 99.9% of the time....unless its a cheat day.Which I only do once or twice a month.Almost never use quick add...
  • Crawflowr
    Crawflowr Posts: 106 Member
    I log everything as accurately as I can. There's a little part of me thinks one day I will analyse this data. It will be interesting to answer questions like "how much alcohol I drink". I can't wait for the day when my doctor suggests I should keep a food diary for some complaint or other. It will be so satisfying to say, "here you go will 9 months be sufficient" :)
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