Tracking the little things?

Posts: 562
8/24/12 6:41 P

It is important to track all of your BLT's (Bites, Licks, and Tastes).......always! Calories and bad fats can add up quickly, so stick to it!

!

Gigi

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8/24/12 6:37 P

track to know how you are getting on

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8/24/12 12:08 P

Tracking is meant to keep you accountable & give you an honest tally of your daily intake versus output.........track as much or as little as you need to see why you lose or why you gain. And go from there. :)

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8/23/12 4:40 P

I don't track black coffee but if i put creamer in it i do track that. If i have one potato chip i track that. I am not always precise but close enough to be safe. As i don't know how many calories in one chip. If it's close to the actual calorie count that's good enough for me. The problem is when i make my own casseroles and i do not know the count, but then i don't make them very often. :)

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8/23/12 7:11 A

I track everything because I have absolutely no idea about calories or nutritional value for anything, and I so want to stay in my range.

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8/22/12 7:03 P

I think common sense applies. I track everything most days, but when I do I notice that the entries I get out of the SparkPeople database are off here and there by 20 calories this way, 30 calories that way, and I don't measure things so carefully that I couldn't be off by 50 calories here or 100 calories there.

But the website gives me something like a 400-calorie "range" to shoot for daily. And depending on the year or the month, landing in the middle of that range makes me gain weight, lose weight, or stay the same.

So I just do what works. I track within reason, and if I'm gaining, like the last few weeks, I decide to eat less. But no, I don't think it's worth tracking 10 calories. That's like .5% of what you're going to eat during the day, and I guarantee there's more than a few percent error in what anyone measures, how many calories they expend, and in metabolic variations from person to person.

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8/22/12 3:50 P

I try to track everything because I have a very hard time with sodium. I have a lot of problems with serious swelling in my legs and feet and am very sensitive to sodium intake. I also "LOVE" Mexican food; but a,m allergic to fresh onions and tomatoes, so have to use sauces instead of fresh. I grew up in South Texas and didn't move to Alaska until after my kids were grown. Here I have discovered Salmon, another source of sodium. Whether I cook it myself or buy it prepared I have a really hard time controlling my sodium.....it is in EVERYTHING, especially those foods I like most. I don't eat bread, as a rule because it is sooooo high in sodium. I haven't tracked in a few days though because I get so tired of entering recipes, El Salvador Tamales, was latest, it took me hours to enter; but they are really good, and low fat. Anyway, I didn't track because I hadn't entered the recipe and I have had a lot more swelling with warmer weather and that gets really depressing.. Anyway, that's my story.....

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8/22/12 2:49 P

Hi everyone;
i track most stuff unless it's not enough to track. I don't track coffee or creamer cause i don't use that much creamer mostly and coffee has harly any caloriies. Sometimes i forget to add everything in and by the time I think of it I can't remember what it was. Protein is a hard thing to get enough of and fiber.

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8/22/12 10:34 A

Hi Tuppence!
I recently added both of these nutrients as well and was suprised that unless one actively tries to get enough of these each day it usually doesnt happen! Fiber, for example, I added a high fiber granola bar and usually a serving of beans to my day to get it in and I finally added a calcium suppliment to cover that because it was taking up a lot of my daily calories. I have recently discovered Kale however. It is a really delicious green that adds a large percentage of calcium! 1 cup has 179 mg and the body absorbs around 83mg...Milk contains 300mg and the body absorbs around 96 mg. For the calorie difference it is a good addition to the diet!
Have a Good Day!!

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8/22/12 10:29 A

For me, the little things are what add up. Because I am committed to tracking everything, it often keeps me from grabbing a handful of peanuts, some crackers, a slice of cheese, etc. If I am really hungry let's say before dinner, I am trying to wait it out and enjoy my dinner. If I think that by waiting it out I may eat too much at dinner, I will takes a few pretzels, or a peanuts. But they get tracked as snacks.

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8/22/12 10:13 A

Since I cook my own food, and buy very little pre-packaged, and since I don't usually weigh or measure ingredients for a dish I am cooking (and that dishl may end up over several meals of eating), I don't track any more.

I did at the beginning, for a baseline. Now I'm more apt to just write down what I ate elsewhere, the items without most measurements. Okay, sure, if I know it is a small fillet of fish, I'll say that; or if large I'll say that. One egg, or two eggs; that's easy. But exact weights or volumes? Hardly at all any more. For instance, lunch today will be three small stuffed pepper halves, with ground pork and homemade with seasonings and no grains, with a side of leftover takeout saag paneer (spinach with Indian cheese), and probably water. That is sufficient for me to record at this point in life. I can get a general idea of carbs, proteins and fats from looking at this -- and NONE of the tracking things I've seen is going to be able to know precisely how much fat, say, is in that pork? Did I do a good job draining it when cooking it? Is it pork from a pastured animal which saw exercise and the outdoors? What part of the animal(s) was it ground from? Exactly how much of it was used in each half pepper, minus the chopped onion and spices? This meal is part of a larger dish of three more pepper halves, for another day, differing sized peppers.

What ingredients did the non-chain Indian restaurant toss into their saag paneer? Oil, or no?

I think for a baseline, tracking is essential or at least highly informative. Now, it just gets in the way of enjoying life.

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8/22/12 9:56 A

I do my best, but the dressings, condiments, etc are hard to track. I wish I could enter "a smidge" "a squirt" or " a bit"

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8/22/12 9:14 A

While attending a meeting years ago for another weight lose program, the speaker said, " even if you don't want to write down everything you eat or drink, your body will record it for you." I try to record everything. Even if there are days that I go off my program I own up to it and write it down. The only person I'll hurt by trying to hide food is myself.

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8/22/12 9:06 A

track everything

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8/22/12 5:28 A

I try to track as much as possible but life is just too busy and complicated to track everything. I use common sense judgements at times and stay at the lower end of my daily calorie count if I am unsure about my untracked items. I try to be mindful about what I am eating whether it is tracked food or not. I don't like to be too regimented in anything I do, but I do value discipline in all aspects of my life style. SP is quite a new experience for me so I shall find out in the next few months whether my philosophy works or not!

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8/21/12 5:09 P

I cheat posting but try not to cheat myself. I don't kill myself trying to find the Exact ingredients or the specific meals I eat. I work on trying to get the big stuff or the general meal and put it down. I also collect what I can in a lil notebook and Then transfer it to SparkPeople about every half-week or so.

Just whatever works for me. It's a lil less tedious because I don't have a computer at home so it's only when I can get to one do I get to update and it's a good amount of updating!

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8/21/12 4:18 P

I try to record the calorie content of everything I eat. Leaving something out only cheats me, so who am I fooling? Even a bite of this or a sampling of that adds up. I want a true record of my caloric intake so I record it religiously.
I take daily supplements including a multi-vitamin and a few other misc vitamins so I do not worry about counting minerals and vitamins as I am sure I get more than my daily needs.

Edited by: VIN515 at: 8/21/2012 (16:19)

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8/21/12 3:07 P

i have aded fibre to my tracker too i find it very useful,i have also added calcium i have allways thought i have had enough calcium in my diet how wrong i was i

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8/21/12 2:52 P

I track almost everything, and have for about 10 months now. Since I went to no-calorie sweetener in my coffee, cups of coffee or the occasional diet soda are about the only exception.

If I have a bite of something my wife is eating, or something like that where the calories are small and it would be very hard to track, sometimes I guesstimate and leave a few calories open in my daily allotment.

EDIT: I also watch sodium and fiber in addition to the main macronutrients, but if I'm over (typically for sodium) or under (usually for fiber) for a day here and there, I don't beat myself up.

Edited by: DOCSTOUT at: 8/21/2012 (14:54)

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8/21/12 12:45 P

As I like to track my vitamin and mineral intake as well as tracking the usual calories and fat I've started to add all of the little things. It's helpful to track multivitamins and even small portions of veg with very few calories as there can be a surprising amount of nutrients in there. Little things can also add up over the course of the week so it’s good to get them all in there and be totally honest.

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8/21/12 10:35 A

Honestly, the thought of having to track something (find it, approximate the tiny amount I ate, hope that I find an entry for it that's compatible with my estimation, blah, blah, blah) sometimes actually keeps me from eating it.
Otherwise--I just have a policy of honesty with my tracker. There have been a few times where I had a cheat day and said 'you know what? I went over, today. I tracked through lunch, and blew myself out of the water at dinner.' And once in awhile, that's okay. Then again, sometimes I do that and then track it out of curiosity and go 'woah, Nellie--not eating THAT again, it was WAY worse than I thought!'

Everyone has a different experience with it...but if you track even on days that make you wince, you may find that it's a push you need...

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8/21/12 6:13 A

I have to agree with you on that one. I see something sweet and I eat it and I don't want to track it because I am scared of what it's going to say but I track it after the fact and then I feel so guilty. I thought I can do away with all the sweets but to change that I got some of the 100 calorie pack hostess cupcakes and I drink with my coffe as a snack and it does it for me. It's is just enough and it doesn't leave me wanting more because the coffee takes care of the rest.

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8/21/12 4:59 A

I've added fiber and sodium to what I track. These are two areas to which I want to pay attention.

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8/20/12 9:17 P

Yes, being obsessive compulsive does help alot, it helped me several times, in fact.
But, that reservation at the "binge motel" shows up in time, friends.
Food addiction is a real thing, ain't it the truth!

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8/20/12 4:07 P

The best advice i ever received is.
If its not worth tracking, its not worth eating, skip it all together.

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8/20/12 4:05 P

I use the tracker and let it do the calculating. But i believe its the little things that make you fat, so if you don't count them you'll ruin your whole diet. Its easy to eat a bit of cheesecake worth 300 calories and blow your calorie count for the day.

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8/20/12 3:28 P

thank you

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8/20/12 2:57 P

Yes, everything. Even ketchup because of the sodium.

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8/20/12 2:52 P

I try hard to track everything that goes into my mouth. I have become consciously aware of that because I have to be accountable to myself at the end of the day in order to sleep well at night. I know that sounds a little obsessive, but it is a way for me to take full accountability for my actions.

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8/20/12 2:44 P

I am the same -- I track everything that has calories. I even track the calories in the vitamin supplements that I take (and yes they have calories). When I start to make exceptions, then I'm not getting an accurate picture of what I'm eating, which is the whole point of tracking in the first place!

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8/20/12 1:36 P

I track everything (except salt & pepper). It's pretty much ingrained in me now. It's my lifestyle to track. Even when I'm out (which is all the time), I write down everything I eat or I take a picture of it and when I get home... I'm tracking.

Tracking works! Live in your truth. TRACK!

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8/20/12 11:37 A

good topic to read through the posts on. My wife and I have discussed this a few times....and we both do it our own way. I have tended to track everything I could think of at first...until I feel that I am educated enough to drop the "little things" that don't add up to much. My wife has a better nutritional foundation than I do so she has not bothered for awhile. But you really have to have a good sense of what is "little". It's easy to fool yourself into thinking the little things don't count when they really add up in calories, or sodium, or fat, or whatever your concern is. Tracking most everything works for me. Utilizing the grouping function on the tracker is great for those basic combo things you eat consistently like a base salad....and then add in the extras seperately.
Sparkcheers everyone!

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8/20/12 11:29 A

I track all dressings because of fat contents.

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8/20/12 11:22 A

Do you think maybe it was boredom when you got back? Maybe next time you go on vacation have some of the fun stuff you do @ home planned for the following week? To kind of ease back into the not so exciting day to day existence? Maybe a hair cut, pedicure & massage the day after coming home? To dial down a notch?

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8/20/12 10:34 A

great comments. I, too, have to track everything when I go off my health plan such as I did the first two weeks of August.

At first I just had to work on emotional stuff and relax and not be so compulsive about tracking but just try to walk and eat moderately. When I began to feel better (not medicated w/ sugar, bloated, etc.) I then tracked everything on 8/18/12, 8/19/12 and today. I am really getting my mind back into shape (not just my body) to be aware of the combination of nutrients, the balances I have to have to pull the weight off (started at 300 now at 188 even though lowest was 174) plus the energy expenditure I need to burn and feel good in my breathing and endurance. All of this was good for my vacation and really gave me a fabulous time, but something went whacko upon return to boring life so I medicated myself. Now that I have slowly taken charge I will track until I "get it" and then when in a rush, I will not track but just use the common sense routines that have promoted the healthy habits and track when I can get all my tasks done without making myself crazy.
Onward ho!

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8/20/12 10:32 A

HUBBYANDI I know how you feel when I was working I had an 8 hour job (many times it took longer than 8 hours though). My husband worked 2nd shift & I worked 1st so I came home to 3 kids under 6 years old & did not see my husband (besides a dark lump in the bed after 11o'clock when I woke up to pee. Usually we saw each other on weekends (if one of us was not working OT). So I did not get much help dealing with the kids after I worked 8 to 10 hours @ a high stress job all I wanted to do was go home & take a bath. I also had a work out partner who wanted to meet @ the gym once a day so my days started @ 4:45AM when I crawled out of bed in order to get to the gym @ 5AM. I had to have my gym bag packed, my lunch packed & usually shower stuff & work clothes so I could get ready for work @ the gym & go straight to work.
What I did was I would track for the next day, the night before, & make a bag lunch for myself containing all of the food that I would be eating during the time I was @ work. I also included healthy snacks so I could avoid the giant candy bowls all over the office, doughnuts in the break-room catered lunches with huge portions of Mexican food (you get my point).
It takes a lot less time because you don't have to remember anything & you can avoid unintentional slips before you make them.
Also if that does not appeal to, you can bring a small notebook with you on the days that you are running until 9PM. just jot everything down in it. A portion for you is the size of your balled fist & if you are eating out most restaurants & fast food places have nutrition hand-outs &/or their nutritional information online if you go to their official website. So you can quickly make a good decision based on your notebook & nutritional guides. I guess my point is don't be a hapless victim of your own life & choices. I can't isn't an option. We all have have lots of things going on. Everyone here is living a life full of potholes & potential downfalls. But @ the end of the day there are those that say, "I couldn't!" and those that say, "I did it!"
I have to ask myself which one I want to be every day.

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8/19/12 10:04 P

way to go ETHELMERZ

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8/19/12 9:17 P

I stick to the same kinds of foods for us at home, we only eat something really delicious when we go to a city for some reason, and there are actual restaurants there. At home, it's basic meals, lots of veggies with each meal, 2 fruits a day, 2 to 4 serving starch, and protein with every meal and for snacks if needed. I don't write it down anymore, but have the forms that we take to the dietitian and Endo.

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8/19/12 8:58 P

Everything.

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8/19/12 6:28 P

I try to track everything

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8/19/12 6:21 P

I suggest you track everything i know when i do not i fall backwards.

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8/19/12 6:08 P

should be careful

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8/19/12 3:00 P

I try, especially the calorie denser stuff. It all adds up. But sometimes I do cut corners, like if I have stir-fry where I have added upteen different veggies - rather than track 1/4 cup or slices of many different veggies, I might just list it as 2 cups of one of the veggies if they are all basically similar in macros.

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8/19/12 2:35 P

i tracked every little thing for the first few months. i've slacked off without any weight gain though. I let things slide that i know are few in calories. like green onions, which i use very little of to garnish my food. but i had to experiment for a while to get a good balance of tracking and weight loss

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8/19/12 2:17 P

I TRY to track all my nutrition but it is so time consuming at a very busy time of year. (Garden season with picking, canning and freezing) And since I gained some pounds back while on vacation, I have tried to track a bit more faithfully, but there are days like yesterday when I was on the run from the time my feet hit the floor-until I find myself finally able to sit down at 9:00 at night, then I am not in the mood to spend another hour trying to remember every bite..so I do what I can and make the days like today where I have a little more time, into the more productive tracking day.
It's all in moderation, and like someone posted earlier, if I spend so long at the computer writing down or trying to find my calorie count which is time consuming, then I am not moving! So I would rather be moving around, doing something than sitting here wondering if I tracked a cucumber I ate...

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8/19/12 1:26 P

Yesterday I even tracked 3 slices of onion, even though I knew the calories really made no difference. But I want to instill the habit of tracking every little thing.

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8/19/12 1:07 P

BITHOO, 2 T. of whole milk is 18 calories. I use nutritiondata.self.com to answer questions like that. As for the cantaloupe, 1 oz. has 10 calories. I don't know if a couple of chunks is 1 ounce or not.

Here's the link to the site to get you started. This is the answer to the milk question.

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/dairy-and-egg-products/69/2

I like this site because it gives you an analysis of foods including glycemic index, inflammation factor, and nutrition balance with graphics.

It's not very hard to track everything in SP's tracker, so I just put it in. If I forget a little item such as you mentioned, I don't stress over it as long as I'm under my limit for the day. I enter lettuce and tomato in my BLTs because it reminds me that veggies offer a lot with very few calories. But sometimes it's only 7 calories that is recorded.

Hope this helps!

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8/19/12 1:06 P

95% of the time. Sometimes i do not add an item for example,at the end of my day. I am going for the 100%, but so far it hasnt really hindered my wt loss efforts If I do not track it I am still aware if it is within my food budget for the day.

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8/19/12 12:15 P

In the beginning especially it is very important that you track everything, you need to understand exactly where all your calories are coming from so that you can decide if it is worth that amount of calories to you. You will be surprised on some small things that have a lot of fat, calories or salt! I track everything that I can that goes into my mouth. I check my stats after every meal and use it when I am wanting to eat something special for dinner. I will punch in what I want for dinner so I know how many calories I can consume before so I can eat what I want for dinner. I think it is the best tool here on the site!! Thanks Spark People I love this site!!

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8/19/12 12:10 P

I do track everything. I'm often surprised at how the little things truely do add up.

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