I am just getting started, so it's harder for me to look everything up every time I eat something new. I measure out portions so that I am getting the recommended serving size on the package, and for the most part I keep track of everything I put in my mouth, but get a little loosey goosey with the numbers when I'm throwing together a salad, esp. if it's nothing but greens, cukes and tomatoes with just a few 10cal spritzes of spray dressing. I do watch those mouthfuls, and will throw 100 cals in my food log if I've had a few that I didn't count otherwise. But one trick that I do is while I am watching tv I do crunches, pushups, and leg lifts as a little extra work in addition to my regular workout for that day. I hope that this bonus resistance work will even out any mouthfuls not accounted for during the day. As a plus, I feel like I'm building a little bit of muscle while I do it.

I tend to write down everything I eat, and on somethings I round way up on the calories. If I have a hershey kiss to just take the edge off of my sweet tooth I will put down 100 calories. I KNOW it isn't that much. lol. But it makes me feel like I was a good girl and fess'd up what I was doing. If I'm not trying to hide it than I won't feel really guilty about it.

minijaxgrl i agree! i do the same thing.. i round up, and if i'm not sure, i add a few extra calories on top of the food!

btw, if you ever get a chance, go search for the chocolate covered pretzels in the 100 calorie snack bags! they take my chocolate craving right out! and plenty to eat in 100 calories!! much better than just one hershey kiss

There's room in my calorie plan for a little leeway, so I don't count the following things: diet soda/lemonade, black coffee, sugarfree gum, sugarfree jello, and celery. If I've had several 5-15 c. servings of those items in one day (like if I chewed a whole pack of gum, and had two big 20 oz Diet Rockstar energy drinks) I might count them, or at least count an extra 100 c. at the end of the day, but I don't lose sleep if I don't remember- 100-200 extra calories once in a while isn't enough to make me gain weight, or even stop losing it.

I leave 20 calories per day for gum, sugar free cough drops (I've had a cold) and mustard and wasabi paste. lol!!!!

I read a post here on 3fc where a lady said " cows get fat on grass ". Sorry I can't remember where I saw it. Anyways, when ever I think I won't count something I say to myself...cows get fat eating GRASS! And then I go on and write the calories down. Hope whomever I am quoting isn't mad!

I count everything, because skipping things here and there eventually leads to me being lazy and estimating --> and this eventually leads to me saying "screw it, who knows what my total is" and eating something bad.

I count everything, but like most people, I guestimate on things like condiments. I also eyeball and overestimate a bit on veggies. I lost my scale in my move, so I really need to get back to weighing food again.

And the talk about jello reminds me I should pick some up.

I forgot- I also don't count mustard.

I don't count lettuce, unless I am having a really big salad. But if I put lettuce on a sandwich or something, I don't count it.

I actually don't count my morning jelly bean multivitamins or tablespoon of smoothie-flavored flax seed oil, and together they're about 100 calories. I figure I want to make sure I take these regardless of what else is going on, so I "ignore" the calories.... though in the back of my head I know to try to shoot below my target a little to make up for it.

I don't count spices or small amounts of low calorie veggies when I throw them in a recipe. I usually keep a pretty good mental tally though so I will just throw on those extra 50 cals at the end of the day in my head. I also have a random calorie entry in my fitday log. I usually use that for a bowl of veggies or something that I may only eat once so I don't want to create a custom entry. I just edit the calorie amount to suit the food. I am starting to round my calories up but I find it hard sometimes. I used to try to calculate calories exactly and even cheat at times by marking them as just a bit less. I figured I am only fooling myself and I better fess up. I am doing a little better but its a learning process

I don't count my calcium chews. It's only 40cal./day, though.

Funny ... never thought about it that way, but I don't count the 1 1/2 oz of 2% milk I put in my coffee in the morning. Doesn't seem to bother me either way - still losing.

I don't count medicines and I usually don't count seaweed.

ETA: I forgot to include herbs in my list of things I don't count.

Anything else that has calories gets counted.