I count all of it! I even have to add water and no calorie beverages to my list and make sure I put a 0 beside it. I always tend to overestimate as well.
I pretty much count everything except for diet sodas, which I have maybe once a week and they usually have about 2-5 calories per serve.
Other than that I count all veges, everything else that goes into my mouth even if it's a higher estimate of something I don't know the exact count for - and usually I'm hesitant to eat something if I don't have some idea of how many calories it contains.
I'm hoping to get to a point where I can kind of remember the amount of calories in some things so that I can go away for a week and not stress about not having access to my fitday - but I'm not sure how possible that will be.
I count everything I can find nutritional info for. I use an online counter or read off the package. My reason is 2-fold, I like knowing where I am for the day and I use an online tracker that keeps it all for me. It calculates nutrition info as well, so I can see at a quick glance how much calcium etc I've had for the day. I mainly just count calories but I like having that additional info available.
I attempt to count everything, especially my meals because at work I pick on veggies and cheese so I leave room for those. If i am tossing a few diced onions or cilantro or tomotoes on my food I don't count those because they are not 'full servings'. If I know I am way under my calorie intake for the day I don't count at all especially if I am eating what I normally eat. I keep an eye on the scale and so far so good.
Let's seeee. I don't count most low-calorie vegetables like celery, carrots (unless I juice the carrots, then I MIGHT consider it), radishes, or spinach/ other leafy greens.
My reason being that if I go overboard on my calorie limit with vegetables, that's fine by me On a possible TMI note: I find eating carrots pushes all my meals out of my system QUICKLY, like fiber on steroids!
Oh yeah! Forgot to say..I also tend to overestimate some items. Even if the calories are listed on the package, I still add 10-20 more cals on particularly fatty/heavy stuff just because I think to myself " I don't care what that package says, there's NO WAY this is whatever-amount!" SOOO I won't feel too bad about not counting the vegies.
I dont usually count gum or my diet coke unless i'm bored at work. lol Also sweetner packets. I don't use them often but if i put a packet of equal on my cereal i dont know why i should track that.
I don't count gum or the milk I put into my coffee. I don't round my calories up but I always try to keep my calorie intake below my daily allowance to make sure I don't go over with my non-counted calories.
Last edited by Hot Chicka; 09-22-2010 at 11:46 AM.
I don't think it is "anal" to be aware of what I am eating. It was because I wasn't aware that I was overweight. Everything but water and black coffee gets counted.
After reading the new Mayo Clinic Diet book by Dr. Hensrud, I'm not counting fruits and vegetables. They are the lowest caloric density foods on the planet, and I need something I can live with, not just another diet.
I also heard rumors the new Weight Watchers plan coming out in November will have free fruits and veg. If that's true, I'm signing up again.
I don't count the milk I put in my coffee. Yeah, I'm sure it adds up but I still don't count it. It's my one cheat. I feel like I'm getting away with something - my little secret pleasure.
If my sandwich ends up at 180, I'll round it to 200. I like easy math. (I don't round down though, so 160 stays 160.) So I figure the 2 pickles and one small shot of sugar free creamer are covered.
What's the point in trying to be super exact? Most labels aren't, and measuring and weighing won't come out perfect either. And it's not like your metabolism is going to burn the EXACT same amount every day. So, all that's part of the reason I round up, and don't sweat the small stuff. I think trying to count pickles, ketchup and SF creamer would probably drive me more nuts than would be worth it, especially as I'm aiming for habits that I can keep for life. I'm definitely not breaking out the tablespoons for measuring creamer and ketchup for life. But I understand why some people do. It definitely means you are more in control, and that is a huge factor in weight loss.
On a possible TMI note: I find eating carrots pushes all my meals out of my system QUICKLY, like fiber on steroids!
