Do you count gum or coffee?

This is more out of curiosity than anything else and I know it has been asked a million times on ehre (sorry to be annoying)- just would like to have a more "recent" opinion when it is labeled properly in the OP...

anyway, I am maintaining and have no intetion on counting them...but do any of you count coffee of sugar free gum.

The reason I ask is because I consume a lot of these products (like a whole pack of gum and multiple cups of coffee a day)...like I see the calories clearly labeled on the s.f. gum and on the Dunkin Doughnuts website there are calories listed for the black decaf coffee I drink...but does me not counting these things make me in "denial"...is chewing 110 cals of gum the same as eating like a 100 calorie pack or something?  I also notice it says "not a low cal food"...while I know this is a legal notation meant for other foods more, it still alarms me a bit lol

Perhaps it is a personal choice, but I count every morsel, every drop of liquid.  Coffee counts.  You are maintaining, do what you think is necessary.

I don't count gum because each piece is like 5 calories...Well if I chew on it for 20 minutes I will surely burn off at least 7 calories so counting it is pointless and obsessive in my opinion.

As for coffee, I put milk in it, so I count the calories for the half cup of milk I use.

I don't count gum, but then again I chew maybe one stick a week.

If you're eating a pack of gum every day, you might want to count it. 

again I know it has calories...but counting it and coffee seems over the top...I mean you literally are not ingesting any nutrients really....they say artificial sweetners have cals too like this...

I don't know when I lost weight I drank so many things with splenda and lal that stuff and it never did anything to me....

I still think it's ridiculous, but I guess like someone said it's up to you....

100 cals from a gum pack is nt the same as a 100 cal pack....it's like saying if you chewed 5 packets of gum (not that I would) that that is EXACTLY the same as eating a piece of cheesecake? yea ok

^ I say a calorie is a calorie. 100 calories of gum IS 100 calories.

I don't count gum though, unless it's very sugary, because I'm not that rabid about my calories. 5 calories over my limit? Whatever. It's your choice.

I chew 6 pieces of sugar gum 15 calories each so yes i count it.

coffee i wouldn't count if i have it black. as long as your having sugar free gum i wouldn't count it, if you chew one piece for at least 30  min you burn off the calories just by chewing it. i would however count gum made with real sugar. if you are eating a pack of sugar free gum a day i am wondering how that works considering the artificial sweetener used in gum can have a laxative affect in large quantities

still seems a bit much and obsessive...I mean 100 calories of gum is not nutrtionally anywhere near 100 calories from a 100 cal pack or anything....oh well like I said I always chewed gum, consumed tons of splenda products (not anymore) and lost al my weight and have been maintaining on it....eat 500 cals of gum vs. eating cheesecake everyday (NOT that you should lol) and you would see a difference in what happens

again everyone is entitled to what they want, but in this case a calorie is not a calorie in my opinion...coffee and gum isn't going to impede your weightloss in ANY quantity (provided sugar free gum-bc you aren't consuing sugar as in reg. gum)...and there is no laxative effect for me)....

but then again I guess it is important to note that I am maintaing (and am at a fairly low weight for my height and gender) and exercise a ton and eat lower than I should (which I'm working on fixing)...so just know I'm not saying my opinion/view is better than anyone elses....

this was just more of a general question...guess the answer is it depends on the person....the only thing I will stand by is that gum and coffee in whatever quantity (I mean come on you can only consume so much of them) won't impede weightloss...

no and no :)

I count coffee, but not gum.  I don't chew gum very often though.

I only count the sugary gum, but the sugar free stuff is fair game to me. I don't drink coffee, but I think it works like tea, that it's 0 calories unless you add something to it?

The only things I don't count are gum, tea, and crystal light.

I only count gum when it's convienient for me. :"] If I need more calories I tend to say... well I had that gum. But if I want to eat one more thing I don't count the gum. Haha. That's probably not a smart idea though.

I would definitely count coffee!

no! thats just crazytalk!

counting cals is OCD enough as it is...i figure by the time you consider all the assumptions and approximations, 5 or 10 calories is less than the percent error anyways.

If I was having 100 cals worth of something, I would count it. Lalce, you said that 100 cals is not 100 cals..

"100 cals from a gum pack is nt the same as a 100 cal pack....it's like saying if you chewed 5 packets of gum (not that I would) that that is EXACTLY the same as eating a piece of cheesecake? yea ok"

that doesn't take fat content into account though. A calorie that you drink still counts right? (ask anyone who drinks a lot of real soda or alcohol! :P). When you have gum, are you not essentially "drinking" the calories? Just a thought :)

I'm been maintaining for 3 months now and still count most everything except gum, Crystal Light and the occasional hard mint I have. I never have more than 30 cals worth of these on a daily basis.

of course drinking a calorie is consuming a calorie (i.e. Soda)...but that is because those drinka are LOADED with sugar which does cause masive rapid weight gain...gum has abolsutely no nutritional good nor bad....I am sorry but 100 calories of gum is NOT the same as 100 calories from lets say a slice of cake....again eat 500 cals of gum a day (NOT that I am saying that is good for you lol) and a slice of cheesecake...I guarantee the later would put on weight before the gum ever did....

I agree, counting calories in sugar free gum (not sugar gum-since again sugar causes rapid weight gain)...and coffee with nothing in it...yea ok...sugar free gum is HARDLY as volatile for your body as regular soda or alc...COME ON! jeesh lol

as someone said, counting calories is obsessive enough to some capacity...inlcuding gum and coffee is overkill (of course that is only IMO, not saying anyone is wrong)...I lost 115 lbs and was underweight and am still now at a low weight (not under though) and chew a lot of sugar free gum and drink a lot of black coffee without counting and nothing has happened....I aso as I said consumed tons of splenda products (have since quit) and that never impeded ANY weightloss....again that is just me....interesting discussion though

double post-sorry!

"....I am sorry but 100 calories of gum is NOT the same as 100 calories from lets say a slice of cake...."

How exactly is the sugar in the gum different form the sugar in the cake?

I don't count gum if it is 1 piece a day but more then that I do.  coffee (even black) counts. A med. has 10 cal.  If you don't want to count it is up to you. 

lets say you drink 3 med coffees + 15 sticks of gum.  that's 65 calories a day.  65x7= 455  so every 7.5 days you could gain a lb. back.  You may be burning it off. and that's why you are at maintenance but later if you see the numbers creeping up I would start adding them.  You may have a little room to "play" with in your calorie budget. Others may not have more then 5 a day to spare so I/ they count anything that goes in the mouth even if not in the stomach.

You asked a question and people gave you what they do (as you asked for) Your replies are reading a bit defencive from this side. 

1 calories = 1 calories regardless of where you get.  Fuze water have 5 calories from artificial sweetener you would still count that.?. And Do you fell this way because you are not "eating" it your just chewing it?  There are a lot of things I would be just chewing if that worked. LOL. 

And you point of it having no nutrital value is a good one.  I don't eat it because if I'm going to have 100 worth of calories it's going to have something in it. 

hmmm well considering I said and emphasized sugar FREE gum hahaha....

not being defensive....as someone who was obsessed with calorie counting and maintain at a very low weight now, I just think it is obsessive and will stand by that....but again like I have said a million times whatever floats your boat lol....and 65 extra cals a day isn't going to make your weight creep up to like your original starting weight...to think that is pure paranoia....I guess I sound defensive because I developed an ED from obsessively counting even the most ridiculous things such as gum, coffee, etc. and wouldn't want to see anyone else become like that esp. now that I see in maintenance that NOT counting those two things make absolutely no difference....but then again I know not everyone is the same...I jog 8 miles a day and tend to undereat (not that I am advocating that at all-I'm working on fixing it )

but again, if counting it helps in diet efforts go for it!....just don't get carried away...and also if you care about calories don't considering calories from coffee and sugar free gum to be the same as eating a slice of cake... now THAT would be a huge mistake....

but that's where I'll end what I have to say....hope you see where i'm comming from and respect that as I do your opinions