foods you just don't count...BAD I KNOW:)

Okay, so i've been thinking a lot about this lately because i notice that certain foods i just don't count...i know that all calories count and I should count everything i put into my mouth if i want to be accurate...but i must admit that i don't.

for example, I find that if i choose to put a teaspoon of this cappuccino powder in my coffee or less than that, i won't count it since it's like 8 calories or something. i only do it maybe once a day, even less really. 

i also sometimes will grab a strawberry out of the fridge and not count it, since it's only 1 and probably roughly 7 calories or something like that, all in all these little things might add up to about 100 calories in a day, but i figure if i do this ALL THE TIME and track everything else regularly then I am still getting an accurate assessment of whether or not I need to adjust my "reported" calories, even if the "reported calories" aren't exact, comparing each day's approxiamtion would be pretty accurate still.

it's like weighing yourself on a scale that's off by 2 pounds every day, even though it's off by 2 pounds, it still gives you information about your progress. albeit the information is inaccurate but is still useful for making modifications.

so here's a list of things i NEVER COUNT...

1. chewing gum--sugar free of course

2. 1 strawberry or 1 blueberry, etc.

3. crystal light packets....only 1 a day tops

4. a tsp or less of creamer, milk, etc.

5. a tsp or less of any condiment really

6. salsa...if it's not a ton

7. spray on salad dressing

8. a single cherry tomato

9. a small spoonful of cottage cheese [maybe a tsp or so]

so...do you have any of these foods that you let slide by and not make it onto your food log? I KNOW IT'S BAD...so that's not in dispute but just wondering if anyone else does this with any particular foods.

I have recently become addicted very fond of red grapes. I'll often go to the kitchen and just grab a couple. At all other times (like if I get a big bowl) I'll count every single grape, but they're only like 2-3 calories a grape, so why bother when I sneak one or two?

Instant granulated coffee 

Sweetener (Splenda, SugarTwin...)

Gums

Diet Coke/7up/Pepsi

Hmm, recently instead of counting EVERYTHING (witch i used to do) like that such as splenda, gum, etc.

I am starting to just leave off about 40-60 calories to make up for little things like that, and common sense of course if I really used that much or that little etc.

But ya, I usually don't count sugar free drink mixes, diet tea or soda, or sprinkles of seasonings such as onion powder, cinnamon, and basil etc.

I don't count Frs Diet energy drink, and I drink at least one every day.

Medications , such as cold & flu remedies.

I'm pretty sure the  "taste teasers" I get when shopping are all calorie free, fat free & totally healthy!

gum, medicine, ketchup, splenda, spray butter (even if i go over the "recommended" amount of sprays, i don't go completely overboard). and i do the same thing as jpegg0 when i just grab a couple grapes. no biggie.

i do that sometimes when i pick at other fruit too, like if there's some pineapple chunks in the fridge i'll just eat a couple & not count it.

I don't log my black coffee, tea with a little splash of milk, mustard, pepper, spices/herbs unless they are spice mixes that have salt in them. With some things that are low cal (veggies, salsa etc.) I log them but I don't actually measure them, I just estimate how much I'm eating. There's only 7.5 cals difference between 1 cup of broccoli and 1 1/4 cups so it doesn't really matter if I have it perfect. Also today I ate 11 tortilla chips and logged it as 10 because it was listed as 20 chips a serving and it was so much easier to just divide everything by 2 in my head than to do the actual math. Even with my little bit of cheating I still manage to lose more than CC's calculators say I should be.

Lately I haven't been counting tomato sauce because carrying a refridgerated jar to my computer to log it, and then tag it for future use is sort of a pain, considering it only has 50 cals max (usually more around 30) for the amount I use. I do take it into account and mentally add those 50 cals to what I think I consumed, but I don't bother logging it.

I don't bother logging sugar free gum or diet coke anymore. Sometimes I'll put in my Crystal Light, but not always, since I only consume about 2 cups (10 cals) a day.

It occurred to me this week, I've never logged an entry for olive oil, and I cook with it at least 3-4 times a week  !!!

I'm not sure how oil works if you fry with it.

Does all the fat/calorie value count towards your log?, Even if a lot remains in the pan?! Never sure what to add, so I started adding a tsp (which is about what I'd use to fry veggies or ) on my food count. 

I do log Diet coke and black coffee with sweetener just to keep track of how much I'm having for sweetener/caffeine etc

• Soy sauce
• Extra fruit (except bananas)
• Extra yogurt or cottage cheese (I give myself extra on purpose cause I love it! Hahah.)
• Salsa... although I use it ALL the time.
• Vinegar
• Citrus juices (lemon, lime, etc.) in cooking
• Coffee and tea
• Salad toppings like onions, tomatoes, lettuce, etc.
• Spices

Wow that's a lot. At least none of it is really caloric. Everything is probobly under 10 cals.

Grapes, water, diet dr pepper, spray butter, spray salad dressing

Pickles...I know I should be counting them based on the sodium, but I only eat like, two a day, max.

Coffee/tea, unless I put sugar in...then I only count the sugar haha

Lettuce/spinach or whatever I'm making a salad with...I count it, but as with most veggies, I don't really care too much if I'm a little off.

And then extras...like when I pour a bowl of cere and grab like, two flakes and a raisin from the box.  I know these things add up, but so far I'm fine...I don't want counting to take over my life any more than it alreay has haha.

Everyone ends up with these extras. You're right that individually they are insignificant. No one wants to take the time to log 1 grape or try to figure out how much olive oil stuck to their chicken breast.

What I do for these is add a MISC to my food log. Maybe 50 or 100 calories, whatever trues it up. For some it may not matter but I like to log as close to the truth as I can. I don't bother with the fat, carbs, sodium, or etc. just the calories.

I'm sure that there are those among us that would be shocked by what their "extras" really add up to.

thought of some more...

soy sauce

spray butter

chopped onion if it's a small amount

garlic cloves

teensy bits of maple syrup

samples of ice cream from ice cream shops--those really add up but i just sneak em by...lol