Tracking the little things?

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9/2/12 11:01 A

true

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9/1/12 6:07 A

when I dont track I dont know which way im going

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8/31/12 5:37 P

tracking is necessary

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8/31/12 11:08 A

Great topic, since I just went back to tracking again.

It can be a tedious time-consuming chore, but it really helps me. I try to track everything just because I'm the type that also needs to reconcile my check book to the penny, LOL. But someone here mentioned salt and pepper, which I don't currently track. I don't sprinkle much salt on my food, but I do have high bp, so I suppose that might be helpful. And another person mentioned vitamins - interesting. If I were really closely watching my nutritional makeup that would certainly be pertinent.

This time around I'm trying to make my life easier and adding more favorites. And I'm trying to bring more food from home for work snacks and lunches since it's definitely better for me and the side benefit is that it's usually easier to track. I'm also going to create some groups for certain things to make it even easier.

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8/31/12 8:36 A

I was having trouble losing, and as soon as I started really tracking everything that's when the pounds started coming off.

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8/30/12 11:31 P

I try to track everything because my schedule at work is so crazy. If I didn't, I know that I would only think that my calorie count is correct and it wouldn't be. My saying at work is "If it is not in my lunch pail, I can't eat it"

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8/30/12 5:54 P

I track all the foods i eat but it is hard to rember what i eat on the weekends so i am going to start to write it down

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8/30/12 5:41 P

I think it depends on how new you are to calorie counting. When you first start, I think you at least need to be aware and read the label, because even little things add up by the end of the day. However, I don't track ketchup, mustard, I don't use mayo often, but when I do, I track it. I know my cream in my coffee is appr. 10-20 calories each cup, so I really don't feel those 40-60 calories are my big issue.
But everyone is different.

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8/30/12 11:07 A

I track food, fitness, and goals.
I will be the home dialysis assistant for my husband soon.
I will track his food, exercise, inputs, outputs and time on dialysis.
I also manage the smart cards of the machine and order supplies.

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8/30/12 10:34 A

I track everything I put into my mouth. I also measure everything out, I never just estimate.

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8/29/12 9:14 P

I track the big stuff. Like last night I braised lamb four 4oz chunks of lamb with one onion, about 10 roma tomatoes and three or four green peppers. It served four. I counted the meat. But then, too, if I hadn't counted, in the beginning, the teaspoon of olive oil I'd been mixing with the vinegar on my salad (I rarely count lettuce) I never would have known the calories it packs. Same with almonds. A 'handful' of those babies and I've used most of my fat for the day.....

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8/29/12 8:30 P

Please stop yelling.

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8/29/12 2:30 P

ALWAYS! IF I CAN'T FIND WHAT I ATE IN THE INDEX, I WILL ENTER IT BY INGREDIENTS. IT MAKES FOR A LONG LIST ON MY TRACKER, BUT IT WORKS AND KEEPS ME HONEST.

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8/29/12 11:34 A

I too track everything, even the vitamins that I take. It's very useful to enter my meals for the day ahead of time if I know what I am having. This helps me to figure in my snacks and such in order to stay within the calorie range I have chose. Everything counts.

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8/29/12 11:22 A

You have to be accounatble to yourself or the system just doesn't work.

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8/29/12 10:46 A

If you bite it, write it...

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8/29/12 10:15 A

I try to track everything.

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8/29/12 10:14 A

just do it

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8/29/12 10:11 A

MMLJAR

Wow you put how I feel into words. Regrettably (I think...). I am not a perfectionist, but I am very compulsive but just knowing my tendency seems to help. But thanks again for putting into words what I could not. Have a wonderful day!

Edited by: MIDROAD at: 8/29/2012 (10:15)

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8/29/12 9:26 A

I track most everything. Although I do not stress out about it either! Any treats I make sure to track but the couple carrots and tomatoes I ate while checking the garden I do not worry about. If i remember great, if not... eh. But then most days I tend to be on the low end of my calories intake.

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8/29/12 9:04 A

I find I tend to drink my calories if I don't track. - not just alcohol, mostly coffee. I mean 70 calories for a cup of coffee seems silly - the I realize it is only 70 calories when I actually measure the coffee creamer, I am sure that it is much, much more when I just pour it into my coffee.

I have tried many different plans, I have found that all of them will work, if you actually are accountable, by tracking your food. You get that food amnesia... Oh, I forgot I ate a cookie ...

So if you bite it, write it!

Edited by: DUCKIJO at: 8/29/2012 (09:09)

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8/29/12 1:41 A

I think I will continue to track everything until I have a good idea of what my perfect day is.

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8/29/12 12:54 A

i track it if i dont forget

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8/28/12 9:23 P

I'm trying to track any little thing that adds a significant number of carbs. This is because I am trying to watch my intake of carbs.

I also track everything that has sugar in it, even natural sugars. Also because I am watching my sugar intake.

Small amounts of things that are not in those two categories, however, I often don't track.

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8/28/12 6:48 P

truth

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8/28/12 6:25 P

And to SMP927...

I definitely agree - that's a great way to turn the healthy stuff that one normally wouldn't want into a treat! Veggies tend to make you feel full, so you don't want to eat as much later, so it's doubly-good!

~ Mythina

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8/28/12 5:26 P

interesting. sometimes I track what I planned to eat then didn't eat a snack or two. no perfectionism in that.

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8/28/12 9:41 A

As an irrational perfectionist, precise tracking quickly becomes the source of solace where originally it was food. It's getting better as daily the recognition grows that real solace will only come from a loving God. Everything else deteriorates into useless compulsion as I seek what things, activities, stuff, food, people cannot give. Sometimes I purposely let stuff slip from tracking just to keep the compulsive monster at bay.

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8/27/12 6:59 P

That's a neat idea - the reward for eating healthy raw veggies is skipping tracking them! I like that - it'll only mean a few calories difference in your tracker, but makes eating them feel like a treat!

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8/27/12 6:09 P

I track everything that goes in my mouth...except raw veggies. I know they have a few carbs...a few calories...but as my own little reward for eating as many as I can stand to chew in a day, I let myself off of tracking them. I'm a newbie...have little business saying much. But I did post a great loss for my first week...so it has worked for me for my first week :)

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8/27/12 9:36 A

truth

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8/27/12 9:28 A

reality sure sets in when you track everything

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8/27/12 8:22 A

I had a birthday party this weekend (pizza and cake - although I did skip the ice cream), and then we had the left-over pizza for dinner. Plus breakfast and snacks, it was almost 3,000 calories I consumed - yikes! It does help, I think to see just really what you're eating every day!

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8/27/12 6:57 A

98% of the time I track food. The hardest is on the weekends, and I find that I have had a 2,700 calorie day after the fact.

It's important to include everything, even if you see that you are far over your goal. I almost didn't add the twix bar I ate on Saturday because I saw that I was way off count but put it in there so I'm not kidding myself. We were out of town all weekend = no excuse though; should have done better but today's a new day!

It's a bit of a pain to add everything when you are cooking, i.e. the tablespoon of olive oil you used in the pan, etc, but it really does add up and by measuring and tracking we re-educate ourselves on serving sizes and portion control.

The little things add up. Those 6 life savers I ate? The 5 starburst candies? The 1/2 can of coke? 10 croutons? 1 slice of cheese?
With those calories I could enjoy a light meal or indulge with a glass of wine and still be under my count for the day. Those are the best days.

What helps me the most especially through the week is to add everything I've had for breakfast and what I will have for my snack and lunch at my first opportunity in the morning ("smoke break" even though I don't smoke.) Then, I will see how many calories I have left for dinner and adjust accordingly.

It is a real eye opener and I didn't start seeing better results in weight loss until I did this religiously. Using it in conjunction with the exercise tracker for cardio and you're golden.

Best wishes!

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8/27/12 1:01 A

When some of you talk about a "messy tracker," what do you mean?

And my two cents to this thread: I track every morsel of every thing.

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8/26/12 8:24 P

I certainly try to- I've done this before, and if I knowingly allow myself to stop tracking my foods even a couple fo times, it gets easier to justify not tracking it. Plus, it's accountability. I hate seeing days with 2700 calories or more, and looking at that every time I track my food here keeps me motivated to not over indulge.

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8/26/12 8:21 P

i track my exercise. I write down how far I walk and how long it takes for me to get there.

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8/26/12 8:19 P

that's the bestthing to do: JUST DO IT!!!

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8/26/12 5:06 P

I track 95% of everything, I don't track my sugar free coffee creamer.

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8/26/12 4:58 P

just do it

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8/26/12 3:52 P

I do track my food, but I guess its tough to remember everything single thing you eat during the day - so, I'm trying to use this as a tool. If I suspect I'm about to eat something I'll forget to write down, I don't eat it. I tend to be able to remember everything I eat at meals, so I'm trying to have several smaller meals throughout the day, which helps me to write down everything I eat.
I agree that it is essential to log everything - food is often the reason I don't shift the pounds!

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8/26/12 10:22 A

I also track everything and I try to stick to the very lower end of my carbs because of a thyroid problem. Little things like a slice of tomato and a slice of onion have 1-3 carbs in them and when you are counting carbs that's a big thing in my opinion.

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8/26/12 9:47 A

At first I did not, then when I was having no success, I started tracking everything an quickly found out what that mayonnaise on bread cost me, salad dressing, sugar in my coffee etc. In short it was 100's of calories most days and the sodium, well as the saying goes OMG!!! Once I started tracking, it led to looking for better alternatives for extra flavoring and bonus, less calories also. Now 3 years and healthy habits later, I seldom track them as I don't use them, but if I did it get entered. My rule of thumb, if I was just going to guess, why bother tracking anything, I need a whole picture to ne informed.

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8/26/12 9:29 A

track

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8/25/12 6:14 P

5 years ago when I was first starting to lose weight I kept a very detailed hand written food log. It included even my emotions and hunger level when I ate but after about a year maybe 2 I started keeping a less detailed log because I had formed healthy eating habits that 5 years later are still with me. I now keep a food log as a way to stay on track and balance my workouts with my food intake.

I personally feel logging your food should be a life long habit and a person should log everything at least 2 weeks out of every month to make sure they are staying on track.

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8/25/12 6:06 P

track everything

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8/25/12 2:07 P

I try to track everything if I know the nutrition info. I am not always successful

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8/25/12 1:44 P

I track everything....the good, the bad & the ugly. It's the only thing that works for me.

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8/25/12 7:37 A

If you're stalled at a plateau, or working really hard but not seeing results, then tracking every single bite is a good way to see where extra calories might be sneaking in.

Sauces, dressings, oils, a taste here, a taste there, the last tablespoon of peanut butter in the jar before you throw it out...all of that can add up to many extra calories if you're not paying attention.

If your results are where they are supposed to be, then it's not such a concern.

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8/24/12 11:35 P

Redstrawberry95, I couldn't agree more! Right on!

It is so important to track in the beginning and until good habits are formed.

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8/24/12 7:35 P

I do believe that tracking at the beginning is very important. But i also believe that if this is a lifestyle change, then im not going to track EVERY single piece of food i eat and I don't, for example, tomato,onion, lettuce, cabbage, etc little things like that. And it hasn't hinder my weightloss at all.But that's just me of course, everyones different. But I will continue to eat the way i do (healthy) for the rest of my life. Not track it forever. I think sometimes we tend to overdo or become obsessed with tracking the little things.

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8/24/12 6:42 P

I measure , and track, i will be buying a food scale shorrtly. Eyeballing just ddows not work.

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