Logging Your Salads: Help!!!!!!!

[airiechristian]

I purchase a salad for lunch everyday and it consist of 2 cups of mixed greens with a variety of mixed veggies, some dried cranberries, cubed chicken and 1 boiled egg and a little shredded cheddar cheese with ff dressing. However when I log everything most of my calories are used for the day!!!! Am I doing this right I use to do WW and veggies were 0pts.... Help!!!!!

[Heybales]

Calories is measured per weight, not per volume measurements. 4 calories protein and carbs is 1 gram, 9 cal per fat gram.

Grams for weight, not cups which is volume.

So to start, I'm betting there is huge inaccuracy in the calorie count for your salad.

If possible to weigh the individual ingredients just once, figure out the calorie counts per weight, and then add back together. Only need to do that once at least.

Then on future salads, either assume the overall weight is the same, or weigh it to confirm close enough.

Also, did you let Fitbit give your eating goal, or did you manually set your own limit?

If you set your own, you likely went to low.

To lose weight, you merely have to eat less than what you burn. Fitbit is getting good estimate of what you burn daily, you merely eat less than that daily, and a huge difference or deficit is not always better, especially with little left to lose.

So other part of issue may be eating goal set too low if you did it manually.

[josephz2va]

Most of that I calculated up to 800 calories. Mainly from overindulgence using a salad bar to pick and choose. It helps to purchase prepackaged salads instead. Most convenience stores sell made up salad packages.

Wawa Cobb Salad, Garden Salad, and Veggie Salad are the lowest in calorie values. Chicken Salad is their highest value. Grocery stores sell prepackaged salads as well.

[LaurenRN85]

cranberries have lots of sugar, cut those out, try to have one protein either egg or chicken and measure your dressing.  Try just oil and vinegar  good luck

[mimjoy]

much better to make  your own salad.  but if you have  to  get it preemade  cheek the calories  on the box.

[botch]

I found that FF dressing is still high in calories, sometimes more than the entire salad.  I've switched to just Olive oil and vinegar. and its is easier to figure out.

[ac7ss]

I get Ready Pak salad bags at Costco or Cash and Carry, 5 cups is only 20-30 calories.
Choose your dressing carefully and measure it! Ken's "Lite Sweet Vidalia Onion" Dressing is 80 cal/2 Tablespoons. Whereas Wishbone "Fat Free Italian" is 15 cal/2 Tbsp.

I don't add anything else to my salad, but a whole boiled egg is 110cal. The chicken depends on how much you use (weigh it). Sometimes I like to add the Costco crumbled bacon to toss in, 35 Cal/1 Tbsp.
Salad is practally free food. It's what you add to it that ruins it's calorie count. A good dressing, while it can add 160 calories, can make you feel satisfied with a salad.

[carolyn810]

I was shocked too a little when I saw the calories of my salad.  I'm a former WW point counter as well so I am used to zero for veggies too.  I agree with the others... I love cranberries but only use them sparingly. You can get unsweetened cranberries at a health food store which helps but the unsweetened kind is not usually on the salad bar due to cost. Also the FF dressing... if you like oil, go with that.  It's a heathly fat for you too.  I was told to try to keep the salad in the 700 range... it keeps me full all afternoon.

Good luck!!