What surprises have you found about foods you didn't realize before logging?

One of the interesting things about logging foods is what I've learned about the nutrition/calories of certain foods that are different than what I had believed was true. For instance, I always thought that peanut butter, while full of calories, had a lot of protein. Not so - at just 4g/100 calories it's not a great tradeoff. I still eat it b/c i love it, though. I always that that sour cream, the full fat kind which I love, was a calorie bomb, but it's really not bad at just 60 calories for 2T. What things have surprised you?

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BigLifter10 wrote: »

DeterminedFee201426 wrote: »

That advocados are tasty> and are not packed with as many calories as i thought .

Goes for me too. I just started incorporating avocados into my diet this year. I actually like them and think they really have the ability to smooth out a fruit/fiber/protein smoothie! (I've also made chocolate pudding with them). Wish I'd have given them a chance earlier.

How did you make your avocado chocolate pudding, I tried and mine turned out disgusting

•1tbs is a lot more than I though.
•how much fat I was actually eating in a day
•the reason I felt sick and tired at the start of my diet 2 months ago was because I wasn't eating nearly enough calories

[/quote]Of course, if you are like CERTAIN HUSBANDS and insist upon taking bites directly out of an 8 oz block of Cabot Seriously Sharp? You have a rude awakening coming your way.[/quote]

A rude awakening like a swift kick in the butt? Lol, that's so my hubby !!

One thing I find consistently surprising is how low in protein supposedly high-protein foods are. Nuts and nutbutters are frequently touted as protein powerhouses, but they're shockingly low (though tasty and full of healthy fats). I've also found that sausages and franks are lower in protein than expected, ditto grains like quinoa and millet, double ditto legumes. I really wonder how these things got their reputations as protein wonderbombs.

DeguelloTex wrote: »

That 2% milk isn't even remotely worth the taste tradeoff for the calorie savings.

For me full cream tastes off. So lite milk etc tastes better an has fewer calories. Bonus.

On the topic of milk. I used to drink a lot of milk. Not so much any more. I could easily drink 1-2 litres a day. On cereal, as a drink, chocolate milk at lunch etc but those calories add up fast.

I was surprised how LOW bagels were in calories. They were always touted as the worst possible thing ever in my circles and even though they're not like a piece of whole 900 grain whatever bread they're still doable to fit in once in a while.

Dried fruit and almond slivers add too many calories to a salad. Half a subway sandwich and baked chips have fewer calories than a foot long sandwich

I don't drink milk, so for a while I was worried I must not be getting enough calcium, but was pleasantly surprised to learn most days I get plenty of calcium from various foods without ever drinking a glass of milk.

That said... sodium was a nasty surprise. Most days I'm near the limit, and that's WITHOUT salting my food...

JoJo61612 wrote: »

I had no idea how many calories sushi had in it

hahaha yes, this. same here.

ketorach wrote: »

crys_todd wrote: »

An actual half cup of oatmeal is almost 30% more than when I weigh out 40 grams.

OMG, this!

yes this x1000 hahah

LovelyIvy466 wrote: »

The thing I miss most is cheese. An actual serving of cheese is so small, vs the big calorie wallop. I still eat it, but super rarely because when I do eat cheese it's never JUST cheese. It's cheese, prosciutto, honey, pecans and a glass of wine. I miss cheese!

Mmm...I like to fit in an ounce or so of aged parmesan drizzled with honey sometimes. If it's a hard sharp cheese, I can be satisfied with a smaller amount. I also like extra sharp cheddar with dark chocolate. Now I need to buy some parmesan. I usually have an ounce or two of the more sedate cheeses like sharp cheddar daily with meals.

JoJo61612 wrote: »

I had no idea how many calories sushi had in it

I know! And all these people lining up thinking its a health food. I'm not even letting my toddler have "shushi" anymore as those chubby cheeks don't need that many calories for lunch (and I don't need rice *everywhere*)

spyro88 wrote: »

How many calories were in a stir fry that I used to consider a healthy meal (it was mainly the egg noodles and pre-packaged sauce that did it). I am now rethinking how I make stir fries.

Yeah, stir-fry feels like it ought to be healthy, and it can be, but you gotta be careful with the noodles/rice and sauces. I'm now doing a bit of ginger, a bit of soy, a dash of kecap manis and chilli sauces, and weighing my noodles!

Even the smallest piece of candy has sooooooo many calories, holy crap!

that muffins are incredibly fattening!

killencm wrote: »

that muffins are incredibly fattening!

I know, this breaks my heart! Usually much more of a savoury person, but muffins are like my kryptonite. Long lines in cafes are the worst...too much time to stare into the counter at all the muffiny goodness!

No real surprise there. But before I started to lose weight I had a good think about why I gained in the first place, and realized that 1-2 packets of crisps and 2-3 bags of candy per week added an awful lot of calories to my diet. That was my eye opener, even though I knew there's a lot of calories in there. I just never really thought about it. Hey, worst case, that's over 2500kcal per week.

though it was rather something like 1500. But still a lot!

I was surprised at how little sodium I consume on most days. I also didn't realize that I used to eat way more sugar than I should've. I also used to be a fan of high calorie drinks (non-alcoholic) because I had no idea just how much calories were in them. I had a lot of eye opener moments after I began logging on MFP. I've found that a lot of rumors that I hear about foods aren't even true.

That nuts were my downfall. It's rude how many calories are in peanuts lol.

melyssachan wrote: »

How much I was eating.
I was really bad at eating if anything was close to me or if someone asked me if I wanted something to eat.

This for me too. I ate out of habit or boredom or if I was offered anything in any situation. I never said no to food or drink. I'd eat almost all leftovers. I ate when I was happy and especially when I was angry (that's the hardest one to remedy). I'd have "I'll show him!!" Binges. Who was I really punishing by doing that?

That I can eat what I want still, I just have to eat less of it. It's been amazing to me to realise that I'm losing weight simply by counting calories, without having to overhaul my entire diet. This is letting me make gradual healthy changes to my diet that I can sustain, rather than a big change that is doomed to fail.

Also, it's amazing how much you can grow to like diet coke when you realise how many kilojoules regular coke has

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