Counting Calories...???

Okay, I'm having a lil bit of trouble trying to figure out my calories when I make a meal with a bunch of different ingredients.  I am not sure if I'm adding them up right.  There are different serving sizes for each ingredient and for some things there are more than one serving size in the meal and for others its less than one serving size.  I was wondering if anyone out there can tell me how to make a meal with a bunch of ingredients and figure out what to measure out for a serving size and how to figure out the calories per serving.

For Example:
I made a chicken salad the other night and it had the following items in it:
1.5 Apples-chopped
2.5 stalks of celery-chopped
1/4 of red onion-chopped
1 can of chunk white chicken breast in water-drained
1.5 Tbsp. of mayo

How would I go about adding this up to see what a serving size is for this and how many calories would be in each?

I'm just a lil confused when it comes to making meals, I don't usually make anything, I'm used to eating whatever can be microwaved but, I'm trying to change that.

I know this might be confusing, I hope it makes sense, but if anyone can help me I'd grately appreciate it.

OK..SO... take the cals and divide by # of servings.

1.5 apples = 120 cals
2.5 celery =     5 cals
1/4 onion =    20 cals
1 can chicken = ?? you have to get that off the can put lets say it equals 200 cals
1.5 tbs mayo = ?? you have to get that off the jar but lets say it equals 150 cals

You have 495 cals in this example.  Did you eat it all or 1/2 or 1/4???
I'm going to guess you ate 1/2 of it so your serving would be 248 cals (I'd say 250).

Now....when you make things in big amounts you have to weigh or measure how many cups you get...(like when you make a big pot of chili or soup).  So if you get 6 cups out of the pot you add up all your ingredients and then divide by 6.  If you then decide to eat 1 cup of chili you know how many cals.  If you decide to eat 1/2 a cup of chili you take that cal count for the  cup and cut it in 1/2.

Got it??
Let me know if you have questions....

Hints - you can save a lot of cals if you use reduced mayo or something else instead of full fat mayo.

Hope that helps!

Okay, thanks, That's the way I've been doing it just wasn't sure if it was right. Also, I've been thinking about investing in a scale for food, What all can u use it for?  Will it tell you the amout of cups along with the amt of ounces?  So when you make a big pot of soup or something, do you then empty it into another pot as you measure out how many cups it is?

Hello again.
I have a food scale and use it a lot.  Mine is kind of basic...tells me oz or grams but not cups.

You can get a fancy one that will do all the conversions for you.  I just saw one that WW sells...I might treat myself to it.

After I've made a big pot of soup I get my 1 cup measuring scoop and use it to put the soup (or chili, or veggies, whatever I cooked) into Tupperware containers (I normally freeze some and keep some in the fridge).   So yes, I use the 1 cup measuring cup to put it from the cooking pot to the storage containers.

Hope that helps!
TTFN
Ruth

Consider using the OH HealthTracker or Fitday.com or MyPlate on Livestrong.com to do the calculations for your recipes, they will also keep track of your daily consumption fairly eaasily. I have one friend who uses an ap on his iphone to track his food. just tracking has helped him lose weigh since he got the phone!
Jan D.

And, yes, a scale really helps when you are tracking calories and quantities.
jan