Sims going on a diet?

[Marishkah]

One thing I wish could be added....
Fitness can be a part of our Sims lives and there are several ways to keep your Sim fit.  Would be really nice if they added a feature so our Sims could go on a diet when they start to gain weight.  I know they can work out/jog, but I have read a lot of posts about Sims going buff after doing so.  Not everyone wants their Sims buff. Was just thinking about this after viewing my Sims and how their hips are getting wider and wider!

[Devin]

Sims do gain weight based on what they're eating, so that's at least that part of the equation. I'm not sure if it will help them to lose weight, but it does influence weight gain. Eat less and eat healthier foods and sims won't gain the weight.

[lindsaysoderberg]

Wow, do they really gain weight based on what they eat? I started wondering about that when all of my sims starting getting really overweight, and I have to keep them exercising all of the time, which is really annoying. I hate going to the gym in real life enough already!

Looks like it's Garden Salads for my sims from now on...

That's unfortunate, though, I love having them make a wide variety of dishes for fun.

[Devin]

Having them eat in limited quantities also helps, regardless of what they're eating. I've managed to maintain weight with sims eating a variety of foods through multiple generations before.

[_Annika_]

My sims only really eat trout meuniere since that fills them up completely and gives them the best buff. I preferred it when meal quality determined the buff value. They are all getting very hefty. If they had the time they would be going for a daily jog, but alas, they are all too busy with legacy requirements.

[lindsaysoderberg]

My sims only really eat trout meuniere since that fills them up completely and gives them the best buff. I preferred it when meal quality determined the buff value. They are all getting very hefty. If they had the time they would be going for a daily jog, but alas, they are all too busy with legacy requirements.

@_Annika_ What are legacy requirements? Is it part of the game or a self-created challenge?

Thanks!

[Marishkah]

I had no idea if Sims ate certain types of food they will gain weight faster..
I know Kenzie is a great cook and I like to have her create different foods.. guess I will experiment on making healthier foods.

[ClayMask]

My guess is that how healthy the meal is doesn't matter, but how much they eat does.  If they eat well beyond the point when their bar is full, they will gain weight.  If you're concerned about it, you can wait until their bar is really low to have them eat, or have them stop eating when the bar is full.  It does seem like it's easier for them to gain weight than it was in The Sims 2, which is too bad.

[_Annika_]

@_Annika_ What are legacy requirements? Is it part of the game or a self-created challenge?

Thanks!

The Legacy Challenge was created by Pinstar, and the rules can be found here:

http://www.simslegacychallenge.com/sims-4-legacy-challenge-gameplay-rules/

[ReubenHood]

Foods in the Sims 4 actually have calorie values assigned to them in the game. For example, Trout Meuniere has 565 calories and Garden Salad has 50 calories.

[ClayMask]

Foods in the Sims 4 actually have calorie values assigned to them in the game. For example, Trout Meuniere has 565 calories and Garden Salad has 50 calories.

Only 50 calories for a salad?  They must not even use dressing.  How bland.

[ReubenHood]

It's no wonder my own Sims had started to gain weight: It looks like Lobster Thermidor has the highest calorie count in the game at 800, the cakes come in at 500, and the only food that surpasses it is the Insta-Large potion at 10,000,000 calories.

[lindsaysoderberg]

Foods in the Sims 4 actually have calorie values assigned to them in the game. For example, Trout Meuniere has 565 calories and Garden Salad has 50 calories.

@ReubenHood where did you get the information about the calorie content of The Sims 4 food? Is it listed somewhere or can it be found in the game?

Thanks!

[ReubenHood]

@ReubenHood where did you get the information about the calorie content of The Sims 4 food? Is it listed somewhere or can it be found in the game?

Thanks!

It's something I noticed when I was looking through the game files. I'm pretty sure it's not something you can find in-game, at least not yet.

[lindsaysoderberg]

It's something I noticed when I was looking through the game files. I'm pretty sure it's not something you can find in-game, at least not yet.

Interesting. While you're inside the game files, do you see anything about the algorithm they use to determine how many calories equal your sim becoming super fat, like some of mine! 

It really has been annoying me.

On the other hand, we could also think of it as an in-game public service message reminding us to eat healthy and to get away from our computers, go outside, and get some exercise! 

Also, I have a tiny bit of programming experience. Is it possible to explain to me in a few sentences how to go about looking inside those files.

[ReubenHood]

I'm not certain what the exact formula is, but at a glance, there's a value in here: CALORIES_PER_POUND (it's set to 100, so maybe 1 pound of Sim fat/100 calories) and a SIM_WEIGHT_RANGE = 200. I'd guess when they eat they gain 1lb/100 calories and when they reach 200 they're at maximum fat. Each Sim has a FAT_STATE and a FIT_STATE that range from -100 to 100.

Even salad would make you fat eventually at 50 calories per meal without exercise (unless the game rounds down and discards remainders). However, my Sims can eat two salads a day and never exercise and they never gain weight. Maybe 50/100 = 0.5 so the Sim gains 0 pounds. But if you eat Lobster Thermidor at 600 calories that's 600/100 = 6 lbs of fat gained.

I did make a quick test mod, I bumped the Lobster Thermidor calorie count to 10,000,000 (the same as the Insta-Large potion) and my Sim was huge after eating only a single serving (just as if I drank the potion.)

[Marishkah]

I am going to show you what my Sim family's second oldest child Kayleigh looks like after she aged up, and how much weight she gained after Mom fixed such tasty foods!  I guess salads from now on lol

[_Annika_]

Is there any chance that you could make a list of the foods and their calories? We could then do some in-game testing as to the break point for weight gain. Also, how many calories do exercise burn? Are they different for different activities?

[Marishkah]

Is there any chance that you could make a list of the foods and their calories? We could then do some in-game testing as to the break point for weight gain. Also, how many calories do exercise burn? Are they different for different activities?

That would be a great idea!  Would love to see a list, and then maybe can help them lose weight!  Thanks for all your help!

[_Annika_]

If it's not too much trouble. I just found chicken noodle soup. 

It appears mixology drinks have a calorie weight too. Tea and coffee are 0 though.

Did they tune the calories in food with the last patch? Because I haven't updated, and Lobster Thermidore has 800 calories in my files.

[ReubenHood]

Lobster Thermidor has 800 calories in my game too, I was mistaken in my example.

I did do a test on the calorie/weight thing and looks like the 100 calories per 1 pound of weight is accurate. What I did was set Lobster Thermidor to 10,000 calories, which should be 100 pounds on the scale (10,000 calories/100). In game I drank an Insta-Lean potion which set my FAT_STATE to -100, I could see my ribs, spine, muscle definition, etc. I then ate a serving of Lobster Thermidor and my weight jumped up to a point where I was still thin but muscle definition was smoother and ribs and spine were no longer visible (FAT_STATE 0). After eating a second serving of Lobster Thermidor my Sim became huge, as if he had just drank a Insta-Large potion (FAT_STATE 100).

So it looks like Sim weight ranges from 0 to 200 (100 is normal) and for every 100 calories you consume your Sim will gain 1 pound on this scale. I haven't looked into what the calorie burn rate is for exercising.

[_Annika_]

Thanks so much for the information. Also, could I clarify the calories in any one of the following?
Grilled Chicken
Grilled Salmon
Grilled Steak
Fish and Chips
Fish Tacos
Pan Fried Tilapia
Blackened Bass
I'm yet to test in-game, but my files have them all at 0 calories. They may be a good option for avoiding weight gain

[ReubenHood]

Here's a list of Food items and calories, I've used the names of the files which may differ in game (some may not even be in game.)

Ambrosia, 0
Apple Pie, 450
Asparagus Proscuitto Wrapped, 100
Baked Alaska, 500
Bananas Foster, 600
Blackened Bass, 0
Black and White Cookie, 200
BLT, 300
BowlFork, 500
Cake Black and White, 500
Cake Hamburger, 500
Cake Signature, 500
Cake Wedding, 500
Cake White, 500
Casserole Taco, 200
Casserole Tuna, 200
Cereal, 120
Chicken Kiev, 300
Chicken Stir Fry, 250
Chili, 325
Chips, 200
Cioppino, 341
Cookie Chocolate Chip, 250
Cookie Heart, 250
Crepe Sweet, 300
Cupcake Butterscotchman, 300
Cupcake Carrot Cake, 300
Cupcake Classic Vanilla, 300
Cupcake Minty Mocha, 300
Cupcake Multi, 0
Cupcake Red Velvet, 300
Cupcake Strawberry Fizzy, 300
Cupcake Super Chocolate Bomb, 300
Cupcake The Baconing, 300
Eggs Toast, 333
Etouffee Chicken, 300
Fish and Chips, 0
Fish Tacos, 0
French Toast, 200
Frittata Spinach, 480
Garden Salad Rummaged, 50
Garden Saled, 50
Gnocchi Butternut, 300
Grilled Cheese, 300
Grilled Chicken, 0
Grilled Salmon, 0
Grilled Steak, 0
Gummy Bear Pancake, 200
Hamburger, 350
Hot Dog, 350
Lobster Thermidor, 800
Mac N Cheese Rummaged, 200
Mac N Cheese, 200
Meuniere Trout, 565
Microwave Dinner, 500
Noodles Garlic, 330
Oatmeal Rummaged, 166
Oatmeal, 166
Omelet, 425
Pancake, 200
Pan Fried Tilapia, 0
Parfait, 290
Pasta Primavera, 251
Pizza, 500
PlateFork, 0
Porkchop, 300
Posole, 300
Potatoes Au Gratin, 323
Protein Plate, 250
Rack of Lamb, 306
Ravioli Mushroom, 100
Salad Caprese, 330
Salad Cobb, 419
Salad Fruid, 70
Salad Nicoise, 410
Salad Potato, 357
Salad Waldorf, 271
Salmon Herb Crusted, 260
Salmon Poached, 133
Saltimbocca Chicken, 300
Salt Pepper Shrimp, 75
Sandwich Monte Cristo, 600
Sandwich Tuna Melt, 300
Sausage N Beans, 200
Scrambled Egg, 155
Short Ribs Braised, 500
Soup Chicken Noodle, 87
Spaghetti Flaming, 300
Spaghetti, 300
Swordfish Blackened, 410
Tortellini Lobster, 300
Truffles Choclate Ganache, 400
Yogurt, 79

[_Annika_]

There are a few missing, Roast Chicken and the SimCity Cheesecake that I can see at a glance at the recipe list. They don't seem to match any of the ring-ins that aren't in game, either. I ran a search for 'chicken' and found nothing that relates to Roast Chicken. I don't have these either, so it's not something you missed. I wonder why.... Thank you for the list, by the way. I just started perusing the files after you added the first bit of information, as you had me intrigued.

So far from what I have found, standard drinks made on the mixology bar are 200 calories each. Drinks from the fridge (water, milk, juice) are 0 calories. Tea and Coffee are 0 calories (I sure wish MY latte was 0 calories!) and special drinks that are also reward potions are 0 calories. Kids potions are 0 calories.

Insta Large and Insta lean are both 1000000 calories each, HOWEVER insta lean has a CALORIE LOSS effect on it. Most other foods and drinks have a CALORIE GAIN effect on them, although the ones that don't have either listed still make my sim fat, so I wasn't entirely sure that it really mattered.

[lindsaysoderberg]

I am going to show you what my Sim family's second oldest child Kayleigh looks like after she aged up, and how much weight she gained after Mom fixed such tasty foods!  I guess salads from now on lol

That's funny! What a coincidence! (Or perhaps a trend.) ALL of my children have been extremely obese when they age up from child to teen!

It helps to buy the "Gym Rat" reward so that your sims can work out a lot and build fun, but not lose hygiene while doing it. It only costs 500 reward points.

[Marishkah]

Thank you for posting this!!

[lindsaysoderberg]

Thanks so much for the information. Also, could I clarify the calories in any one of the following?
Grilled Chicken
Grilled Salmon
Grilled Steak
Fish and Chips
Fish Tacos
Pan Fried Tilapia
Blackened Bass
I'm yet to test in-game, but my files have them all at 0 calories. They may be a good option for avoiding weight gain

Super helpful!! Thank you! I'm getting bored of only preparing Garden Salads around my sim house.   

[ClayMask]

It's strange that they chose to make some of the foods that are more fattening in real life 0 calories.

[_Annika_]

I'm not even certain that they don't make your sims get fat - they may still be measured on the calories per pound xml that Reubenhood mentions. Either that or it could be oversight and fixed in a later patch. It seems unusually sloppy that some would be 0 and some would have the CALORIE GAIN line in the code, and some don't.

[lindsaysoderberg]

Well, ever since I read this post and started making mostly Garden Salads, Fruit & Yogurt Parfaits, Caprese Salads, and a few other vegetarian items, my sims have stayed at their "healthy" skinny weight. I actually haven't had ANY problems with overweight sims since then.

It makes cooking a little less fun, though.

[philkewley]

Here's a list of Food items and calories, I've used the names of the files which may differ in game (some may not even be in game.)

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Ambrosia, 0
Apple Pie, 450
Asparagus Proscuitto Wrapped, 100
Baked Alaska, 500
Bananas Foster, 600
Blackened Bass, 0
Black and White Cookie, 200
BLT, 300
BowlFork, 500
Cake Black and White, 500
Cake Hamburger, 500
Cake Signature, 500
Cake Wedding, 500
Cake White, 500
Casserole Taco, 200
Casserole Tuna, 200
Cereal, 120
Chicken Kiev, 300
Chicken Stir Fry, 250
Chili, 325
Chips, 200
Cioppino, 341
Cookie Chocolate Chip, 250
Cookie Heart, 250
Crepe Sweet, 300
Cupcake Butterscotchman, 300
Cupcake Carrot Cake, 300
Cupcake Classic Vanilla, 300
Cupcake Minty Mocha, 300
Cupcake Multi, 0
Cupcake Red Velvet, 300
Cupcake Strawberry Fizzy, 300
Cupcake Super Chocolate Bomb, 300
Cupcake The Baconing, 300
Eggs Toast, 333
Etouffee Chicken, 300
Fish and Chips, 0
Fish Tacos, 0
French Toast, 200
Frittata Spinach, 480
Garden Salad Rummaged, 50
Garden Saled, 50
Gnocchi Butternut, 300
Grilled Cheese, 300
Grilled Chicken, 0
Grilled Salmon, 0
Grilled Steak, 0
Gummy Bear Pancake, 200
Hamburger, 350
Hot Dog, 350
Lobster Thermidor, 800
Mac N Cheese Rummaged, 200
Mac N Cheese, 200
Meuniere Trout, 565
Microwave Dinner, 500
Noodles Garlic, 330
Oatmeal Rummaged, 166
Oatmeal, 166
Omelet, 425
Pancake, 200
Pan Fried Tilapia, 0
Parfait, 290
Pasta Primavera, 251
Pizza, 500
PlateFork, 0
Porkchop, 300
Posole, 300
Potatoes Au Gratin, 323
Protein Plate, 250
Rack of Lamb, 306
Ravioli Mushroom, 100
Salad Caprese, 330
Salad Cobb, 419
Salad Fruid, 70
Salad Nicoise, 410
Salad Potato, 357
Salad Waldorf, 271
Salmon Herb Crusted, 260
Salmon Poached, 133
Saltimbocca Chicken, 300
Salt Pepper Shrimp, 75
Sandwich Monte Cristo, 600
Sandwich Tuna Melt, 300
Sausage N Beans, 200
Scrambled Egg, 155
Short Ribs Braised, 500
Soup Chicken Noodle, 87
Spaghetti Flaming, 300
Spaghetti, 300
Swordfish Blackened, 410
Tortellini Lobster, 300
Truffles Choclate Ganache, 400
Yogurt, 79

I've just joined this group after leaving the EA forum because it has become too negative with arguments firing up regularly.
It's a joy to be able to find relevant information like this, thank you everyone, it feels good to find a discussion group without derision.

Back to the topic, I found that the only way I could get my Sim to lose weight was to use the CASt cheat, because no matter how much exercise & lo-cal salads he ate he remained hefty. And as he's my simself, I regretted choosing such an over-weight body type in the first place. Even now with a healthier diet if he doesn't exercise regularly he will put the weight back on. S'pose that's life simulation - just pains me to see myself so out of shape!

[Stormi71]

I have noticed that the initial body shape in CAS plays a big factor, too. One of my female sims started with the obese body shape, the largest a sim can get. She's become a gym junkie and lost all that weight, but she's not skinny. She has a curvy, broad body at her skinniest, and her legs and arms are toned but big.
My main sim works out a lot now, too. She started off quite slim, but now she's a bit muscular and also TOO skinny for my liking. She's at fitness level 10, and she mostly cooks what I think are the healthy options - salads, fish and chicken meals, the fruit parfait or spinach frittata for breakfast. She quite often does grilled chicken or fish on the BBQ, too. She rarely cooks the pasta dishes or anything that I would think would make them put on weight. As she is too skinny now, I am going to start have her cook some of the "bad" meals for a while just for herself, and see what happens.

[Pam]

Here's a list of Food items and calories, I've used the names of the files which may differ in game (some may not even be in game.)

I'm a little confused.  How would you find a calorie count file for something that's not in the game?

[Zyffyr]

I'm a little confused.  How would you find a calorie count file for something that's not in the game?

That would be a case where they put an entry into that table for a dish where the game is missing something that makes it available for use, such as "They didn't get around to making a recipie for it, so you can't actually make it".

[Joria]

Prior to this everyone was saying running around harvesting wild plants and digging for treasures caused extreme weight gain.  So is what you are saying now is it is what they eat and NOT doing the treasure hunting/harvesting or is it both?  If my treasure hunter/gatherer Sim just ate 0 calorie foods, but did not exercise a lot, would he/she remain slim?

[Stormi71]

Prior to this everyone was saying running around harvesting wild plants and digging for treasures caused extreme weight gain.  So is what you are saying now is it is what they eat and NOT doing the treasure hunting/harvesting or is it both?  If my treasure hunter/gatherer Sim just ate 0 calorie foods, but did not exercise a lot, would he/she remain slim?

Treasure hunting was causing excessive muscle mass, like a sim with no muscle would end very muscular after digging several rocks. I think that was fixed in one of the patches, though, so it shouldn't happen anymore.

[FreakingWildfire]

Sorry for the Bump, but I'm reeaaaaally interested in where you found the food files? I'm trying to make a vegetarian trait or considering the posibility of renaming the food to vegetarian dishes, but I can't for the life of me find the food files! Little help? 

[ikbod]

I love this info so useful! - and I made a sort from lowest to highest calories

[Playalot]

Oh great table @ikbod   

[CuriousSim]

I wonder if this should be modified a bit? Since one of the main expansion packs is a restaurant, and everyone is CONSTANTLY inviting other Sims to dine out now, (sometimes strangers will invite my Sim out, and if you ignore it another will instantly call with another invitation) I always wonder if eating at the restaurant everyday is not only going to make my Sim fat, but cause my dinner guest to become fat. For my Sim, I guess I can exercise it off. However, I can't easily do anything about the one that invited me if I'm not playing that person. If the whole point is to experience new foods & try new things, having big penalties for consuming food is a bit of a damper on things. It takes a very long time to get rid of a paunch, once it has been caught. It takes spending free time & whole weekends at a gym & what is probably the equivalent of months. Realism is ok, but realism in a game can be adjusted. When everything becomes food focused, after installing a pack, maybe that's a bit of realism that can be toned down.

In real life, weight gain is about calories. If you eat in moderation, then daily activity will work it off. Even things like crossing the map to visit your neighborhood garden should work it off. It seems to me, that if you walk as far as you jog, you should get a fitness benefit of some sort. Calories are energy. If you eat a high calorie meal, you should not be on the verge of death, at the end of the day. If you are constantly living from red bar to red bar, you shouldn't be turning into a whale. If a restaurant is giving you the option to have four course meals, maybe this should be possible, without filling the Sim up, with the appetizer alone.

[ikbod]

I know what you're saying!
I experimented a bit, i had my sims eat fairly low cal stuff and exercise normally apart from one. Who i had eat loads and loads of baked goods.... She didn't seem to put on any weight - I'm guessing it's possible that some of the newer foods don't have calories values....

[Playalot]

I think the newer foods do behave differently as well as the cafe foods too. I can't for the life of me remember where I read about it though. I do know that my sim can eat all day at a cafe and not gain weight. (I only force fed him for research reasons... promise! *cough* )

[CuriousSim]

Interesting...

Maybe, do some research on the Chef's station. Maybe it could be a health food paradise, if used to make experimental food. It's not as convenient as the oven, though since it takes up loads of space. I don't think you need the fridge, or the counter, though. I would be interested to see your findings. (for science!)

[coolsim9999999]

Insta-lean is a great tool. 

Also, you could go into CAS as a cheat, and change all of your Sims' weight.  You can change everything about your Sims in CAS.  That is especially useful for children, since they can't use gym equipment or go for a jog.

Of course, exercise in addition to every thing everyone in this thread said, is key.  If your Sims are busy, get them energized by buying a potion or by placing a crystal with the energized aura on --- once energized, Sims can do a quick set of sit-ups or push-ups --- if going to the gym or using gym equipment at home is too time consuming.

A quick swim in a pool will keep everyone, including children, at least somewhat thinner.

That's a great list of food along with the calories of each.

[Joria]

Have one of you wonderful tekkie folks figured out the calorie count of the Selvadorado food?  I swear my Sim just looks at it and gets fatter.  I am totally unable to do tek stuff so hoping some brave soul will tackle it.

[Nindigo]

I swear my Sim just looks at it and gets fatter.

Ugh, I feel my Sims gain weight from just being alive - unless they have the active trait and are allowed to use a treadmill autonomously.
Remember that bar drinks (the alcoholic-y ones) contain a lot of calories. My foodie Sim likes to drink them often and must regularly purchase the Insta-Lean potion to counter his habit.

[oshizu]

If you don't have the satisfaction points for the Insta-Lean potion nor a Scientist who can create the Slimify serum, your overweight sim can also lose weight by eating Taste of Diet ice cream.
Thank you to @reggikko who pointed this out to me. I can't remember where she posted that....

[Playalot]

If you take the aspiration Body Builder and get your sims the 'High metabolism' reward trait they can eat all they like and almost never change their body shape and if they do gain weight or start to look a little soft then a quick trip to the gym restores them to how they looked in CAS.

@Joria  I asked @Carl  recently-ish about looking at the food calorie count. Not sure if he has time to do this but it would be great to get the list up-to-date

[Nindigo]

@Playalot Do you know how/where to locate the info about calories in the game files?

[Playalot]

@Nindigo  haven't a clue. Not technical in the slightest!

[HelenP]

I'm not Playalot but here's how I do it, if anyone knows a different way please do post as I would love to know. I use a PC but this is also valid for Mac.

1) run Sims4Studio ('3.1.2.0 Wishes' is the latest PC version if you don't already have it, '1.2.1.4 Candy Apple' is the Mac version)
2) from the main screen choose 'tools' and 'export tuning', this may take a while if you have lots of packs installed.
3) when the new 'export tuning' screen pops up, type 'object_food' into the search bar at the top (without the apostrophes, with the underscore)
4) select all the lines you want (shift+click and ctrl+click both work on PC) and then click the 'add to current package' button near the bottom.  If you don't have a package selected it will prompt you to name and save one.
5) once it has imported all the items (again you may have to wait a bit), make sure the 'export tuning' popup is minimised then pick your first item from the left side of the screen
6) scroll down to roughly lines 250-260 on the right side window and you should see a section labelled 'fitness info' which includes number of calories and calorie effect.
7) click on any item from the left window and the right window will show the same line numbers for the new item as for the previous one.

A quick look suggests all the Selvadorado foods have 200-400 calorie gain

[Playalot]

Good thing you're not me @HelenP  'cos then you wouldn't have a clue how to do any of that!    Thanks for posting the info, I'm sure many people will find that super useful.

[HelenP]

lol, I started writing before you posted and couldn't be bothered to change it.

[Nindigo]

Yes! Thank you big time, @HelenP

@Playalot I did suspect you wouldn't be able to tell me as I remembered you not being a techie, but no worries! You're good for other stuff

[Playalot]

lol 

[Playalot]

Carl has a guide now on this subject: http://www.carls-sims-4-guide.com/tutorials/calories.php#cmtx_form

It contains an up dated calorie content table with Recipe Name, Calories, Hunger Regeneration and Food Efficiency

Also a video guide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STPuuDrZFgg