Can i really eat this and not count it?!

andresconejo

Hey everybody, When i had a nutritionist she gave me a list of foods and there it says that foods with less than 20 cals and 5grams of carbs are "free foods" , which means i can eat them with no worry to gain weight, of course consuming them moderately and once a day. But if anyone has also heard this, quote me cause i havent heard it from anyone but my nutritionist and i can´t find any info about on the web.

Thanks!

andresconejo

The list also says some sauces are like 1TBSP ketchup, mustard etc... whatever that has less than 20kcal and 5 g carbs per serving

ittyXbittyXbritty

I would go ahead and log it anyway.
It's better to keep track. That's how I think. I like to be pretty honest with myself.
And yes, on Weight Watchers you don't have to log most fruits or vegetables. They're "zero points."

majica8

I'd log anyway, depending on how much you eat it could still add quite quickly. Even if you just quick add 50-100 calories.

mperrott2205

MyChocolateDiet

DIfferent diet plans have had free foods but on here I log everything.

MyJourney1960

i log everything, including the ketchup. I didn't even know (till a month ago) that COFFEE (no milk/sugar/cream -just coffee) has calories.

What would you gain by *not* logging foods that DO have calories? kind of cheating yourself, no?

_Zardoz_

If it's got calories it's not 'Free'.

katy_trail

for the viatmins and fiber you would get from eating veggies, it's worth tracking, most of the time, to me.
you could say that mustard and salsa are 'free' but they can have quite a bit of sodium.
i've been known to have half a cup of either or both on my food, so it's helpful to track that sodium level.

resistance_freak

Everything counts.

e.g. 5 M&Ms fall under those criteria, but if you eat 5 M&Ms enough times it will definitely add up.

lioness803

If you're counting calories, there's no free foods. (well, pickles and mustard maybe). When I was on a diet for gestational diabetes, there were free foods-things with almost no carbs and low calories.

For trying to lose weight, I say log everything.

Izzwoz

I think it depends on your daily goal. If your daily goal factors in "free" foods.

MFP works on the basis that you log everything, so it for example (and this is just a random example, so don't kill me for it) tells you to eat 1,400 cals if you are a certain height and a certain weight.

Some eating plans will tell you to eat maybe 1,200 but allow "free" foods and encourage you to eat these, which will basically take you back up to the same 1,400 cals ... Do you know what I mean?

I like to know how much I am eating, as I know how quickly supposedly low cal foods can eat into the deficit I am working with, but that is personal choice.
So if you want to know how many cals you consume, log everything. If you want to follow a specific plan that allows "free" foods, do that.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

She's probably trying to encourage you to eat more veggies/low cal foods.

Personally I eat a LOT of that kind of thing and it does add up, so I log everything. Also I'm in maintenance so I don't have the buffer that someone eating at a deficit has.

siqiniq

If you're counting calories, there's no free foods. (well, pickles and mustard maybe). When I was on a diet for gestational diabetes, there were free foods-things with almost no carbs and low calories.

For trying to lose weight, I say log everything.

Nope. Not pickles. I agree, log everything. That way you can look back and see what you've done. this isn't a diet, and "free foods" are part of a diet. This is a lifestyle change.

pinkraynedropjacki

Only FREE food is water...plain old water.


There is nothing else that has 0 calories or that should not be logged. Anyone who says different is well...an idiot. 5 lots of your 'free' foods would end up as 100 cals. Not really free then is it?

pinkraynedropjacki

If you're counting calories, there's no free foods. (well, pickles and mustard maybe). When I was on a diet for gestational diabetes, there were free foods-things with almost no carbs and low calories.

For trying to lose weight, I say log everything.

You know how much sodium is in that 6 cal pickle right?

emyishardcore

Only FREE food is water...plain old water.


There is nothing else that has 0 calories or that should not be logged. Anyone who says different is well...an idiot. 5 lots of your 'free' foods would end up as 100 cals. Not really free then is it?

I agree with this!

pkw58

I try to log everything. It really helps to look back over the week or month and understand. The nutrional make up of what i ate beyond the impact of the scale.

SleeplessinBerlin

If logging everything stresses you out, do not log it. Just be honest. If it's a radish, a teaspoon of mustard or a garlic clove, it's okay.
If, on the other hand, it's a handful of nuts, or a teaspoon of peanut butter or other calorie dense food, always log.
It also depends on your daily calorie allowance. If you are supposed to eat 1800kcal, it probably won't matter. If it's 1200, it might.

BigGuy47

The list also says some sauces are like 1TBSP ketchup, mustard etc...

I don't log condiments because it's pain. Yellow mustard is 5 cals. I'll probably burn 3 cals logging the entry for yellow mustard. I'll take the chance that the 2 cals that are unaccounted for might my ruin my entire day.

Of course if I decided to consume 30 servings of ketchup that would blow it all up. Fortunately I don't eat much ketchup.

haroon_awan

If you want to count it, then count it. I don't count ketchup or something that has about 20 calories.