Can i really eat this and not count it?!

andresconejo
andresconejo Posts: 264
in Food and Nutrition
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! ;)
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Replies

  • andresconejo
    andresconejo Posts: 264
    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
    ittyXbittyXbritty Posts: 73
    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
    majica8 Posts: 210 Member
    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
    mperrott2205 Posts: 737 Member
    3v0uj8.jpg
  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
    DIfferent diet plans have had free foods but on here I log everything.
  • MyJourney1960
    MyJourney1960 Posts: 1,133 Member
    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 :wink: by *not* logging foods that DO have calories? kind of cheating yourself, no?
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    If it's got calories it's not 'Free'.
  • katy_trail
    katy_trail Posts: 1,992 Member
    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
    resistance_freak Posts: 899
    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
    lioness803 Posts: 325 Member
    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
    Izzwoz Posts: 348 Member
    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
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    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
    siqiniq Posts: 237 Member
    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
    pinkraynedropjacki Posts: 3,027 Member
    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
    pinkraynedropjacki Posts: 3,027 Member
    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
    emyishardcore Posts: 352 Member
    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
    pkw58 Posts: 2,038 Member
    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
    SleeplessinBerlin Posts: 513 Member
    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
    BigGuy47 Posts: 1,768 Member
    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
    haroon_awan Posts: 1,208 Member
    If you want to count it, then count it. I don't count ketchup or something that has about 20 calories.
  • toutmonpossible
    toutmonpossible Posts: 1,580 Member
    If you're following a strict tracking plan, which may be because you don't eat moderately or are educating yourself about the calorie content of foods, you should track everything. Your nutritionist has suggested a streamlined approach that works for some people.
  • ken_hogan
    ken_hogan Posts: 854 Member
    The list also says some sauces are like 1TBSP ketchup, mustard etc... whatever that has less than 20kcal and 5 g carbs per serving


    I try my best to log everything. My thinking is that 20 calories here, 15 there, add up after a while.....
  • ktsmom430
    ktsmom430 Posts: 1,100 Member
    It all adds up. I count everything, that way I know how many calories I am consuming.
  • JackB121
    JackB121 Posts: 32 Member
    Well, sauces and such I'd definitely log, they add up. But personally I do not count fibrous vegetables, i.e. broccoli, spinach, onion, pepper... As long as I consume reasonable amounts. Then again, I'm currently trying to gain weight... but even when I was on a fat loss plan, I didn't get too crazy with counting the veggies. If you aren't reaching your weight loss goals, you can be sure it isn't because of the vegetables in your diet. Make sure to count starchy vegetables though, like corn and peas.
  • Vailara
    Vailara Posts: 2,467 Member
    It seems reasonable to me, and would make logging a little easier. It will mean that your total for the day is not entirely accurate, but it really depends if you're bothered about that and if it affects you. If you average, say, 50 calories a day of free foods, it's not going to make a HUGE difference to your progress. If not having to log everything makes you more likely to stick to the diet, then it may be a good thing!
  • SkepticallyFit
    SkepticallyFit Posts: 71
    It's good to log as much as you can, but if logging becomes a chore than you'll be more likely to quit. If hypertension is not an issue for you and or if your diet is only moderate in sodium as it is, then logging mustard or pickles or olives because of the sodium may be counterproductive.

    For me, I have no issues with blood pressure no matter how much sodium I consume, so I don't bother. Makes life easier.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
    consistency is more important than accuracy
  • emilycarr71404
    emilycarr71404 Posts: 176 Member
    3v0uj8.jpg

    ROFLMAO!
  • andresconejo
    andresconejo Posts: 264
    Yeah for example, today i added to my smart bagel a tsp of mayo that per a tbsp has 12 calories, I aint gonna count that! Or a 1/4" tomatoe slice that would be ridiculous, another thing i never log is lettuce because a cup is like 5cals and i never get to eat a whole cup of lettuce..
    However, ill try my best to log every sauce and food maybe omit mustard and spinach, peppers , onion, lettuce... except if i have them in big pprtions..Anyway, i dont wanna loose more weight so i think its ok
  • froeschli
    froeschli Posts: 1,292 Member
    The list also says some sauces are like 1TBSP ketchup, mustard etc... whatever that has less than 20kcal and 5 g carbs per serving

    there was a comic strip, can't find it now.
    the dog is carrying a tray loaded with tiny desserts. cat asks him "didn't your doctor tell you to avoid sweets?" - "well, the doctor said: 'sweets only in small portions' "

    all those 20 cals will add up :wink:

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