Don't count salad

OhLeita

I track them not so much for the calories but the nutrition reports.

LaurieEReid

Sometimes I don't bother with the lettuce or spring mix - but I do the dressing, peppers, tomatoes, sesame seeds - whatever. But I also stopped tracking walking the dog since it didn't seem to be exercise.

amandamae61288

Nope! Me too. I have salads frequently as meals and it would look like I never ate if I didn't. And, I like to be proud of myself for eating all those veggies.
That being said, I mostly just estimate in cups for salad ingrediants- and usually over estimate to be safe. But I do measure out the dressing and things like nuts and cheese if I add them.

MinnieInMaine

Honestly, I never log the handfull of baby romaine that goes in my lunch wraps but if I'm making a salad, I track it all because all those little bits and pieces add up. That said, I always have the BIG salad.

jhandur

I would count the salad, not so much to keep track of the calories but to see if I'm getting enough fiber in my diet.

MzPix

I entered a recipe using the ingredients for the basic green salad I make (mixed greens, onion, peppers, cucumber and tomatoes) and log that (about 50 calories for 2 cups) and then separately log anything I use to dress it up, like avocado and dressing. No more entering everything separately.

I did this exact same thing. My typical salad has various loose leaf greens from the garden, cauliflower, broccoli, tomato, onion, peppers, mushrooms, and microgreens. I made a recipe called "My typical dinner salad" which is easy to log. I also have one called "My Shoneys salad with dressing" because I eat at Shoneys often and have the exact same salad every time I'm there.

I am not a stickler for tracking veggie calories though. I know I eat way too much crap food and not enough fresh veggies. I don't want to do anything to lessen my enjoyment of eating vegetables.

I have numerous goals right now regarding changing who I am and how I do things. Weight loss and physical health is one of those goals, but the extra 10-20 minutes of logging 17 meal ingredients 3-5 times a day is time that could be better spent on one of my other higher priority goals.

Do what's right for you. :flowerforyou:

rml_16

This is why weight watchers sucks. I have these All Whites that say 0 weight watcher points have a serving is 25 cals. So, if I were a total noob and saww oooooo 0 points then I would eat a lot not knowing that calories add up.

If you entered them correctly into your tracker, you would find that while one serving might be 0, two servings probably has points.

WW builds extra calories into the program to cover the "free" fruits and veggies. However, I don't think it builds enough to cover the fruit calories.

I dropped three dress sizes in 12 weeks on WW not counting a single point for the free veggies (not all are 0, FYI). And I ate a huge salad every single day.

phatguerilla

No, I count salad, cukes, tomatoes, all of that, it all has calories in it. Why don't you count them. My sister-in-law is on WW and they don't count lettuce as points, but they do count the rest...

I think Weight Watchers uses the "salad is free" thing as a way to motivate people to eat their vegetables. When you count your calories and are on a restricted intake, there is a temptation to avoid foods, and salad is not something most people should avoid. But it's not exactly a freebie, especially because vegetables differ in their energy values and because most people do not eat salad w/o dressing.

This is why weight watchers sucks. I have these All Whites that say 0 weight watcher points have a serving is 25 cals. So, if I were a total noob and saww oooooo 0 points then I would eat a lot not knowing that calories add up.

I say this because I have a coworker who is on Weight Watchers and we both started around the same time and she is literally still the same yet swears she works out 4 times a week. She does spinning mind you.

Anyways, enough ranting

What rml_16 said; you can play the system and give yourself the points for each item individually when it turns out 'cheaper' than when you add them together, if that makes sense.

Also doing spinning she might have her exercise points set as high for an hour for instance but really it might only be high for 15 minutes and then various other speeds. Spinning is probably a 'bad' exercise for tracking calories and/or ww points.

Also most if not all fruit is free points but only one serving, if you have 3 bananas the second and third aren't free. A serving of banana might even just be a half of one for all I know so you have to really keep on top of what is 0 and what isn't.

brower47

Unless my salad consists of air and water, I count it.

diannethegeek

I give myself about 50 cals for the basic green stuff like lettuce, carrots, cukes and tomatoes ( Iknow, they're not green!), but then count everything else.

This is pretty much what I do. 50 calories for the "side salad" stuff and then I track the add-ons. When I really get going on a salad, though, it can be several hundred calories before I'm done (dressing, sliced almonds, egg, chicken, avocado, bacon, etc).

ldrosophila

croutons and cheese have calories

toutmonpossible

If I'm counting strictly, I count everything. I guess that excluding salad isn't a huge deal if you're not using salad dressing and eating only vegetables.

Reevsie123

I count everything but hey there are no rules if it works for you carry on

ArroganceInStep

I like my salad with chicken and bacon and shredded pepper jack and about a cup of russian dressing.

cwolfman13

Reading through this thread makes me realize why there are so many people "doing everything right" but the scale 'just doesn't budge." How many other things are not being counted or are being "estimated" and "eyeballed?"

81Katz

Depending what I put on my salads they can range easily 300-600. That's greens, veggies, fruits (yes fruit in my salad sometimes) meat (chicken) or eggs (hard boiled) avocado or sometimes beans (black beans, kidney beans, etc.) and of course whatever dressing I am using. I sometimes use Salsa instead.

PikaKnight

I count fruit and vegetables, but have never counted salad ingredients, i.e. lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, celery. Works for me. Anyone else do the same?

Didn't realize when you combine fruit or/and vegetable with the possibility of dressing..that it somehow negates the calories and in turn makes the veggies and fruits no longer veggies and fruits.

mind. is. blown.

RunFarLiveHappy

If I didn't track salads I would be eating at a surplus... Salads = nomnomnom

RunFarLiveHappy

I count fruit and vegetables, but have never counted salad ingredients, i.e. lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, celery. Works for me. Anyone else do the same?

Didn't realize when you combine fruit or/and vegetable with the possibility of dressing..that it somehow negates the calories and in turn makes the veggies and fruits no longer veggies and fruits.

mind. is. blown.

Rolling around gasping for air laughing!!!

lilRicki

I count everything!

wolfchild59

I count fruit and vegetables, but have never counted salad ingredients, i.e. lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, celery. Works for me. Anyone else do the same?

So, you count fruits and vegetables, but you don't count lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, or celery....which are fruits and vegetables.

Confusing post is confusing. How do you decide what fruits and vegetable count as fruits or vegetables and what don't?

_Zardoz_

Reading through this thread makes me realize why there are so many people "doing everything right" but the scale 'just doesn't budge." How many other things are not being counted or are being "estimated" and "eyeballed?"

Well said

Doodlewhopper

So food without calories! What a discovery!!

Fingernails, man! Seriously, they are already a part of you, so by eating them you are consuming yourself and burning calories gnawing at them. The only true negative calorie food!

Loogies too.

Alatariel75

So food without calories! What a discovery!!

Fingernails, man! Seriously, they are already a part of you, so by eating them you are consuming yourself and burning calories gnawing at them. The only true negative calorie food!

Loogies too.

Yeah, but unless it's a good one, there's less cheqing involved so fewer calories burnt.

gonnamakeanewaccount

Why wouldn't you count it?

I don't see the point.

You're just cheating yourself.

shadus

I count it. I don't make "small" salads though... 1 head of lettuce, an onion, a tomato, a cucumber, etc. It adds up fast.

It adds up faster than you think, even an all veggie salad can have upwards of 300 calories if you make them large BEFORE dressing them.

Contrary to popular belief-- eating spends about 30 calories/hr... celery has about 5 per stick, even celery has appreciable calories that in large quantities can make you gain weight.

Count ~every~ calorie going in. Preferably by weight (g)->weight (oz)->volume (tsp, c, tbsp, etc)... if you don't measure at all you're going to be fudging your numbers fairly significantly. If I have to eyeball or estimate, I multiply1.5x-2x what I expect the calories to be... because while I prefer to be as close to my number as possible, I'd rather be under than over.

My favorite example because I'm on bag 4 of them now is potatoes... the bag says "medium potato 148g 130 calories." I've yet to find a single potato that small in *40 lbs worth*. Smallest has been 187g (165 cal) largest was 395g (347 cal.) So if you assumed *any* potato in that bag was 130 calories you're significantly mistaken.

If you add things like avocado, bacon bits, croutons, salad dressing, cheese, olives, meat, almonds, etc... then the calories skyrocket. I've seen salads at restaurants upwards of 1500 calories.

kbmnurse

I log everything

Fishshtick

Actually, you don't need to log any salad...as long as you don't eat it.

kathymhardy

croutons and cheese have calories

Well yes, no one, including me, suggested otherwise!

kathymhardy

I count fruit and vegetables, but have never counted salad ingredients, i.e. lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, celery. Works for me. Anyone else do the same?

Didn't realize when you combine fruit or/and vegetable with the possibility of dressing..that it somehow negates the calories and in turn makes the veggies and fruits no longer veggies and fruits.

mind. is. blown.

Why do some people have to be so damn sarcastic on here? I asked a simple question. This system works for me. I lose weight. Get over yourself you 'clever' person. Are you rude because you hide behind a computer?