Counting Calories Question

mrskidher

Hi All: I just started 1 week ago. When I signed up it said 1200 calories a day. My question is am I suppose to count calories for things like vegetables, salad, fruit etc?

mygrl4meee

Yes. Count everything.

thesophierose

yes.

Sassyallday

Yes. Everything counts.

To get an idea of how to plan your meals, you can enter foods into the database and look at their calorie and nutritional value. That way you can shop for the foods that will give you the most bang for your calorie buck.

I think it's even good to enter foods that have no calorie value like unsweetened tea and water. That way you can learn which items positively impact your weight loss.

roliepolieolie

It's probably not the best idea to only survive on 1200 calories a day. You'll try to lose 2lb a week, but that won't be the result if you accidentally eat more than you should. ANd when i tried it, it was seriously depressing me. I suggest you revise your goals to lose 1lb a week- that way it'll take longer to lose the weight, but you'lll keep it off longer and stay much, much happier.
But to answer your question- yes you're supposed to count EVERYTHING. From your actual meal, to fruits and veggies, to even little tastes of things you had. It's gonna be a little hard at first, but you can do it!

lima013

Yes, count everything.

SmartAlec03211988

EVERY. THING.

And WEIGH it, do not use measuring cups/spoons. Volume is inaccurate.

mrskidher

No wonder I didn't loose anything my first week. I thought I didn't need to count fruit and vegetables and I eat a ton of them!

I also think I better start weighing things.

mtnhiker1

Everything - even if you swallow toothpaste

britelite3169

Hi, I count the calorie in fruit but ignore the sugar content. If you are eating loads of fruit then MFP will tell you are over on this.

terricakes

I agree with roliepolieolie...i had the 2lb a week goal and found it too restricting as 1200 calories were just too little. I changed my goal to 1lb a week and now have a daily allowance of 1410. It's amazing the difference that extra 200 has made. It feels more achievable. Also, don't just add food calories, add everything and make sure exercise is added too.
Good luck on your journey.

joyfuljoy65

It's probably not the best idea to only survive on 1200 calories a day. You'll try to lose 2lb a week, but that won't be the result if you accidentally eat more than you should. ANd when i tried it, it was seriously depressing me. I suggest you revise your goals to lose 1lb a week- that way it'll take longer to lose the weight, but you'lll keep it off longer and stay much, much happier.
But to answer your question- yes you're supposed to count EVERYTHING. From your actual meal, to fruits and veggies, to even little tastes of things you had. It's gonna be a little hard at first, but you can do it!

This! And I put myself down as sedentary and then added any exercise I did and ate those calories back - 1200 calories was just too little for me at the start. I am now easily managing a net 1380, but I wouldn't like to go any lower really.

floareaciprian

Hi All: I just started 1 week ago. When I signed up it said 1200 calories a day. My question is am I suppose to count calories for things like vegetables, salad, fruit etc?

Don't forget about liquids.

2essie

OP - your dog is way too cute

ZombieFoodSlayer

yes, log everything. I did that at first, and was amazed to see how everything added up. and when I went to
log a milkshake that I usually would have gotten in the past. found it was like 780 calories for a small shake!
so you can make more informed choices! you add me if you like. that is all.

Jill_with_a_G

Sounds like maybe you have done WW where fruits and veggies are zero points? All those calories will add up

memawx12

MFP has a huge data base of foods and their calorie count. Just go to "FOOD" and type in each item you ate; it will provide the calories. Same thing with EXERCISE tab. Good luck!

megsmom2

If you eat it...count it. Everything except water has calories. Some don't have very many, but they still count.

memawx12

To those that are saying 1200 calories are not enough......I stick to 1200 calories daily and am losing 1-2 pounds each week. I'm an older person and don't do the strenuous exercises; just walking and low impact strength exercises for arms and tummy. Seems to be working for me.

arabianhorselover

I have only a few days under my belt of counting calories. It is something I thought I could never do. I am doing okay with it, but can't see doing it for life. Also, do you all do on the days when you are away from your normal routine, such as being on a trip or going camping. I will be camping next weekend.

Sarah0866

Log everything, if not to count the calories, then to be able to monitor patterns and what works best for you

Iron_Lotus

EVERY. THING.

And WEIGH it, do not use measuring cups/spoons. Volume is inaccurate.

Yup, this

momsi1969

I started a couple of weeks ago and yes, I added everything , even 1 tsp of strawberry jam onto my bread and I have learned how easy I can add up to my calories. Now I am being more careful on that side. I am 44 years old and just started working out 60 minutes a day and having 1270 calories. Usually I don't eat too much. My weight gain was caused by taking hydrocortisone to help with my allergies ( worse choice ever) 1270 calories sound good to me personally. I think it all depends on how you feel. You will learn on the way and decide if you need to change the calorie goal or not.

megginanderson

I count fruit because of the sugar, but i eat as much veggies as i want to, within reason.
Did you know that a Tomato is virtually a free food because it takes as many calories to eat a tomato as the amount of calories that are in a tomato:)

SouthernCountryGirl

I log vitamins also, that's how I found out fish oil had 20 calories and water has sodium. Log everything that passes through your mouth. It'll help you see what you're actually putting in, then you can decide how to adjust your intake.

PrincessMissDee

I count fruit because of the sugar, but i eat as much veggies as i want to, within reason.
Did you know that a Tomato is virtually a free food because it takes as many calories to eat a tomato as the amount of calories that are in a tomato:)

That's not quite how calories work. People have these stories about everything from celery to boiled eggs to grapefruit. There's no such thing as a "free food", but yes, it's much better to be eating fruit and veg.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

EVERY. THING.

And WEIGH it, do not use measuring cups/spoons. Volume is inaccurate.

This.

Also you may find that 1200 calories isn't enough. Keep in mind that you're meant to NET that amount, so if you exercise you should eat back the calories. MFP will add them to your goal automatically.

And that may be the reason you didn't lose the first week, or it may not. Sometimes it takes a bit for changes to take effect, so don't sweat it if you don't have a loss every single week.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

I count fruit because of the sugar, but i eat as much veggies as i want to, within reason.
Did you know that a Tomato is virtually a free food because it takes as many calories to eat a tomato as the amount of calories that are in a tomato:)

The calories that it takes to digest food are already figured into your TDEE.

PrincessMissDee

Also, to the original post, yes count EVERYTHING, literally EVERYTHING. If you cook from scratch then log the oil, the spices, the seasoning. Definitely fruit and veg. All drinks, if you have milk in your tea or coffee, make sure you log it WITH MILK.

EG: A cup of tea is 0 calories. A tea with milk and sweetener is 25 calories. I can have 4 cups a day.

This is the best way to get a true idea of where your calorie intake is coming from.

REDI4CHANGE60

Yes. Everything counts.

To get an idea of how to plan your meals, you can enter foods into the database and look at their calorie and nutritional value. That way you can shop for the foods that will give you the most bang for your calorie buck.

I think it's even good to enter foods that have no calorie value like unsweetened tea and water. That way you can learn which items positively impact your weight loss.

This :happy:

Ewunia1

LOL