Do You Log the Veggies

tabicatinthehat

It's good to log, as long as you don't think, oh I don't have enough calories today so I won't eat these vegies...

I would definitely think that way and I'm ok with it. I don't save all my veggies for the end of the day so I doubt it would make it so that I didn't eat any that day.

elephant2mouse

Yes... I log veggies

I log bites of food, I log sips of drinks...
My diary has the weirdest decimal points in it... haha.

Just today I weighed a spoon, zero'd it out, dipped it in my daughters yogurt, weighed it again, logged it, then ate it...

JoRocka

Yes.
I log everything that I eat and drink.
It all counts and you will be surprised how quickly "little bites" add up.
If you want this to work, you pretty much have to log everything.

I completely agree. Granted, after a year and a half on the site I have finally relaxed enough to stop putting in cinnamon and most spices. I've never logged gum. But for the most part, YES...log every single thing!!

This- I've never been crazy about logging spices and niggling extras- but I also don't log every step and breath I take- and I do a lot of stuff outside of what I log... - I don't even log butter I cook with typically (I do add it for popcorn though- weird I know).

If you eat it- log it.

if you don't eat it- don't log it.

lemurcat12

Like everyone else said, because they have calories.

Also, because I use my logs to see what works and what doesn't, so it's important to be able to see what I ate a particular week when I felt good vs. one when I felt less good.

And because I like to make sure I get adequate nutrients and part of that is making sure that I got enough vegetables and a good variety of them. If I look back and see it's just been broccoli and asparagus every day, I know I should remember to eat some different veggies.

But mostly because I like to be accurate.

Except with garlic. For some reason I never log garlic.

Graelwyn75

Depends on the veggie:

I don't count lettuce, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, bell peppers, cucumbers, celery, etc.

I do count carrots, beans, peas, tomatoes, etc.

I do count all fruit.

Why tomatoes but not broccoli? Broccoli is higher in calories than tomato.

For me my total calorie goal is more about 'total of calories I will *track*' rather than 'total of calories I will *eat*'.
So the rationale behind the broccoli/tomato question is that I'm trying to encourage myself to eat more of the leafy green & cruciferous-type veggies, so I don't track them.
I don't want to be at the point of nearing my daily goal and think, oh, I better not eat more broccoli.
I'd rather be over due to broccoli than due to fruit.

And since my goal is tracking-based, if the scale isn't moving in the direction I want, then I can change the target of stuff to track while the amount of green stuff stays flexible.

Ahhh, that makes sense.
I am fortunate, I suppose, that I have always loved almost all veggies, other than artichoke, yuck.

Liftng4Lis

Everything has calories. If they give you a 1400 calorie allowance and you eat 500 in fruits and veggies but don't log it, you're not eating at a deficit, thus you wouldn't lose weight.

N2Couture

Yes, anything except the 0 anything coffee.
I don't eat enough veggies but I DO log mine.

leggup

I eat 250-500 calories of vegetables a day. That makes a big difference in calorie counting. It can make an even bigger difference when the veggies are cooked in oils/fats, dipped, etc.

3laine75

This isn't Weight Watchers. There are no zero point or zero calorie foods. Log everything.

Yes, it's only ever WW people who are surprise I do this. Salad, veggies and the amount of strawberries I eat all adds up

susannamarie

Depends.

I log any time I eat veggies as a side dish or main dish.

Sometimes I'm sloppy with ingredients. If I have a burger with two lonely lettuce leaves on it I won't bother adding them in.

Leaving low-cal veggies out as an inducement to eat more of them absolutely can work as a dietary aid (you just have to adjust your goal of tracked, and remember to include any toppings), but for me I'm trying to make myself get more fiber, so I track them to see how I'm doing on my goal.

slucki01

I log pretty much everything I put in my mouth. Veggies have calories so they can add up. Plus, if you're tracking nutrients, they can impact protein and fiber.

Snip8241

Everything has calories. If they give you a 1400 calorie allowance and you eat 500 in fruits and veggies but don't log it, you're not eating at a deficit, thus you wouldn't lose weight.

This...if you are only given 1200-1300 calories, you exercise and earn 300, but eat 250-300 between your veggies, carrots, avocados and what not you will negate any deficit you have and you won't lose.

Been there done that.....log everything....

slucki01

That's a great point. I log everything, partly to track cals and partly to track nutrients. But I also look back at what I've eaten during times where I don't seem to be losing, or when my energy is lagging, and I'm not sure why. Often you can find patterns in what you eat that can help you improve your results.

ls8735

I log everything I eat even if it is small. I actually logged an Altoid the other day haha.

Ready2Rock206

Of course. I don't see the point of logging if you're only logging certain items.

missiontofitness

What she said sounds like something Freelee and DurianRider promote.
Yes, you should count veggie calories.

ddkphotos

yes either you are logging or you're not.
nothing in life is free!

Sthere

the reason why the new WW doesn't work.... now you don't count veggies or fruit! Once you are down to the last 5 lbs. everything counts! if you have a lot to lose I"d concentrate on getting healthy and worry about counting later...

africanmasq

Some veggies are high in carbs as well as calories, so it's important to log them. Also...I even log my green tea, which is basically 0 everything, because I think it's important to log everything and stay disciplined.

itsbasschick

i log everything i eat. not only can veggie calories add up, but it's a good habit to log everything if you're serious about calorie counting - at least, it is for me.

chrisdavey

I regularly eat 500g to 1kg of potatoes at a time. Yes, I log them.

myrtille87

I log vegetables but don't always weigh them. As other people have said, they do contain calories and it all adds up. And obviously some vegetables are higher in calories than others.

If I'm using veg that I know are really low in calories I sometimes just guesstimate the portion because the difference is only going to be a couple of calories anyway. But I still log them.

JoRocka

Depends on the veggie:

I don't count lettuce, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, bell peppers, cucumbers, celery, etc.

I do count carrots, beans, peas, tomatoes, etc.

I do count all fruit.

Why tomatoes but not broccoli? Broccoli is higher in calories than tomato.

For me my total calorie goal is more about 'total of calories I will *track*' rather than 'total of calories I will *eat*'.
So the rationale behind the broccoli/tomato question is that I'm trying to encourage myself to eat more of the leafy green & cruciferous-type veggies, so I don't track them.
I don't want to be at the point of nearing my daily goal and think, oh, I better not eat more broccoli.
I'd rather be over due to broccoli than due to fruit.

And since my goal is tracking-based, if the scale isn't moving in the direction I want, then I can change the target of stuff to track while the amount of green stuff stays flexible.

but but but but... if you don't log them- how do you know you ate more?????

martinel2099

A calorie is a calorie, you should record everything.

Granted, veggies give you a lot of bang for your calorie buck, seriously try to eat 1,000 calories of broccoli; You would explode. Problem is if you aren't tracking your veggies and are eating more than you think you are then you could be creating a calorie surplus and not even realize it.

HeidiCooksSupper

I do, not just for the calories but also because I track my fiber intake.

^This. And to encourage myself to eat several servings of vegetables a day. A day logged with very few veggies is a day to give myself the dope slap.

(Oh, I know. Don't look at my diary right now. I've been hit or miss logging while I have a bad cold/strep.)

AuroraD82

Wow what a great discussion. I have to show this to my sister when she's next here.

FitPhillygirl

I log everything. You would be surprised at how quickly those calories add up, even those from veggies and fruit.