"free foods"/veggies-- do you count in your log?

mpf1

Hi All,

Just wondering what people think about counting low cal veggies in the calorie counting. I've not done WW, but I tend to count the "free foods" as those I don't need to log, like lettuce, broccoli, celery, cucumbers, cauliflower. I eat a LOT of those so I am not hungry on my calorie allowance. I was just wondering what others thought. I know they are low cal, not no cal, but I feel it would be exhausting and pathetic to count each boil of plain broccoli!!! Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

ShellyMacchi

count everything...*S*.. because it does all count

jujubean1992

if you bite it you write it!

Melis25Fit

LOG EVERYTHING. Broccoli at 30 cals for 1 cup/ same w/ cauliflour and only 10 baby carrots for 35 cals can add up fast.

I count it all.

devilwhiterose

I count everything!

szczepj

if you bite it you write it!

This is adorable, and agreed.

strapple

everything adds up, even vegetables. especially potatoes tomatoes and carrots

MiniMichelle

if you bite it you write it!

I love this quote!!!

Kristin111365

I count it and log it even if it comes up as 0 calories, so I know I had it. Even Diet coke so I can know how many I had.

MaryinBflo

If you do WW you don't have to count those things but if you are doing MFP and counting calories you need to count everything.

MiniMichelle

if you bite it you write it!

I love this quote!!!

mindy14456

I log everything

babydull

Plus it's necessary to input them to monitor your iron, protein, sugars etc. properly.

Qarol

The only free food is water.

I did WW years ago, way before the points system. They told me when I ate a salad, if I dipped my bite into the dressing (as opposed to pouring it over the top of the salad), the dressing didn't need to be counted. Ummm...I can seriously dip my bite into the dressing and end up eating quite a bit of it. Not a good idea.

If you put it in your mouth, log it. Beyond if you bite it, write it because a lot of beverages have calories, too.

p.s. Except I track water, too.

meli_medina

Even on WW you should only have 5 "freebies" per day... I record EVERYTHING.

♥ChUbByCoyLe♥

Add it all i'm afraid. They do add up. The only veg i tend not to add is garlic and chilli as i use them in cooking then discard them.

blueeyedtraveler

Plus it's necessary to input them to monitor your iron, protein, sugars etc. properly.

I agree with this...I put everything in my diary that I put in my mouth because I watch more than just calories.

purpleprose

There's no such thing as a "free" food. Sorry, not buying it.

PlanetVelma

I log EVERYTHING, my water intake, food, fat free creamer, etc....

As for WW and "free veggies" it was my understanding that if you had one serving of a fruit/veggie it was "zero points" but if you had more than one serving you had to count the points. I did WW under the old program, and not familiar with the new program.

KeriA

The point of a food diary is to see what has worked and what hasn't. If you are in a plateau you can see what got you out last time. If you don't enter everything every day you do not have information. This is ok if you do not have much to lose but if you are seeing this is a long term improvement in health then it is the information you need to achieve your goals.

kimmerroze

if you bite it you write it!

So should I start logging when I bite my husband then?:laugh:

mpf1

Tough crowd-- I LOVE the honesty, thanks all!
I wasn't logging my exercise, because I doubted that I could eat as much as MFP was telling me if I did & not gain, but if I have to cover my green veggies I'll start!

presting

I guess this is a controversial topic, but I wanted to add perspective from a very happy Weight Watchers graduate.

The newest version of WW is called "PointsPlus" and it assigns zero points to most every kind of fruits and vegetables. The exceptions are starchy veggies like lima beans or garbanzos. What this means is that you can be on the WW plan and eat as much as you like of fresh fruit, green veggies, etc. The reasoning is that whatever calories these foods have is balanced by how filling they are, which discourages over-eating in general. It's not so much "free food" as appetitie control. At least that's my understanding.

I myself lost 30 pounds in WW, reached my goal weight, and became a "Lifetime" member. Now I use other websites that are free, but I'd recommend the WW plan, at least as one example of a flexible and reasonable diet plan.

SamiSamiBoBlammy

There's no such thing as a "free" food. Sorry, not buying it.

Agreed, even no calories food (such as pickles) still have other factors (like high sodium!)

Log everything.

Mindful_Trent

The newest version of WW is called "PointsPlus" and it assigns zero points to most every kind of fruits and vegetables. The exceptions are starchy veggies like lima beans or garbanzos. What this means is that you can be on the WW plan and eat as much as you like of fresh fruit, green veggies, etc. The reasoning is that whatever calories these foods have is balanced by how filling they are, which discourages over-eating in general. It's not so much "free food" as appetitie control. At least that's my understanding.

Glad this worked for you - congrats! That said, I can almost buy veggies (green veggies, at least) being free, but certainly not fruit. I understand that WW is trying to encourage people to choose fruit and veggies over processed snacks and that for some people it may be an appetite control help as you said, but I know plenty of people who can easily eat way too many calories in fruit (myself being one of them). You could get fat by eating nothing but fruit and veggies if you eat enough of it. A banana's typically 80-120 calories or so... a peach is about 40-50 calories, a cup of grapes is about 60 calories, a cup of pineapple is about 75 calories... don't even get me started on fruit juice!! Lol. Even some veggies can add up (broccoli, baby carrots, etc.)! It's dangerous to say any type of food is free because there are almost always things that fall in that category that certainly shouldn't be free - like coconut and avocado (both fruits, both very high calorie).

lauram1153

if you bite it you write it!

So should I start logging when I bite my husband then?:laugh:

corymomma

if you bite it you write it!

So should I start logging when I bite my husband then?:laugh:

:laugh:
I love it...hmmm boyfriend is thin so how calories is he? :laugh:

Anyways I'm OCD about this, if it goes in my mouth I write it down. Only thing I haven't added to my food diary is like the tylenol I take for arthritis and such...Sometimes I over estimate how much I eat a little (I don't measure everything) but I'd rather over estimate than under. I've got a lot of weight to lose, and I want to feel good about it. I've had way too many let downs in dieting in the past, and have learned the only way I can stay with it is to add every little thing up, including the tsp of dried parsley I'm finding I like on/in everything (I think it's the color really) and it's a zero across the board...

I've even log my walk to and from the bus stop. I carry a heavy backpack with me, I might as well get the "points" for exercise even if it is in 10 to 15 min spurts. And sadly I've started pacing while waiting on the bus to come (but I'm not to adding that to the exercise yet)...

Best of luck everyone...

stormieweather

I log it all. Measure, weigh, and log every bite. Water too.