to count or not to count that is the question??

quigonnjae
quigonnjae Posts: 399
edited October 3 in Health and Weight Loss
I just got serious about trying to get rid of this gut ive been carrying around with me for the past 12+ years... MFP says I should stick to a 1500 calorie diet to loose 2 lbs a week.. Im new to this whole calorie counting thing (coming up on my first week or serious counting) ... So my question is this ... Veggies are healthy and "good" for you .... Do they "factor" into my daily count or not ?
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Replies

  • dixedreg
    dixedreg Posts: 276 Member
    My personal opinion...... everything counts.
  • Hnter1976
    Hnter1976 Posts: 7
    do you eat em?
  • quigonnjae
    quigonnjae Posts: 399
    every chance I get .... getting tired of salad LOL
  • T0M0
    T0M0 Posts: 250 Member
    My motto has always been "anything that enters my mouth counts". Veggies, fruits. We even track our water intake on MFP and that has no calorie content :laugh:
  • SarabellPlus3
    SarabellPlus3 Posts: 496 Member
    Yes. If you only counted junk food, you'd be taking in a TON of junk food, and end up with a lot more calories. There are a lot of ways to strategize, and maybe some people give themselves X amount of junk food daily or weekly, then don't count healthy foods, but the way this is set up is to count everything. It's wise, then, to eat as much healthy food as possible (whole grains and vegetables are so much more nutrient-dense than junk food). But yes, the basic idea is to set it up with your lifestyle (ie: sedentary or active, don't count gym or workout time here), then get your calorie number. Then daily add the calories you eat, and the calories you burn working out.

    Good luck!
  • Tonnina
    Tonnina Posts: 979 Member
    If it goes in your mouth, it goes in your diary. Be true to yourself!!
  • elmsallmissile
    elmsallmissile Posts: 86
    I just got serious about trying to get rid of this gut ive been carrying around with me for the past 12+ years... MFP says I should stick to a 1500 calorie diet to loose 2 lbs a week.. Im new to this whole calorie counting thing (coming up on my first week or serious counting) ... So my question is this ... Veggies are healthy and "good" for you .... Do they "factor" into my daily count or not ?

    If you put it in your mouth it counts!
  • melmarler
    melmarler Posts: 23
    If you eat them, they count. If they stay on your plate or you feed them to the dog, they don't.
  • frugalmomsrock
    frugalmomsrock Posts: 1,123
    If you eat it, it counts.

    They are healthier calories (fruits, veggies, whole grains), and should be the majority of your caloric intake. Just because they're healthy doesn't mean they don't count, though. ;)
  • FitasBarbie
    FitasBarbie Posts: 141 Member
    Everything that you eat be it veggies, vitamins, junk or even water you count.
  • Bakins929
    Bakins929 Posts: 895 Member
    Yup, if it goes in your body, it counts!
  • MsRobin_TheSequel
    MsRobin_TheSequel Posts: 127 Member
    If it goes in your mouth, it goes in your diary. Be true to yourself!!



    ^ This !!!
  • twyrm
    twyrm Posts: 22 Member
    I actually like putting down healthy veggies. I can eat a plateful of steamed cauliflower, and a tomato, and some carrot sticks for probably less than 100 calories, and its a lot of food! Then I can add some lean protein, feel really full and be satisfied for hours. Enjoy the veggies, and enjoy seeing the low calories you log!
  • beth40n2
    beth40n2 Posts: 233 Member
    If you eat it, it counts. BUT......if you are adding your exercise calories you should be eating plenty. If you have 1500 calories to eat and you add.......lets say 200 calories of exercise, then you have 1700 to eat!
  • suz155
    suz155 Posts: 326 Member
    Yup.
  • quigonnjae
    quigonnjae Posts: 399
    thanx guys for the advice.. a "Typical" day for me lately has been a coffee cup of instant oatmeal for breakfast.. lunch (my biggest meal of the day) is a "takeout box" sized salad with fat free dressing and NO cheese and/or coutons ... and dinner is usually just a serving of the whatever meat the rest of the family is eating for dinner that night .. This WITHOUT the salad would account for about 600-700 calories for the day ..

    Any suggestions for maybe a better strategy?
  • SarabellPlus3
    SarabellPlus3 Posts: 496 Member
    Are you saying that's all you eat in a given day? If so, I would suggest measuring portion sizes? I've found that I can underestimate if left to my own devices. If you do mean that you truly only eat 600-700 calories most days, even with a salad's worth of lettuce and a low-cal (?) dressing, then you're starving and should up your calories. But make sure you're certain of your calorie amounts first!
  • elcar7
    elcar7 Posts: 124 Member
    With this strategy you are not eating enough food! Your body will go into starvation mode.

    maybe just read this, or any of the other good advices on MFP - there are so many, that can help you to find a good strategy:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing
  • Hnter1976
    Hnter1976 Posts: 7
    add in a couple snacks ..morning and afternoon imho
  • quigonnjae
    quigonnjae Posts: 399
    yes sarabell that is a snapshot of an average day.... Friday I logged EVERYTHING the best I could without scales and I still only came to 1233.. This count is taking into the 30 mins I spent walking around the building on lunch and the 2 trips up to the 3rd floor using the stairs.
  • lizajanetoo
    lizajanetoo Posts: 44 Member
    You need to be eating something for breakfast. oatmeal, eggs, fruit.

    You need to add some fruit to your daily diet, also some whole grains and dairy

    Remember you need to eat to lose weight.

    I eat fruit and yogurt or an omlete for breakfast.

    Snack is a piece of whole grain bread with Laughy Cow cheese and olives
    or english muffin pizza.

    Lunch is usually some veggies, and a protein.
    Maybe a tuna sandwich on whole wheat low cal bread and some carrots

    Sometimes a fruit snack.

    Dinner I eat lots of fish. Love salmon and shrimp.
    Add veggies, or tofu noodles, or whole wheat noodles.

    Nuts are a good source of calories as well.

    I eat 1200-1400 calories a day.
  • XFitMojoMom
    XFitMojoMom Posts: 3,255 Member
    Apples are healthy, eat too much of it you overload on sugars and that's not good - so OF COURSE log it.
  • Jacole18
    Jacole18 Posts: 716 Member
    Yes everything that you eat and drink counts towards your calorie count.
  • cjw6
    cjw6 Posts: 94 Member
    It might be worth investing in some scales- they don't have to be expensive. Once you get the hang of it its easier and you won't need to weigh everything, but when you're starting out its really easy to massively underestimate how much you are taking in and I wouldn't be surprised if thats why your calorie count appears so low.
    Also what do you mean by a salad? Do you mean just a green salad with lettuce/cucumber/tomato etc, or are you talking about something else? I can't see how you could get through the day on just a green salad- you definitely need some lean protein in there.
  • sjtreely
    sjtreely Posts: 1,014 Member
    100 calories of carrots is 100 calories ... anyway you look at it. Some calories are better for you, but in the end calories are calories. Count 'em.
  • nomorefatbitch
    nomorefatbitch Posts: 279
    In the mouth = in the diary.

    I don't log water, though. I keep track of it on my own and I drink a LOT!!
  • quigonnjae
    quigonnjae Posts: 399
    It might be worth investing in some scales- they don't have to be expensive. Once you get the hang of it its easier and you won't need to weigh everything, but when you're starting out its really easy to massively underestimate how much you are taking in and I wouldn't be surprised if thats why your calorie count appears so low.
    Also what do you mean by a salad? Do you mean just a green salad with lettuce/cucumber/tomato etc, or are you talking about something else? I can't see how you could get through the day on just a green salad- you definitely need some lean protein in there.

    A typical salad for me is a bed of ice berg lettuce , cucumbers , carrots , green peppers , some ham and some form of fat free dressing
  • helenoftroy1
    helenoftroy1 Posts: 638 Member
    if you bite it write it!!!
    Sometimes, you may think something is healthy eg. nuts, then find out you can be overeating on that particular food and going <300 calories over allowance

    AND YES ALCOHOL NEEDS TO BE COUNTED TO - bah humbug!
  • sarkris
    sarkris Posts: 41
    Your diet seems very low in protein and healthy fats. You need fat! Your brain is lipid(fat)-based. It also insulates nerves and stimulates their function, helps your body absorb vitamins and keep you full and mentally stable. I would add in a little cheese to that salad and swap your fat-free dressing (which would be FULL of sugar and chemicals btw) for a tablespoon of high quality olive oil and a squeeze of fresh lemon. Add in some fruit and more protein as well. You do not want to live on so few calories - it's not healthy or sustainable. Just my $.02
  • JRMcCaghren
    JRMcCaghren Posts: 114
    I agree with sarkris, you need to be eating more. If you're just starting out, it will be easy to eat like this for a while. But, when the momentum is gone, you'll want to be eating more calories so you're not tempted to cheat.
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