Do you count vegetables?
Replies
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I count them, they have calories and some veggies have quite a few calories.0
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I count everything, vitamins, fish oil supplements, everything that goes in my mouth. Calories are calories and they all add up.0
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All in all, I'm taking the weight watchers approach (veggies = 0 points).
Weight Watchers works a little differently to MFP. They give you a lower points goal so that you can count fruit & veg on top of that. I believe they made that stuff free because too many people didn't want to "waste" their points on fruit and veg. The MFP calorie goal is supposed to include everything though. You get to choose how healthy your diet is, and take full responsibility for all your food choices.
Having said that, if you're on 1200 calories, you probably have quite a big calorie deficit and will probably still lose even if you don't count vegetables. (Maybe not fruit, as they can be quite high in calories). When you have a smaller deficit though, those vegetable calories could easily make the difference between losing and not.0 -
honestly i dont log most of the veggies i eat. i pretty much just consider it all wrapped up in a recipe i created called "weekly salad"
i also dont count sugar, coffee creamer or some other stuff.. in general i just assume that i'm eating 10-20% more calories than i log.0 -
I think you should count them, if not for the calories, at least for other macros.
I don't think caring only about calories is a very healthy approach, I think that tracking macros is also very important.
Even if all you need to lose weight is a calories deficit, losing track of macros may hurt (ending up thinner, but with a vitamin deficit, for example, or with too much sodium isn't exactly healthy).
You still want to make sure that your body gets everything it needs and not too much of what it doesn't need - so track your veggies, too.0 -
All in all, I'm taking the weight watchers approach (veggies = 0 points).
Weight Watchers works a little differently to MFP. They give you a lower points goal so that you can count fruit & veg on top of that. I believe they made that stuff free because too many people didn't want to "waste" their points on fruit and veg. The MFP calorie goal is supposed to include everything though. You get to choose how healthy your diet is, and take full responsibility for all your food choices.
Having said that, if you're on 1200 calories, you probably have quite a big calorie deficit and will probably still lose even if you don't count vegetables. (Maybe not fruit, as they can be quite high in calories). When you have a smaller deficit though, those vegetable calories could easily make the difference between losing and not.
I was going to reply but instead will just totally agree with the previous poster!!0 -
I'm a vegi, I sure do count all my veggies otherwise it would look as if I didn't eat much..........0
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(ahem, from up thread - an avocado is a fruit)
Yes, log veggies. I was surprised when I moved from points to MFP at how many cals some veggies actually are and no wonder I didn't lost weight as quickly as I should have on WW. I eat lots of veggies - love em all (although you can keep eggplant)0 -
if i eat them i count them otherwise you aren't getting a true picture of all the nutrients, calories etc that you are consuming.0
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Hi yea i log all vegetables and fruit as well, the amount of calories in some vegetables are scary, but those are the ones I avoid anyway0
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Personally, I count it if it's significant, for the sake of accuracy. If something is a side dish or if somebody looked at my plate and could see it, I'll count it. Vegetables have calories (sometimes a lot). If I'm putting one slice of a tomato on a sandwich, um... it depends on my mood, I guess. I feel like if I walk up and down the stairs once more than normal by chance in a day, I will have burned off the wayward vegetable anyway, haha.
I don't think it's entirely bad idea to make raw vegetables free food. I'm sure the reason WW does that is because vegetables are probably the safest, lightest, healthiest bet for a snack or addition to a meal. It's nothing to feel guilty about or stress over excessively.
As far as everything I've read, calories count differently in body chemistry. You would look totally different if you ate 1500 calories of chocolate cake vs. 1500 calories of veggies in a day. And you would have less problems if you ate 1500 calories worth of vegetables, I imagine. They're diverse and nutritious.
If you don't want to count them, then don't, and see how it goes for a week or two. Experiment. There's not ONE right way to watch your diet and lose weight, you know. And there are far worse things you could try out than eating vegetables freely, seriously.
Just do be aware that there aren't really free foods. Particularly starchy veggies and heavily salted/sugary veggies aren't your friends in excess. That having been said, the other great thing about vegetables is that they're not artificially addictive at all, as far as I know. I have NEVER heard of somebody who was in the habit of eating vegetables and gained weight or had lots and lots of trouble losing weight.
*** Not a dietitian. Personal views, probably partly flawed.0 -
I have a mainly vegetarian diet, if I didn't log veggies I could easily think I wasn't eating anywhere near enough cals as something like a vegetable curry can contain 300 cals but I wouldn't be logging it!0
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I always count my veggies0
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count it ALL! veggies are still calories (not to mention sugar, carbs, etc) You're probably going over your 1200.0
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You should try and count everything you eat and drink, however it does depend which nutrients you are tracking for your goals0
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Hello
I don't count vegetables, except for potatoes, peas and sweet corn but I do log fruit. This encourages me to eat lots of veggies. However, I dont't eat back my exercise calories so this gives me leeway with the veg. Seems to be working for me so far..0 -
Does anyone else not count veggies? If so, are you succeeding in losing weight?
LET ME KNOW PLEASE!
Absolutely, YES!!!0 -
I am currently eating 1200 calories but I don't count the vegetables. Wondering if I should start counting. I just feel like vegetables should be consumed often and I shouldn't be concerned with their calories as much (I'm talking cherry tomatoes, carrots, mushrooms...). All in all, I'm taking the weight watchers approach (veggies = 0 points).
Does anyone else not count veggies? If so, are you succeeding in losing weight?
LET ME KNOW PLEASE!
Sounds like you are picking the best of both worlds there. So you will only end up fooling yourself. Do one or the other.
Which is heavier? A tonne of coal, or a tonne of feathers?0 -
Just a thought, if you do start logging your veg, don't forget to reset your goal by about 200 extra calories. If you are losing doing it this way go with it x0
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You should count everything...I even count my water. It doesn't have any calories but it helps me keep track of what I am doing. Veggies do have calories, most are low but they still have some.0
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