Calories in Vegetables

Carolannking

:noway: I know all foods have calories, but vegetables on most Healthy Eating plans come free, with the exception of a few, Peas Etc. I eat a lot of veg for my dinner, and although healthy, they are not filling. 60-70 Calories a day on my plate seems a lot, for the amount I have. It does not encourage you to eat them. Any ideas ?

SparkleHorse224

There ain't no such thing as a "free" lunch. I used to do Weight Watchers and the points make it difficult to see that a calorie is a calorie and if you eat 5,000 calories of carrots a day....you'll probably gain weight. It sounds like you have to find a better combination of vegetables and good fats/starches that will keep you feeling full longer. A salad of iceberg lettuce? Not so filling. But low in calories. A salad of field greens, plus some good protein like chicken or chick peas? Filling, and within the range of daily calories. I'm not sure if you had a question in there, and if this addresses it, but I get what you mean - like, you want to "spend" your calories a certain way.

mdhummel

I replaced carbohydrates such as pasta, rice and potatoes with beans instead. The beans keep me full and I'm not starving by my next meal. I'm only eating 1,200 -1,300 calories a day, but by eating beans, lean chicken and fish, and protein shakes I am satisfied throughout the day.

I always try to pair a protein with my fruit and vegetables for a satisfying snack. (Example: berries +yogurt, apples + cheese, almond butter + celery.)

MoreBean13

This post makes me think you must have a VERY low target calorie limit. My first inclination is that you should consider if all the settings you chose when establishing your calorie limits are realistic, i.e. 2 lbs/wk is not realistic for most without a ton to lose. My second suggestion would be to get a little extra exercise to allow a few more calories. A 20 min walk would probably get you there

SueInAz

60-70 calories of most veggies is quite a bit. I ate 80 calories of sugar snap peas yesterday and they weighed 6 ounces and nearly filled a sandwich bag. They also have calcium, fiber and lot of other good nutrients and are much more filling than 60-70 calories of chocolate or chips which do absolutely nothing for you. I have to agree, it really depends on the veggies you are eating. Iceberg lettuce is nutritionally worthless and won't fill you up for very long. Stick to dark green veggies and those with lots of fiber: celery, broccoli, dark green leaf lettuce, etc.

purpleipod

You would stop eating them because you spend 60-70 calories on them?

What..?

kimi_bee

Most diets such as slimming world and weight watchers allow you to eat vegetables as "free" food. This allows you to lose weight as the other calories are restricted (for example, say you are allowed 29 points a day on weightwatchers, this may equate to 1200 calories, then the free vegetables on top will still enable you to have a calorie defecit).

It is importatnt to remember that all diets work on this basis, you have to consume less energy than you expend in order to lose weight. Calorie counting is the "purest" form of dieting if you like, as you know exactly the amount of energy that is entering your body each day.

I found weightwatchers usefull as it stopped me thinking "oh ill just eat three sqares of chocolate instead of vegetables", which is an easy way to think as i would much rather eat chocolate than veggies! I think if you are going to calorie count, you have to be able to have the self control to get your fruit and veggies every day, otherwise, like me, you will be tempted to swap them for things which may be lower in calories, but not as high in nutrients. If you cant think this way, maybe try slimming world oweightwatchers instead? As they do help you get a more all round healthy diet if you are struggling to get your fruit and veg

magerum

Plans that tell you to not count veggies or any other food are really just trying to promote healthier choices. A calorie is a calorie, it's a unit of measurement. I eat >500 calories a day in vegetables, if I didn't count them I'd be way off on my goals.

Ready2Rock206

60-70 calories of most veggies is quite a bit. I ate 80 calories of sugar snap peas yesterday and they weighed 6 ounces and nearly filled a sandwich bag. They also have calcium, fiber and lot of other good nutrients and are much more filling than 60-70 calories of chocolate or chips which do absolutely nothing for you. I have to agree, it really depends on the veggies you are eating. Iceberg lettuce is nutritionally worthless and won't fill you up for very long. Stick to dark green veggies and those with lots of fiber: celery, broccoli, dark green leaf lettuce, etc.

This! Skip the starchy "veggies" (corn, potatoes) and the crunchy water (iceberg lettuce) and really 60-70 calories of veggies should be quite filling and totally worth the calories!

Graelwyn75

I count my vegetable calories but don't worry too much about them. I do, however, workout a lot which means I have plenty of room for them, and I would sooner have my vegetables than most other things. I regularly have my evening salmon meal with a pile of raw mushrooms, baby plum tomato, beetroot, broccoli and carrots or some similar combination. I love mangetout.. I like to have al the colours on my plate, and the knowledge I am getting plenty of vitamins and minerals from them.