Track fruits and veggies or not?

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  • projektai
    projektai Posts: 107 Member
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    I say log everything.

    Not just for the caloric value, because there are calories in them, but for everything else in them. Fiber, carbs, etc.
    Plus, if you ever wonder what you were eating a week ago because you're bored now, you just look back and see all of the delicious fruits and veggies you ate. =)
  • CrazyTrackLady
    CrazyTrackLady Posts: 1,337 Member
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    If it's edible or drinkable, I track it. I even put in my unsweetened tea, which is 0 calories. It gives me an opportunity to see how much of everything I'm actually consuming. I think leaving things out of MFP is counterproductive, because even small calories in fruits and veggies can add up over the course of the day.

    I've never done WW, but it sounds a little too complicated for me. I enjoy MFP because it is very simplistic: log your calories and exercises and we will tell you how much you should be eating.
  • CrazyTrackLady
    CrazyTrackLady Posts: 1,337 Member
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    Well, I took in 1,100 calories today… in NOTHING but fresh (non-processed) fruits and vegetables. I've never understood the whole "free" foods thing. They have calories and affect your macros…

    Which is exactly why WW and Slimming World are fundamentally flawed.

    I think people loose weight on WW because they end up eating more fruits and Vegetables or "free foods" as they are called than they would do normally.

    If you eat or drink it, you log it. Thats my ethos.

    I also want to add you had virtually no protein in your 1000 cal fruit/veggie day. Protein is an essential part of your diet, as it helps build muscle. Also, it's been known to lower blood sugar levels and help with hunger pangs. Try to add more protein (if you're including beans as your veggies, then that's a good thing).
  • FizzyAndTango
    FizzyAndTango Posts: 30
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    I never used to log fruit and veg apart from 'heavy' foods like bananas peas sweetcorn etc. But as I got stuck on a plateau then gained a lot of weight I now log all fruit and veg. Good luck on your journey :) x
  • danieyell1969
    danieyell1969 Posts: 21
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    I am new to this as well ...but fruits and vegetables should still be counted !! Some are very high in carbohydrates and should be eaten within reason. Even natural sugar isn't good for you in large quantities.
  • Vailara
    Vailara Posts: 2,454 Member
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    I think that if you're aiming to do a calorie controlled diet, then you do need to count fruit and vegetables unless the calories really are minimal. I have "accidentally" eaten 800 calories of watermelon alone! It's surprising how much fruit and veg calories can add up if you like to eat them, and particularly if you're using them to make drinks because it's easier to eat more. I don't think you need to count every lettuce leaf, but I do think you need to have a rough idea of how much you're eating in fruit and veg, particularly if it's higher calorie fruit and veg (avocado, banana, etc.).
  • LinsMcG2014
    LinsMcG2014 Posts: 1 Member
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    Late to this convo!

    I was in a trial phase for WW and MFP and here is what I found... if you track the calories of your WW points, you are generally close to what MFP recommends for you to be eating. That does not include the 0 pt foods. I think it would be fine not to track them as long as they are low cal fresh such as grapes, peppers, apples. I would definitely track bananas, fish, eggs, and beans. I personally think it is insane those are 0 pt foods. Those foods make up 2/3 of my diet so, I was actually gaining weight on WW vs. MFP. Something I have found to be helpful is not meticulously tracking all my fresh fruits and veggies that are low cal on MFP. It helps me with food guilt. I also have a bad habit of using my calories on processed foods so, not stressing them makes me feel more inclined to eat those fresh foods which, is where WW is coming from with 0 pt foods. I don't think an extra apple or cup of grapes is going to break your diet on MFP. If you are eating a ton say, a meals worth of cals on those fresh foods, count them.
  • AZTeri2016
    AZTeri2016 Posts: 77 Member
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    Definitely track. Part of the reason I switched from WW was that I was over-eating all those "free" veggies and fruit. When I tracked a normal WW day, I discovered that I was WAY over on calories.
  • AZTeri2016
    AZTeri2016 Posts: 77 Member
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    Panini911 wrote: »
    LinsMcG2014 wrote: »
    Late to this convo!

    only 6 years late!

    To tell the truth, I didn't even look at the time stamp! It came up as a suggested conversation :smiley: Ah well!
  • MikePTY
    MikePTY Posts: 3,814 Member
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    I know this is a 6 year old conversation, but since people will be reading it as new:

    There is no such thing as a "free" calorie. A calorie from a banana counts just as much as a calorie from beef jerky. Some fruits and veggies are very high in calories. I have some days I can eat 400 calories from an avocado. Not counting them makes zero sense from a weight loss perspective.
  • magnusthenerd
    magnusthenerd Posts: 1,207 Member
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    MikePTY wrote: »
    I know this is a 6 year old conversation, but since people will be reading it as new:

    There is no such thing as a "free" calorie. A calorie from a banana counts just as much as a calorie from beef jerky. Some fruits and veggies are very high in calories. I have some days I can eat 400 calories from an avocado. Not counting them makes zero sense from a weight loss perspective.

    If I didn't pay for it, the calorie is free. That's why you eat off someone else's plate.
  • istvankiss998
    istvankiss998 Posts: 2 Member
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    I keep track of all my fruits and veggies
  • funjen1972
    funjen1972 Posts: 949 Member
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    I think it really depends on how much fruit & veg you are consuming. An apple or a serving of green beans each day won't make a huge difference. If you're eating multiple servings each day it adds up quickly.

    Today I will have:
    Small banana - 80 cals
    3 servings of green beans - 90 cals
    Kale salad with tons of veggies - 100 cals
    Tomatoes - 50 cals
    Frozen berries - 80 cals

    That's 400 calories in fruits and veggies which certainly would impact weight loss over time.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
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    Old conversation, but since it's renewed:

    I eat a lot of veg and at least a couple servings of fruit on a typical day (more fruit in the summer), and it adds up.

    A more important reason to me for logging it is I like my total calories to be at least somewhat accurate -- I don't want to think I'm eating 1200 when I'm really eating 1750 or whatever. And -- important for me -- I like to be able to compare days and see what choices helped me and which ones did not, and arbitrarily leaving out some of the foods I eat would make that less useful. Plus I aim for at least 10 servings of veg and a variety, and not logging would mean I might not be making that goal and not know it.

    Right now I'm mainly logging at Chron and paying attention to various nutrients like potassium and fiber and those would be way under without fruit and veg. And veg provide some protein too.

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