Unlimited Fruits/Veggies??!

Bumdrahp

Ok, So I have seen and read that some people believe eating fruits and veggies ( unlimited amounts) is ok in addition to a regularly balanced diet. This confuses me!

Yesterday, I made a soup/bisque made of ONLY veggies. No oils, no salts, not even any seasoning. ( came out delish..btw) After calculating all of the ingredients, the soup came out to be over 550 calories ( 2-3 servings) So, give or take, 200 calories a serving). No, its not high calorie.. but it's still, 200 calories. All clean healthy calories.

My thing is, if I ate that whole batch of soup, according to Weight Watchers..or even just other day-to-day dieters, these were free calories. 500 free calories?! I think not..

I feel like, a calorie is a calorie no matter if its a fruit, veggie, twinkie, or pretzel...

I think I need this whole thing explained to me.. I feel like I am not understanding something! Is it different by some ridiculous reason that I mixed, and heated all the veggies? So.. if I just ate raw carrots instead of carrots in a soup.. suddenly the calories don't matter? I don't get it.

Bumdrahp

I guess no one else understands this logic either LOL!

Capt_Apollo

unlimited, yes. calorie-less, no. moderation, absolutely.

pastryari

Weight watchers says that fruits and veggies are "0 point foods" in an attempt to encourage the people on the program to eat more fruits and vegetables.

cubbies77

You are not wrong. Apples and bananas can come in at 80-100 calories, depending on the size. I agree that fruits and veggies are good for you and should be a go-to snack, but I don't agree with not counting them.

Leslietheriot

I agree...but I am a "clean" eater. I log everything that goes into my mouth. The only thing that I see as being "free" per se is the water I drink.

shamah84

This lady at work told me today that she plans on starting Weight Watchers because if she eats fruits it's 0pts so she can eat them all throughout the day and still have points to spare for dinner. I just think they are lying to themselves. It's like an excuse to not feel guilty about eating? I don't know. At least it's something healthy they are eating. Your soup sounds yummy by the way. :P

Chief_Rocka

No oils, no salts, not even any seasoning. ( came out delish..btw)

sounds legit

taso42

I don't really know why people have this misconception.

Fruits, while relatively "low calorie", do have calories. You should log them. They are not "free calories" by any measure or stretch of the imagination.

Green veggies are EXTREMELY low calorie and filling, so you could fill up on broccoli for 50-100 calories, which is a somewhat negligible amount. So maybe that's where this misinformation started.

But to very clear. Food has calories. If you eat it, you should log it.

michaelmelo

Count everything, but better to have fruits and veggies instead of junk food.

PayneAS

Weight watchers says that fruits and veggies are "0 point foods" in an attempt to encourage the people on the program to eat more fruits and vegetables.

Exactly.

But as I pointed out to my WW friend... there's still calories in them. So people will get frustrated and fail at WW too because they weren't counting those fruits and veggies every day that STILL have calories in them. That 500 calorie deficit? Gone. But they don't think it is.

EnderNC

The fiber in most raw, unprocessed veggies will make people stop before they eat too many calories and also help them from eating more calories later on. Depending on how you dress it, veggies and fruits are among the best foods that can be added to the diet, and even though you're still adding calories, your getting a major tune up.

DonnaLeeCattes

There is a lot of sugar in fruit too. I limit my fruit eating because of the sugar and eat more veggies.

fitbum19

everything has calories. calories need to be accounted for no matter what because if you eat too many, you store fat. period.

pastryari

I don't really know why people have this misconception.

Weight watchers is why.

calibriintx

I get why former "Weight Watchers" have a hard time letting go of that idea. You get used to not having to be accountable for fruit and veggies. But WW stopped working for me, so I'm not going to cherry pick parts of the plan that were convenient and hope they work, lol. Everything gets counted.

feathertouch

Being vegan veggies and fruits are really the only things I eat as well as nuts and seeds and I'm going raw again for a while but I believe a calorie is a calorie. No matter what the food is that is the energy it gives you however fruits and veggies are more nutrient dense and will do you better daily rather than the twinkie or choccie bar. Water is the only 'free' thing to guzzle on so guzzle away lol

teacup8285

Too much of anything is not good, even the good things. I am diabetic and while fruits are great I cannot eat and eat and eat. I think moderation in all foods is the wisest route.

BiohazrD

Fruit has a ton of fructose (sugar), so yeah it's definitely not free. Always track everything, but you're not going to go super over by eating your veggies, they are incredibly filling.

MoreBean13

Just count them- lots of fruits and veggies are a good thing.

Weight watchers has their point system set up so that your base calories, without fruits and vegetables, are incredibly low and you would be starving all the time, then they give you "free fruits and vegetables". Really, they're accounted for with the low base calories- it's a trick to force you in to eating more fruits and veg. The people who designed the system understand that they have calories. It's just a hook to keep people tethered to WW when there's free options (like MFP) that do the exact same thing.

EatClean_WashUrNuts

everything has calories. calories need to be accounted for no matter what because if you eat too many, you store fat. period.

Technically speaking, not "everything has calories".

The key to any diet is MODERATION

azanne07

Ok, So I have seen and read that some people believe eating fruits and veggies ( unlimited amounts) is ok in addition to a regularly balanced diet. This confuses me!

Yesterday, I made a soup/bisque made of ONLY veggies. No oils, no salts, not even any seasoning. ( came out delish..btw) After calculating all of the ingredients, the soup came out to be over 550 calories ( 2-3 servings) So, give or take, 200 calories a serving). No, its not high calorie.. but it's still, 200 calories. All clean healthy calories.

My thing is, if I ate that whole batch of soup, according to Weight Watchers..or even just other day-to-day dieters, these were free calories. 500 free calories?! I think not..

I feel like, a calorie is a calorie no matter if its a fruit, veggie, twinkie, or pretzel...

I think I need this whole thing explained to me.. I feel like I am not understanding something! Is it different by some ridiculous reason that I mixed, and heated all the veggies? So.. if I just ate raw carrots instead of carrots in a soup.. suddenly the calories don't matter? I don't get it.

thats why i count calories instead of doing a point system

luv_2_lift

Okay, just to clarify the WW points, fruits and veggies are only "0 points plus" for one portion. The portion size is 1/2 cup of fruits or 1/2 cup of veggies, except green veggies which are 1 cup. If you eat more than these portion sizes at a meal then you count the points. It's not a free-for-all on points or calories.

brenda9090

I would log everything because I like to see how healthy I've been eating. But, I don't limit my dark green vegetable intake. It's so good for you - it makes your skin glow! If you ate tons of fruits and vegetables but no processed junk food you are bound to lose/maintain your weight because of all the fiber. But don't forget not all vegetables are equal, fruit too. Potato is a vegetable but you can definitely gain weight ! Bananas can't compare to whole berries! IF you eat the really dark plants I'd say eat it unlimited! All that phytonutrients does wonders for you inside and out!

Firefox7275

Ok, So I have seen and read that some people believe eating fruits and veggies ( unlimited amounts) is ok in addition to a regularly balanced diet. This confuses me!

Yesterday, I made a soup/bisque made of ONLY veggies. No oils, no salts, not even any seasoning. ( came out delish..btw) After calculating all of the ingredients, the soup came out to be over 550 calories ( 2-3 servings) So, give or take, 200 calories a serving). No, its not high calorie.. but it's still, 200 calories. All clean healthy calories.

My thing is, if I ate that whole batch of soup, according to Weight Watchers..or even just other day-to-day dieters, these were free calories. 500 free calories?! I think not..

I feel like, a calorie is a calorie no matter if its a fruit, veggie, twinkie, or pretzel...

I think I need this whole thing explained to me.. I feel like I am not understanding something! Is it different by some ridiculous reason that I mixed, and heated all the veggies? So.. if I just ate raw carrots instead of carrots in a soup.. suddenly the calories don't matter? I don't get it.

WeightWatchers may be calorie controlled but it's not calorie counting, it's Points counting. The systems are obviously related but they are not one and the same and WW have never claimed there are no calories in produce. People rarely get fat eating unlimited amounts of produce, research suggests if you ate the whole pot of soup you would be less likely to overeat later on because you've had two of the nutrients that are proven to confer satiety - fibre and water.

Skratchie

Weight watchers has their point system set up so that your base calories, without fruits and vegetables, are incredibly low and you would be starving all the time, then they give you "free fruits and vegetables". Really, they're accounted for with the low base calories- it's a trick to force you in to eating more fruits and veg. The people who designed the system understand that they have calories. It's just a hook to keep people tethered to WW when there's free options (like MFP) that do the exact same thing.

This, exactly. I was starving on WW, because my calories were so low. It's been a while since I did WW, but my points were the equivalent of about 1200 calories, and I was well over 200 lbs. And, I would bust my backside for one or two exercise points to eat back ... So in order to go over your TDEE or BMR on WW, you would have to eat tons of fruits & veggies ...

ndj1979

I log everything..and count fruits and veggies as cals...

Only problem with unlimited Fruits is that htey do have a lot of sugar in them...so I would be careful on that one...but I will take fruits over processed sugar any day...

drojen

Okay, just to clarify the WW points, fruits and veggies are only "0 points plus" for one portion. The portion size is 1/2 cup of fruits or 1/2 cup of veggies, except green veggies which are 1 cup. If you eat more than these portion sizes at a meal then you count the points. It's not a free-for-all on points or calories.

I'm not familiar with the new WW, and I'm sure what you say about the serving size is legit, but I know many people who have been on it that don't see it that way. they hear veggies and fruit are 0 points. Or they eat that 1/2 cup serving at different times of the day, so then it doesn't count (to them). It's another way people "trick" themselves, I guess. I don't understand the whole point system of WW. Give me serving sizes and how much of each to eat and a calorie limit to stop at.

Fruit has a lot of sugar too - yes, it's better to eat fruit than a sugary snack, but too many just isn't good. You'd be surprised what has sodium in it too - I watch mine because of high BP. I've been surprised by the amount in some veggies. Sure, it's not the same as eating a bag of chips, but if you want to watch your sodium, you have to know how much is in all of your food. Sadly, I think the 0 points thing is just a way for people to fool themselves.

RhonndaJ

I figure the plans that say unlimited fruits/veggies have absolutely no clue how many carrots or grapes I can consume in one sitting.

Bumdrahp

No oils, no salts, not even any seasoning. ( came out delish..btw)

sounds legit

It is legit Totally possible for soemthing to taste wonderful without adding a bunch of crap.

Bumdrahp

I also log everything I eat. I figure it makes no sense to be able to consume so many veggies/fruits and it not count. I make a lot of juices, and smoothies, and soups..and its usually JUST fruit/veggie based. Sometimes I may add a little coconut almond milk to a morning shake. But, I have a friend that is doing Weight Watchers, and she asked me " how I lost so much weight" and I told her I count EVERY calorie.. but I just felt so confused when she stated she is allowed to eat fruits and veggies, pretty much guilt free. Thanks for the responses and opinions! Makes me feel a lot better about actually counting my veggies and fruits.