what about salad?

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tsmith1976
tsmith1976 Posts: 1
in Health and Weight Loss
A few years ago I did First Place weight loss with my sister. I think salads were a "free" food as long as they didn't have a bunch of crap on them. So far on this diet, I have counted them(calories, ect). Do we have to count them, or are they "free"? Thanks.
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  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    I count everything - all food has calories and they count.
  • kirstyfairhead
    kirstyfairhead Posts: 220 Member
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    Afraid not. everything should be counted. Lettuce leaves don't add up to much but you can put all sorts into a salad and the calories will add up. Even 100 cals a day is nearly 1lb a month so yep it all needs to go on your diary!!

    Good luck!
  • hauntao
    hauntao Posts: 130 Member
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    Even vegetables are converted to energy in the body, as they have calories.
  • Mads1997
    Mads1997 Posts: 1,494 Member
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    this is not a diet but a change of lifestyle. You should be counting everything that goes in your mouth.
  • laurieagain09
    laurieagain09 Posts: 183 Member
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    I think they should be counted. Salads can vary so much in calorie content..
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
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    **** salad.
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
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    this is not a diet but a change of lifestyle. You should be counting everything that goes in your mouth.

    Should definitely measure first.
  • silverlining84
    silverlining84 Posts: 330 Member
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    I count them because quite often i'll add my "healthy fats" to salads - almonds & avocados. Even though it may not seem like much, the small calories add up really quickly.
  • Shr3dded
    Shr3dded Posts: 232
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    **** salad.

    This x 9000.
  • trevvian
    trevvian Posts: 9 Member
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    Count the salads, or you won't have a good idea if you're hitting the goals for your macros. They're all carbs & you don't want to ignore them & eat bread.
  • Missjulesdid
    Missjulesdid Posts: 1,444 Member
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    I count everything.. I love to count salad because I can see my fiber going up when I log my salad.. and let's face it, who doesn't love all that fiber?

    I think some programs will have salads be "free" to encourage people to eat more of them, but I think it's really unnecessary... especially when you log your salad and you see how low on calories it really is anyway, you'll WANT to choose to eat them!
  • SaebraSpirit
    SaebraSpirit Posts: 150 Member
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    Salads are not 'free'
    No food is, thats why it is food.
    If salads and leafy things were 'free' foods and were not worth calculating then I think herbivores wouldn't exist in general as they would die of starvation. :/
    Count it, youll find veg and salads to be actually quite carb filled!
  • slongoria210
    slongoria210 Posts: 8
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    I think salads should be counted because the toppings add up, especially the dressings!
  • hauntao
    hauntao Posts: 130 Member
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    **** salad.

    hahaha salad has been my favorite food my whole life

    followed by bloody steak
  • coe28
    coe28 Posts: 715 Member
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    A few years ago I did First Place weight loss with my sister. I think salads were a "free" food as long as they didn't have a bunch of crap on them. So far on this diet, I have counted them(calories, ect). Do we have to count them, or are they "free"? Thanks.

    I count everything, but it all depends how specific you want to get. The veggies are fine, but if you add eggs, cheese, meat, croutons, dressing, etc. that stuff can really add up the calories. My typical homemade salad adds up to about 400 calories, so definitely keep in mind what you are putting into it.
  • Cr01502
    Cr01502 Posts: 3,614 Member
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    this is not a diet but a change of lifestyle. You should be counting everything that goes in your mouth.

    I prefer to make everything that goes into my mouth count.
  • Alexandra289
    Alexandra289 Posts: 330 Member
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    I count it all - but with lettuce and cucumber I don't care about exact measurements because there's no point in obsessing over a difference of 3 or 4 calories.
  • kellijauch
    kellijauch Posts: 379 Member
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    Well here's the question... Do you want to do it right, or are you just trying to get an rough idea?

    I track every single thing that goes in my mouth, even gum or if I squeeze a lemon into my water, every little thing. It's a bit much, but I am super serious about losing this weight and keeping it off. I think it just depends on how hard you wanna go at it.
  • MizPassion
    MizPassion Posts: 245 Member
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    There's so many different types of salads with differing ingredients. It's better to just count them.
  • siqiniq
    siqiniq Posts: 237 Member
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    this is not a diet but a change of lifestyle. You should be counting everything that goes in your mouth.

    What she said

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