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    what about salad?

    Posts: 1
    edited January 24 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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    • Posts: 6,890 Member
      I count everything - all food has calories and they count.
    • Posts: 220 Member
      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!
    • Posts: 130 Member
      Even vegetables are converted to energy in the body, as they have calories.
    • Posts: 1,494 Member
      this is not a diet but a change of lifestyle. You should be counting everything that goes in your mouth.
    • Posts: 183 Member
      I think they should be counted. Salads can vary so much in calorie content..
    • Posts: 14,025 Member
      **** salad.
    • Posts: 14,025 Member
      this is not a diet but a change of lifestyle. You should be counting everything that goes in your mouth.

      Should definitely measure first.
    • Posts: 330 Member
      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.
    • Posts: 232
      **** salad.

      This x 9000.
    • Posts: 9 Member
      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.
    • Posts: 1,444 Member
      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!
    • Posts: 150 Member
      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!
    • Posts: 8
      I think salads should be counted because the toppings add up, especially the dressings!
    • Posts: 130 Member
      **** salad.

      hahaha salad has been my favorite food my whole life

      followed by bloody steak
    • Posts: 715 Member
      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.
    • Posts: 3,614 Member
      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.
    • Posts: 330 Member
      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.
    • Posts: 379 Member
      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.
    • Posts: 245 Member
      There's so many different types of salads with differing ingredients. It's better to just count them.
    • Posts: 237 Member
      this is not a diet but a change of lifestyle. You should be counting everything that goes in your mouth.

      What she said
    • Posts: 701 Member
      Definitely count them! Too many people have a salad and think it's a total health food, even though it's loaded with all kinds of extra calories and fat.
    • Posts: 552 Member
      Nothing in life is free, especially calories.

      Count everything; keep track. Salads have a way of hiding hidden calories.
    • Posts: 3,596 Member
      This is not a diet, so you don't "have" to do anything. Find what works for you. I prefer to log everything. Certain items in a salad, such as lettuce and cucumber, will provide a very small amount of calories, so it wouldn't make a huge difference if you decide not to. I would log it all, see what it looks like in your diary and then make up your mind whether it's worth logging or not in the future.

      I want to stress again that you need to do what's right for you. I don't think it's about being "serious" or "doing it right" - some people (including me) find it helpful to log absolutely everything, so you know exactly where you stand. Other people find it easier to be successful long-term when they take a more relaxed approach. The most important thing is: does it work for you? If you decide not to log salads, and find that you aren't losing weight as expected, then that's an area you could look at.
    • Posts: 539 Member
      **** salad.

      Salad is tasty!
    • Posts: 1,092 Member
      Not that I would eat a salad without a dressing with oil, but if you do have a salad like this:

      Mixed greens, cucumber, onion, a tomato wedge, and lemon juice with herbs

      It's pretty much up to you whether to log or not. That salad might be a total of 40 calories, but it probably isn't even that.

      Then on the other hand if you are on a 1400 calorie a day it you might need to log every single calorie. My calorie goal is a bit higher nearly 2000 so I don't always log tomato slices and cucumbers.
    • Posts: 3,509 Member
      there is no free foods a cup of salad is like 40 caleries and has no nutritional value
    • Posts: 29,136 Member
      do salads somehow have zero calories now?
    • Posts: 3,509 Member
      everything u eat and drink has to be logged
      there is no such thing as free foods
    • Posts: 29,136 Member
      there is no free foods a cup of salad is like 40 caleries and has no nutritional value

      salad has no nutritional value, really?
    • Posts: 102
      I count them but salads with a light dressing are great because you can have so much for so little calories.
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