"Free" foods

Lutah7
Lutah7 Posts: 45
in Health and Weight Loss
In many different eating plans, there are frequently little groups of so called "free" foods, usually veggies, occasionally fruits.

I was working in the garden and popped cherry tomatoes in my mouth and it struck me kind of suddenly that I maybe too often fell into the "it doesn't count" category.

I wonder if the free food concept inhibits real mental change toward food?

With that said I also sometimes get legalistically stuck in the idea that if I don't track it my whole day/week/month/life will be blown.

How precise do you find yourselves in tracking things like veggies?

Thanks for the input (in advance)

Replies

  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
    Well, the concept of "everything is blown because I didn't track a cherry tomato" is pretty f'd up. However, it's really easy to track. And there are no "free foods".

    I track my vegetable intake. Takes a few seconds.
  • Keiras_Mom
    Keiras_Mom Posts: 844 Member
    I track everything, but I'm admittedly obsessive/compulsive. I think if I allowed "free" foods, I'd just gorge on them and defeat the whole purpose.
  • kherrons
    kherrons Posts: 99 Member
    I track all my fruits and veggies with the scale and find he calories of MFP. But if I am mostly on a plant-based diet for the day, I really don't pay too close attention to the calories because I know that what I'm eating is good for me.
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
    I weigh them then log them. Veggies and fruits have calories, therefore should be logged.
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
    I think if you have an addictive mindset with food it can set you up for failure.
  • Factory_Reset
    Factory_Reset Posts: 1,651 Member
    I weigh them then log them. Veggies and fruits have calories, therefore should be logged.

    Pure genius


    :flowerforyou:
  • spunkybunny
    spunkybunny Posts: 33 Member
    I weigh them then log them. Veggies and fruits have calories, therefore should be logged.

    Ditto
  • skullshank
    skullshank Posts: 4,323 Member
    i track everything.






    everything.

    ETA: food-wise
  • glin23
    glin23 Posts: 460 Member
    I weigh them then log them. Veggies and fruits have calories, therefore should be logged.

    Yup. If I didn't do that, I would eventually excuse things I shouldn't.
  • FrankiesSaysRelax
    FrankiesSaysRelax Posts: 403 Member
    I log them, but honestly I'm not super specific. I just sort of guestimate what is a "medium" apple for example. I think I tend to over-estimate the amount I'm eating so it's usually not an issue.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    It's a slippery slope for me. Before I know it I'm justifying a handful of this here, a few of those there, etc. Now I weigh everything, with the possibly exception of raw spinach.
  • majica8
    majica8 Posts: 210 Member
    I log everything, but with low-cal stuff I'm less concerned about exact weights. Take the jelly I had tonight. 1 serving is 9 calories. I probably actually had 1.25 servings but I'm not fussing over 2-3 cals. Same with the lettuce at lunch, but with that I over-estimate. That kind of thing evens out in the end.
  • Willbenchforcupcakes
    Willbenchforcupcakes Posts: 4,955 Member
    The only thing I don't log is my coke zero. Only thing it contributes is sodium, which I don't care about, other than to make sure I have enough.
  • Yanicka1
    Yanicka1 Posts: 4,564 Member
    I log fruits and vegetables.


    I have to admit that I am more OCD with things like oil and nut, for example the difference between one cup and one and a quarter cup of salad is not that significant.
  • Contrarian
    Contrarian Posts: 8,138 Member
    There are no free foods.
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
    It's a slippery slope for me. Before I know it I'm justifying a handful of this here, a few of those there, etc. Now I weigh everything, with the possibly exception of raw spinach.


    If anything is free, spinach is. Two ounces are like...what...10 calories?
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    There are no free foods.

    What about free beer?
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    It's a slippery slope for me. Before I know it I'm justifying a handful of this here, a few of those there, etc. Now I weigh everything, with the possibly exception of raw spinach.


    If anything is free, spinach is. Two ounces are like...what...10 calories?

    It's 7 calories per serving. I always log 2 servings, which is a lot of spinach, so if anything I'm overestimating it. I did weigh it once just to be sure.
  • kaned_ferret
    kaned_ferret Posts: 618 Member
    There are no free foods.

    What about free beer?

    Where's this free beer? I want some of that action!
  • brynnsmom
    brynnsmom Posts: 945 Member
    Well, I didn't log the slices of red onion that I tossed into my salad last night but we're talking maybe five calories. Anything above and beyond that though I will log. I eat a lot of vegetables and they add up just like anything else.
  • california_peach
    california_peach Posts: 1,809 Member
    There are no free foods.

    The samples at Whole Foods are free, but the old people will get pissy with you if you take too many.
  • Miss_Maree
    Miss_Maree Posts: 33
    I log everything like I'm crazy or something... but it's more because I find it fun I guess. lol (yeah, like I said. crazy!)

    But I know there are some things that I can't possibly log exactly, so I don't let it mess up my whole day/week/life. Besides, some calories are better than others. Even if you are consistently over your calorie goal eating healthy foods, it's still possible to lose weight faster than if you are consistently under your goal eating garbage!
  • magerum
    magerum Posts: 12,589 Member
    All food has a caloric value. All calories count.
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
    I weigh them then log them. Veggies and fruits have calories, therefore should be logged.

    ^^^ This.

    I could easily eat 300 calories a day in veggies alone. More, if I wanted to. If I didn't count them, my deficit would be gone.
  • jessicapk
    jessicapk Posts: 574 Member
    I log everything (weighing if necessary and possible) but I watch nutrients pretty closely, too. Comes in handy to know what you're putting in your body other than straight calories.
  • DragonSquatter
    DragonSquatter Posts: 957 Member
    I weigh them then log them. Veggies and fruits have calories, therefore should be logged.

    This.
  • magerum
    magerum Posts: 12,589 Member
    I log everything like I'm crazy or something... but it's more because I find it fun I guess. lol (yeah, like I said. crazy!)

    But I know there are some things that I can't possibly log exactly, so I don't let it mess up my whole day/week/life. Besides, some calories are better than others. Even if you are consistently over your calorie goal eating healthy foods, it's still possible to lose weight faster than if you are consistently under your goal eating garbage!

    Uh... :noway: :indifferent:
  • 777twist
    777twist Posts: 75 Member
    I think this thread just found the secret to losing weight and eating anything you want. Just eat items that are under 10 calories, but eat a whole crap load of different <10 calorie foods. You won't have to log them because alone each item isn't worth logging because it's under 10 cals and thus FREE!!! ;-)

    BTW, my mother and sister are on Weight Watchers... and it drives me nuts when my sis says "popcorn is free." I'm like, WHAT? Even good popcorn without salt or butter still has calories!!! And what really kills me is they make what seems like wide sweeping statements like that. As if Theater popcorn is the same as air popped.

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