fruit has no points in ww, it does here?

goku89
goku89 Posts: 160
in Food and Nutrition
when i did weight watchers fruit and veggies were given 0 points but i figure you have to add them here can someone explain this? i'm tempted to adopt their policy on mfp, and its not like i'm eating 14 apples a day and abusing that system, try 2 apples a day, 3 tops.

despite that i'm going to start counting them on mfp, still its annoying. darn healthy habits.

Replies

  • lizzie_093
    lizzie_093 Posts: 4
    its because any type of food has calories in them.
  • nicoleisback
    nicoleisback Posts: 184
    Fruit is still counted on here because it has calories, just like all foods. A small apple has around 70 calories, and quite a bit of sugar. That doesn't mean don't have them, it just means that eating too many calories from WHATEVER source will mean you gain. It's about learning moderation, not substituting an excess of one food for another.
  • courtkizer
    courtkizer Posts: 15 Member
    Weight Watchers doesn't count them because you never hear "I got fat eating Apples and oranges."

    On a diet with severally reduced calories, you could survive on fruit and veggies and gain weight. It's about being accountable. The beautiful thing is tracking your fruit and veggies will show you how an two Apples can fill you completely full and is literally 10x less calories than a big mac. It's nutrient dense. Tracking all your calories will lead you to make better choices. When you hungry you will eat food that keeps you full longer like fruit and veggies.

    if you don't track that you won't realize the benefits of switching to healthier food :-)
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,342 Member
    WW doesn't count them to encourage people to eat them. Many people learning a new lifestyle will go 'well if I can have an apple for 2 points, or two cookies for 2 points, I'll just go the cookies". They count here because in real life, they have calories, and this is a calorie counting site. Fruit can actually have a LOT of calories. I'm a former WWer and I would see people not losing and they're eating 6 bananas a day in addition to their PPs and thinking they're going great guns.
  • betreich
    betreich Posts: 51 Member
    while WW claimed fruits were free, when it came down to it they actually only expected that 2-3 pieces a day would be eaten, and that amount of energy intake was taken into account by the way the program was structured. (it was included). MFP expects us to count the energy of all the food we eat. That doesn't mean we should avoid fruit - 3 apples will always be a healthier choice than a mars bar! (or one?)
    I got to goal weight on WW a few years ago - but gained it again as the fruit and veg bingeing morphed into crap food bingeing - sure you get the picture. So the different approach of MFP, I am hoping, will help me deal with this once and for all - week 1 down - so far so good. May be similarly helpful to others?
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
    That's why the weight watchers policy is ridiculous. Just because fruit has nutrients in it, doesn't mean it should be counted as calorie free. I just think you should be as accurate as possible which is why WW drives me nuts.
  • brevislux
    brevislux Posts: 1,093 Member
    Fruits have sugar in them. A banana has 100 calories in it. You can't just ignore them. You CAN have too many fruits.
  • Adylia16
    Adylia16 Posts: 31 Member
    If you told someone NEW TO WEIGHTLOSS, "Would you like 1 tim tam or a banana?" as they have the similar number of calories, they will go for the tim tam. Weight Watchers wants to encourage the choice of the banana for the nutritional value, hence the no count.

    Being on MFP you learn that everything has calories and that some choices are better than others. There are also veggies that are low and high in calories, but they can sustain you for longer, give you nutrients and keep you feeling full.

    Log everything in your diary. Eg. If you make a smoothie with 3 bananas you can tell how everything slowly adds up throughout the day.
  • jennifernoel1024
    jennifernoel1024 Posts: 19
    I know this post is old but - when I did WW before (the old way) and they went to the new system where fruit is counted as 0, if you notice all of the points on other foods went up in value. It's not that they aren't counting your fruits as points, they changed the system to allot for them so you feel like you are getting something for "free". Kind of like a sales gimmick (buy this car and we'll give you a free __________).

    I have seen a lot of people lose weight on the WW program and then switch to MFP to continue on and make it that lifestyle change they were looking for.
  • magerum
    magerum Posts: 12,589 Member
    All calories count. You're looking at at least 300 calories for those apples.

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