Question about weighing fruit and veggies(don't laugh!)

kpchefai
kpchefai Posts: 54 Member
in Food and Nutrition
When you weigh your fruit and vegetables....

Do you weigh them with or without the peel/core etc?

Yesterday I ate a banana that weighed 154 grams with the peel on it. I weighed the peel only after I ate it and the peel was 66 grams alone. That's like a 50 calories difference! If that happens 3x in one day that is equal to my serving of ice cream I like to eat after dinner when calories allow! Same goes for apples, peppers, melons, grapefruits, orange etc. It makes sense you would not include the weight of the peel/core but then again obviously no one eats that part so is it already factored into the calculated amount?

I am probably over thinking this but I will take back every calorie I can possible get : )

Thanks!

Replies

  • Jestinia
    Jestinia Posts: 1,153 Member
    This site seems to give you the specifics without skin. You can always double check what MFP says here:

    http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1810/2
  • crystal8208
    crystal8208 Posts: 284 Member
    This is a good question. :-)
  • gaelicstorm26
    gaelicstorm26 Posts: 589 Member
    I weigh what I actually eat. So I would weigh a banana without the peel, and an apple without the core. I think that accuracy is the key, and if you are having several 50 calorie errors a day, you could be doing yourself a disservice in the end!
  • Faye_Anderson
    Faye_Anderson Posts: 1,495 Member
    I weigh the bits I eat
  • CaitlinW19
    CaitlinW19 Posts: 431 Member
    I weigh what I actually eat. So I would weigh a banana without the peel, and an apple without the core. I think that accuracy is the key, and if you are having several 50 calorie errors a day, you could be doing yourself a disservice in the end!

    I don't weigh stuff like 1 banana...I just log "1 large banana" or whatever. Here's my reason...yes you could have several 50 calorie errors in a day but when you are eating at a daily defecit of 500 calories or more a day that adds up to 3,500 calorie defecit a week...50 calories here or there is not going to make or break your weight loss. Also, that 1 large banana is just as likely to be 50 calories less than how you log it as 50 calories more. In my book, it all pretty much evens out in the end. I weigh my meat and grains...not much else. To each there own, but I wouldn't stress about it.
  • sfbaumgarten
    sfbaumgarten Posts: 912 Member
    I weigh what I eat. I peel my banana and weigh it without the peel. I weigh my apple, eat my apple, then weigh and subtract the core.
  • nilbogger
    nilbogger Posts: 870 Member
    It depends. If I had a banana I might weigh the peel after. If it's strawberries I just weigh them whole.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I weigh what I eat but it's not a dumb question at all.
  • FierceLisa
    FierceLisa Posts: 38 Member
    I weigh after there peeled and or the core is removed etc. For me anyway it's more accurate.
  • GeorgieLove708
    GeorgieLove708 Posts: 442 Member
    I don't weigh my fruits or veggies until after I've prepped them for eating/cooking. If you were putting them in as "1 medium fuji apple" or "1 large banana" the peel/core wouldn't be included in the calories, but when going by weight the calories aren't adjusted to exclude the peel/core so you would need to either weigh after prepping or weigh what you don't eat and subtract.
  • dying_2b_skin3
    dying_2b_skin3 Posts: 60
    I actually never thought of this! I weigh with skin on and with core yet I dont eat it! This has changed the way I'll blog thanks!! x
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    I weigh what I actually eat. So I would weigh a banana without the peel, and an apple without the core. I think that accuracy is the key, and if you are having several 50 calorie errors a day, you could be doing yourself a disservice in the end!

    I don't weigh stuff like 1 banana...I just log "1 large banana" or whatever. Here's my reason...yes you could have several 50 calorie errors in a day but when you are eating at a daily defecit of 500 calories or more a day that adds up to 3,500 calorie defecit a week...50 calories here or there is not going to make or break your weight loss. Also, that 1 large banana is just as likely to be 50 calories less than how you log it as 50 calories more. In my book, it all pretty much evens out in the end. I weigh my meat and grains...not much else. To each there own, but I wouldn't stress about it.
    10 50 calorie mistakes in a day will erase your deficit. That's the number one reason behind all those "Why am I not losing weight?" posts.
  • jbee27
    jbee27 Posts: 356 Member
    When I can weigh, I weigh the actual amount that I'm eating. For example, I had a grapefruit for breakfast on Sunday. I weighed the grapefruit as a whole, then ate the insides, weighed what was leftover of the peel/pith. The difference is the amount of grapefruit I actually ate.

    For bananas and apples, I tend to eat those on the go, or at the office, where I don't have a food scale handy, so I just log "1 large banana", etc.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    I weigh fruits because they can make a difference. What you did with the banana is spot-on. For most veggies, I don't bother because I don't eat a large enough portion of them to make a huge difference. When I have weighed veggies before (not counting things like tomatoes and avocado which are higher calorie technically fruits anyway), they barely even register on the scale, then when I have input the amounts, it comes up like 10 or 20 calories.
  • bobbinalong
    bobbinalong Posts: 151 Member
    I weigh the entire piece of food if it will have "leftovers" be it fruit, vegetables or meat. Like others have said about bananas and apples I also do with chicken because having a plain piece of chicken is not always available. I keep track of protein so if I am at a deli and need chicken I will ask them to weigh the chicken. I will leave the skin and bones in the bag and weigh it when I get home so I have a reading of the actual protein count. It works for me and I don't get goofy about it. It just helps me keep track with in a reasonable rate and that's what counts! I also have found that some things are more accurate by grams vs ounces....that's a whole 'nother kettle of fish! Best Wishes :)
  • kpchefai
    kpchefai Posts: 54 Member
    I weigh what I actually eat. So I would weigh a banana without the peel, and an apple without the core. I think that accuracy is the key, and if you are having several 50 calorie errors a day, you could be doing yourself a disservice in the end!

    I don't weigh stuff like 1 banana...I just log "1 large banana" or whatever. Here's my reason...yes you could have several 50 calorie errors in a day but when you are eating at a daily defecit of 500 calories or more a day that adds up to 3,500 calorie defecit a week...50 calories here or there is not going to make or break your weight loss. Also, that 1 large banana is just as likely to be 50 calories less than how you log it as 50 calories more. In my book, it all pretty much evens out in the end. I weigh my meat and grains...not much else. To each there own, but I wouldn't stress about it.
    10 50 calorie mistakes in a day will erase your deficit. That's the number one reason behind all those "Why am I not losing weight?" posts.

    Yes agreed! I try to be as accurate as possible for my own learning purposes even though it may not always be necessary but, hey, to each their own.
  • kpchefai
    kpchefai Posts: 54 Member
    Thanks everyone! I will log only what I eat...quite possible it won't make any difference but accuracy is key!
  • holothuroidea
    holothuroidea Posts: 772 Member
    The calorie counts on MFP for weighed fruits and vegetables do not include the inedible parts of the plant.

    It also makes a difference if you weigh them raw or cooked, and the option you choose should specify whether you weighed the food before or after you cooked it.
  • spirit095
    spirit095 Posts: 1,017 Member
    I only weigh the parts of the fruits/veggies that I eat.
  • airangel59
    airangel59 Posts: 1,887 Member
    I weigh what I eat, apples cored but with skin and bananas minus the peel.
    Stuff like grapefruits or oranges etc, I pretty much count them by size (inches)
  • CaitlinW19
    CaitlinW19 Posts: 431 Member
    I weigh what I actually eat. So I would weigh a banana without the peel, and an apple without the core. I think that accuracy is the key, and if you are having several 50 calorie errors a day, you could be doing yourself a disservice in the end!

    I don't weigh stuff like 1 banana...I just log "1 large banana" or whatever. Here's my reason...yes you could have several 50 calorie errors in a day but when you are eating at a daily defecit of 500 calories or more a day that adds up to 3,500 calorie defecit a week...50 calories here or there is not going to make or break your weight loss. Also, that 1 large banana is just as likely to be 50 calories less than how you log it as 50 calories more. In my book, it all pretty much evens out in the end. I weigh my meat and grains...not much else. To each there own, but I wouldn't stress about it.
    10 50 calorie mistakes in a day will erase your deficit. That's the number one reason behind all those "Why am I not losing weight?" posts.

    Yes agreed! I try to be as accurate as possible for my own learning purposes even though it may not always be necessary but, hey, to each their own.

    Agree to disagree. I have never had a problem with this and lose weight very consistently. I don't worry much about fruits and veggies because they tend to be so low cal anyway. I think an estimate is fine. I guess I can see how this wouldn't work for everyone, but it isn't something all of us need to do to lose weight. It seems to me a 50 calorie difference would be hard to get in most of the things I eat anyway...4 cups of popcorn at 130 calories I'd have to over measure by quite a bit to make than much of a dent much less do that 5 times a day.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    I weigh the product I eat. So for bananas, yes I check the before & after to see what the difference is.
  • JossFit
    JossFit Posts: 588 Member
    I weigh what I actually eat. So I would weigh a banana without the peel, and an apple without the core. I think that accuracy is the key, and if you are having several 50 calorie errors a day, you could be doing yourself a disservice in the end!

    To some this might seem anal, but it's exactly what you need to do if you REALLY want to be accurate about what you're eating. Weigh what you actually eat, and weigh your food before you cook it (things such as meat, pasta, etc.)
  • Boosier3
    Boosier3 Posts: 57 Member
    Like most of the other posts, I just weigh what I eat. Unpeel the clementine and weigh just the fruit, etc. The only fruit I have found to be tricky is bing cherries. It's not practical to keep the pits till I get home from work to subtract the difference! :) So they got logged with the weight of fruit and pits. :)
  • codycsweet
    codycsweet Posts: 1,019 Member
    I weigh what I actually eat. So I would weigh a banana without the peel, and an apple without the core. I think that accuracy is the key, and if you are having several 50 calorie errors a day, you could be doing yourself a disservice in the end!

    I don't weigh stuff like 1 banana...I just log "1 large banana" or whatever. Here's my reason...yes you could have several 50 calorie errors in a day but when you are eating at a daily defecit of 500 calories or more a day that adds up to 3,500 calorie defecit a week...50 calories here or there is not going to make or break your weight loss. Also, that 1 large banana is just as likely to be 50 calories less than how you log it as 50 calories more. In my book, it all pretty much evens out in the end. I weigh my meat and grains...not much else. To each there own, but I wouldn't stress about it.
    10 50 calorie mistakes in a day will erase your deficit. That's the number one reason behind all those "Why am I not losing weight?" posts.

    Yes agreed! I try to be as accurate as possible for my own learning purposes even though it may not always be necessary but, hey, to each their own.

    Agree to disagree. I have never had a problem with this and lose weight very consistently. I don't worry much about fruits and veggies because they tend to be so low cal anyway. I think an estimate is fine. I guess I can see how this wouldn't work for everyone, but it isn't something all of us need to do to lose weight. It seems to me a 50 calorie difference would be hard to get in most of the things I eat anyway...4 cups of popcorn at 130 calories I'd have to over measure by quite a bit to make than much of a dent much less do that 5 times a day.

    I also usually just log it as 1 large banana or apple etc. on occasion I'll weigh it just to get an idea of how much it is. The extra 50 calories that I'm over estimating doesn't hurt me. Now some of the higher calorie things like avocado I have been know to weigh more consistently.
  • rbiss
    rbiss Posts: 422 Member
    I don't bother weighing fruit. I just log it as 1 piece of whatever fruit. It's all an estimation anyways and 100 calories here or there isn't going to hurt anything.
  • MoosyGoosy
    MoosyGoosy Posts: 44
    People don't eat the skin on apples? o_O
  • ashenriver
    ashenriver Posts: 498 Member
    If I am taking fruit for lunch, I weigh it with peel, core, etc in the morning and eat what I will then throw out the stuff I don't eat.
    I refuse to bring back my core and peel and weigh when I get home. I have a hard enough time weighing and recording to begin with.

    Also I am not able or willing to bring a scale around with me, in my line of work it is not possible. Plus I have enough stuff that I am required to bring with me that its already too much.

    If I am using fruit or veggies in a meal/recipe and actually prepping them, then I weigh what I am eating.
  • holothuroidea
    holothuroidea Posts: 772 Member
    If I am taking fruit for lunch, I weigh it with peel, core, etc in the morning and eat what I will then throw out the stuff I don't eat.
    I refuse to bring back my core and peel and weigh when I get home. I have a hard enough time weighing and recording to begin with.

    Also I am not able or willing to bring a scale around with me, in my line of work it is not possible. Plus I have enough stuff that I am required to bring with me that its already too much.

    If I am using fruit or veggies in a meal/recipe and actually prepping them, then I weigh what I am eating.

    It would be more accurate to log your fruit as "1 [size] apple," than to weigh the fruit with the refuse. With the apple size estimation, the law of averages would eventually take care of the discrepancy. The way you're doing it now, you've probably logged 1,000's of calories you never ate if you eat an apple at lunch every week day.

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