Skinny Rules and not counting Veggies

justjenni_xo · May 2014

I was reading Bob Harper's skinny rules, and he had a list of veggies that you can eat in unlimited quantities. Things like leafy greens (spinach, kale, collards, lettuce, etc.), cauliflower, broccoli, cucumber, mushrooms, brussels sprouts, tomatoes, summer squash, asparagus, bell peppers, and green beans.

The list does NOT include beets, carrots, peas, corn, potatoes, and winter squash.

What do you think of this? I mean, I can understand the theory that nobody got fat eating too much kale, but I'm also torn. I mean, on a hungry day, I can easily have an entire steamer bag of broccoli in one meal, and that's around 100 calories or more right there.

On the other hand, I'm a former Weight Watchers member, and a little overwhelmed by the whole calorie counting thing, so having free veggies would be nice way to help me transition- especially since I'm used to having free fruit as well.

I keep seeing things about macronutrients and all that jazz and it all confuses me. I just care about calories.

I should add that I did try counting calories before, but I ended up getting too obsessive. I weighed every single gram, and eventually couldn't take it anymore and quit. I tried WW because it allowed me to be more flexible about produce, but I think the free fruit is too much, and I cannot afford WW any more.

farway · May 2014

It really is your choice & up to you

You should weigh & record veg, that is how it works

Maybe not one lettuce leaf, but a 100 grammes or 100 calories do add up and you will be kidding yourself if you think they are free calories, they are no

KhatLady · May 2014

They aren't "free." Neither is fruit. They still have calories.

Are you eating like 40 tiny meals a day or something? Weighing your food shouldn't be that big of a hassle. If you snack, pre-weigh them and throw them in baggies or tupperware as single servings for the week.

Try pre-logging your meals. Every morning I sit down with my first cup of coffee, log it, log lunch {which like breakfast is pretty much always the same thing} and usually my expected snacks. Some days I just log my entire day while drinking my coffee. Then I already know how my calories are going to lay out for the day and I don't have to sweat it. If something changes, I can just change it in my log.

Use the app to scan your foods in. Make sure your calorie intake is set appropriately. You don't need to worry too much about macros until you want to but you do need to log appropriately so when you come back asking for help, people have a real idea of what you are eating. Just about anyone who's been dealing with losing weight can tell you that what they guess they are eating can be VERY different from what they were actually eating.

the_great_beyond_ · May 2014

Greens are not calorie dense... in fact, if you gorged on them all day, you'd probably take in fewer calories than a candy bar. That's the idea behind it...

However, at the end of the day, its trying to do the same thing most experienced/educated people will tell you when you ask them how to lose a pound a week - calculate your calorie requirements based on BMR + activity level, reduce that by 3500 calories a week.

Vailara · May 2014

Do what works for you. If you want to be accurate about your calorie intake, then weigh and log everything. If you just want to have a deficit, you could relax over the veg. You could try estimating (adding 50 calories, 100 calories, whatever you think you're likely to eat). Or you could just ignore it. If you have a deficit of, say, 500 calories, then it's going to be difficult to wipe that out with cucumber and cauliflower every day. The "extra" veg will just slow your weight loss slightly. If it's easier for you to do that, then go for it. I'm a big fan of doing things that make dieting easier to stick to. Like you, I've been obsessive in the past, and I find it works better to give myself a bit of leeway.

Skinny Rules and not counting Veggies

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