Do you count calories from fruit?

I count them. From what I understand with Weight Wwatchers you are allowed so many points a day and it is a very low number usually. Their fruits and veggies don't count because of this, I believe.

Yes their new program allows even less points 19-20 for me which is 900-1100 calories maximum and only 1.3 points more are allowed with 30 minutes of intense exercise which is about 80 calories. Being able to eat a cup of fruit, an apple and 3 cups of vegetables is a 'free' 300 calories.

** I am NOT a member of WW old or new but I wanted to read up on it a while back, see if the points were really all that different.

Calories are calories, you should still try to stick to your daily allowance, but if you're going over by 100 or 200 on fruits and veggies you aren't doing yourself much, if any, harm. Veggies are always completely free, but because fruits are much higher in calories you do have to be more conscious about them.

Potatoes are free? Yams are free? I don't think all veggies would be considered this way. I think they mean free because carrots and celery have so few calories, that they would rather have you eat those and fill up on those, than other things.

I don't know weight watchers, but this is just what I'm assuming.

I'm trying to get WW out of my head. The plan was designed to have you skimp calories here, so you can eat calories there (fruits & veggies) and they be *zero points*.

I still track fruit, my apple is 80 calories but veggies I sort of still do as *free*.

That handful of fresh spinach & two mushrooms I added I don't feel will cause me to gain. And if I really am hungry Ill snack on roasted cauli or celery, radishes green beans, etc and not worry about it.

But I stop when I'm not hungry anymore, I don't keep eating until I'm full.
I do track sweet potatoes and the like, or if I eat a meal of veggies.

I'm a WW member and will try to explain. My best advice: don't confuse Points with calories - they are not the same thing!

Long story short: WW revised the formula used to calculate Points, so it is now more accurate. Calories are part of this new formula, but they also factor in other macronutrients like carbohydrates, protein and fiber. Many things are higher in Points values, and daily Points allowances are generally higher. You are correct in that most fruits and vegetables are now Zero Points, but the reasoning behind this is (as far as I can tell) to make fruits and vegetables more appealing to members so that they consume healthy snacks instead of turning to processed foods.

For example: a banana was worth 2 Points on the previous formula and so were certain snack cakes. If given the choice between a banana or a snack cake for a "sweet" snack, most members would choose the cake over the banana, since they were the same Points value. On the new Points Plus program, the thought is that now members will go for the banana since it is zero Points.

That being said, unless you are following the WW Points Plus program, count your calories! A calorie is a calorie and needs to be accounted for in your daily food journal, which it sounds like you are doing. Keep up the good work and try not to worry about the sugars from fruit. In my opinion (which is based on nothing more than what works best for me), sugars from fruit are naturally occuring and a better choice than processed sugars. It's probably not ideal to go over your daily sugar target, but I'd be more concerned if the sugars were coming from sources like refined white sugar.

Sorry I didn't read the whole thread so I don't know if someone said that you can change the settings in your dairy to allow more grams of sugar. I hate seeing the red but it's impossible to stay under MFP's allowance if you eat as many fruits as you should in a day. I occasionally don't log veggies like the weight watchers plan. I hate to go over on my calories because I ate two cups of broccoli!

Editing to say I changed mine to 40 grams. I did a little research and decided I shouldn't have more then that. I struggle a lot with the sugar intake!!

Potatoes and Yams are not free on WW. Starchy vegetables are assigned a Points value, though the exact number eludes my memory at the moment.

I'm not on WW, and I do count calories in fruits. I do not agree that a calorie is a calorie when it comes to weight loss. The calories from non-starchy whole foods are unlikely to lead to weight gain while the calories from heavily processed starchy/sugary foods ARE likely to lead to weight gain (or slow down your weight loss). That doesn't mean you shouldn't count the calories from the fruits/veg....rather you should focus on increasing the amount of calories that come from those whole foods and decreasing the amount of calories you intake from processed foods.

Yes, you should count calories from fruit!!

I have done Weight Watchers (recently) and they have calculated the points you have per day. They strongly reiterate in every meeting that fruits are not "FREE," they are just zero PointsPlus. You still have to count your servings/portions. Trying to count calories AND do Weight Watchers will mess with you. Do one or the other, in my opinion.

In response to potatoes and yams being free... negative. "Starchy" vegetables are NOT zero PointsPlus.

I think a lot of people assume things about WW that aren't true! If you haven't gone through the program or sat through a meeting, don't try to follow it, because you might not be successful (case in point-- thinking fruits are "free").

Just my 2 cents!!~

Count the calories, ignore the sugar as long you're eating it in fruit form.

If you're drinking the juice, then the sugar counts.