Fruit and Veg Don't Count??
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MakePeasNotWar wrote: »caroldavison332 wrote: »I don't think that many people got fat or stay fat eating peaches or green beans. Their calories aren't substanial. And if you eat a lot of them, you will poo them out quickly.
TBH, I find the more fresh fruit and vegetables I eat, the lower my calorie totals are, because I eat less of everything else when I'm filled up on produce.
That being said, if you don't track the 100-400 calories (or more) in produce you eat, it could lead you tho think you have a deficit when you don't, and you could end up accidentally eating at a surplus. Some evenings I eat nuts as an after dinner snacks, and I sometimes calculate the serving size based on how many calories I have left for the day.
Yeah--less so with fruit, but when I eat more veggies I tend to eat less overall.
Logging them and seeing that I ate more veggies on days I was less hungry is helpful to me. Not logging them would prevent me from being able to look back and see this information. More information is better than less, IMO.0 -
WW inflates points of other items to compensate for "free" foods like veg and some fruit. That said, most people aren't going to be able to consume endless veg...that's a lot of volume...my huge garden salad that I eat consists of about 1/2 lbs of veg and clocks in at around 40 calories without dressing...it's a lot of volume for minimal calories.
It is my understanding that only 1 serving of fruit is "free" with WW.
Most who advocate for eating as much veg as you want are simply trying to get people to eat more of that kind of stuff given that the general SAD eater doesn't get anywhere close to enough...it really doesn't apply when you're actually counting calories.0 -
I'm on WW as well. There is a 5 to 8 serving per day recommendation for fruits and vegetables. They are zero points, but there is a limit that a lot of WW members miss. IMHO, WW needs to be more clear about this and not just expect people to find out by looking at the heathy checks section.MakePeasNotWar wrote: »Outside of the Weight watchers program, not really. They give you a very low calorie allowance (if you actually track your food here as well as there, the totals are super-low) and give you "free" veggies and fruit because it's already factored in by decreasing your calories to spend on everything else. It ensures a minimum produce intake (because you'll be rabid wolverine hungry otherwise) and makes you choose fresh fruit and veggies over less nutrient dense choices. Also, I don't think they are great at communicating this, but only the first 3 servings of fruit are "free", so the calories aren't quite as unlimited as they seem.
I suppose you could do something similar if you needed the extra incentive to eat fruits and veggies, but it's easier to just set your calorie allowance accurately and log everything, especially given that you won't be able to accurately predict the number of calories worth of produce you'll eat on a day to day basis.
I've never seen that. Their current literature (I'm currently a paying WW member) is that all fresh fruit is free, regardless. But, you're supposed to consider how you're using the fruit (are you using 2lbs of fruit in a smoothie every day? are you pounding berries as a mental/emotional replacement for pounding potato chips? etc) and re-evaluate if your weight loss isn't as expected.
No, it doesn't say that. Their "good health guidelines" clearly state that it's "AT LEAST 5 servings per day, 9 if you're over 350 pounds." Nowhere on their site (and, yes, I've been searching quite a bit) does it give a limit, just repeated statements that all fresh fruit and most fresh vegetables are 0 points. Individual meeting leaders may give some recommendations as to limits, but there is no official WW rule as such.
I guess I just consider recommended as a limit. it all goes back to what I said about WW needing to be more clear about this subject.0 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »WW inflates points of other items to compensate for "free" foods like veg and some fruit. That said, most people aren't going to be able to consume endless veg...that's a lot of volume...my huge garden salad that I eat consists of about 1/2 lbs of veg and clocks in at around 40 calories without dressing...it's a lot of volume for minimal calories.
It is my understanding that only 1 serving of fruit is "free" with WW.
Most who advocate for eating as much veg as you want are simply trying to get people to eat more of that kind of stuff given that the general SAD eater doesn't get anywhere close to enough...it really doesn't apply when you're actually counting calories.
Sorry but that isn't correct. If you enter a vegetable like cauliflower for example as having 2 servings, it will still equal zero points.0 -
"All fresh fruit and most vegetables have been assigned 0 PointsPlus values. They’re such healthy, filling choices that we want to encourage you to eat them. We’ve already factored the caloric impact of these foods into our calculations of your daily PointsPlus Target. Consider them prepaid! Of course, this doesn’t mean that you can overeat as long as you’re having fruit. You should always eat reasonable portions, and stop eating when you’re satisfied. "
"With the 0 PointsPlus value fruits and vegetables, the idea is to eat to satisfaction. The Good Health Guidelines recommend five servings a day, or nine if you weigh more than 350 lbs.
With all foods that have 0 PointsPlus values, don't forget that every food has calories. Try to eat reasonable portions, and stop eating when you’re satisfied. The bottom line: Let your weight loss be the guide."
"The Good Health Guidelines
1. Eat at least five servings of vegetables and fruits each day, (nine servings if you weigh over 350 pounds.)"
Thank you for this. It really cleared it up for me
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I lost my first forty pounds doing nothing but changing what I ate. I got all the fruits and veggies it wanted, lean, white meats, no pasta and as low on fat as humanly possible. I was doing it for medical reasons, not to lose weight. But before I knew it, my clothes started falling off.
There are all kinds of ways to lose weight and WW has been successful for many people.
Just different ways of skinning a cat. 0 -
Weight Watchers is not the only place saying you can eat as much fruit and veg as you want without counting the calories. On one hand I can understand this since most fruit and veg have low calorie counts, the fibre is quite filling, and the micro-nutrients very beneficial. On the other hand a calorie is a calorie regardless of where it comes from.
Is there any benefit to not counting these calories? If I pigged out on huge bowls of veg and/or fruit then maxed out my calorie limit on other food groups won't I be sabotaging my weight loss?
Weight Watchers is not "unlimited" but you don't count it toward your points. I forget the amount of servings you should have of fruit and veggies according to WW but 5 comes to mind.
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What an odd assumption to make. No food is 'free'. All food has calories in it. To just think you can ignore a food group as not counting toward your calorie count is not really a good idea. Every calorie counts, and when you think of food that way, and count it all in to an overall calorie goal, you're more well-rounded in the long run and more likely to be successful.
And I know plenty of people who've stayed overweight eating fruits and vegetables and little else.0 -
Because of my age and height I eat 1200 calories a day to lose .5 pounds a week and log the fruit I eat almost every day. It usually adds up to 200 calories and is an amount that for me makes a difference, because if I would just eat fruit and not log it I might easily get to 1400 calories and at that point I won't lose ( tried it for 6 month ). I also eat largish quantities of vegetables and the 250-400 calories I often ingest this way also make a big difference. Of course for those people who eat half a cup of broccoli or green beans a day and some berries on top of their yogurt it makes very little difference, I think.
It really depends on one's diet in general what to log and what not. I log everything, but understand that many people don't.0 -
I am posting this because I was eating so much fruit and vegetables on that diet and exercising a LOT: However the weight wasn't coming off
Now I am tracking everything on MFP and it's working brilliantly. 
if you are eating more calories than you are burning off, the weight will *not* go.
Trust me x0 -
I eat a ridiculous amount of vegetables and leafy greens. I go as far as weighing my spinach. I'm a volume eater, so all my littler 10-20 calorie things add up to A LOT by the end of the day. And fruit-forget about it. When I do decide to use calories on it, it is absolutely weighed and logged. I don't find it to be low calorie at all, at least the way I eat it.0
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I'm on WW as well. There is a 5 to 8 serving per day recommendation for fruits and vegetables. They are zero points, but there is a limit that a lot of WW members miss. IMHO, WW needs to be more clear about this and not just expect people to find out by looking at the heathy checks section.MakePeasNotWar wrote: »Outside of the Weight watchers program, not really. They give you a very low calorie allowance (if you actually track your food here as well as there, the totals are super-low) and give you "free" veggies and fruit because it's already factored in by decreasing your calories to spend on everything else. It ensures a minimum produce intake (because you'll be rabid wolverine hungry otherwise) and makes you choose fresh fruit and veggies over less nutrient dense choices. Also, I don't think they are great at communicating this, but only the first 3 servings of fruit are "free", so the calories aren't quite as unlimited as they seem.
I suppose you could do something similar if you needed the extra incentive to eat fruits and veggies, but it's easier to just set your calorie allowance accurately and log everything, especially given that you won't be able to accurately predict the number of calories worth of produce you'll eat on a day to day basis.
I've never seen that. Their current literature (I'm currently a paying WW member) is that all fresh fruit is free, regardless. But, you're supposed to consider how you're using the fruit (are you using 2lbs of fruit in a smoothie every day? are you pounding berries as a mental/emotional replacement for pounding potato chips? etc) and re-evaluate if your weight loss isn't as expected.
No, it doesn't say that. Their "good health guidelines" clearly state that it's "AT LEAST 5 servings per day, 9 if you're over 350 pounds." Nowhere on their site (and, yes, I've been searching quite a bit) does it give a limit, just repeated statements that all fresh fruit and most fresh vegetables are 0 points. Individual meeting leaders may give some recommendations as to limits, but there is no official WW rule as such.
"All fresh fruit and most vegetables have been assigned 0 PointsPlus values. They’re such healthy, filling choices that we want to encourage you to eat them. We’ve already factored the caloric impact of these foods into our calculations of your daily PointsPlus Target. Consider them prepaid! Of course, this doesn’t mean that you can overeat as long as you’re having fruit. You should always eat reasonable portions, and stop eating when you’re satisfied. "
"With the 0 PointsPlus value fruits and vegetables, the idea is to eat to satisfaction. The Good Health Guidelines recommend five servings a day, or nine if you weigh more than 350 lbs.
With all foods that have 0 PointsPlus values, don't forget that every food has calories. Try to eat reasonable portions, and stop eating when you’re satisfied. The bottom line: Let your weight loss be the guide."
"The Good Health Guidelines
1. Eat at least five servings of vegetables and fruits each day, (nine servings if you weigh over 350 pounds.)"
This contradicts what you said. It sounds like a limit to me, in all honesty.
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You're going to want to track both of those if you want an accurate count. What a nonsense thing for a weight loss program to claim.0
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I made a salad the other day, and these are the "fruits and veggies" I used:
Lettuce (26 cals)
Tomato (16 cals)
Cucumber (17 cals)
Avocado (134 cals)
= 193 calories that I may have missed. Even without the avocado, thats still 59 calories.
If I didn't log all of my ingredients, I would have eaten those extra 59 (or 193) calories to meet my calorie goal - probably on "junk" food too.
You add the veggies I have with dinner, you are probably getting close to 100 (or 293) calories that could have gone under the radar (and probably eaten again on "junk" food).
For most people, it will only slow down weightloss, but being so close to my goal those 100 calories are important. Not to mention it adds information to my macro and micronutrients.
It may work on the weight watchers program, but from what i've seen at work, a lot of people on that program don't really learn how to value food the same way "calorie counting" teaches you to.0 -
A nutritionist once told me, that once you eat more fruit than your body needs, the sugar content (even tho all the rest of the nutrients are definitely beneficial, vitamins, fiber, etc) is registered and stored the same as if you were eating a candy bar. Be wary of the sugar! Natural or not, once your body has too much it will turn it to fat!0
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I'm on WW as well. There is a 5 to 8 serving per day recommendation for fruits and vegetables. They are zero points, but there is a limit that a lot of WW members miss. IMHO, WW needs to be more clear about this and not just expect people to find out by looking at the heathy checks section.MakePeasNotWar wrote: »Outside of the Weight watchers program, not really. They give you a very low calorie allowance (if you actually track your food here as well as there, the totals are super-low) and give you "free" veggies and fruit because it's already factored in by decreasing your calories to spend on everything else. It ensures a minimum produce intake (because you'll be rabid wolverine hungry otherwise) and makes you choose fresh fruit and veggies over less nutrient dense choices. Also, I don't think they are great at communicating this, but only the first 3 servings of fruit are "free", so the calories aren't quite as unlimited as they seem.
I suppose you could do something similar if you needed the extra incentive to eat fruits and veggies, but it's easier to just set your calorie allowance accurately and log everything, especially given that you won't be able to accurately predict the number of calories worth of produce you'll eat on a day to day basis.
I've never seen that. Their current literature (I'm currently a paying WW member) is that all fresh fruit is free, regardless. But, you're supposed to consider how you're using the fruit (are you using 2lbs of fruit in a smoothie every day? are you pounding berries as a mental/emotional replacement for pounding potato chips? etc) and re-evaluate if your weight loss isn't as expected.
No, it doesn't say that. Their "good health guidelines" clearly state that it's "AT LEAST 5 servings per day, 9 if you're over 350 pounds." Nowhere on their site (and, yes, I've been searching quite a bit) does it give a limit, just repeated statements that all fresh fruit and most fresh vegetables are 0 points. Individual meeting leaders may give some recommendations as to limits, but there is no official WW rule as such.
"All fresh fruit and most vegetables have been assigned 0 PointsPlus values. They’re such healthy, filling choices that we want to encourage you to eat them. We’ve already factored the caloric impact of these foods into our calculations of your daily PointsPlus Target. Consider them prepaid! Of course, this doesn’t mean that you can overeat as long as you’re having fruit. You should always eat reasonable portions, and stop eating when you’re satisfied. "
"With the 0 PointsPlus value fruits and vegetables, the idea is to eat to satisfaction. The Good Health Guidelines recommend five servings a day, or nine if you weigh more than 350 lbs.
With all foods that have 0 PointsPlus values, don't forget that every food has calories. Try to eat reasonable portions, and stop eating when you’re satisfied. The bottom line: Let your weight loss be the guide."
"The Good Health Guidelines
1. Eat at least five servings of vegetables and fruits each day, (nine servings if you weigh over 350 pounds.)"
This contradicts what you said. It sounds like a limit to me, in all honesty.
It doesn't contradict at all. All fruit and most vegetables are 0 points. However, if you're not getting the results you expect, re-evaluate. Use good judgment (aka, don't pound fruit just because you "can"). Nowhere is a limit stated. Everything I've quoted directly from WW is in alignment with everything else I said.
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I'm on WW as well. There is a 5 to 8 serving per day recommendation for fruits and vegetables. They are zero points, but there is a limit that a lot of WW members miss. IMHO, WW needs to be more clear about this and not just expect people to find out by looking at the heathy checks section.MakePeasNotWar wrote: »Outside of the Weight watchers program, not really. They give you a very low calorie allowance (if you actually track your food here as well as there, the totals are super-low) and give you "free" veggies and fruit because it's already factored in by decreasing your calories to spend on everything else. It ensures a minimum produce intake (because you'll be rabid wolverine hungry otherwise) and makes you choose fresh fruit and veggies over less nutrient dense choices. Also, I don't think they are great at communicating this, but only the first 3 servings of fruit are "free", so the calories aren't quite as unlimited as they seem.
I suppose you could do something similar if you needed the extra incentive to eat fruits and veggies, but it's easier to just set your calorie allowance accurately and log everything, especially given that you won't be able to accurately predict the number of calories worth of produce you'll eat on a day to day basis.
I've never seen that. Their current literature (I'm currently a paying WW member) is that all fresh fruit is free, regardless. But, you're supposed to consider how you're using the fruit (are you using 2lbs of fruit in a smoothie every day? are you pounding berries as a mental/emotional replacement for pounding potato chips? etc) and re-evaluate if your weight loss isn't as expected.
No, it doesn't say that. Their "good health guidelines" clearly state that it's "AT LEAST 5 servings per day, 9 if you're over 350 pounds." Nowhere on their site (and, yes, I've been searching quite a bit) does it give a limit, just repeated statements that all fresh fruit and most fresh vegetables are 0 points. Individual meeting leaders may give some recommendations as to limits, but there is no official WW rule as such.
"All fresh fruit and most vegetables have been assigned 0 PointsPlus values. They’re such healthy, filling choices that we want to encourage you to eat them. We’ve already factored the caloric impact of these foods into our calculations of your daily PointsPlus Target. Consider them prepaid! Of course, this doesn’t mean that you can overeat as long as you’re having fruit. You should always eat reasonable portions, and stop eating when you’re satisfied. "
"With the 0 PointsPlus value fruits and vegetables, the idea is to eat to satisfaction. The Good Health Guidelines recommend five servings a day, or nine if you weigh more than 350 lbs.
With all foods that have 0 PointsPlus values, don't forget that every food has calories. Try to eat reasonable portions, and stop eating when you’re satisfied. The bottom line: Let your weight loss be the guide."
"The Good Health Guidelines
1. Eat at least five servings of vegetables and fruits each day, (nine servings if you weigh over 350 pounds.)"
This contradicts what you said. It sounds like a limit to me, in all honesty.
It doesn't contradict at all. All fruit and most vegetables are 0 points. However, if you're not getting the results you expect, re-evaluate. Use good judgment (aka, don't pound fruit just because you "can"). Nowhere is a limit stated. Everything I've quoted directly from WW is in alignment with everything else I said.
As I recall from what I've been told by other WW clients, soups are 0 points also. I can find some pretty calorie-laden soups, even broth-based. Not knowing the calorie contents of things is dangerous territory.0 -
Up to 2/3 of all my food is fruit/veggies, every single day. If I wouldn't log that... yeah... XD
Edited to say that, for example, today that would have been 444 calories...0 -
SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage wrote: »I don't think there's any science behind their practice of not counting it. I suspect they're just trying to make it easier for WW followers to stick to the plan by limiting the amount of work required in logging.
nods- i think it's a way to make people feel better about not being so militant. everyone loves the idea of "do this- eat all of this AND look fabulous" it's a way to try to capitalize on that.
But as pointed out- it's bad practice.0 -
I'm on WW as well. There is a 5 to 8 serving per day recommendation for fruits and vegetables. They are zero points, but there is a limit that a lot of WW members miss. IMHO, WW needs to be more clear about this and not just expect people to find out by looking at the heathy checks section.MakePeasNotWar wrote: »Outside of the Weight watchers program, not really. They give you a very low calorie allowance (if you actually track your food here as well as there, the totals are super-low) and give you "free" veggies and fruit because it's already factored in by decreasing your calories to spend on everything else. It ensures a minimum produce intake (because you'll be rabid wolverine hungry otherwise) and makes you choose fresh fruit and veggies over less nutrient dense choices. Also, I don't think they are great at communicating this, but only the first 3 servings of fruit are "free", so the calories aren't quite as unlimited as they seem.
I suppose you could do something similar if you needed the extra incentive to eat fruits and veggies, but it's easier to just set your calorie allowance accurately and log everything, especially given that you won't be able to accurately predict the number of calories worth of produce you'll eat on a day to day basis.
I've never seen that. Their current literature (I'm currently a paying WW member) is that all fresh fruit is free, regardless. But, you're supposed to consider how you're using the fruit (are you using 2lbs of fruit in a smoothie every day? are you pounding berries as a mental/emotional replacement for pounding potato chips? etc) and re-evaluate if your weight loss isn't as expected.
No, it doesn't say that. Their "good health guidelines" clearly state that it's "AT LEAST 5 servings per day, 9 if you're over 350 pounds." Nowhere on their site (and, yes, I've been searching quite a bit) does it give a limit, just repeated statements that all fresh fruit and most fresh vegetables are 0 points. Individual meeting leaders may give some recommendations as to limits, but there is no official WW rule as such.
"All fresh fruit and most vegetables have been assigned 0 PointsPlus values. They’re such healthy, filling choices that we want to encourage you to eat them. We’ve already factored the caloric impact of these foods into our calculations of your daily PointsPlus Target. Consider them prepaid! Of course, this doesn’t mean that you can overeat as long as you’re having fruit. You should always eat reasonable portions, and stop eating when you’re satisfied. "
"With the 0 PointsPlus value fruits and vegetables, the idea is to eat to satisfaction. The Good Health Guidelines recommend five servings a day, or nine if you weigh more than 350 lbs.
With all foods that have 0 PointsPlus values, don't forget that every food has calories. Try to eat reasonable portions, and stop eating when you’re satisfied. The bottom line: Let your weight loss be the guide."
"The Good Health Guidelines
1. Eat at least five servings of vegetables and fruits each day, (nine servings if you weigh over 350 pounds.)"
This contradicts what you said. It sounds like a limit to me, in all honesty.
It doesn't contradict at all. All fruit and most vegetables are 0 points. However, if you're not getting the results you expect, re-evaluate. Use good judgment (aka, don't pound fruit just because you "can"). Nowhere is a limit stated. Everything I've quoted directly from WW is in alignment with everything else I said.
As I recall from what I've been told by other WW clients, soups are 0 points also. I can find some pretty calorie-laden soups, even broth-based. Not knowing the calorie contents of things is dangerous territory.
Soups are not 0 points. There was one soup recipe they gave (all veggie) that was 0 points. But most soups have points.
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