Do you count the calories in fruits and vegtables?

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  • blankiefinder
    blankiefinder Posts: 3,599 Member
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    You're welcome. I cut them in half with the cut side on top, sprinkle olive oil on them, then salt and pepper. I got that from some blog called the 99 cent chef or something along those lines I don't remember. I don't eat brussel sprouts any other way ever since.

    I do mine the same way, except without the pepper. We do them until they are caramelized, yum! Now I want a pound of roasted brussels sprouts, and I can't, I have to go to work :'(
  • senecarr
    senecarr Posts: 5,377 Member
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    Laughing at the notion that a pound of cauliflower is a huge amount no one should eat.

    It is by virtue of being cauliflower. It may be the worst of the cruciferous family.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    I never said she eats too much veg I said that in one sitting if that is a normal meal size then her portion sizes are out.....or is that the only thing on the plate? I doubt it!! My referral to the other foods are cals in relation to portion size...which brings us back to logging fruit and veg! The weight, and cal contents have HUGE differences which is why I teach my girls to eat up the fruit and veg and not to worry about logging (but on saying that I've not come across a girl that eats a pound of broccoli for lunch or dinner and if they did wasn't bloated and full) and if I did I'd be changing that habit for a more proportionally balanced meal and portion size...I'm yet to have one girl not be successful!!! There portion and food decisions are awesome and that is showing!!

    The two people you are saying eat too many vegetables are a vegetarian and a vegan. What's wrong with having lots of vegetables? Why is a meal with a lot of vegetables bad just because it isn't "normal"?

    I'm glad your "girls" are successful, but Carol and I are pretty successful too. She's made awe-inspiring progress to her goals, I'm maintaining my weight loss comfortably. You shouldn't dismiss the way other people eat just because it isn't your method. I can and do eat large amounts of vegetables without bloating.
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
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    For brussel sprouts, I use this recipe that I found right here on MFP, but I add bacon bits to it because bacon. :

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/view/278895470211053
  • dee_thurman
    dee_thurman Posts: 240 Member
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    I eat 2 cups of spinach. 3 oz of carrots. 86 grams of cucumbers. 1 cup of cut up celery. All of this is a part of a meal where I add some type of protein. I love it. I don't know what it is all together but I look forward to this meal.
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    edited November 2015
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    senecarr wrote: »
    nutmegoreo wrote: »
    senecarr wrote: »
    Wow the 10% of the population that eats enough fruit and veggies is on this thread......just imagine the chances of that!!!!

    Yeah it's funny, when I take a poll of medical staff, I get a higher than expected number of people who have a college education! When I poll people at the humane society, I get a higher than expect number rate of pet ownership!
    It's almost like there is a bias in the population selected.

    :noway: [/sarcasm]

    There was absolutely no sarcasm in those examples. Not one single gram, and definitely not one whole pound of it.

    @senecarr The sarcasm was referring to my shock and awe that sample bias may occur

    How many calories would a pound of sarcasm contain? I am developing a theory on my own weight loss progress...
  • senecarr
    senecarr Posts: 5,377 Member
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    nutmegoreo wrote: »
    senecarr wrote: »
    nutmegoreo wrote: »
    senecarr wrote: »
    Wow the 10% of the population that eats enough fruit and veggies is on this thread......just imagine the chances of that!!!!

    Yeah it's funny, when I take a poll of medical staff, I get a higher than expected number of people who have a college education! When I poll people at the humane society, I get a higher than expect number rate of pet ownership!
    It's almost like there is a bias in the population selected.

    :noway: [/sarcasm]

    There was absolutely no sarcasm in those examples. Not one single gram, and definitely not one whole pound of it.

    @senecarr The sarcasm was referring to my shock and awe that sample bias may occur

    How many calories would a pound of sarcasm contain? I am developing a theory on my own weight loss progress...

    Well sarcasm is considered acidic and not sweet, so I'd guess it is a kind of fatty acid, which would give it a 9 calories per pure gram of sarcasm, but I imagine the piss and vinegar occupies at least 50% of it by weight. So a pound means you're looking at 2041.164.
    Luckily I produce sarcasm rather than digest and ruminate on it, so I should actually be at a deficit even after Thanksgiving feasting if I just get in a few more posts that are my usual charming self.
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
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    senecarr wrote: »
    nutmegoreo wrote: »
    senecarr wrote: »
    nutmegoreo wrote: »
    senecarr wrote: »
    Wow the 10% of the population that eats enough fruit and veggies is on this thread......just imagine the chances of that!!!!

    Yeah it's funny, when I take a poll of medical staff, I get a higher than expected number of people who have a college education! When I poll people at the humane society, I get a higher than expect number rate of pet ownership!
    It's almost like there is a bias in the population selected.

    :noway: [/sarcasm]

    There was absolutely no sarcasm in those examples. Not one single gram, and definitely not one whole pound of it.

    @senecarr The sarcasm was referring to my shock and awe that sample bias may occur

    How many calories would a pound of sarcasm contain? I am developing a theory on my own weight loss progress...

    Well sarcasm is considered acidic and not sweet, so I'd guess it is a kind of fatty acid, which would give it a 9 calories per pure gram of sarcasm, but I imagine the piss and vinegar occupies at least 50% of it by weight. So a pound means you're looking at 2041.164.
    Luckily I produce sarcasm rather than digest and ruminate on it, so I should actually be at a deficit even after Thanksgiving feasting if I just get in a few more posts that are my usual charming self.

    Well that ruined my theory...

    Should I consume alkalized water to counter balance the acidity of the sarcasm?

    OP, sounds like you have realized that you need to eat your veggies, count your veggies, and log your veggies along with fruits too. The program works, but you need to be honest with yourself about your actual consumption and as already said, if it isn't working, having an accurate record can help you determine why. Best of luck!
  • dee_thurman
    dee_thurman Posts: 240 Member
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    https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/4-simple-reasons-why-all-calories-are-not-created-equal/

    Many people have posted and not just here that all calories are the same. Check this article out...
  • senecarr
    senecarr Posts: 5,377 Member
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    https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/4-simple-reasons-why-all-calories-are-not-created-equal/

    Many people have posted and not just here that all calories are the same. Check this article out...

    Yeah, that's a fluff piece put out by Lustig that MFP put on their blog because it is free content.
    Scroll to the comments and you'll see this response:
    1. Fiber is processed different than other carbohydrates and USDA guidelines allow using 2 calories per gram for soluble fiber and 0 calories for insoluble fiber when calculating calorie count on the label. So this is already accounted for in "calories not being calories".
    2. The metabolism content of protein is already accounted for in the Atwater system used to calculate the energy protein. Protein actually has ~5.7 calories per gram or so worth of energy, but about 30% is need in metabolizing. You can get even higher thermic effects of food (another 20-40%, not double), but only if you're in the unusual scenario that your body is turning large quantities of protein into glucose.
    3. Well really it is the ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 in your diet that seems to be important. I imagine if you turned to getting only omega 3 (difficult to do) you'd start having issues with suppressed immune system from the anti-inflammatory properties, but that's just me spitballing on the anti-inflammatory effect of omega 3. Regardless, not matter what kind of fat you eat, if you're reducing calories to lose weight to get out of obesity, the health effect of weight lost is liable to trump the differences in fats, and for losing weight a calorie is a calorie.
    4. The body doesn't know that a calorie is "added" versus "natural" sugar.
    5. Correlation isn't causation, nor does this cite the actual statistical significance (p-value) of the values. It doesn't matter if 150 calories is associated with 11 fold impact if you're only 10% certain it isn't random chance that such an association happened. I also doubt they're holding calories constant when using that 150 calories of added sugar, and I'm pretty sure people who are eating 150 extra calories of added sugar are commonly throwing in added fat calories. So now the 150 calories of added sugar might just be an indicator of people eating 300 extra calories.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
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    senecarr wrote: »
    Yeah, that's a fluff piece put out by Lustig that MFP put on their blog because it is free content.

    Lustig = instant fail. He's a crackpot who irrationally demonizes fructose as the root of all evils.

    Here's an article by Alan Aragon (who is science-based and trustworthy) in which he disassembles Lustig's rhetoric: The Bitter Truth About Fructose Alarmism
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited November 2015
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    https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/4-simple-reasons-why-all-calories-are-not-created-equal/

    Many people have posted and not just here that all calories are the same. Check this article out...

    The discussion in this thread seems to be about whether one loses the same eating 1300 calories or 1500 calories if the 200 additional calories are made up of vegetables. The fact is that one does not, and your link does not claim otherwise.

    As I also said above, I think vegetables should be non-negotiable whether one is eating 1300 or 1500 (for health, not weight loss), and that if one needs to cut calories to lose one should not cut out (or way down on) vegetables. Again, as I said above, I would likely eat a greater percentage of vegetables at a lower calorie level as I might sub them for some more caloric carb-based foods.

    However, if I were sedentary (happily for me I am not), my maintenance would be 1550. Therefore, if I were logging 1200 and eating an additional 200-300 calories of vegetables (which is certainly possible), I'd be almost wiping out my deficit. Better to know what I'm eating and to make a choice of how to get the 1200. (Or to understand that I'd be happier increasing my TDEE by being more active, of course.) The general POV of most of us here, I believe, is that more knowledge and understanding is better. The idea that one should label foods "good" and "bad" to simplify dietary choices often isn't helpful and it's certainly not as accurate as a real understanding of nutrition and of what one is eating.

    Most significantly -- and why that blog post is intentionally misleading -- is that "a calorie is a calorie" has never been intended to mean "a food is a food." Of course foods differ, and there is no bigger advocate on this board for eating lots of vegetables than me, or some others in this thread. But that's for nutritional purposes, or because it helps many people with satiety. NOT because some calories cause weight gain when eaten in excess and others do not. Once you make sure they are measured correctly (i.e., not taking into account those we don't absorb), they are all equal. Foods aren't, but calories are. My body has no ability to know whether a particular calorie is from the turkey I ate yesterday (and therefore "good" and used for energy) or from the dessert (and therefore "bad" and goes to my waist). The idea that it distinguishes in that way between "calories" is basically an old wives' tale (as when my friend's mother used to tell her and me that cheese makes your butt too big).
  • ericGold15
    ericGold15 Posts: 318 Member
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    I find accurate weighing and logging to be a keystone of healthy dieting.
    Fruit in particular should be known since it is +/- dilute sugar water.

    OP: Add some exercise to your diet rather than trying to hide your caloric intake.
  • jaga13
    jaga13 Posts: 1,149 Member
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    This might be the silliest thread ever. Op, if you want to try it, just try it! Give it a few weeks of solid effort and then reexamine. Personally when I didn't count them, I didn't lose weight. Now I count everything and lose weight. I also use my logging to ensure I get enough fiber. When I see fiber is way too low, I am encouraged to reach for more healthy food.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    700 g/day of (fruit and veg, excluding juice) is the upper 2.5 percentile for adults in the UK, with the median at 250 and the mean at 280. Enough calories to halve a calorie deficit so needs to be on the books.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/4-simple-reasons-why-all-calories-are-not-created-equal/

    Many people have posted and not just here that all calories are the same. Check this article out...

    Dead wrong ...

    All calories are equal from an energy standpoint; however, not all calories are the same nutritionally.
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
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    I definitely count, and I eat a decent amount of fruit and veg.
    I'd rather stay within my calorie goal. I could turn a blind eye to the calories from fruit and veg, but I'd only be cheating myself as I'd be adding an extra 400+ cals on top of my intake which would take me closer to maintenance.

    Why the heck would I do that to myself? I not only stick to my caloric goals, I also stick to my macro and micro goals. Sticking to my caloric goal keeps me on track. As for fiber, grains and legumes are great, too.

    I found this funny:
    "What can't you believe?? The fact that people like me don't log veggies or fruit? Think about it for a moment.........
    •Fact 90% of people DONT eat enough fruit and veggies
    •Fact 90% of people don't reach minimum daily fibre intake
    •Fact fibre makes you feel full
    •People with diets low in fibre have trouble loosing weight
    •Studies have shown that increasing a persons fibre from fruit and veggies without changing overall calorie intake can result in weight loss (so by just replacing some food with fibre rich fruit and veggies)"


    This has nothing to do with not logging fruit/veg calories. You can eat your fruit and veg and log them, too. What you eat has nothing to do with what others eat.
  • brendak76
    brendak76 Posts: 241 Member
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    I am so jealous of those that can eat a pound of broccoli or cauliflower for a meal. No sarcasm. My digestive system would revolt for days. Not to hijack the thread but how do you get your stomach to cooperate?
  • ericGold15
    ericGold15 Posts: 318 Member
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    ndj1979 wrote: »
    Dead wrong ...
    All calories are equal from an energy standpoint; however, not all calories are the same nutritionally.
    For dieting purposes, count them as equivalent "nutrition."

  • jkal1979
    jkal1979 Posts: 1,896 Member
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    WinoGelato wrote: »
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    I just found this thread and am confused at what I've read so far. Let me see if I've got this right...

    OP it sounds like you are trying to figure out a way to "cheat" the system by looking for foods that you can eat in unlimited quantities without logging. As others have pointed out, whether you log them or not, the calories in them count. Are you averse to logging for some reason? I don't really understand why you would log some things and not others?

    Also, I'm amused at advice being given to some of the successful people on MFP (one that is a vegetarian and one that is a vegan) that they are eating too many vegetables because their portion size requirements are skewed due to over consumption of processed foods?

    Did I read that correctly?


    I wouldn't say cheat but I suppose that's an accurate term, hahaha. A few people I know have had success with this method - for weight loss. So I thought I would vet the MFP community for their opinions. After which I agree that although fruits and vegetables are healthy, they should be logged and going over my calorie count a tad don't kill me. :P
    Are the friends who are doing this also using MFP? Or another system, like WW? As others have said, WW allows for unlimited fruits and veggies (I think, I've never tried WW) but if you are using MFP it is really designed to track everything.

    The other thing I would suggest for you is to read the "Most Helpful" threads at the top of each forum section: getting started, food and nutrition, etc. There is a wealth of knowledge in those about how to best set up your goals in MFP, how to understand your TDEE and set a reasonable calorie deficit, how to log accurately, why you should eat back exercise cals, etc.

    My standard advice, and I'm by no means an expert but I've been logging for over 1000 days consistently, achieved my 30 lb weight loss goal and am successfully maintaining, FWIW...


    1. Have reasonable expectations for total pounds to lose and rate of loss (if aiming for 25-50 lbs it should be 1 lb/week, if under 25 lbs maybe 0.5 lb/week is more appropriate)
    2. Enter those goals along with accurate stats into MFP to get an appropriate calorie deficit (1200 may be too low)
    3. Log everything, using a food scale preferably for the most accuracy.
    4. Eat primarily nutrient dense foods but leave room for foods you enjoy as treats or indulgences or what have you.
    5. Exercise if you enjoy it, making sure you eat back at least a portion of your exercise calories.
    6. Don't rely on quick fixes, gimmicks or tricks to get around the system. Eat the way you enjoy eating and can sustain forever.
    7. Be patient.

    WW does have a limit on the 0 point fruits and veggies (5-8 servings depending on an individual's stats). That's where people trip themselves up. They think "free" means "free for all" and the next thing you know they are complaining about not being able to lose. It was a pretty common topic on their discussion boards.