Should I count the calories from fruits and veggies?

thatalchemistgirl
thatalchemistgirl Posts: 31
edited September 28 in Food and Nutrition
I recently purchased a bunch of fruits and veggies for snacks during the day. The calorie content is so low and I tend to munch on them and not keep track. Should I even worry about keeping track of these items? I'm not consuming pounds of cherries in one sitting, but I do tend to eat around a cup of fruit, a cup of carrots, and some berries in my cereal. Give or take veggies with lunch/dinner.

My idea is to maybe follow the WW mind set, Veggies and fruits are free, save Starchy things like potatoes and corn.

SO good idea? Horrible excuse?
You decide. :D

Replies

  • cindy4mica
    cindy4mica Posts: 777 Member
    i would say count them only because they add up. and some fruits/veggies contain more calories than we think (or want)!
  • That_Girl
    That_Girl Posts: 1,324 Member
    They have calories...some have a lot of calories. They also can have sodium, sugar, etc.

    Veggies and fruit count DESPITE what Weight Watchers says.

    Go into the database and check out your fruits and veggies and what they "cost". You'll be surprised.
  • hush7hush
    hush7hush Posts: 2,273 Member
    Definitely count them.

    Calories are different than "points", and they matter.
  • TinaS88
    TinaS88 Posts: 817 Member
    Calories are calories, if you are trying to stay at or under a certain number then you need to add them :P
  • Heatherbelle_87
    Heatherbelle_87 Posts: 1,078 Member
    Yes you should add them. Thinking of them as "free: will encourage you to eat more of them and YES even 40 calories adds up!
  • jbucci1186
    jbucci1186 Posts: 440 Member
    I agree, I would count them. Though I definitely eat more of them than I actually log in... oh well! hahaha...
  • bonjour24
    bonjour24 Posts: 1,119 Member
    roughly count them. they're not free foods here... and it all adds up.
  • misscristie
    misscristie Posts: 643 Member
    YES! This is why I left WW.
  • sara_m83
    sara_m83 Posts: 545 Member
    If you want to lose weight, you'd better start counting them. Particularly when it comes to fruit, because one piece of most fruit items will cost you between 70-110 calories. These add up.
  • Kelly_Wilson1990
    Kelly_Wilson1990 Posts: 3,245 Member
    I count everything I eat.
  • schieca
    schieca Posts: 16 Member
    Start the day measuring them out and put them in a bowl or ziploc this way you won't overdo it. Plan!
  • Janelle_Teaches
    Janelle_Teaches Posts: 155
    I would count them :) You might want to try to 'portion' how many you think you might eat in the mornings so it is easier to log..I take out carrots in the morning (my snack of choice) and go ahead and portion some for the day..even though I snack threwout the day..that way I can log them :)

    Happy logging!! :)
  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,031 Member
    YES! This is why I left WW.
    I can understand why people would, it's quite confusing to see WW members or former members coming here asking if they have to count fruits and veggies.

    What happened to all the carbs in them? It's sure not all about calories in our food diary.

    I've never understood the logic of free food, I can't wrap my head around why someone would actually teach that to another.:noway:
  • MuchoGusto
    MuchoGusto Posts: 18 Member
    The reason WW made fruits and veggies "free" is because on their point system they add up as too many and people would eat a candy bar over a fruit or veggie. How can you properly follow a calorie counting system if you're not counting your calories?! lol. A little always counts!
  • Jaymefirst
    Jaymefirst Posts: 268 Member
    If anything they will be accounted for in your vitamin intake. I didn't agree with WW view of "free", a banana for example should not be free.
  • Adynata
    Adynata Posts: 128 Member
    Fruit can reeeeally rack up your sugar count. My major sugar/carb sinning comes from fruit juices, which I'm not really prepared to give up, so have to compensate for. I love Innocent smoothies, which are only made with whole fruits, and nothing else.

    To give you an idea of how quickly these calories and sugars can add up, here's a list of the ingredients used in a typical smoothie. You didn't list that you drink fruit juice, but considering the juices I have are made only with fruits, I think the example is relevant.

    In a litre carton, there are 4 mashed bananas, 1/2 a pineapple, 1 1/2 apples, 1/2 an orange, a dash of coconut milk and lemon juice.

    Now I don't think that sounds like a great deal, but all of those combined in to a litre of smoothie makes 692 calories, with 133g of carbs and 107g of sugar. My point is, whilst of course fruit contains nutrients that are good for you, the calorie and sugar count can be really surprising and blow you right off target.
  • robinaddison
    robinaddison Posts: 232 Member
    I didn't get fat from veggies and fruit...I don't bother to count them in moderation. I also usually leave myself a 100cal cushion or so for little things like that. I'm losing weight this way - maybe not as fast as some but it's coming off steadily!
  • GeorgiaPrune
    GeorgiaPrune Posts: 7
    Definitely count the calories, I had no idea that fruits and veggies had carbs and sugar in them. Bravo on eating fruits and veggies.
  • Jorra
    Jorra Posts: 3,338 Member
    You should definitely count fruits and veggies! A medium piece of fruit can have anywhere from 80-150 calories. That certainly adds up!

    Vegetables have less calories, but they still add up. I can make a decent sized salad that adds up to 100 calories without dressing or non-veggie toppings!
  • Elleinnz
    Elleinnz Posts: 1,661 Member
    Yes - I log them all.....and here is why - they won't necesarilly make you fat - but they still add up.....the other reason is that it is a good track of how healthy you actually eat - so many times I see people go "I have not lost any weight", "oh I am on a plateau" and when you look at their food diaries there is not a single bit of vegetable or fruit!!

    Once you are in the habit it is actually quite easy to just log it all - and occasionally you might get a surprise e.g. the calories in corn on the cob or peas, bananas etc......

    It also adds to your sugar counts - sure it is healthy - and should not worry you to much - but it could be an indicator when you are stalling in your loss...
  • 69mustang
    69mustang Posts: 185
    Yes count them!! A med sized banana or a cup of grapes is about 100 calories. Calories can add up fast if you eat a lot of fruits.

    WW built the "free" fruits and veggies into thier new plan so they were already in your daily target limit. What few know is they only want you to eat up to 3 "free" fruits a day, anything above that you are supposed to count ( according to 2 diff WW leaders at the meetings I used to attend)
  • thatalchemistgirl
    thatalchemistgirl Posts: 31
    Fruit can reeeeally rack up your sugar count. My major sugar/carb sinning comes from fruit juices, which I'm not really prepared to give up, so have to compensate for. I love Innocent smoothies, which are only made with whole fruits, and nothing else.

    To give you an idea of how quickly these calories and sugars can add up, here's a list of the ingredients used in a typical smoothie. You didn't list that you drink fruit juice, but considering the juices I have are made only with fruits, I think the example is relevant.

    In a litre carton, there are 4 mashed bananas, 1/2 a pineapple, 1 1/2 apples, 1/2 an orange, a dash of coconut milk and lemon juice.

    Now I don't think that sounds like a great deal, but all of those combined in to a litre of smoothie makes 692 calories, with 133g of carbs and 107g of sugar. My point is, whilst of course fruit contains nutrients that are good for you, the calorie and sugar count can be really surprising and blow you right off target.


    That is a darn fine point dear.
  • Adynata
    Adynata Posts: 128 Member
    No worries, I was totally shocked by that too. I believe there also quite a few surprise high cal/fat/carb vegetables out there. Avocado is the first one to spring to mind.
  • Schwiggity
    Schwiggity Posts: 1,449 Member
    Depends on the vegetables, but for fruit definitely. I could easily eat well over 600 calories worth of fruit in a given day if I didn't count it. Some vegetables I just quick add calories or for salads I don't count each individual vegetable in it and just put "salad, mixed greens", but that still is counting the calories for them in my book.
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