Vegetables??

loridebacker
loridebacker Posts: 24 Member
edited November 29 in Getting Started
do you count the calories in veggies? Other plans they are "free" and have always viewed them as free???

Replies

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Your body will count the calories in vegetables, so if you've decided to use a calorie counting plan to lose weight it is probably a good idea for you to count them too.

    Many plans where vegetables are "free" (Weight Watchers, for example) give you a lower calorie limit as a result.
  • tryasimighty
    tryasimighty Posts: 131 Member
    It depends on the veg and cooking method, for example sweetcorn is relatively high in calories but a large bag of undressed salad has hardly any. Just pay attention to what contains what for a couple of weeks to see what could really be considered 'free' :)
  • Sarahb29
    Sarahb29 Posts: 952 Member
    edited February 2016
    Yes I do, and no, not all veggies should be free, usually they are only referring to leafy green vegs. Unlimited sweet corn, potatoes or squash would be dangerous calorie (and carb) wise.
  • Chaagy
    Chaagy Posts: 109 Member
    I track everything including vegetables.

    Because like others have said, some vegetables hardly matter (ie. 2 cups of lettuce vs 4 cups of lettuce really makes not a crack of difference). But some vegetables are surprisingly high in calories. If anything, it helps you learn more about what you eat.
  • MudstainSally
    MudstainSally Posts: 571 Member
    I'm tracking everything, even calorie free things like my black coffee and green tea. I also don't consider some things vegetables that others do. Like corn... it may technically be a vegetable, but eh... better put some greens with it, potatoes, squash and sweet potatoes I dont put in that veg category either, but I still enjoy them.
  • Nachise
    Nachise Posts: 395 Member
    Count everything, especially if you are calculating recipes. I made a hash a couple of nights ago that was made more filling due to the addition of chopped onions, zucchini, summer squash, mushrooms, and bell peppers that supplemented the reduced amount of diced potatoes and low fat sausage that I was using. Came out to 188 calories per serving.

    Weight Watchers always tells you that vegetables are free, except for corn, beans, winter squash, potatoes, and similar vegetables. MFP tells you that nothing is free except water.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    edited February 2016
    loridebacker wrote: »
    do you count the calories in veggies? Other plans they are "free" and have always viewed them as free???

    Plans like WW inflate the points of other items to make veggies free...you are not doing other plans...you are calorie counting...veggies have calories...I eat between 300-500 calories in veg and fruit per day at least.

    Now, am I going to worry about a slice of cucumber or two that I might snag from the fridge? Probably not...nor was I ever too worried about being exact with my veggies...but yeah, my lunch today consists of 40 calories of broccoli and another 40-50 calories in beets and then the rest of my lunch.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    If you are counting calories then count every calorie that goes in your mouth. Mixing and matching your favorite parts of various programs likely won't get you the results you're hoping for.
  • senecarr
    senecarr Posts: 5,377 Member
    If it goes in my mouth, it is gonna count.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    If you don't want to count your vegetables, go on the Weight Watchers plan. If you want to count all your calories, use MFP and count your veggies. (Hint: you can eat a lot more leafy vegetables for the same calories).
  • rgbmore
    rgbmore Posts: 85 Member
    It counts. More than the veggies, I have to make sure to log/count if there was butter, was it cooked in oil, was salt or marinades involved, etc. A stirfry sauce can make it definitely not free.
  • GsKiki
    GsKiki Posts: 392 Member
    I track everything I eat. It doesn't matter what kind of food it is, calories are still calories.
    I know some people who constantly eat veggies, and are surprised of their size because they think they eat healthy meals. But when you look at their calories they are constantly way over.
  • loridebacker
    loridebacker Posts: 24 Member
    Thanks for your replies. Weight watchers hasn't worked for me that is why I am giving this a chance. Just wondering how you all handle veggies. Thanks again!
  • dubird
    dubird Posts: 1,849 Member
    If it has calories, you count it. Even if it's just like 20 calories, count it. If you skip the little ones like that, you'll end up eating more than you realize and that adds up fast!
  • WendyLaubach
    WendyLaubach Posts: 518 Member
    I'm meticulous about counting the calories in things like beets and sloppy about mixed salad greens. It's a question of effort and reward: if I'm off on the volume or weight of my mesclun, it will make only the tiniest difference. A mistake in weighing beets or corn could really add up fast. There's only so much effort I'm willing to put into counting calories every day, so I concentrate it where it does the most good. There are calories in the milk in my coffee, for instance, but since I have about the same amount every day, I don't bother counting or logging it. It's just a background, like the amount of calories I burn walking up and down the stairs to my bedroom. The difference in my daily meals and workouts is where I calculate the special calorie deficit that produces consistent weight loss.
  • CasperNaegle
    CasperNaegle Posts: 936 Member
    Absolutely you can get fat eating veggies just like you can any other food... If you don't track what you put in your body you will never know.
  • snowflake930
    snowflake930 Posts: 2,188 Member
    Uh oh..................here we go again..................No calorie free food except water.
  • ElizabethOakes2
    ElizabethOakes2 Posts: 1,038 Member
    I measure everything, but I'm also tracking some dietary things that have less to do with intake and more to do with over-all health, like sodium and fiber. If I don't count my spinach and carrots, I don't get my fiber numbers. :)
  • loridebacker
    loridebacker Posts: 24 Member
    This isn't a stupid question since ALOT of diets have free vegetables. Learning how MFP does things.....snowflake930
  • OhMsDiva
    OhMsDiva Posts: 1,073 Member
    I am one of those people that is doing a specific program where certain veggies are a free food and I do not log them. I also track my calories here, minus the veggies. I do not log salad dressing, but I know how much I have. I eat EVOO on my popcorn almost every night and I did not log it until I realized how many calories are in a Tbsp of oil. Now I measure the olive oil and log it. Other than when I have salad dressing, I log everything except my veggies. Have at it..
  • PinkyPan1
    PinkyPan1 Posts: 3,018 Member
    I count them. I had approximately 250 calories just in vegetables for today's consumption. Somedays I have 400 calories worth. Feel free to check out my diary.
  • WendyLaubach
    WendyLaubach Posts: 518 Member
    I count all my veg too, I'm just less scrupulous about getting the weight exactly right if it's something like mixed salad greens. The difference between a cup and two cups of lettuce or raw spinach might be 20 calories or something. If I'm careless about the difference between a cup and two cups of something else, the difference might be 100 or 200 calories--much more worth some extra time and trouble to get it right. Not all vegetables are equal. Lettuce is cheap, beets or beans much less so. Now the salad dressing on the lettuce, that's a different matter! I measure that very carefully.
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