Do you count your vegetables?

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Replies

  • snowflake930
    snowflake930 Posts: 2,188 Member
    Everything that I eat and drink.
    Little things add up and can make a difference.
  • peaceout_aly
    peaceout_aly Posts: 2,018 Member
    Wondering what is everyone's take on this. I understand to track vegetables like potatoes, corn etc...but how about zucchini, tomatoes, lettuce etc...Thanks!

    Everything counts! Even if you don't "count" it, your body still does.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    When you get a sucky deficit like I do, it all counts..Except lettuce!
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    AoifeFitzy wrote: »
    Yep- if you eat it, log it!

    I've gotta say this, though: logging everything has worked wonders to get me out of any illusions about there being "good" or "bad" foods. There's just food, with different macros in, and depending on what I need at a particular time I should probably have this, or I can definitely get away with that. Veggies are great for some things- like when you want to fill up your tummy with a lot of food, or, of course, for different kinds of nutrients. But, like, at the end of a day when I've a couple hundred calories left (and I know that I do 'cause I logged every single gram of broccoli I had with my dinner), I feel absolutely no guilt at all over using up the last of my allowance for the day on a few cookies or a bowl of icecream. I think that's a fabulous thing about MFP- there's no 'good' or 'bad' food, there's just the food you eat and what it contains and how that fits into your goals.


    So... yep, weigh and log that lettuce! Just like you'll weigh and log that cake too ;)

    And micros, but yup!
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
    divcara wrote: »
    I don't measure, weight or count my green veggies at all. I have as many greens as I want. I don't really log them since I have no idea how much I'm using. I just throw in enough for whatever I am making - spinach in my eggs, etc. I really don't think broccoli is going to be what does me in. I do however weigh/measure carrots, fruit, etc.

    And this is where you have to know yourself and your habits. I can put away 200 calories of broccoli. Most people don't eat that much broccoli and it won't have much of an impact.

    If you find what you're doing isn't working, then it's going to have to change. Most people give a variety of responses because they've found a method that works for them.

    OP, if you don't want to weigh or log veggies, that's fine, but you might need to adjust your goal down a bit to compensate if you find you're not losing or losing at a slower weight than necessary.
  • PinkPixiexox
    PinkPixiexox Posts: 4,142 Member
    When I was in my strict "Must lose weight EVERY SINGLE week without fail" mode - I weighed and counted my vegetables. Technically, yes - this calculates your exact calorie intake from said vegetables however ... after developing a pretty nasty eating disorder, I no longer do this. I feel weighing my broccoli before I have a meal is not realistic and not a normal way to eat. It's broccoli. Don't get me wrong - I DO see the logic in weighing every thing you eat (That's how I got to my goal weight). And I totally understand weighing calorie dense food such as granola and meats and potatoes when trying to lose weight but like hell am I going to add up the grams in a carrot. It's not good for me mentally.

  • clicketykeys
    clicketykeys Posts: 6,589 Member
    When you start out, it can be helpful to weigh and measure stuff, even if you don't log it. It can be incredibly surprising to find out what your assumptions are. So like yesterday I prelogged a salad that had 2 oz spinach, and 1 oz each of carrots, yellow squash, and celery.

    Then I started measuring the spinach. All I can say is that it's a good thing I like spinach! XD otoh, the yellow squash gave me relatively little for the ounce.
  • Purplebunnysarah
    Purplebunnysarah Posts: 3,252 Member
    I do not weigh them very often. I estimate. My deficit is big enough that being out by 5-10 calories is not going to hinder my goals.
  • savithny
    savithny Posts: 1,200 Member
    Like others, I log veggies.
    Like others, I don't bother weighing them. I try to make up for it by estimating high - 4 cups vs. 3 cups of raw baby spinach isn't going to make a huge difference.

    I want to know what I ate "for the record," and look at fiber and vitamins sometimes.

    I always log cooking oils and sauces, too. And I log 100% of what goes in the pan, I don't assume "well, some of it stays in the skillet" after I braise my kale. If 2 Tbs went into the pan and I split the greens four ways, I log 1/4 of 2 Tbs.
  • lilstry
    lilstry Posts: 120 Member
    I do, even the gum I chew on
  • poodysue
    poodysue Posts: 2 Member
    Like many others I tend to guesstimate my low calorie veg - spinach, lettuce, cucumber (not celery as I hate the stuff) but weigh my carrots, peas and other higher calorie veg and definitely weigh any fruit I eat.
  • queseraseraxo
    queseraseraxo Posts: 12 Member
    I don't, because if I do, I become obsessed and I find it was a very unhealthy place for my mind to be. This was the case even before I started MFP (very recently(. When I'm eating vegetables and greens, I consider it as nourishing my soul and I am not about to tarnish that (or I won't be motivated to eat them!)

    Having said that, I have noticed I usually eat a deficit average of 200-300 calories per day, so I'm guessing my veggies would fit in that.

    I do count every other thing though, even a 1-second spray of grapeseed oil, so there's that.
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    I eat a lot of vegetables. They are a large portion of my calories. I like to see what I am eating to make sure it's a balanced diet. I track fiber and micros. They add to my carb count.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,347 Member
    Aaron_K123 wrote: »
    I count the vegetables I consume, I typically don't count any vegetables that I throw at people. Oh wait, tomatoes are fruits...I always forget that, nevermind.

    I hope you're logging the burn though... is shotput in the database?
  • coco50mfp
    coco50mfp Posts: 11 Member
    Unless I use large amounts of them I don't count lettuce tomato or cucumber I didn't gain weight because I ate two many leaves of lettuce or two many tomatoes
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,590 Member
    Yes. vegetables have calories so I count them.
  • Karen_can_do_this
    Karen_can_do_this Posts: 1,150 Member
    If I eat it, I log it. So far so good
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