Vegetables

jessicaflanders3
jessicaflanders3 Posts: 23 Member
edited November 18 in Health and Weight Loss
Does everyone add vegetables into their daily calories intake? For eg when I do a salad sandwich I only put in the bun, cheese and butter, I don't bother putting the calories in for the cucumber/ lettuce/carrot/ beetroot. Or if I do a home made pizza, I add the bread, the leggo sauce , the cheese. I don't put in the broccoli, capsicum ect.
in any other " diet" Ive never had to calculate the veges Ive always been told they don't have calories really. And you can eat as much as you want?
I do count the calories on fruit though.
What are your thoughts?

Replies

  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,251 Member
    I count them because they do have calories, and I eat 200-300 calories of veggies a day. I don't always weigh them, and tend to guestimate but I put them in, not just because of the calories but also so in later weeks/months I can go back and see an accurate representation of what I ate.
  • Seffell
    Seffell Posts: 2,244 Member
    edited May 2017
    Depends how many calories these veggies are.
    A leaf in the sandwich is like 1cal. A tomato salad is 40cal.
    Also veggies totally DO have calories (easy to check how many in google or in the mfp database). You can't eat as much as you want.
    Weigh everything you eat and log it.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,285 Member
    Depends - one leaf of lettuce in a sandwich - no, not worth adding that .

    2 roast potatos - yes, definitely. I would weigh and log them.

    Other things like carrots I log but just estimate at, say, half a medium carrot without weighing

  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Vegetables do have calories - some more calorie dense than others.
    If you don't count them you won't learn portion sizing and calorie loads.
    in any other " diet" Ive never had to calculate the veges Ive always been told they don't have calories really
    Sounds like those diets weren't successful in achieving long term weight management. Don't repeat mistakes of the past, learn from them.
  • rianneonamission
    rianneonamission Posts: 854 Member
    If you are on a calorie controlled diet then you should add them. Yes, most vegetables are low calorie, but they are certainly not without. A clean eating diet is different in that respect as you normally cut out certain parts of your diet and work with a points system. Yesterday I ate over 100 cals in veg, which isn't a great deal really. So if you are really eating a lot of veg then you may need to reduce your non veg intake.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    edited May 2017
    Alatariel75 wrote: »
    I count them because they do have calories, and I eat 200-300 calories of veggies a day.

    This.

    I made a recipe with equal grams of the vegetables I eat most and then set number of servings to the total number of grams. When I eat raw vegetables I just use that recipe to log them instead of weighing each separately.

    Note that I used vegetables like cucumbers, tomatoes, etc and not starchy vegetables such as potatoes in this recipe, as the latter tend to be higher in calories. I still eat potatoes but weigh them separately.
  • HeliumIsNoble
    HeliumIsNoble Posts: 1,213 Member
    The standard issue salad-dodger can lose weight without counting vegetables. :D However, if you eat a lot of fruit, you'll need to count them.

    At the moment, I log my vegetables meticulously, but I'm doing that to check I meet my protein and vitamin goals, not because I'm concerned a small bag of salad and a tomato in my sandwich might make me overweight.
  • ChristopherLimoges
    ChristopherLimoges Posts: 298 Member
    I usually put in every item used for the recipe/meal.
  • kazminchu
    kazminchu Posts: 250 Member
    I make a "fried rice" which is almost exclusively vegetables. Excluding the sauce, chicken and egg I add to it, it's easily 250-300 calories. Of pure vegetables. My lunchtime salad has 96 calories of vegetables. I cram as much veg into my main meals as possible, so I easily get 2-300 calories of vegetables a day, which is a fair portion of my 1400 total. So yes, I log them. I generally don't weigh the lower calorie ones like lettuce/cucumber precisely, but things like carrots/butternut squash/sweetcorn/peas do get weighed as they have enough calories to make a fair difference.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited May 2017
    jessicaflanders3 wrote: »
    Does everyone add vegetables into their daily calories intake?

    Yep, always have when I am bothering logging at all. When logging one thing I want is my TDEE and my macros, and I eat a lot of vegetables, so it would be really off if I did not include them. Also, I like to see that I am eating a good diet, including enough and a variety of veg, so see logging them as helpful for that goal. Looking back to see when I struggled and when I did not, without logging veg two days would look the same if one were low cal but no/low veg and one were normal cal/lots of veg, and it's IMO good to be able to see the difference. Besides I like using logging to focus on nutrition, not just calories.

    Currently I log for another reason -- I'm low carbing and vegetables are my main source of carbs. I'd have no clue how many I was eating if I didn't log veg. But that won't apply to everyone. It can be interesting to see what your macro ratios are, though. Also, you do get some protein in veg, which helps with that count.
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
    My vegetables of choice are normally low calorie, high volume ones and therefore do not log them. This coupled with a healthy TDEE means that I have no issues with underestimating my intake.
  • Zinka61
    Zinka61 Posts: 563 Member
    I'm aiming for the recommended 10 servings of fruit and veggies a day, and that can certainly add up--Yes, I log them!
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    I sure do log them. 200-300 calories is a decent chunk of my daily calorie budget.
  • Lorilynn_37
    Lorilynn_37 Posts: 87 Member
    Some of the veggies have very few calories!
    So I can see where you would think it's ok not to log.
    But I've realized that sometimes the raw veggies are my go to snacks so if they are only 5 cal or even 25 cals they add up fast when you have them a few times a day..
  • CiaIgle
    CiaIgle Posts: 72 Member
    I use the same rule for almost any food: I log if I understand it's more than 5 cals.

    Under that rule, even the simplest side salad (no dressing) should be logged.

    I exclude coffee, tea and sweeteners.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    If someone isn't eating very many vegetables, I think they can probably get away without logging them. I'd still want to see them because I like to know how many calories I'm actually eating (I log low calorie condiments and coffee too). But it would never work for me because I can eat hundreds of calories of vegetables in a day. Vegetables, even those that we think of as lower calorie, do have calories. I ate 80 calories worth of iceberg lettuce the other day and when someone is working with a small deficit, that can make a difference.
  • jessicaflanders3
    jessicaflanders3 Posts: 23 Member
    Thanks all. I have found i am finding it really hard to stay under 1200 calories already, thats without counting vegetables.> And I would probably find myself swapping out vegetables for something more filling like bread for those 200 calories. I guess i just need to keep working at finding myself low calorie food that I like.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    jessicaflanders3 wrote: »
    Thanks all. I have found i am finding it really hard to stay under 1200 calories already, thats without counting vegetables.> And I would probably find myself swapping out vegetables for something more filling like bread for those 200 calories. I guess i just need to keep working at finding myself low calorie food that I like.

    Why is your goal under 1,200 calories? 1,200 is generally considered to be the lowest that a woman should go.
  • dfwesq
    dfwesq Posts: 592 Member
    edited May 2017
    I agree with questions about the calorie goal. Unless you're under a doctor's supervision, that sounds too low.

    I log foods that have more than just a minimal number of calories, and anything with significant fiber or nutritional value. If I were eating, say, a prepared mixed salad with a couple of radish slices and a sprinkling of shredded carrot, I wouldn't bother to log those, although I'd log anything there was a substantial amount of. That's probably more important early in the calorie-tracking process than it is later, because you're still learning.

    By the way, MFP will track things like fiber intake, and you might want to know about that. So logging vegetables will help give a more accurate picture of that.
  • ceiswyn
    ceiswyn Posts: 2,256 Member
    jessicaflanders3 wrote: »
    And I would probably find myself swapping out vegetables for something more filling like bread for those 200 calories. I guess i just need to keep working at finding myself low calorie food that I like.

    A slice and a half of bread is unlikely to be significantly more filling than a nice big bowl of veg with a little sauce. Though if that's what you want, you should have it; at least on occasion.

    Vegetables are really good value if your diet is very low calorie (I'm not getting into the advisability of that). You can eat lots of them for few calories, and they're packed with vitamins, minerals and fibre. They're low calorie. They're just not no calorie.
  • jessicaflanders3
    jessicaflanders3 Posts: 23 Member
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    jessicaflanders3 wrote: »
    Thanks all. I have found i am finding it really hard to stay under 1200 calories already, thats without counting vegetables.> And I would probably find myself swapping out vegetables for something more filling like bread for those 200 calories. I guess i just need to keep working at finding myself low calorie food that I like.

    Why is your goal under 1,200 calories? 1,200 is generally considered to be the lowest that a woman should go.

    Hi mfp set my target as 1200. I put " lightly active" as I only do 20 - 30 mins of hiit ( high intensity training on my fitness blender) and 10 000 steps a day but Im not going super fast with those. I do wear a garmin band though so mfp updates with activity and gives me " extra" calories. for the excersise. Because Im ( mostly) a vegetarian , ( i eat grilled chicken and thats about it) I get bored and I'm a snacker. Food is definitely going to be my biggest challenge here. When I quit smoking 7 years ago, I definitly turned to food. Always had to have a bowl of popcorn or something to snack on . Hence why im now 45 kilos over weight STILL ..
  • jessicaflanders3
    jessicaflanders3 Posts: 23 Member
    dfwesq wrote: »
    I agree with questions about the calorie goal. Unless you're under a doctor's supervision, that sounds too low.

    I log foods that have more than just a minimal number of calories, and anything with significant fiber or nutritional value. If I were eating, say, a prepared mixed salad with a couple of radish slices and a sprinkling of shredded carrot, I wouldn't bother to log those, although I'd log anything there was a substantial amount of. That's probably more important early in the calorie-tracking process than it is later, because you're still learning.

    By the way, MFP will track things like fiber intake, and you might want to know about that. So logging vegetables will help give a more accurate picture of that.

    I actually was surprised at my sugar and sodium intake when I saw it on mfp so your definitely right about viewing those nutrients. I couldnt believe how much I went over in my sodium!!!
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    jessicaflanders3 wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    jessicaflanders3 wrote: »
    Thanks all. I have found i am finding it really hard to stay under 1200 calories already, thats without counting vegetables.> And I would probably find myself swapping out vegetables for something more filling like bread for those 200 calories. I guess i just need to keep working at finding myself low calorie food that I like.

    Why is your goal under 1,200 calories? 1,200 is generally considered to be the lowest that a woman should go.

    Hi mfp set my target as 1200. I put " lightly active" as I only do 20 - 30 mins of hiit ( high intensity training on my fitness blender) and 10 000 steps a day but Im not going super fast with those. I do wear a garmin band though so mfp updates with activity and gives me " extra" calories. for the excersise. Because Im ( mostly) a vegetarian , ( i eat grilled chicken and thats about it) I get bored and I'm a snacker. Food is definitely going to be my biggest challenge here. When I quit smoking 7 years ago, I definitly turned to food. Always had to have a bowl of popcorn or something to snack on . Hence why im now 45 kilos over weight STILL ..

    If your goal is 1,200, you don't have to be under that. You can eat at that and still be at a deficit. Plus, you have your exercise calories. Are you eating those?
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
    edited May 2017
    Here's the thing...if you're not logging your vegetables, you're introducing inaccuracy into your log. If you're saying "the only way I can be under 1200 calories is if I don't log my vegetables," it means you're not actually eating below 1200. Your body records those calories even if you don't write them down. It also means that later, if you want to make adjustments to your intake, you'll have a harder time because your data tracking isn't accurate.

    MFP almost certainly gave you 1200 calories to eat because you told it you'd like to lose 2 pounds per week. If you have 45 kilos to lose, 2 pounds is an okay target, but weight loss isn't about losing as much as possible. It's about finding a rate of loss that you can stick to for a long period of time. You'll have better success dropping your target slightly if it means that you can eat enough calories to leave you satiated, because that means you'll be able to stay in your deficit for longer.

    If you tell MFP you want to lose 1.5 pounds per week, how many calories does it give you? Would that allow you to eat your vegetables (which you should eat anyway, because they're good for you) AND another piece of bread if you want one?
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,287 Member
    I found it helpful to log everything. That way, I could use my actual weight loss rate along with my eating and exercise calories to make a very good estimate of my maintenance calories, the effect of changes in eating or exercise, or anything like that. If I fail to log several hundred calories daily, but the un-logged amount varies, I've given up any chances at reasonable accuracy in those kinds of estimates (I usually eat at least 200-300 calories of veggies & fruit daily).

    (Calculators like MFP's, and fitness devices, are based on research studies and averages that come out of them. Weight loss results are based on each of us as an individual - more accurate.)
  • pellmell12
    pellmell12 Posts: 1 Member
    I log them because I want to see their fiber and vitamins on the nutrition summary, and because I feel like if I skip logging things because they don't count, that's a slippery slope. I enter everything.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    If your maintenance calories are 2,000...and you ate 2,000 calories plus another 300 calories in vegetables ('cuz they don't count), guess what'll happen over time?

    If your weight loss calories are 1,500 to lose 1 Lb per week and you eat 1,500 calories plus another 300 calories in vegetables ('cuz they don't count)...well, you've basically cut your deficit to 200 calories per day rather than 500 calories per day.

    When I logged, I was a lot looser with veg and fruit, but I still logged it 'cuz it still has calories. I eat around 200-300 calories per day in veg easy.
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