Do you include/count calories from fruits &a veggies?
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I eat a lot of fruit and one serving of veggies (cause health) so I count it and honestly if I didn't I'd probably eat an extra candy bar or something thinking I have calories left when in reality I don't. That's not fair to myself.4
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Ericnutrition wrote: »So if you make a normal-sized salad with five ingredients (say lettuce, cucumber, tomato, carrots, onions), do you really want to spend the time to weigh each item? I doubt it.
Weighing lettuce indicates an unhealthy compulsion. Enjoy life!
Speaking as someone who did have an unhealthy compulsion or two surrounding food for a while, no. The simple act of weighing lettuce does not indicate that there is anything unhealthy or a compulsion happening. That act, by itself, is not enough to diagnose anything at all and your choice to hyperbolize and twist the answers here as "unhealthy compulsions" is not a "little comment" no matter how you try to rewrite your own posting history.7 -
Ericnutrition wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Ericnutrition wrote: »MegaMooseEsq wrote: »Ericnutrition wrote: »The problem with calorie counting for life, like a plant-based vegan diet, is that when it is suggested to people trying to lose weight, they will either refuse to do it, or try it and fail. That is the reality, like it or not. Just because most posters here have succeeded (like most posters on a plant-based vegan page have succeeded), doesn't mean you are going to get more than a tiny fraction of the population to try it and/or succeed.
Calorie counting is actually a great concept, because most overweight people have absolutely no clue how many calories they are eating. The lack of awareness is frightening. But again, the idea of counting calories for life is a total turnoff for most.
You could get a lot more people to count calories if it was suggested as a short-term solution. So let's say you count calories for two months and are successful in meeting your goals. But your sick of counting calories. So you just stop counting. Or, if you like counting, you can be a calorie counter for life.
And because you stop counting, it doesn't mean you are going to start eating 1,300-calorie fast-food lunches, and giant pieces of cheesecake for desert at dinner. In those two months, you have learned what you can eat, and what you can't eat to meet your goals.
Make sure you weigh yourself every few days. If for some reason you gain a couple of pounds, you can start counting again.
Stating that they have to count every morsel of food (including lettuce and spinach) they eat for the rest of their lives is not exactly going to bring lots of newbies onto the calorie counting bandwagon, no matter how easy it is to count.
So I am actually pro-calorie counting. But I am also looking at reality.
I'm puzzled by the intention behind your posts. Saying that one weighs and logs fruits and veggies *while actively calorie counting* doesn't mean that person intends to calorie count for life. I completely agree with you that many people would do fine logging for a while and then just watching the scale. I think among active posters here, it's most common to calorie count while maintaining a deficit, then stop while in maintenance, but I've never seen a bunch of people arguing that everyone needs to do this exactly the same way for success. I know that I personally find it easiest to maintain a deficit though calorie counting because the amount I eat varies throughout the week, which can make it hard to know if I'm on track from day to day. But hey, whatever works.
Newbies post here and are told by many posters to log absolutely everything. 100%. I believe that is counterproductive.
Plant based vegans would have much more success with newbies if they told them it's OK not be plant based for let's say four or five times a month (eggs, steak, grilled chicken, fish, etc.). But they never suggest that and in fact, they will tell you that doing that will kill you (see the bestselling book "How Not to Die" by Dr. Greger).
And that is just as counterproductive as telling a newbie to calorie counting to weigh all the veggies in a typical salad.
Just my opinion.
Since veganism is an ethical position on animal exploitation, it should be pretty understandable why vegans aren't telling people to eat steak and chicken.
A plant-based diet does not have to mean you are a vegan. You can have a plant-based diet strictly for health reasons, and therefore wear leather. Vegans don't wear leather. They don't even eat honey.
I have no problem with vegans. But the internet vegan gurus lie and say that a plant-based diet is the only way to be healthy. Nothing could be further from the truth.
But you didn't say just "plant-based," you specifically mentioned "Plant based vegans would have much more success with newbies . . . " If you had said that plant-based people should recommend people eat steak and chicken, I wouldn't have said anything at all because I'm aware of the difference between the two categories.
Also, I'm not sure why you are so fixated on veganism and keep bringing it up even though it has nothing to do with the subject of the thread. The question of whether or not one will choose to log fruits and vegetables is faced by virtually everyone, it isn't limited to vegans or those on plant-based diets.4 -
Ericnutrition wrote: »So if you make a normal-sized salad with five ingredients (say lettuce, cucumber, tomato, carrots, onions), do you really want to spend the time to weigh each item? I doubt it.
Weighing lettuce indicates an unhealthy compulsion. Enjoy life!
I made my 3 lunch salads for this week this morning. I weigh all of the lettuce, spinach, celery, carrots, and cucumbers. I wasn't before and was over estimating.4 -
Ericnutrition wrote: »Ericnutrition wrote: »MegaMooseEsq wrote: »Ericnutrition wrote: »The problem with calorie counting for life, like a plant-based vegan diet, is that when it is suggested to people trying to lose weight, they will either refuse to do it, or try it and fail. That is the reality, like it or not. Just because most posters here have succeeded (like most posters on a plant-based vegan page have succeeded), doesn't mean you are going to get more than a tiny fraction of the population to try it and/or succeed.
Calorie counting is actually a great concept, because most overweight people have absolutely no clue how many calories they are eating. The lack of awareness is frightening. But again, the idea of counting calories for life is a total turnoff for most.
You could get a lot more people to count calories if it was suggested as a short-term solution. So let's say you count calories for two months and are successful in meeting your goals. But your sick of counting calories. So you just stop counting. Or, if you like counting, you can be a calorie counter for life.
And because you stop counting, it doesn't mean you are going to start eating 1,300-calorie fast-food lunches, and giant pieces of cheesecake for desert at dinner. In those two months, you have learned what you can eat, and what you can't eat to meet your goals.
Make sure you weigh yourself every few days. If for some reason you gain a couple of pounds, you can start counting again.
Stating that they have to count every morsel of food (including lettuce and spinach) they eat for the rest of their lives is not exactly going to bring lots of newbies onto the calorie counting bandwagon, no matter how easy it is to count.
So I am actually pro-calorie counting. But I am also looking at reality.
I'm puzzled by the intention behind your posts. Saying that one weighs and logs fruits and veggies *while actively calorie counting* doesn't mean that person intends to calorie count for life. I completely agree with you that many people would do fine logging for a while and then just watching the scale. I think among active posters here, it's most common to calorie count while maintaining a deficit, then stop while in maintenance, but I've never seen a bunch of people arguing that everyone needs to do this exactly the same way for success. I know that I personally find it easiest to maintain a deficit though calorie counting because the amount I eat varies throughout the week, which can make it hard to know if I'm on track from day to day. But hey, whatever works.
Newbies post here and are told by many posters to log absolutely everything. 100%. I believe that is counterproductive.
Plant based vegans would have much more success with newbies if they told them it's OK not be plant based for let's say four or five times a month (eggs, steak, grilled chicken, fish, etc.). But they never suggest that and in fact, will tell you that eating that food will kill you (see the bestselling book "How Not to Die" by Dr. Greger).
And that is just as counterproductive as telling a newbie to calorie counting to weigh all the veggies in a typical salad.
Just my opinion.
Why do you keep bringing up vegans?
Vegans (plant-based diet) say you can't be healthy unless you eat a 100% plant-based diet. Calorie counters tell newbies that 100% of the food and drink consumed must be counted. Both notions are false.
Having said that, there is nothing wrong with a plant-based vegan diet, and nothing wrong with counting every calorie. It's just that very few people will even try to do either one.
So vegans should be happy convincing people to be mainly vegan (plant based diet + some animal fats), and calorie counters should be happy convincing people to count most calories, or at least develop an awareness of calories.
I doubt most people having their morning bagel with low-fat cream cheese, a 12-ounce orange juice, and coffee with two or three sugars, have a clue to how many calories they are consuming. They need to know if they want to lose weight.
Correction: some vegans say that, it isn't a universally held vegan position. Those in the science-based vegan community know there isn't evidence to support that assertion so they tend not to make it.
You can't be "mainly vegan." Again, veganism is an ethical position on animal exploitation. You either oppose it or you don't. People can reduce their consumption of animal products. I recommend that you learn more about veganism before you continue making sweeping conclusions about vegan beliefs and/or practices.6 -
I track everything, also if you are doing great it's helpful that others can see your Diary and get ideas from you.1
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Ericnutrition wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Ericnutrition wrote: »MegaMooseEsq wrote: »Ericnutrition wrote: »The problem with calorie counting for life, like a plant-based vegan diet, is that when it is suggested to people trying to lose weight, they will either refuse to do it, or try it and fail. That is the reality, like it or not. Just because most posters here have succeeded (like most posters on a plant-based vegan page have succeeded), doesn't mean you are going to get more than a tiny fraction of the population to try it and/or succeed.
Calorie counting is actually a great concept, because most overweight people have absolutely no clue how many calories they are eating. The lack of awareness is frightening. But again, the idea of counting calories for life is a total turnoff for most.
You could get a lot more people to count calories if it was suggested as a short-term solution. So let's say you count calories for two months and are successful in meeting your goals. But your sick of counting calories. So you just stop counting. Or, if you like counting, you can be a calorie counter for life.
And because you stop counting, it doesn't mean you are going to start eating 1,300-calorie fast-food lunches, and giant pieces of cheesecake for desert at dinner. In those two months, you have learned what you can eat, and what you can't eat to meet your goals.
Make sure you weigh yourself every few days. If for some reason you gain a couple of pounds, you can start counting again.
Stating that they have to count every morsel of food (including lettuce and spinach) they eat for the rest of their lives is not exactly going to bring lots of newbies onto the calorie counting bandwagon, no matter how easy it is to count.
So I am actually pro-calorie counting. But I am also looking at reality.
I'm puzzled by the intention behind your posts. Saying that one weighs and logs fruits and veggies *while actively calorie counting* doesn't mean that person intends to calorie count for life. I completely agree with you that many people would do fine logging for a while and then just watching the scale. I think among active posters here, it's most common to calorie count while maintaining a deficit, then stop while in maintenance, but I've never seen a bunch of people arguing that everyone needs to do this exactly the same way for success. I know that I personally find it easiest to maintain a deficit though calorie counting because the amount I eat varies throughout the week, which can make it hard to know if I'm on track from day to day. But hey, whatever works.
Newbies post here and are told by many posters to log absolutely everything. 100%. I believe that is counterproductive.
Plant based vegans would have much more success with newbies if they told them it's OK not be plant based for let's say four or five times a month (eggs, steak, grilled chicken, fish, etc.). But they never suggest that and in fact, they will tell you that doing that will kill you (see the bestselling book "How Not to Die" by Dr. Greger).
And that is just as counterproductive as telling a newbie to calorie counting to weigh all the veggies in a typical salad.
Just my opinion.
Since veganism is an ethical position on animal exploitation, it should be pretty understandable why vegans aren't telling people to eat steak and chicken.
A plant-based diet does not have to mean you are a vegan. You can have a plant-based diet strictly for health reasons, and therefore wear leather. Vegans don't wear leather. They don't even eat honey.
I have no problem with vegans. But the internet vegan gurus lie and say that a plant-based diet is the only way to be healthy. Nothing could be further from the truth.
You do realize, that you are the one that used the term plant based vegan, and said they should eat meat and eggs right?
5 -
If it has calories and goes in your mouth it should be counted.6
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Ericnutrition wrote: »MegaMooseEsq wrote: »Ericnutrition wrote: »The problem with calorie counting for life, like a plant-based vegan diet, is that when it is suggested to people trying to lose weight, they will either refuse to do it, or try it and fail. That is the reality, like it or not. Just because most posters here have succeeded (like most posters on a plant-based vegan page have succeeded), doesn't mean you are going to get more than a tiny fraction of the population to try it and/or succeed.
Calorie counting is actually a great concept, because most overweight people have absolutely no clue how many calories they are eating. The lack of awareness is frightening. But again, the idea of counting calories for life is a total turnoff for most.
You could get a lot more people to count calories if it was suggested as a short-term solution. So let's say you count calories for two months and are successful in meeting your goals. But your sick of counting calories. So you just stop counting. Or, if you like counting, you can be a calorie counter for life.
And because you stop counting, it doesn't mean you are going to start eating 1,300-calorie fast-food lunches, and giant pieces of cheesecake for desert at dinner. In those two months, you have learned what you can eat, and what you can't eat to meet your goals.
Make sure you weigh yourself every few days. If for some reason you gain a couple of pounds, you can start counting again.
Stating that they have to count every morsel of food (including lettuce and spinach) they eat for the rest of their lives is not exactly going to bring lots of newbies onto the calorie counting bandwagon, no matter how easy it is to count.
So I am actually pro-calorie counting. But I am also looking at reality.
I'm puzzled by the intention behind your posts. Saying that one weighs and logs fruits and veggies *while actively calorie counting* doesn't mean that person intends to calorie count for life. I completely agree with you that many people would do fine logging for a while and then just watching the scale. I think among active posters here, it's most common to calorie count while maintaining a deficit, then stop while in maintenance, but I've never seen a bunch of people arguing that everyone needs to do this exactly the same way for success. I know that I personally find it easiest to maintain a deficit though calorie counting because the amount I eat varies throughout the week, which can make it hard to know if I'm on track from day to day. But hey, whatever works.
Newbies post here and are told by many posters to log absolutely everything. 100%. I believe that is counterproductive.
Plant based vegans would have much more success with newbies if they told them it's OK not be plant based for let's say four or five times a month (eggs, steak, grilled chicken, fish, etc.). But they never suggest that and in fact, will tell you that eating that food will kill you (see the bestselling book "How Not to Die" by Dr. Greger).
And that is just as counterproductive as telling a newbie to calorie counting to weigh all the veggies in a typical salad.
Just my opinion.
Are you sure that you're not conflating responses to "Why aren't I losing weight on 1200 calories a day?!" posts with newbie posts in general? And are you sure you're not conflating "this is what worked for me" with "you must do this and this only"?1 -
Ericnutrition wrote: »Ericnutrition wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Ericnutrition wrote: »MegaMooseEsq wrote: »Ericnutrition wrote: »The problem with calorie counting for life, like a plant-based vegan diet, is that when it is suggested to people trying to lose weight, they will either refuse to do it, or try it and fail. That is the reality, like it or not. Just because most posters here have succeeded (like most posters on a plant-based vegan page have succeeded), doesn't mean you are going to get more than a tiny fraction of the population to try it and/or succeed.
Calorie counting is actually a great concept, because most overweight people have absolutely no clue how many calories they are eating. The lack of awareness is frightening. But again, the idea of counting calories for life is a total turnoff for most.
You could get a lot more people to count calories if it was suggested as a short-term solution. So let's say you count calories for two months and are successful in meeting your goals. But your sick of counting calories. So you just stop counting. Or, if you like counting, you can be a calorie counter for life.
And because you stop counting, it doesn't mean you are going to start eating 1,300-calorie fast-food lunches, and giant pieces of cheesecake for desert at dinner. In those two months, you have learned what you can eat, and what you can't eat to meet your goals.
Make sure you weigh yourself every few days. If for some reason you gain a couple of pounds, you can start counting again.
Stating that they have to count every morsel of food (including lettuce and spinach) they eat for the rest of their lives is not exactly going to bring lots of newbies onto the calorie counting bandwagon, no matter how easy it is to count.
So I am actually pro-calorie counting. But I am also looking at reality.
I'm puzzled by the intention behind your posts. Saying that one weighs and logs fruits and veggies *while actively calorie counting* doesn't mean that person intends to calorie count for life. I completely agree with you that many people would do fine logging for a while and then just watching the scale. I think among active posters here, it's most common to calorie count while maintaining a deficit, then stop while in maintenance, but I've never seen a bunch of people arguing that everyone needs to do this exactly the same way for success. I know that I personally find it easiest to maintain a deficit though calorie counting because the amount I eat varies throughout the week, which can make it hard to know if I'm on track from day to day. But hey, whatever works.
Newbies post here and are told by many posters to log absolutely everything. 100%. I believe that is counterproductive.
Plant based vegans would have much more success with newbies if they told them it's OK not be plant based for let's say four or five times a month (eggs, steak, grilled chicken, fish, etc.). But they never suggest that and in fact, they will tell you that doing that will kill you (see the bestselling book "How Not to Die" by Dr. Greger).
And that is just as counterproductive as telling a newbie to calorie counting to weigh all the veggies in a typical salad.
Just my opinion.
Since veganism is an ethical position on animal exploitation, it should be pretty understandable why vegans aren't telling people to eat steak and chicken.
A plant-based diet does not have to mean you are a vegan. You can have a plant-based diet strictly for health reasons, and therefore wear leather. Vegans don't wear leather. They don't even eat honey.
I have no problem with vegans. But the internet vegan gurus lie and say that a plant-based diet is the only way to be healthy. Nothing could be further from the truth.
You do realize, that you are the one that used the term plant based vegan, and said they should eat meat and eggs right?
I said plant based vegans should try to convince reluctant people to eat a MOSTLY plant based diet, supplemented by (as little as possible), meat, chicken, fish and eggs). See the difference?
And then I pointed out why it's perfectly understandable why *vegans* wouldn't do that and you responded by saying that plant-based and vegan were two different things.
But you were the one who associated them in the first place.3 -
Ericnutrition wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Ericnutrition wrote: »Ericnutrition wrote: »MegaMooseEsq wrote: »Ericnutrition wrote: »The problem with calorie counting for life, like a plant-based vegan diet, is that when it is suggested to people trying to lose weight, they will either refuse to do it, or try it and fail. That is the reality, like it or not. Just because most posters here have succeeded (like most posters on a plant-based vegan page have succeeded), doesn't mean you are going to get more than a tiny fraction of the population to try it and/or succeed.
Calorie counting is actually a great concept, because most overweight people have absolutely no clue how many calories they are eating. The lack of awareness is frightening. But again, the idea of counting calories for life is a total turnoff for most.
You could get a lot more people to count calories if it was suggested as a short-term solution. So let's say you count calories for two months and are successful in meeting your goals. But your sick of counting calories. So you just stop counting. Or, if you like counting, you can be a calorie counter for life.
And because you stop counting, it doesn't mean you are going to start eating 1,300-calorie fast-food lunches, and giant pieces of cheesecake for desert at dinner. In those two months, you have learned what you can eat, and what you can't eat to meet your goals.
Make sure you weigh yourself every few days. If for some reason you gain a couple of pounds, you can start counting again.
Stating that they have to count every morsel of food (including lettuce and spinach) they eat for the rest of their lives is not exactly going to bring lots of newbies onto the calorie counting bandwagon, no matter how easy it is to count.
So I am actually pro-calorie counting. But I am also looking at reality.
I'm puzzled by the intention behind your posts. Saying that one weighs and logs fruits and veggies *while actively calorie counting* doesn't mean that person intends to calorie count for life. I completely agree with you that many people would do fine logging for a while and then just watching the scale. I think among active posters here, it's most common to calorie count while maintaining a deficit, then stop while in maintenance, but I've never seen a bunch of people arguing that everyone needs to do this exactly the same way for success. I know that I personally find it easiest to maintain a deficit though calorie counting because the amount I eat varies throughout the week, which can make it hard to know if I'm on track from day to day. But hey, whatever works.
Newbies post here and are told by many posters to log absolutely everything. 100%. I believe that is counterproductive.
Plant based vegans would have much more success with newbies if they told them it's OK not be plant based for let's say four or five times a month (eggs, steak, grilled chicken, fish, etc.). But they never suggest that and in fact, will tell you that eating that food will kill you (see the bestselling book "How Not to Die" by Dr. Greger).
And that is just as counterproductive as telling a newbie to calorie counting to weigh all the veggies in a typical salad.
Just my opinion.
Why do you keep bringing up vegans?
Vegans (plant-based diet) say you can't be healthy unless you eat a 100% plant-based diet. Calorie counters tell newbies that 100% of the food and drink consumed must be counted. Both notions are false.
Having said that, there is nothing wrong with a plant-based vegan diet, and nothing wrong with counting every calorie. It's just that very few people will even try to do either one.
So vegans should be happy convincing people to be mainly vegan (plant based diet + some animal fats), and calorie counters should be happy convincing people to count most calories, or at least develop an awareness of calories.
I doubt most people having their morning bagel with low-fat cream cheese, a 12-ounce orange juice, and coffee with two or three sugars, have a clue to how many calories they are consuming. They need to know if they want to lose weight.
Correction: some vegans say that, it isn't a universally held vegan position. Those in the science-based vegan community know there isn't evidence to support that assertion so they tend not to make it.
You can't be "mainly vegan." Again, veganism is an ethical position on animal exploitation. You either oppose it or you don't. People can reduce their consumption of animal products. I recommend that you learn more about veganism before you continue making sweeping conclusions about vegan beliefs and/or practices.
That 100% vegan should be happy if he/she can convince someone to eat animal protein once a week instead of everyday. It's called realism.
Same with a calorie counter who should be happy convincing a person who is totally clueless about calories and refuses to count them, to develop an AWARENESS of calories when it comes to weight loss, and that calories count, even if you don't count them.
Many vegans are happy when people reduce their consumption of animal products, but this isn't the same thing as being "mainly vegan" (a state that isn't possible).
A vegan contemplating a non-vegan is an entirely different thing than a calorie counter contemplating someone who doesn't understand calorie counting.
Veganism is an ethical position, calorie counting is just a tool. As as vegan, I have a wish that more people would consider veganism. As a calorie counter, I have no particular opinion on whether or not people should count calories. It has no ethical significance to me, it's only something I'd recommend to someone if they felt as if it would help them meet their goals.4 -
Ericnutrition wrote: »The problem with calorie counting for life, like a plant-based vegan diet, is that when it is suggested to people trying to lose weight, they will either refuse to do it, or try it and fail.
This makes no sense.
Lots of people successfully do a 100% plant-based diet. I don't think just wanting to lose weight is a good reason for such a diet (ethics, obviously, would be the main reason), but it's hardly too hard to do if one is motivated.
Calorie counting (does not have to be for life) also is not too difficult to do. Many of us here are evidence of that.
And it's especially funny you bring this up in a thread about counting fruits and veg. My reason for counting fruits and veg is (a) I cook mostly at home, and weighing and logging my vegetables when I am logging (I often don't log at maintenance) is no more difficult than logging only some of my food, and (b) my reason for logging is to understand my diet, including actual macros and whether I am getting the nutrition I think I am. If I ignore veg, my diet would look a lot less nutrition and my carbs would mostly disappear. Plus, I eat a substantial number of calories/carbs from vegetables, and feel good logging them.3 -
Ericnutrition wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Ericnutrition wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Ericnutrition wrote: »Ericnutrition wrote: »MegaMooseEsq wrote: »Ericnutrition wrote: »The problem with calorie counting for life, like a plant-based vegan diet, is that when it is suggested to people trying to lose weight, they will either refuse to do it, or try it and fail. That is the reality, like it or not. Just because most posters here have succeeded (like most posters on a plant-based vegan page have succeeded), doesn't mean you are going to get more than a tiny fraction of the population to try it and/or succeed.
Calorie counting is actually a great concept, because most overweight people have absolutely no clue how many calories they are eating. The lack of awareness is frightening. But again, the idea of counting calories for life is a total turnoff for most.
You could get a lot more people to count calories if it was suggested as a short-term solution. So let's say you count calories for two months and are successful in meeting your goals. But your sick of counting calories. So you just stop counting. Or, if you like counting, you can be a calorie counter for life.
And because you stop counting, it doesn't mean you are going to start eating 1,300-calorie fast-food lunches, and giant pieces of cheesecake for desert at dinner. In those two months, you have learned what you can eat, and what you can't eat to meet your goals.
Make sure you weigh yourself every few days. If for some reason you gain a couple of pounds, you can start counting again.
Stating that they have to count every morsel of food (including lettuce and spinach) they eat for the rest of their lives is not exactly going to bring lots of newbies onto the calorie counting bandwagon, no matter how easy it is to count.
So I am actually pro-calorie counting. But I am also looking at reality.
I'm puzzled by the intention behind your posts. Saying that one weighs and logs fruits and veggies *while actively calorie counting* doesn't mean that person intends to calorie count for life. I completely agree with you that many people would do fine logging for a while and then just watching the scale. I think among active posters here, it's most common to calorie count while maintaining a deficit, then stop while in maintenance, but I've never seen a bunch of people arguing that everyone needs to do this exactly the same way for success. I know that I personally find it easiest to maintain a deficit though calorie counting because the amount I eat varies throughout the week, which can make it hard to know if I'm on track from day to day. But hey, whatever works.
Newbies post here and are told by many posters to log absolutely everything. 100%. I believe that is counterproductive.
Plant based vegans would have much more success with newbies if they told them it's OK not be plant based for let's say four or five times a month (eggs, steak, grilled chicken, fish, etc.). But they never suggest that and in fact, will tell you that eating that food will kill you (see the bestselling book "How Not to Die" by Dr. Greger).
And that is just as counterproductive as telling a newbie to calorie counting to weigh all the veggies in a typical salad.
Just my opinion.
Why do you keep bringing up vegans?
Vegans (plant-based diet) say you can't be healthy unless you eat a 100% plant-based diet. Calorie counters tell newbies that 100% of the food and drink consumed must be counted. Both notions are false.
Having said that, there is nothing wrong with a plant-based vegan diet, and nothing wrong with counting every calorie. It's just that very few people will even try to do either one.
So vegans should be happy convincing people to be mainly vegan (plant based diet + some animal fats), and calorie counters should be happy convincing people to count most calories, or at least develop an awareness of calories.
I doubt most people having their morning bagel with low-fat cream cheese, a 12-ounce orange juice, and coffee with two or three sugars, have a clue to how many calories they are consuming. They need to know if they want to lose weight.
Correction: some vegans say that, it isn't a universally held vegan position. Those in the science-based vegan community know there isn't evidence to support that assertion so they tend not to make it.
You can't be "mainly vegan." Again, veganism is an ethical position on animal exploitation. You either oppose it or you don't. People can reduce their consumption of animal products. I recommend that you learn more about veganism before you continue making sweeping conclusions about vegan beliefs and/or practices.
That 100% vegan should be happy if he/she can convince someone to eat animal protein once a week instead of everyday. It's called realism.
Same with a calorie counter who should be happy convincing a person who is totally clueless about calories and refuses to count them, to develop an AWARENESS of calories when it comes to weight loss, and that calories count, even if you don't count them.
Many vegans are happy when people reduce their consumption of animal products, but this isn't the same thing as being "mainly vegan" (a state that isn't possible).
How about "slightly omnivore?"
I guess I question why someone who may eat fewer animal products than the average person needs a specific label at all. They would just be an omnivore, albeit one who prefers to get more of their calories from non-animal sources.2 -
alexiam1493 wrote: »Hey all I am trying to lose weight. I was part of weight watchers, which was working, but then I fell off the wagon and I'm trying the calorie counting approach. In weight watchers I was allowed to eat as many fruits & veggies and they were "0 points" so I'm wondering, how important is it to count fruits and veggie calories in this method (My fitness pal)?
Thanks!
I left WW just as they started point free fruit. I disagreed with the leader because fruit has calories/sugar. The leader responded "Well...just eat until you're satisfied" and I laughed "If I could do that, I wouldn't need to be here right now"
To answer your question, I count fruit.....I tend to NOT count raw green, leafy veggies.
So, lettuce/kale I won't count..but I'll count avocado.1 -
I log everything, not only for more accurate calorie totals, but for nutritional info as well. I pay attention to fiber as well as carbs and sugars (need to for medical reasons) and fruits and veggies have all 3.0
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