Do you have to count fruit and veg in your calories

The closer you get to your goal weight, the tighter your calorie counting needs to be. You don’t have to count them, but if your are not losing any weight I’d starting counting them.

A calorie is a calorie. It’s a unit of measurement not an indicator of ‘healthfulness’.

As said, whether you count them or not, your body does. It doesn’t care if the calories it gets are from a serving of carrots or a chocolate eclair! If those calories are in excess of the calories you’re using by living, moving etc you will gain weight.

As a vegetarian I’d be in a right mess if I didn’t count the calories in vegetables or fruit, since the majority of my meals are foods classed as vegetables and fruit!

Oh and also, the amount of water you drink has zero effect on weight loss. Drink to remain adequately hydrated, that’s all you need, extra will only mean you burn a few extra calories walking to the bathroom more often! 😂

If you don’t want to count them, and are getting the results you want, then don’t count them. If you’re not getting your expected and realistic results, you might need to track more closely, including healthy fruits and veggies.

The thing about Slimming World’s “free foods” list is it’s idiotic. You can very easily eat a surplus and gain weight eating nothing but their free foods. In the real world, calories still count towards your daily intake.

A calorie is a unit of energy. Excess energy gets stored. This happens whether or not the food you eat is healthy. You can lose weight eating nothing but Twinkies (a researcher did this once) and you can gain weight eating nothing but vegetables.

Drinking too much water isn’t necessary and can even kill you by causing an imbalance of electrolytes. Drink enough water to not be thirsty and then stop.

Yes, a calorie is a calorie and 400 calories of fruit counts just as much as 400 calories of chocolate for weight loss.

"I’m also drinking 4 litres of water a day is this good and could help promote weight loss?"

Why 4 litres? No-one can tell if that appropriate for you but no forcing yourself to drink a lot of water doesn't promote weight loss and can be harmful if excessive.

4 litres could be just right (or not!) on a day I do a long bike ride, especially if the weather is warm. It could be more than I need if the weather was cool or I didn't ride far. I could also be getting lots of hydration from other drinks and my food - there are far too many variables to think one set amount is right for all people every day.

xx1chloe5xx wrote: »

But coz there healthy do they matter @L1zardQueen

Of course they matter. It's still energy and if you have an overabundance of it, you end up storing it. When you eat more than you need to, you gain weight. Simple mathematics.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Speakeasy76 wrote: »

I would definitely count fruits and higher starch/sugar veggies like carrots, but I vary on whether or not I include them in my calorie count. I mostly track them so I get "credit" for their nutritional value.

I believe the point in having some of those free foods is to encourage people to eat more of and fill up more on those kinds of foods. Obviously, a calorie from an apple or spinach is better for you than a protein bar, for example. Also, it's highly unlikely someone is going to gain weight or even not be able to lose weight from eating too much plain vegetables or fruit.

To the bolded, technically not obvious, perhaps even not true.

Probably the apple or spinach have fewer calories, but if you're consistently very short on protein, the protein bar might be better for you. (Spinach has some protein, but it's generally not very complete/balanced in terms of essential amino acids.)

Yes, I'm being pedantic. 🤷‍♀️

OP, I'm another person who eats hundreds of calories from vegetables and fruits on a typical day. They're good for a person, and most people would improve their nutrition if they ate more of them. But each calorie from them ends up adding to the daily calorie total, just like the calories from candy or cookies. That doesn't make them equal when it comes to nutrition, satiation, etc.

There's nothing you "have to" do: You don't have to count veggies/fruits, you don't have to calorie count, heck, in one sense, you don't even have to lose weight. It's all choices. The combinations of choices that get you to your goals, and don't injure yourself or others, are good choices.

I'd suggest that if you want to see whether a weight loss method works for you, you should take a couple of months and use that method in the way it intends for you to use it. If you're doing Slimming World, follow their rules. If you're using MFP, follow MFP's directions. If, at the start, you try to cherry pick the parts you like from a bunch of different approaches, you're greatly increasing your odds of spinning your wheels, getting nowhere.

Later, if you see results with a method, that's a better time to experiment with variations to make it easier or pleasanter. It'll be much easier to evaluate, then, whether the variations are neutral, helpful, or destructive when it comes to goal accomplishment.

Best wishes for success!