FRUIT and VEGGIES = CALORIES?!
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Not counting fruits and veggies on WW is why I failed at it. It's one thing to eat a bowl of cataloupe... but when you eat the whole damn cantaloupe it's going to be a problem.0
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Now that I am reading eveyone's post, I realize that I eat a lot of FRUIT and not so many veggies. That's why those calories add up quicker. I think I need to start eating more veggies when I want a healthy snack!
Yes! Or go (as someone else mentioned) for something like watermelon
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There's more to food than calories, you know. Fiber, vitamins, minerals, protein, phytonutrients, antioxidants....
Go ahead and quit logging them. They do still have calories and they'll pile up while you pretend to ignore them.
Instead, why don't you cut things with less redeeming value? Chips, soda, sitting on the couch...0 -
Why stop at fruit and veggies? Why bother logging anything at all?0
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Sooo.. I just have to say that I have had great success with mfp... and I never log my veggies. I log my fruit because it is higher in carbs and sugar and anything that I add to/dip my veggies in, but never the veggies themselves. Having said that, you have to find whatever system works for you and go with that! Good luck!! :glasses:0
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Two cups of arugula has only 20 calories. And it has a great zesty flavor so you don't even need anything on it. Yummy!0
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To try to keep my calories down I try to eat a lot of fruit and veggies but I always get frustrated because it's 100 calories here and there and eventually they add up. Is there any "free" food that doesn't have calories? I know WW allows you to eat fruit and veggies for no points. I'm tempted to not include fruits and veggies in my tracking... Does anyone do that?
If fruits and veggies are using up most of your calories that is a good thing. It is as it should be. What advantage would there be to ignoring all those calories?
Plain lettuce or celery probably could be considered free foods. They do have calories but it's so few that you could eat a big plateful and still not make much difference.0 -
You can pretend fruits and vegetables don't have calories, but your body doesn't change it's metabolic function according to your denial.0
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If it goes in my mouth, it gets written down somewhere...0
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I have had to reduce the amount of fruit I eat since joining MFP - I always ate a healthy diet - loads of fruits and vegetables because that is what I have always been told is healthy but I was 21lbs over the healthy weight for my height!
Turns out I was actually eating too many calories of fruit (if there was such a thing as a fruit junkie that was me). I still eat alot of fruit and veg but I have reduced how much fruit and chosen lower calorie fruits - bananas are a nightmare when counting calories and I used to eat at least 1 a day!
I have now lost 28lbs and feel alot better for it and I log every mounthful/calorie of fruit and veg.
There really can be too much of a good thing!0 -
No free foods.......but......watermelon season is upon us and that is super low in calories.........47 calories per cup.
That reminds me of a recurring question I have...what exactly is a cup of watermelon? How do you measure that out?
As a guy that relies on his digital scale to solve problems like this, I sure wish more of the foods in the database were in there based on weight instead of volume.
I have wondered the same thing!! Especially since I buy the watermelon that is cut into chunks at the store, depending on the size of the chunk I have no idea if I am eating a cup. :huh: <-- that's me confused!0 -
No free foods.......but......watermelon season is upon us and that is super low in calories.........47 calories per cup.
That reminds me of a recurring question I have...what exactly is a cup of watermelon? How do you measure that out?
As a guy that relies on his digital scale to solve problems like this, I sure wish more of the foods in the database were in there based on weight instead of volume.
Brace yourself; this is a highly advanced food measuring technique:
Weigh empty measuring cup. Fill measuring cup with watermelon flesh. Weigh full measuring cup. Subtract.0 -
God keeps track in a giant book in Heaven.If it goes in my mouth, it gets written down somewhere...0 -
The benefit, even though they have calories, is that they pack a filling and nutritional punch (much more nutrition per-calorie than a lot of other foods). Celery is low (14 calories per half cup), and I think broccoli is as well. Regardless, if you use vegetables as a "filler" in place of higher calorie foods (like mashed potatoes, rice pilaf, etc), you'll be getting just as full, even more nutrition, and conserving calories. The trick is to use vegetables as a REPLACEMENT not an ADDITION to your diet.
I did WW for a year, and yes, they give you free fruits and vegetables, but their system is not calorie-counting based. It's based on carbs/fat/protein/fiber. Fiber and protein cancel out carbs and fat in their system, and obviously, veggies and fruit are high in fiber so it negates the sugar (carbs) according to their equation. I did lose 20 pounds on WW, so it isn't flawed logic, but you can't successfully mix their logic with the MFP program. MFP looks at calorie counting only for the purpose of your daily allowance, and fruit and veg do have calories.0 -
celery, cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini ....
Basically all high water content veggies will be lower in cals- munch away on these to get a "fuller" feeling, BUT always log everything in! If you're going over in cals, you'll have to exercise more to make up the difference- it's basic math.0 -
french's mustard has no calories.0
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Get yourself a measuring cup, put the watermelon chunks in the cup until it equals 1 cup... it won't be exact (because there are open areas of air pockets in the cup), but it will be close enough to give you an idea of a portion size. When all else fails, remember that the size of a closed fist, for most people, is around a cup. If you're especially petite or large, this may not be true.0
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The benefit, even though they have calories, is that they pack a filling and nutritional punch (much more nutrition per-calorie than a lot of other foods). Celery is low (14 calories per half cup), and I think broccoli is as well. Regardless, if you use vegetables as a "filler" in place of higher calorie foods (like mashed potatoes, rice pilaf, etc), you'll be getting just as full, even more nutrition, and conserving calories. The trick is to use vegetables as a REPLACEMENT not an ADDITION to your diet.
I did WW for a year, and yes, they give you free fruits and vegetables, but their system is not calorie-counting based. It's based on carbs/fat/protein/fiber. Fiber and protein cancel out carbs and fat in their system, and obviously, veggies and fruit are high in fiber so it negates the sugar (carbs) according to their equation. I did lose 20 pounds on WW, so it isn't flawed logic, but you can't successfully mix their logic with the MFP program. MFP looks at calorie counting only for the purpose of your daily allowance, and fruit and veg do have calories.
Nice response! Very informative. Thanks!0 -
When you eat it in whatever the serving size is, it will be a negligible amount. If you eat more, the calories will stack up incrementally.french's mustard has no calories.0 -
Healthy food is used totally different by the body..... So a calorie is not a calorie. They are finally figuring this out.... It was pretty obvious to me though, because I can eat waaaay more when I'm eating only healthy. Also my body looks 100 times better, and loses the gross belly fat! I could eat double the calories if I eat healthy food then junk!0
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Why stop at fruit and veggies? Why bother logging anything at all?
I'm not feeling your "tough love" support. Kind of annoying..0 -
Is this topic for real? You're complaining about the calories in delicious, nutritious fruits and veggies??? :huh: Try eating a pound of McDonald's product and then eat a pound of whatever mix of fruits and veggies and then tell me which one had more calories and try to ask me if I'll care about the less calorie dense option.
This topic makes me think you might be the type that would fill up their car with gasoline and then ask if you can put anything in it that won't make it drive.0 -
Water doesn't have calories.
If you are looking for something to chew without added calories try ice.0 -
No free foods.......but......watermelon season is upon us and that is super low in calories.........47 calories per cup.
That reminds me of a recurring question I have...what exactly is a cup of watermelon? How do you measure that out?
As a guy that relies on his digital scale to solve problems like this, I sure wish more of the foods in the database were in there based on weight instead of volume.
Fruits and vegetables that have been entered by MFP staff (no*) from the USDA website almost always have the ability to enter the amount in grams. I almost always use that since I'm not one to cram my food into measuring cups and hope that I got the gaps between the chunks of food just the same way as the scientist that determined the calorie count for a cup or whatever.0 -
i include all the fruit and veggies i eat - edamame is good from the research i have done those are 2 - 3 calories per pod. strawberries are good they range from 2 - 6. raspberries are also really low. i eat a lot of cuties - those are a bit more at 40 but worth it.0
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I am not so sure about the foods that have zero net calories as the main one everyone says is celery and i don't care much for it. But, i have been enjoying strawberries or kiwi, which are pretty much just as filling as like a banana, but 5 large strawberries only have 30 calories and a kiwi only has less than 50 vs a banana that has like 90 plus.0
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The truth hurts sometimes, kiddo.
I'm not feeling your "tough love" support. Kind of annoying..Why stop at fruit and veggies? Why bother logging anything at all?0 -
I count everything I eat. I used to do WW as well, and will give you a little quote my WW leader used to tell us.
"I wouldn't worry too much about the fruits and veggies, no one ever got fat eating to many apples!!! " 0 -
Healthy food is used totally different by the body..... So a calorie is not a calorie. They are finally figuring this out.... It was pretty obvious to me though, because I can eat waaaay more when I'm eating only healthy. Also my body looks 100 times better, and loses the gross belly fat! I could eat double the calories if I eat healthy food then junk!
I know there are some people on here who consider themselves fitness experts and would disagree with someone saying something like this. But, i totally agree with you!!! Well said!0 -
I'm no expert but I've heard that it takes more calories to eat and digest celery than what it actually contains. If that's true, it has a calorie deficit built in!0
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