FRUIT and VEGGIES = CALORIES?!

13

Replies

  • Posts: 1,998 Member



    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!

    I hope that this helps: Dry measures (from a cooking book)

    16 tbsp = 1cup = 8oz = 1/2lb = 226.8gr
  • Posts: 13
    Before I started MFP, i was doing Slimming World. Although initially, years ago i lost a lot of weight with it, this time I didnt lose a thing hardly. As a fruit and veg on that are considered FREE foods on that diet, I used to eat boat loads as I thought I was being good. As a result I didnt lose anything. Since joining here I have realised how much i was eating, even being good food. I now eat a lot of veg and fruit on this diet as I like healthy food but I do not eat half as much fruit and I am slowly losing weight.
  • Posts: 99 Member
    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!

    ^^^^ this!!
    Fruit and Veggies should be tracked. I don't really agree with WW method to not track the fruit & veggies but I am guessing the "point system" allow those that barely ate fruit/veggies before WW are now eating more of these healthy foods since joining WW. SO that's a plus.
  • Posts: 99 Member
    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!
    I've heard that too...
  • Posts: 2,206 Member
    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!
    It's not true.
  • Posts: 3,569 Member
    No-meme-rage-face.jpg

    Not this again.

    There is no zero calorie food.
  • Posts: 94 Member
    Keep salad dressing, butter, dips, cheeses, caramel sauces and garnishes that have fat/cal away from your fruits and veggies - and it shouldn't be so bad. Try to do more veggies than fruit as veggies have fewer calories. Count potatoes and sweet potatoes as your carbs (though sweet potatoes are wondefully good for you and should be eaten (w/o butter or sugar) often). SOME veggies have a little more sugar (carrots, peas, corn) - but most are really low cal

    I would go for veggies like broccoli, cawliflower, celary, zuchini, cucumber, spinach (I can eat baby spinach out of the bag like potato chips and 3 cups has like 30 calories or something ridiculously low like that)

    Fruits - berries, melon, and grapefruits are your best friends.

    good luck
  • Posts: 3,566 Member
    You should realize that calories are not an enemy that automatically makes you fat if you eat any. You need calories to survive.

    Weight loss means you need to consume fewer calories, not NONE, and if you're looking for foods that have ZERO calories, you're either a) looking for loopholes to overeat, or b) taking the weight loss thing farther than is healthy.
  • Posts: 289 Member


    Nice response! Very informative. Thanks!
    Glad I could help! Good luck!
  • Posts: 1
    it's true that fruits and veggies have calories, but they have way less than complex carbs. If I were to cut out anything it would be bread before veggies. I have also heard that the fiber in foods impacts the calories you should count. For example, if you eat a food that is high in fiber (i.e. fruits and veggies) then your body uses more energy to digest them than it gains by eating them. In effect, these foods have negative calories. You still get the nutrients, however, which is the important part. Does anyone else know more about this "negative calorie" theory.
  • Posts: 215 Member
    I would have to tell you from experience the only reason weight watchers has free fruits and veggies is because they changed their formula and upped the points value of all their carbs and grains and other foods, they really arent free... I liked the old weight watchers better because someone would come to a meeting and be all bummed because they stayed the same or gained from eating to much fruit...its a hoax if you bite it write it!!!! trust me, you get more bang for your buck when eating some fruits and veggies but it all adds up!! There really arent any "free" foods but non starchy fruits and veggies have very minimal calories!!!
  • Posts: 3,966 Member
    The truth hurts sometimes, kiddo.
    It's usually called "tough titty" or pretty much "it is what it is," if you're that shocked about the astounding number of calories in natural food.
  • Posts: 10,477 Member
    A calorie is a calorie. A pound is a pound. It is a scientific method of measurement.

    Claiming otherwise is nonsense. Coming to a website that isn't Weight Watchers to lose weight yet choosing to keep parts of the WW trademarked program that appeal to you? Also nonsense.
  • Posts: 302 Member
    Negative calorie vegetables Aubergine, Asparagus, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Chicory, Cress, Cucumber, Fennel, Gourd, Leek, Lettuce, Marrow,Peppers, Radish, Spinach,Tomato, Turnip, etc.
    Negative calorie fruits Apricot, Blackberry Blackcurrant, Clementines, Damsons, Grapefruit, Guava, Honeydew Melon, Lemon, Mandarin orange, Melon Cantaloupe, Peaches, Plums, Raspberry, Rhubarb, Strawberry, Tangerine, Watermelon
  • Posts: 6,376 Member
    Negative calorie vegetables Aubergine, Asparagus, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Chicory, Cress, Cucumber, Fennel, Gourd, Leek, Lettuce, Marrow,Peppers, Radish, Spinach,Tomato, Turnip, etc.
    Negative calorie fruits Apricot, Blackberry Blackcurrant, Clementines, Damsons, Grapefruit, Guava, Honeydew Melon, Lemon, Mandarin orange, Melon Cantaloupe, Peaches, Plums, Raspberry, Rhubarb, Strawberry, Tangerine, Watermelon

    No.
  • Posts: 289 Member
    Does anyone else know more about this "negative calorie" theory.

    http://caloriecount.about.com/negative-calories-myth-explained-b349703
  • Posts: 2,206 Member
    Does anyone else know more about this "negative calorie" theory.
    It's hooey.
  • Celery and watermelon are filled with water and are great fillers.
    Drink lots of water, that will help fill you up also.
    No free foods, sorry :(
  • Posts: 10,477 Member
    Negative calorie vegetables Aubergine, Asparagus, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Chicory, Cress, Cucumber, Fennel, Gourd, Leek, Lettuce, Marrow,Peppers, Radish, Spinach,Tomato, Turnip, etc.
    Negative calorie fruits Apricot, Blackberry Blackcurrant, Clementines, Damsons, Grapefruit, Guava, Honeydew Melon, Lemon, Mandarin orange, Melon Cantaloupe, Peaches, Plums, Raspberry, Rhubarb, Strawberry, Tangerine, Watermelon


    Not even a little bit true.
  • Posts: 24 Member
    What the WW website/paperwork doesn't tell you but most leaders will is that you will GAIN using their new points system if you eat more than 3 servings of your free fruit a week. Yup, I was one of those people who saw my scale go the wrong way on the new points system!
  • Posts: 2,964 Member


    Not even a little bit true.

    Honeydew melon, 1 cup - 64 calories per MFP database.

    Even if I bought into the whole negative calorie thing, you'd have to be a pretty damned aggressive chewer to expend more than 64 calories eating a cup of melon.
  • Posts: 1,133 Member
    I would suggest stop partitioning foods into groups for the purposes of calories, and just think of caloric density. Each food has a different density. Some are low, some are high. Whether they are fruit, vegetable, grain, or fat doesn't matter. Peas ain't broccoli, and while neither is free, you'd have to eat a barrel full of broccoli for it to become a problem.

    Digital scales are great for measuring amounts, and you'd be surprised how inaccurate measuring by volume is. For example, if you buy cereal, it might say something like 1 cup = 240g. But when you measure out 1 cup, you'll often get something VERY different than 240g.
  • Posts: 4,907 Member

    I hope that this helps: Dry measures (from a cooking book)

    16 tbsp = 1cup = 8oz = 1/2lb = 226.8gr

    The conversion from liquid to dry measurements is actually only true for water (density=1g/ml). It will be very close for most liquids, but not true for solids.
  • Posts: 86 Member
    A calorie is a calorie. A pound is a pound. It is a scientific method of measurement.

    Claiming otherwise is nonsense. Coming to a website that isn't Weight Watchers to lose weight yet choosing to keep parts of the WW trademarked program that appeal to you? Also nonsense.

    I've never used WW and I'm not keeping parts of WW. I keep track of my fruits and vegetables on MFP but I was surprised to hear that WW doesn't count fruits and vegetables and wanted to understand why. Which isn't nonsense..
  • Posts: 3,338 Member
    Negative calorie vegetables Aubergine, Asparagus, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Chicory, Cress, Cucumber, Fennel, Gourd, Leek, Lettuce, Marrow,Peppers, Radish, Spinach,Tomato, Turnip, etc.
    Negative calorie fruits Apricot, Blackberry Blackcurrant, Clementines, Damsons, Grapefruit, Guava, Honeydew Melon, Lemon, Mandarin orange, Melon Cantaloupe, Peaches, Plums, Raspberry, Rhubarb, Strawberry, Tangerine, Watermelon

    Everything about this post is absolutely false. Sorry.
  • Posts: 2,206 Member
    Everything about this post is absolutely false. Sorry.
    Don't be sorry. No need to apologize for rebutting myths.
  • Posts: 323 Member
    You should realize that calories are not an enemy that automatically makes you fat if you eat any. You need calories to survive.

    Weight loss means you need to consume fewer calories, not NONE, and if you're looking for foods that have ZERO calories, you're either a) looking for loopholes to overeat, or b) taking the weight loss thing farther than is healthy.

    ^^^^
    What she said!!! :smile:
  • Posts: 10,477 Member

    I've never used WW and I'm not keeping parts of WW. I keep track of my fruits and vegetables on MFP but I was surprised to hear that WW doesn't count fruits and vegetables and wanted to understand why. Which isn't nonsense..

    No, you didn't say that dear :) Plenty of others say that they are not counting fruits & veggies because "no one ever got fat on fruits and veggies." It's generally aimed toward that mentality;) You, I hope, have the right idea after reading everyone's replies :happy:
  • Posts: 86 Member

    No, you didn't say that dear :) Plenty of others say that they are not counting fruits & veggies because "no one ever got fat on fruits and veggies." It's generally aimed toward that mentality;) You, I hope, have the right idea after reading everyone's replies :happy:

    Oh I'm sorry, I thought you were talking about me. The posts are helping! :blushing:
  • Posts: 302 Member
    well after reading this post.. i am convinced i should be logging my veggies. My weight loss has been rediculously slow sometimes not even losing anything for weeks at a time.. hmmm veggie and fruit logging here i come. thanks people!
This discussion has been closed.