Do you count fruits and veggies?

Nathmich2
Nathmich2 Posts: 9 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Do you add in calories for fruits and vegetables? Or do you consider them "free"? I nosh on peaches, watermelon, apples, carrots, and bananas the most.
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Replies

  • Ervie317
    Ervie317 Posts: 179 Member
    I count them because fruits and some veggies are full of sugar and I think that those sugar calories should be counted. I count every single thing that I eat.
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
    Log them and see just how many calories you're eating. You may be surprised.
  • jfrankic
    jfrankic Posts: 747 Member
    Yes, I log almost everything except water because I drink about 1.5 gallons per day. No way am I going to input every time I finish a glass!

    I love to eat broccoli, but as healthy as it is, one cup is about 30 calories. If I have two cups with a baked potato (normal lunch), that is 170 calories vs. 110 if I didn't count the broccoli.

    My exception might be the few banana peppers I put on my sandwich or the few I toss in the stir fry when I'm counting all of the other veggies.

    Just try counting everything for a few days or a week and see how much it adds up. Especially the fruit.
  • SherryTeach
    SherryTeach Posts: 2,836 Member
    If a food contains calories, I count it. I do not log coffee, tea, spices, herbs, etc. I think this idea of "free food" comes from Weight Watchers." but I don't get it.. Besides wanting an accurate calorie count for the day/week, I like to see how I'm doing getting the right nutrients: calcium, iron, vitamins, fiber, etc.
  • rose313
    rose313 Posts: 1,146 Member
    Yes, fruit is healthy and amazing but it does have calories.
  • runfatmanrun
    runfatmanrun Posts: 1,090 Member
    Everything counts.
  • NoxDineen
    NoxDineen Posts: 497 Member
    I log everything. Even things like chamomile tea with no sweetner. Peaches are around 66 calories, apples around 100 calories. That adds up.

    Plus anything you put in your mouth contributes to your macronutient ratio and vitamin intake. You're just shortchanging your ability to make good choices if you don't have all the data.

    (Disclaimer: I'm a software developer so I'm sort of a nerd about collecting and analyzing info. MOAR CHARTS!)
  • onelovejenn
    onelovejenn Posts: 49
    I log EVERYTHING that passes my lips, excluding 0 calorie things.
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
    Absolutely log them!!! Although they're healthy, they are not 'free foods'.....they contain calories!!!
  • jephry
    jephry Posts: 55 Member
    The only thing I do not log is water...and I should probably be logging that as well.
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  • momtokgo
    momtokgo Posts: 446 Member
    I count all the fruit I eat, every single peice, and most veggies. If I take a few carrot sticks to much on, I don't always log it. Fruts and veggies sure do add up though, I usually eat a few hundred calories worth of them a day, if I didn't log them I would be way off on what my dailty total is.
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,329 Member
    I count EVERYTHING that goes past my lips. I think its a good habit to get into. :)
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
    Do you add in calories for fruits and vegetables? Or do you consider them "free"? I nosh on peaches, watermelon, apples, carrots, and bananas the most.

    Yes, because everything you have listed there (even the carrots) has lot of sugar. Which, by the way, is not unhealthy and each come with a generous dollop of nutrients and fiber and other good stuff, but none of them are anywhere near calorie-free.

    If you set yourself up for a 500 calorie deficit per day and ate one large peach (61 calories), one slice of watermelon (86 calories), one large apple (110 calories), 1 cup of carrots (52 calories) and one large banana (121 calories), you've eaten 430 unlogged calories and your deficit is now 70 calories.

    Net result: Your goal says you should lose 1 pound a week. Your actual weight loss would be closer to one pound every two months.
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
    I log EVERYTHING that passes my lips, excluding 0 calorie things.

    I even count those, because there are surprisingly few "0 calorie" things, and most everything comes with some level of nutrients that I also want to track. Cinnamon, for example - adding that to food helps me get iron and calcium. Not many calories, but there are beneficial nutrients in them.
  • kathyms13
    kathyms13 Posts: 497 Member
    i count everything. i think if its gonna work we have to.
  • Pedal_Pusher
    Pedal_Pusher Posts: 1,166 Member
    Do they have calories?
  • Pedal_Pusher
    Pedal_Pusher Posts: 1,166 Member
    Everything counts.

    In large amounts?
  • spikefoot
    spikefoot Posts: 419
    I weigh measure and meticulously log everything. By default I also tack on an extra 10 calories per week just to account for bugs I may eat in my sleep.
  • MamaKeeks
    MamaKeeks Posts: 234
    Just an example - I just read that a large pear has approximately 23 grams of sugar - as much as a KitKat chocolate bar! Absolutely log them all!
  • NYChick84
    NYChick84 Posts: 331 Member
    My #1 mistake in the past was not logging everything that enters my body. I can sit there and eat a whole pot full of fruits and vegetables. Granted, no one joined any weight loss program because we over indulged on fruits and veggies. However, they do have calories.
    Fruits are a #1 silent "killer" to my diet. With the high grams of sugar, any fruit in excess will hinder my weight loss journey. Just recently, I came to terms with limiting my intake of fruit to 2 a day. I was eating fruit because I wanted the excuse to eat something. Now, I am eating because I am hungry, not as a hobby.

    I wanted some sort of excuse to put food in my mouth. It's unrealistic and bad for me. I'm also an emotional eater, meaning, I'll eat just because - happy, sad, depressed, excited, holiday's, "time of the month", time of the day, boredom...I wanted to eat. It just can't be done....

    So yes, measure your fruits and veggies. Use a scale or a measuring cup. This is a habit that needs to become second nature.

    And remember this quote, " Never forget....what you eat in private, you wear in public."
  • delaney056
    delaney056 Posts: 475
    Do you add in calories for fruits and vegetables? Or do you consider them "free"? I nosh on peaches, watermelon, apples, carrots, and bananas the most.

    Yes, because everything you have listed there (even the carrots) has lot of sugar. Which, by the way, is not unhealthy and each come with a generous dollop of nutrients and fiber and other good stuff, but none of them are anywhere near calorie-free.

    If you set yourself up for a 500 calorie deficit per day and ate one large peach (61 calories), one slice of watermelon (86 calories), one large apple (110 calories), 1 cup of carrots (52 calories) and one large banana (121 calories), you've eaten 430 unlogged calories and your deficit is now 70 calories.

    Net result: Your goal says you should lose 1 pound a week. Your actual weight loss would be closer to one pound every two months.

    MFP already puts you in a deficit. You will not lower your deficit unless you eat above the calorie goal MFP sets for you.
  • patchesgizmo
    patchesgizmo Posts: 244 Member
    everything except my meds I count
  • vklebanova
    vklebanova Posts: 152 Member
    I count absolutely everything - including my multivitamins - which have 5 calories btw.

    Fruit and Veggies in grand amounts are GREAT. In fact, most science recommends that you eat 4 whole fruits a day and at least 1 lb of veggies. However - this has calories and if you're going to follow this than you have to log it. I actually piece together my salads and count how much is going in there of everything.

    A good resource for info on fruits and veggies is Dr. Fuhrman who recommends a diet based around fruits, vegetables and legumes. He has a great book - Eat to Live that is totally and completely backed by legit science and multiple studies. I recommend you check this out although take it with a grain of salt. Things work differently in people's bodies. Keep in mind that obviously Diabetics (for example) would be hard pressed NOT to count their fruits.

    Fruits and vegetables are great because they are packed with nutrients. They have a high nutrient density compared to calorie density. In general, that's what you want to eat nutrient rich, calorie low foods. But if you're COUNTING CALORIES than you count them in.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    I'm confused by the question! You eat them, don't you? They have calories, don't they? And macronutrients? Am I missing something here?
  • skullshank
    skullshank Posts: 4,323 Member
    if i eat it, it counts..... because well...im not actually consuming that.
  • vklebanova
    vklebanova Posts: 152 Member
    By the way: great link about sugars:

    http://www.drfuhrman.com/faq/question.aspx?sid=16&qindex=3
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
    Do you add in calories for fruits and vegetables? Or do you consider them "free"? I nosh on peaches, watermelon, apples, carrots, and bananas the most.

    Yes, because everything you have listed there (even the carrots) has lot of sugar. Which, by the way, is not unhealthy and each come with a generous dollop of nutrients and fiber and other good stuff, but none of them are anywhere near calorie-free.

    If you set yourself up for a 500 calorie deficit per day and ate one large peach (61 calories), one slice of watermelon (86 calories), one large apple (110 calories), 1 cup of carrots (52 calories) and one large banana (121 calories), you've eaten 430 unlogged calories and your deficit is now 70 calories.

    Net result: Your goal says you should lose 1 pound a week. Your actual weight loss would be closer to one pound every two months.

    MFP already puts you in a deficit. You will not lower your deficit unless you eat above the calorie goal MFP sets for you.

    You miss my point.

    If you have a no-exercise TDEE of 2,000 calories and ask MFP to set you a 1 pound a week weight loss goal, you will have a deficit of 500 calories. So your daily calorie budget will be 1,500 calories. If you eat 1,500 "net" calories (meaning you add any exercise to that), you should lose about a pound a week on average.

    If you eat 1,500 "net" calories of logged food, but decide not to log fruit and eat 470 calories of that, you are now eating 1,970 calories. Since your TDEE is now 30 pounds over your intake, you have reduced your deficit to 70 calories.

    MFP's system requires that you log pretty much everything. If you eat a lot of fruit and don't log it, you may be eating FAR more calories than you realize and eating yourself completely out of a deficit, and possibly into a surplus.
  • Ljkshs
    Ljkshs Posts: 13 Member
    Thank you for explaining about fruits & veggies....I know that's where I run into problems
  • Cliffslosinit
    Cliffslosinit Posts: 5,044 Member
    If you put it in your mouth...peaches, tacos, etc. Count it!

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