Yes, because they have calories, and calories count toward weight loss whether you count them or not.
I think that one could be a successful calorie counter without counting, though, so long as their calorie limit was adjusted downward to accommodate the calories that they aren't counting. Most calorie counters find a level that works for them, weight loss wise, through trial and error. If that person did the trial and error while not counting fruits and veggies, the level of calories they arrived at would be lower than if they counted the fruits and veggies, but would still "work".
What wouldn't work is to determine your calorie range while counting fruits and veggies, then switch to not counting them. So if you figured out that you lose at 1200 cals a day without counting fruits and veggies, you can continue not counting and eating 1200 non-fruit, non-veggie calories a day. But if you started counting everything and found your level at 1500 calories a day, and then stopped counting fruits and veggies, you'd probably be eating more like 1800 calories a day, which would change the amount you lose.
I count everything. Fruits are actually very high in calories for their serving size, in my opinion. While veggies may not be as high, I still count them. I figure every bite counts, even 5 calories of Crystal Lite when you have 6 or more a day that starts to add up.
Why "almost?" Because I find that I'm actually encouraging myself to add a handful of spinach to an omelet or more lettuce on a wrap by not counting those bits. I have a tendency to look at my two-egg omelet and think, "is it big enough?" even though I know it is; not counting the spinach in there means I'm likelier to bulk it up with the freebie component of the dish rather than another egg or more feta cheese.
So I count veggies that are eaten on their own but not those that are a non-integral element of another dish.
Whew, that's a really complicated way of saying I pile free lettuce on my wraps, isn't it?
Oh, I should say ~ I don't count lettuce, celery, or cucumbers. I don't know why those, but since they are so low in calories, I like to eat them in bulk and I figure they are really good for me. I love cucumbers.
I don't count non-starchy veggie at all, but I do count fruits and high calorie veggies.
It just as Mandalinn said, if you've found a calorie level that works for you without counting them, which for me is about 1500, then I don't see a problem with it as long as I don't randomly increase my calories without factoring them in.
I'm sure I could figure out a higher number of calories to count to if I accounted for all my veggies, but I don't really want to. I like not having to worry about it. That said, I'm aware that I'm doing this and if my weight-loss took an unexpected turn, then I would reevaluate.
If it's a legit side serving of veggies I count it. If it's small, like a slice of tomato and lettuce on a sandwich, I estimate. Fruit I definitely count because it's much higher in calories than veggies.
Mayo Clinic has been saying for years that fruits and veg are the lowest caloric density foods on the planet and not counting gives folks more food volume while still allowing weight loss. They say no matter what your calorie level, fruits and veg should be free. I read that elsewhere on this site. Mayo Clinic has had a few books out over the years, but the one that came out this year finally hit the bestseller list (The Mayo Clinic Diet), and I really enjoyed it.
Then Weight Watchers, with their new plan, now allows free fruit and non starchy veg as well. I dislike their plan though. One needs to carry around a special calculator to figure out allotted points. I'm not knocking Weight Watchers, so many folks adore it. I just prefer the ease of using simple calories. But I'm not counting fruits and veg. It makes a huge difference, and I no longer walk around hungry. So Mayo Clinic and Weight Watchers are on to something, for sure.
p.s. I might add that Weight Watchers' rationale for adding free fruits and veg is 1) folks in this country simple don't eat enough of them and 2) Weight Watchers found that faced with a 2 point banana and a junky 1 point snack pack, folks were picking the cookie pack.
One of my buddies told me at her last Weight Watchers meeting that her leader had written on the flip chart "remember, bananas never made you fat. It was the banana split." I thought that was cute as well as very telling.
tea42 - I find that really interesting! I have never counted fruits or veggies, and it has never prevented me from losing weight or maintaining. I feel the same about it being so good for you and so filling.
Do you have a link to a resource where Mayo Clinic said that, or is just in a book?
I've often stalled weight loss on fruit before, because I love it and can easily eat more than 500 calories in fruit in a day.
I've even managed to stall on an all fruit and veggie diet (even avoiding starchy veggies).
I can overeat almost anything, so portions matter even with fruits. One of my favorite summer fruits is watermelon, and I've eaten as many as 1000 calories in a day just from watermelon.
I'm not as careful about measuring or limiting non-starchy veggies, but I don't consider them exactly free, either. I've stalled using WW "zero point" soup too, because I would make a huge pot and eat many servings.
Although I can cause weight stalls on fruits and veggies, my IBS will act up before I gain weight. Whether that will still hold true at my goal weight, I don't know.
I get the rationale for not counting them as an encouragement to eat more of them, but I don't personally need that encouragement. I love them and eat plenty of them.
Appetite and portion size have always been my bete noir - I got fat from how much I ate, not so much what I ate. Even now, on plan, I eat 3-4 pieces of fruit a day. It could be dangerous not to keep track of those.
As for veggies, I am somewhat less cautious about serving sizes with low-calorie veggies like cucumbers, spinach leaves, broccoli, and so on - I'll eat "about a cup" and not worry too much if it's really a cup and a quarter. But still, I keep track. And for more caloric veggies like artichoke hearts (which I can easily overdo it on!) I try to measure more carefully.
I count every little thing I eat, even Splenda packets as 8 cal. I think it all adds up.
Fruit can be very high calorie, like bananas and persimmons and can add up to close 500-600 cal for me. If i don't count them, it's 3,500 cal a week which equals 1 lb of fat I could loose if I did count it.
Do you count fruit and vegetables?
