[Streudel]

I count everything, mostly because I need the accountability. I've always been one of those people who goes apesh!t with any perceived loophole. Tell me I don't have to count sugar free gum and fruit and I'll have 3 packs of gum and a pineapple stuffed in my cheeks like a hamster.

The 0 pt. thing works on Weight Watchers for the same reason the 49 weekly bonus points do: because they've already allowed for them in their calculations.

There are always people for whom this approach works because they need the flexibility and simplicity, and then there are people like me who need more structure.

I'd say try it and see how it works for you.

[Liz46]

Streudel, You totally made me almost ruin my keyboard with that sip of coffee I had in my mouth! Hahaha Thank you for the laughs!

As for the question, I do count everything, but I can see not counting the veggies that are considered negative calories. Makes perfect sense to me!

[GoldenLeaf]

I count absolutely everything.

[faiora]

If I'm making a meal and it contains more than 2-3 ingredients, I won't count any small amounts of low-calorie vegetables that I add, like lettuce, spinach, broccoli, sprouts, and that sort of thing. I will always count higher-calorie veggies like corn, and I will count other starchy veggies like carrots if there's more than a little bit. Sometimes what I do is just find a "mixed stir fry veggies" type listing in MFP and estimate the total amount of veggies I added, instead of counting each thing individually. This is to keep me from getting annoyed about having to enter every tiny little thing into MFP.

WITH THAT SAID, I am usually slightly under my calories on average, so I know I have space for random veggies here and there. I also ONLY do this with veggies, because they're the only item that doesn't add up super fast for me, and I know I don't eat enough vegetables so it helps add a little incentive for me to go ahead and have them, without getting annoyed about logging them. I don't mind logging when it's easy, but I also don't like adding 6 additional items just because I decided to add some veggies to my meal.

[BlueHorse17]

I count my fruits and veggies not because of the total calories, but to make sure I don't consume too much of something. Certain fruits can have a lot of sugars, for example. Still better getting sugars through fruits though than...candy :P

[Big Fat Rooster]

I was extremely lax in counting calories and laughed at the idea of weighing anything. But I did guesstimate in fruit especially and purt much shine veggies that practically have no calories. But I did count in legumes, potatoes, any starchy foods such as rice.

Now, I have some small digital scales that I pull out every time I fix something to eat. I usually cook a large pot of whatever ( always spicy, usually Mexican/Cajun type stuff, but mixed as I like it. I do not use recipes and cook up a mixture of things like okra, tomatoes, squash, green tomatoes or tomatillo and onion, which come out to less than 100 calories per cup and are high in fibre, filling and delicious. These will sometimes be eaten as is, sometimes on a bed of brown rice or spaghetti squash. Either of those, or sometimes a pasta bed, each figured individually. Fruit is almost always eaten fresh and calculated loosely but figured in. I use a regular calorie input amount for daily coffee creamer (20 calories) and fresh herbs eaten from the garden daily. Figured at 20 calories but probably less than 10. All meat is figured in in the cooked manner for the meat, but I have almost stopped eating meat for the past year, and very much so the past months.

My calories the past two days have been about 40% fruit, (of 760 and 770 calories, 300 were strawberries one day and 250 of strawberries, kiwi and apple the next)

If I did not count fruit or veggies my calorie count would have been zero each day. Now, that would be an unbelievable amount to post eh?

So I totally agree with Under Analysis


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