Due to my low calorie intake, I like to snack on high-fiber foods like broccoli and grapes to help curb my hunger. Though I don't do Weight Watchers, my wife told me that those foods are so "friendly" to dieters with their high fiber content that they cost zero points on WW's system of counting. So, I started not even counting them in my daily calorie-counting. But now I'm not so sure. It seems my weight loss has stalled again. Because of broccoli and grapes? Really? I'm not stuffing my face with them, but I do eat probably three cups of grapes and 2-3 big servings of broccoli daily. My calories are low enough that I wonder if they WILL impact my weight loss.
Well I'd count them just to be safe. A cup of grapes is about 100 calories, a cup of broccoli about 30. So it is conceivable that you could be adding 400-500 calories to your intake which is a fairly large amount.
Despite what WW says, there are no free foods. If you're calorie counting, then count the calories. The WW points system is built to take those "free" foods into account; a simple calorie counting system is not.
That being said, those are great snack choices, but you should still count them.
Well I'd count them just to be safe. A cup of grapes is about 100 calories, a cup of broccoli about 30. So it is conceivable that you could be adding 400-500 calories to your intake which is a fairly large amount.
That makes sense. I guess I knew it all along.
(Binging on broccoli and grapes - what have I come to?)
Also, if you're like me and carb sensitive at all -- I swear if I look at a carb, my body goes into some sort of survival mode! -- then eating the grapes will impact that. I have to count both calories and carbs. It was a shock to learn that on days when I have grapes, I can have 10 -- that's right, 10 grapes.
Grapes are incredibly high in sugar, broccoli has a fair amount of carbs as well, though not nearly comparable. If you're insulin sensitive like me you can have these foods, but only in small quantities/portion appropriate servings and always with a food that slows their digestion. If you're looking for fibrous foods to add bulk to your meals the Atkins Induction veggie list, especially the salad veggies, would be the place to look. Four or six stalks of celery dipped in hot sauce or a dressing is an excellent snack with fairly high satiety properties for the calories spent. A salad of mushroom, cucumber, green onion, cherry tomatoes, and bell pepper can give you such nutritional bang for the buck - on almost ANY plan. Add some meat and cheese to that and you have a filling, awesome meal for comparably few calories and low glycemic load.
Try not to play diet tricks on yourself. Free foods are the epitome of diet tricks, as though eating a box of snackwells or five grapefruits should still count as on plan Even free and diet foods benefit from being portioned out. Eat a second portion if you're still hungry, sure, but don't lose track of what is and isn't sensible eating just because a diet has a loophole for it.
Lots of high fiber foods you can enjoy, just don't overdo it, especially on fruit.
I'd count grapes, but not broccoli. (Well, I count broccoli, but if I was a guy, I wouldn't!) I'd think kale, cauliflower, onions, mushrooms, carrots, pickles, radishes, celery, and carrots might also be good choices.
My rule of thumb is to count the calories in fruit, but not veggies. (By veggies i mean low calorie veggies; i would not consider corn or potatoes a veggie). But i also don't eat anything in excessive quantities (not saying you do...just saying this approach is better if you don't).
The weight watcher program was formulated with 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. The nutrition of those programs has been accounted for behind the scenes, so to speak. 3 cups of grapes is 6 servings of fruit and that is a lot of sugar. You need to count them when calorie counting.
I figure that its best to count everything I eat/drink. They are all still calories and my body is still going to process them.
For me its partially due to the fact that I am nowhere near maintenance so I'm figuring out what will work for me, and if I let myself "not count" some things, I know it'll keep me from breaking bad habits that must go for long term success.
My rule of thumb is to count the calories in fruit, but not veggies. (By veggies i mean low calorie veggies; i would not consider corn or potatoes a veggie). But i also don't eat anything in excessive quantities (not saying you do...just saying this approach is better if you don't).
I "count" fruit. I never count low-calorie veggies. (Agree: I don't consider corn or potatoes or probably parsnips and some others as low-calorie veggies.) I assume I get a certain number of calories per day from veggies but beyond that see no reason to get hung up on it.
I definitely love my broccoli (with some sprinkled parmesian cheese and salt on it), but I also love grilled squash/zucchini/onions as a "filler" vegetable. I understand that it's as low carb/calorie as the broccoli, if not more so. It's just more tedious to prepare than throwing some frozen broccoli in the microwave. Of course, food is food, and nothing is calorie-free, but some dishes are definitely better than others. I'm willing to expend some calories on low-cal veges like these in exchange for keeping me from being so hungry.
Calorie-counting and snacking on high-fiber foods
Even free and diet foods benefit from being portioned out. Eat a second portion if you're still hungry, sure, but don't lose track of what is and isn't sensible eating just because a diet has a loophole for it. 
