[recidivist]

I get frustrated with weighing and measuring my veggies every day. It makes it too time consuming to even add them to a meal. I'm so compulsive about things, I feel like just avoiding them at times cause I don't want to deal with it. So I'm thinking of trying something.

I count calories, and I try to stick to 1200 a day, but a day of high exercise, I add more to my diet. But instead of counting all my veggies, I'm wondering if I should just limit my counted calories to 1000 a day, and not count the veggies at all. I can't imagine I can eat enough veggies to actually throw off my diet that much. Of course I wouldn't include corn or squash or potato in that...they would fall in the starches. And if they are a high fat veggie like avocado, I'd count them.

Has anyone else tried this? This means veggies are uncounted and unlimited, and that might make it more appealing to me to start adding more to my meals...because then my meal is more filling and less hassle than the meals involving foods I have to count.

[mandalinn82]

You know, I eat a TON of veggies. Enough that they account for multiple hundreds of calories a day. So not counting won't work for me (or maybe would, if I had a "non veggie calorie" allowance that was way low...say 900 or so...but even then it might screw me up).

I do eyeball veggies in a way I don't eyeball anything else. For example, I always say my dinner portion of veggies is about 2 cups total. It may be more or less than that...I don't measure it exactly...but I always count that 2 cup approximation.

[kaplods]

I use an exchange plan, and don't limit veggies (or rather, I've never exceeded my vegetable allowance of 8 servings - for most vegetables each serving is 1 cup raw or 1/2 cup cooked), but I still count the exchange, although for veggies, I don't worry whether the veggies are measured precisely (a cup or half cup can be a heaping cup for most veggies - corn, potatoes, squash and other high carb veggies, counting as bread exchanges)

Exchange plans are a way to limit and count calories, because each exchange is approximately the same calories - proteins 55 calories, starch 80 calories, fruits 60 calories, dairy 90 calories, and fat 45 calories. It's more precise that WW points, and a little less precise than calorie counting. You still need to look some things up, especially combination foods (there are exchange counting resources online and in books, just like calorie counting, they also can be mathmatically calculated if you know the calorie, protein, fat, and carb content - the math calculations are explained in many of the resources, such as the Exchanges for All Occasions book and on the hillybilly housewife website).

After 36 years of dieting, many of those diets being exchange plans (WW used exchange plans prior to 1996) I have most of the simple food exchanges memorized. Food exchange plans are usually interchangeable with other exchange plans, so cookbooks from one program can be exchanged with others (diabetic exchanges, Richard Simmons, old Weight Watchers, a lot of diets from the 60's onward).

I like that exchanges force a bit of balance. I like considering veggies unlimited (because if I've used up all of my alottment for the day and am still hungry, it's probably safer to eat veggies than anything else). I do look at my veggies differently than the other exchanges though. I see most of my exchange limits as "maximum" servings and my veggies I consider 4 servings as "minimum" servings, and while I consider 8 my target maximum, if I ate 9 servings, I wouldn't be upset with myself (but my tummy might be, as I've got IBS).

I also like that exchange plans are a little less relaxed than calorie counting. When I would calorie count, I would obsess over as little as 10 calories. I would also measured food like I was a lab scientist. That's fine, if it's what you want to do, but it drove me kind of mad, and I'd get frustrated and end up chucking it all and bingeing.

Ok, I guess I've rambled and lost the original point - ok here it is. Do what you feel will keep you motivated and on track the best. If that means choosing an exchange plan, or if it means playing a little mind game with yourself to reward veggie eating, then do so (I think a "free" attitude towards veggies does make them more appealing than other foods and can encourage you to eat more than you would otherwise, and for most folks that's a good thing). All you can do with any idea you have that you feel might make this easier for you, is to try it. At worst, you're likely to have three or four weeks of no progress (I find it unlikely that you will gain weight with your experiment, but if you do, you can simply end the experiment earlier).

One thing to consider, though is that counting doesn't really have to be a hassle, and counting only one less component of your meal, doesn't really save you much time. Especially if you keep several measuring cups around and use them as serving spoons (Weight Watcher's probably still sells their serving spoons that are also measuring spoons - those are great by the way, and I'm sure you can buy them even if you're not a member). I know my mom uses them, and it keeps even the non-dieters aware of serving size when the spoon in the mashed potatoes says 1/2 cup and the spoon in the gravy says 1/4 cup. I just wish they made more sizes.

[WaterRat]

I think that you can do as Amanda does and just approximate for the non-starchy veggies. However, I'd advise against dropping down to 1000 calories, esp if you're working out. 1200 calories is already the minimum most nutritionists recommend. How much more do you eat on the days you work out?

[lottie63]

I read on the daily plate, a few people said that you can eat up to 3 cups of veggies (non starchy of course) and not really count them. No clue where this number came from. Even 3 cups of a non starchy veggie is pretty minimal. I don't think it would neccessarily hurt your diet. just ya know, don't slather them in butter or anything but, in teh end, it's your perogative. You can always do it and see how it effects your loss and if it slows it you can always go back to estimating without really measuring every little thing.

[recidivist]

I'm OCD (seriously)...I can't just approximate...it's all or nothing!

The 1000 calories was just for the foods I am counting, not the good veggies. The total count would be higher depending on how many veggies I eat each day. I'm guessing now I probably eat on average, about 300 calories a day in veggies. But some days I notice I'm too hungry or weak to prepare food, and to take the time to measure and count veggies, so I end up grabbing other foods just to put something in my system right away, and then I don't get my daily veggie requirements.

The lower I set the counted calories, the more I'll be forcing myself to choose veggies, which will be better for me. And if I don't have to count them, I can grab them in a hurry when I'm hungry or weak.

Yeah, Lottie, when I say veggies, I mean with nothing on them. Anything with calories I'd add would be part of the calories I count for the day. I don't do butter or anything like that, and usually calorie free dressing if I have a salad. I usually have a big pot of veggie soup and that is often the only veggies I eat for the day...a big bowl is about 300 calories.

[lottie63]

Just a note:

be careful being so low on cals. My friend did what you are doing (1000-1200 cals) and now that she has lost some weight (as I said in a previous thread I think?) she is stalled and ate so few cals that she really has nowhere to go.

Like if you ate 1500 and you stalled, you could drop to 13 or 1400 to pick up the weight loss again. Just be careful not to set yourself up for failure.

Good luck with the veggies!

[kaplods]

Many veggies are so low in calories, you could eat eight cups on top of your 1000 calories, and not break 1100 calories. I don't think it's a good idea to have your "base calories" be so low, whether you're counting your veggies or not.

I think if you have serious OCD, that is affecting your ability to make decent food choices, you might want to discuss your diet with both your counselor and a dietitian. It seems you're striving for a very low calorie diet that could trip you up, not only with weight loss, but also with overall health.

[recidivist]

I understand what you are saying Kaplods, and I am trying not to ever eat less than 1200 calories a day, regardless of activity level, but I've tried adding up lots of different veggies and I cannot find anything that 8 cups of would only be 100 calories. Even cabbage, which I think is one of the lowest, would be 176 for 8 cups, but normally I eat a mix of cabbage, celery, broccoli, carrot, sweet pepper, tomato, spinach, and green onion in an average day, and no matter how I add it up, I always end up eating about 300 in veggies a day on the days I take time to fix them. I'd like to eat more than that in veggies, and I think maybe I would if it meant not having to measure, weigh and count them.

I started today and will give it a week and see what happens. It is a huge relief to think maybe I don't have to work out every tiny detail to make sure I'm counting precisely what I'm eating.

[jajabee]

I don't count plain lettuce, broccoli, spinach, bok choy, that kind of thing... I figured from my first stint with WW that the fiber in them outweighs the calorie content. But I do start counting with onions and peppers, and definitely with the starches. But I'm just starting out this time around, so we'll see how it works.

[Glory87]

I never really counted salad vegetables - leafy greens, broccoli, etc. I always counted starchy vegetables - sweet potatoes, corn, carrots, etc.

My rule usually was "as many vegetables as I want." Worked for me!

[rockinrobin]

I count my veggies as I eat many hundreds of calories worth a day. But, I don't go crazy over measuring them. I don't sweat whether the cauliflower or broccoli I'm eating is 1 1/2 cups or 2. If my apple is 80 calories or 100. I always estimate up. This has worked quite well for me.

[MISFIT]

I wouldn't risk it.. I even count my negative calorie foods though, so I might just be compulsive about it.

[dgramie]

I get a large part of my calories from veggies..I dont count the onion and bellpeppers i use in my eggbeaters but i count everything else except for lettuce on a sandwich. I know i could some day add 300 calories in veggies alone if i didnt count them.

[SouthLake]

I don't count my non-starchy veggies. I've got enough other things to worry about kepeing track of and the calorie count is so low that it's negligible. Plus, I am trying to encourage myself to eat as many veggies as possible.

Just out of curiosity, for those of you that consume 300 veggie calories a day, how do you do it? What types of dishes are you making and how many veggies are you eating? (Always looking for was to up my veggies!)