Do you count calories in vegetables?
 

Hi all

I;ve started calorie counting and I have a question on vegetables. I am keeping vegies limited to low carb veg like cucumbers, celeries, cabbage, tomato etc. No potatoes or corn or similar

So my question is do I need to count the calories from these vegetables? Or just count the protein and fat and carbs calories? I am keeping my calorie intake at 1200 per day but so far only tracking fat and protein, and have heard that cucumbers and cabbage etc have about no calories and it takes the body more energy to burn them. is that true?

So confusing!!

I count the calories in everything, because once I start excluding some foods from the calorie count, I could very easily extend the exclusion. I'm pretty much 'all or nothing' when it comes to dieting. I don't necessarily think that's the best way to be, it just is my truth.

Lots of people don't count the plain salads or green veggies and do spectacularly well, so I'd say it's whatever works for you.

I count the calories in everything - even veggies. It's just how it has to be for me.

Personally, yes I do. I prefer to be consistent with tracking food, and so if I'm eating something then I prefer to make a record of it and count the calories, even if it's pretty much nothing. Some of the foods you mention (e.g., tomatoes) have more calories than others (e.g., cucumber). For instance, if I'm making a tomato sauce and I use a can of chopped tomoatoes (just plain old raw chopped tomoatoes, nothing else added), the whole 400g can works out around 80 cals, or half of it is about 40 cals, depending on how much I eat. Whilst on its own that sounds like an inconsequential amount, I'm of the opinion that these things add up, and I'd prefer to be as accurate as possible with the calorie counting, so I'm not eating more than I think I am.

There are a couple of things I don't count. The first is the tiny teaspoon I have of unrefined demerera sugar in my coffee - it works out as less than 15 calories, and I have it once or twice a day. The other thing is also a drink, a tiny bit of sugar free fruit cordial - again it works out at something ridiculous, like 5 calories - so I leave it out.

I think it's entirely up to you what you do, but for me, I prefer to be as consistent as possible and I find it's really no extra hassle to count the calories for vegetables as it is to count the calories for the rest of a meal.

I do. I count everything.

For me, it's yes and no.

If I sit down and eat a bunch of broccoli or a sliced cucumber or a salad full of lettuce, celery, carrots, etc or even steamed veggies.. yes I count those. You may be surprised at the calories in some veggies.

Now, if I'm putting a leaf of lettuce or a ring of onion on a wrap or sandwich or what ever, then those I don't count. There are a FEW other things I don't count either... ice tea with sweet n low or a can of diet soda (which I have very very rarely).. but I keep my calories pretty low and I know the few calories these things add in the small amount I have them isn't going to throw me overboard. Now if I was drinking 2 or 3 cans of diet soda or drinking 10-20 packets of sweet n low a day, then yeah I would count them... just like the veggies on a sandwhich, if I put like a 1/2 cup of veggies on that sandwhich then yep I would count them.

I forget who wrote this :dizzy: but even if you don't count it, your body does. If you get to looking for reasons for a stall or even a gain, and you go back over your journal you could find many "hidden" calories. Also, if you're counting the veggies you can keep track of the fiber, very important. Just my 2 cents.

Here's my salad from yesterday's lunch:

2 cups romaine lettuce -- 16 calories
2 cups red leaf lettuce -- 9 calories
1 six inch cucumber -- 19 calories

Now the chicken and dressing added many more calories, but that's almost 50 calories in veggies from just one meal. If you eat veg at every meal it can add up to over 100 daily, I assume.

If it has a calorie I count it .

At the moment no. I'm finding my feet with veggies at the moment having never eaten them. I don't want to factor them into my calories because I want to eat as many as possible, not think about cutting back my portions. That said, it won't be important because at the moment I am getting through the likes of 1/2 to one mushroom in a meal, 8 tiny slices of salad onion, that sort of thing, so counting up 2g of mushrooms isn't worth doing.

I find it important to make sure I don't count everything, though, as a former anorexic I cannot have that level of control. I don't count chewing gum, cups of coffee (except the milk), etc. because if I do then it is far too close to the old me who allowed herself 4 of the 4cal sugar free sweets in a day and marked them off on the side of the box. I can't go there, so I weigh and measure my core foods and provided I'm in the ballpark of my calories I figure the small stuff will work itself out.

I count them too. I agree with the whole concept of accountability, but I also get pleasure of seeing that I made a whole meal (salad with chicken breast and dressing) for 300 calories and I am full. I love seeing 2 cups of lettuce for 20 calories. That's a lot of lettuce!!! I love eating green beans and a full cup only has like 36 calories (if I remember correctly).

It reminds me that there are so many healthy and nutritious foods out there that are filling and good for me with so little calories. Then I get appalled that all those other foods are so high in calories AND don't keep me full for long periods of time.

It validates my choices!

I count everything except for sugar free chewing gum and mints.

I easily eat 150-200+ cals a day in veggies. As has been said before, if I didn't count those calories, my body still would. :) They get tracked and counted just like everything else.

I count them, but I don't weight them I more estimate based on the counts I get off the packages or online. So say the salad mix I buy says 2 cups is 10 calories, I would count any ammount of salad mix as 10, even if it's just a handful.

I count everything but gum and things that say zero like mustard, coffee, tea, hot sauce, etc. Gum does have 5 calories for 2 peices, but well, I don't care. It's entirely too anal for me to worry about my gum calories. In my mind, calorie counts are an estimate and the system isn't totally accurate, so 20 calories from my gum isn't going to make a difference. For all I know, I am off by 100 calories a day anywy, just because of how calorie counts in foods are an average.

Personally, I don't. So far, I haven't had a problem, and lose 2lbs a week consistently.

I think one thing to think about is how close are you cutting it to the number of calories you need to lose. My theoretical maintenance calories are in the 2000-2200 range, but the number I count each day is between 1300-1400. So even if I eat 200 calories of veggies (which I don't normally, I probably average 100) I'm still in a really good range for losing well that day.

If, however, I was counting up to 1700-1800, or needed very close to 1300 to lose, I would count veggies. I think it really just depends on you, your body, and how you are doing your calorie counting.

Yes, I count calories in everything, too. But you'll see that they don't amount to much overall.

Yes. I count everything.

Yup!

If I eat a whole bunch I do count it...or if I am close to my calorie limit, then I count it to make sure I am still within. However, if it is the end of the day(dinner) and I have counted my carbs and protein and still have like 300 + calories left after or something, then I don't count it because I am certain that (based on what I know about those veggies since I usually eat them often) they will not cause me to go over my limit.

I try to track everything I eat, but things I eat often that I already know the calories of, if I have a lot of extra calories to spare, particularly if it is night time and I know I won't be eating much for the rest of what's left of the day, then I may not track them online, I'll just mentally note it since I know I have X amount of calories left and this is Y amount. It works. Do what works best for you, as time goes by you will get less strict, not lax, but you will become more intuitive about what you're doing and be able to estimate a lot easier and correctly than before.

What matters the most is being consistent and tracking and adjusting. If you are losing weight on 1200 calories + unlimited low calorie veg, go for it. Never, ever change what works on vague principle!

For example, I don't count equal packets or crystal lite, and I eat a LOT of equal/crystal light. Between the two, I probably add 100 calories a day. But I eat the exact same amount of equal/crystal light every day, so as long as the calorie level I am at is working, it's the right calorie level. It doesn't matter what the real number is, all that matters is that it's a level that works and my record keeping system is such that I am aware of any changes in my consumption.

1200 is really pretty low for your height (depending on your age). I suspect you can lose just fine at 1200 plus a couple hundred calories of veggies a day,and if you can, your life will be easier and more pleasant. So I'd try it.

I count them but only because I use sparkpeople and I like to have the added fiber in there. and I like to make sure I'm eating enough of them. They add very few calories especially since what I eat are mostly mushrooms, leeks, cabbage and squash (surprisingly low in cals and high in fiber.)

No - I don't count and my reasoning has not been proven - but one time I watched some nutritionist online talking about how every gram of fiber burns 7 calories.... yeah, the whole negative calorie thing.... so that is how i justify it with lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, celery. The calories cancel themselves out. But, I weight and count everything else tediously - I have this new digital food scale that is awesome.

I have not really counted the veggies I have eaten in my first week of counting - spinach, cucumber, bell pepper, onion. I haven't stocked up and eaten a ton of veggies as a whole meal. If I did that, I think I would. But 1/4 cup of onion and a little bit of bell pepper in my whatever - I don't really feel like counting yet. I am just glad that I am eating veg and hoping my body is glad for it too!!

I did just buy a food scale off overstock.com though and am waiting for it in the mail. Once I get that I think I will start counting the veggies because it will be much easier too once I can weigh them.

While I think it is important to be consistent and to count, because like others have said, veg can add up, at least its green, good for your veggies that you might not be counting, rather than other, higher calorie things! If you go over your calories without realizing it from too many cucumbers, well, is that really so bad? At least it wasn't ice cream!