I was on weight watchers so many years that I never counted veggies. I've been doing it a bit lately just out of curiosity and am not sure if I will continue. It makes a salad kinda labour intensive. lol
I count everything. On a typical day I have 65 cals of cream & sugar in my coffee, 75 cals of vitamins and supplements and anywhere from 100-300 cals in veggies, sometimes more. If I didn't count those it would throw me off when I'm trying to stay at a maintenance level.
I don't count veggies- I don't eat a whole lot of them either, so maybe that's why it doesn't bother me. I see that so many people count every calorie. But I think most of us or at least a lot of us are basing our calories off of our BMR, which may not be accurate either. For example, I set my daily calories for the very lowest (sedentary) calorie needs + 500cals for breastfeeding. But I don't just sit on the couch all day long, I'm not sedentary. But I don't account for those extra needed calories either. I figure it will balance itself out and if not counting high fiber, healthy veggies makes me eat them more, then mission accomplished. That is the point, isn't it?
Do you count things like broccoli, mushrooms, celery? I've read the curves boom and done weight watchers. I never counted those super high fiber foods. Last night I counted my 2 cups of broccoli. I was surprised how many calories it has( I know it's better than a couple ounces of chips.). But I wonder if I am getting enough calories if I count these.
I count them - the way I look at it is, they fill me up, and them being super good for me is a bonus. If I count those toward my calorie budget, then I'm eating less other, potentially bad for me stuff during the day, you know? The roughage factor is a bonus, too!
Yep--like the others, I count everything I eat. In fact, because I try to eat vegetables and because I count them, I'm less prone to eat junk because I don't have enough calories in my calorie allotment to have junk and have those veggies. (Although I sometimes make room for the junk ).
EXACTLY. I didn't explain it that clearly, but that's it: if I count the veggies, then there isn't room for the other crap, so I count them!
I count everything too. A calorie is a calorie, after all. However, I'm more relaxed about measuring with lower-calorie foods. I'll count the number of almonds I eat, but I'll throw lettuce around with abandon. There's no reason to be afraid of counting vegetables: they are mostly so low-calorie that it shouldn't inhibit your enjoyment of them. I'm actually more interested in the nutritional content in terms of protein, vitamins and minerals, which my dieting software logs for me.
I have "food groups" in fitday. One of which is non-starchy non leafy veggies. Another is leafy greens. Another is starch, another is meat, etc.
Each is made up of the most common items I eat within those groups. So when I record calories for my breakfast this morning for example I had 3 cups veggies, 1/2 c starch 3 oz meat, 1/2 t fat.
For me it takes out the stress of trying new foods and new recipes, eating out etc. As long as I eat a wide variety of foods it all averages out in the long run. Sure yesterday I may have underestimated because my meat was ground beef and salmon, but today I over estimated because my meat has been chicken breast and turkey. etc.
Point is there is no ONE RIGHT WAY. If you dont want to count veggies then figure out about how many veggies you eat on average and subtract that from your target range. If I take out veggies instead of having a target of 1700 calories maybe my target is 1200 or so. etc.
I'm a former weight watchers member, and in the beginning, found it very hard to remember to count things like broccoli, because in the WW world, they are totally free! I've started to count it though. They don't add a lot of calories, but they do add some, so it's probably best to count it.
I count everything. What's more, if I'm measuring out something, and I'm aiming to put in the bowl 40g and it tips in 41gms, then i don't round it to 40gms, I count everything last bit.
He he! Maybe I should count the bits that are stuck to the plate/bowl as well, and take them of the allotted calories for the day!
Since eating vegetables was a MAJOR accomplishment for me I did not count them initially, thinking that it would encourage me to consume more of them. THEN I realized that if you're a binger you can binge on .... anything and I started to count them. I do not, however count my vitamins and I probably should...
Some veggies have higher calories than others. I count them because I eat a lot of vegetables and they do add up. Right now the only thing I don't count are spices.
I count veggies if they're big enough to be a "meal" or a "side." So I would count a salad, or a side of broccoli with my dinner, but I wouldn't count sandwich toppings or other such "garnishes." I don't get too worked up about measuring things like lettuce. If a salad consists mostly of iceberg lettuce, I eyeball it call it good. (if I'm off by a half cup or even a cup, it's what, 20 calories? Big deal.)
I also don't count small amounts of lo-cal condiments like mustard or hot sauce or salsa. If a recipe calls for a larger amount, I'll count it.
My big "cheat" is I don't count my coffee creamer. I only drink 1 cup of coffee most days, and I think my FF creamer is about 35 calories. I don't know why I refuse to count this...I guess it's my way of "getting away" with something, lol. Other than that, I pretty much count everything else. Oh, I don't count medicine. A shot of nyquil should NOT count as food...ha!
I know I'm a newcomer to the party, but right now since I just started counting, I count everything. I'm still tracking WWPP so initially it was to see the difference what stopping at 1200/daily calories was between 29 points. I have to admit that going back on WW for many years with "free" non-starchy veg that the calorie counts was a big surprise in what was a great value and what was not. But I do love my veg. I figure I will continue to count everything until my learning curve eases up a bit and I just "know" but for now I think it would be dangerous for me to stop and, I'm kind of finding it all a bit fun at the moment. Like I'm a living science project.
I look forward to reading all of the posts in this thread, especially the meal posts so I can get some good lo-cal ideas.
Donna
Last edited by 124chicksinger; 09-22-2011 at 01:49 PM.
(They're the only ones that don't make me wanna vomit)
and I started to count them. I do not, however count my vitamins and I probably should...
