Do you count veggies as part of your caloric count for the day?

For me, I won't be except the starchy ones like potatoes, corn, Winter squash.

Yes, of course I count them for the day. ALL vegetables DO have calories. And therefore they DO add up and they most certainly COUNT towards your daily caloric intake. The only thing I don't count is water.

I'm curious though as to why you wouldn't count them?

I would think that it would be an encouragement to eat veggies (low low cal, full of good stuff and good for you) if you didn't have to count them. I have a hard time eating enough veggies so I was thinking of making them free for me while counting calories. A cup of sliced pepper (sweet bell) has like 18 calories and is full of fiber and vitamins, its the dips that you have to watch for. That would be my reasoning.

I used to be a member of another diet forum, and there was a woman there who never counted her veggies. I guess she assumed they were good for her, so it was ok. I agree though, they do add up. Sometimes I can sit and eat a whole bowl of steamed broccoli and even though the damage is minimal, if I'm trying to stick to 1200 calories or something, that could be over a hundred.

Actually edzard, according to Fitday.com, a cup of sweet bell peppers has 40 calories.

I eat TONS of vegetables. I love, love, love the volume that I get to eat for a fairly low amount of calories. And yes it's waaay better to eat a bowl of vegetables then a bowl of ice cream or even a bowl of cereal, but nevertheless they DO count.

I know for me I need to set myself limits. I have a bottomless pit of an appetite. I can overeat ANYthing, so I do tally them into my day. That's what keeps ME honest with myself. For ME there is no such thing as FREE foods. I just don't work that way.

We all have to know what does indeed work for ourselves. We all have different methods.

I find that if I'm on a lo-cal diet, lots of veggies are the ONLY way to meet my calorie goals without feeling hungry. I count the veggies, of course, but I can't imagine doing 1200 a day without them. Feeling satisfied rather than hungry seems like a pretty strong motivator to me

I count everything! I even count my fish oil and multi-vitamin (it's chewable and has 5 cals.) I count coffee and tea (no cream or sweetener in either) too, because they have a few cals as well (I know these are cosidered "free" to most people.)

I count every single calorie, no matter the source. I just went back and checked, and one day this week non-starchy veggies accounted for almost 300 calories of my diet! (I had a stir-fry that day) Wow, that could really add up after a while if I didn't count it!

I count breath mints. Again, it sounds crazy but I guess its just a way of keeping track of myself.

I just had to add this in. Since my diet mainly consists of veggies, there are days when I can eat over 400 or 500 calories worth. And I don't even eat potatoes. So, could you imagine if I didn't count my calories that come form vegetables? I shudder to think about it.

I count everything, too. I'm a voracious vegetable eater and in the amounts I eat them, they count -- especially since I'm diabetic and most of my carbs come from those low-carb veggies. Just about the only starches I eat are breakfast cereal (high fibre or oatmeal) and an occasional (once or twice a week) tortilla or smart pop.

If it works for you, fantastic. You really need to know yourself (or experiment, so that you learn). Some people do better on a rigid method of monitoring food intake, others do better with a looser system. Counting every calorie is on one end of the spectrum, Food exchange programs are in the middle, and the WW point system would be on the loose end of counting, and limited counting like carb or fat gram counting would be looser still.

Whatever keeps you motivated AND losing, is right for you.

I had to give up traditional counting, because I tend towards obsessive/compulsive behavior and thoughts when I try too rigid an approach. I start to worry about whether the apple I ate had 65 or 85 calories, and feel like I've failed and cheated if I go over my calorie goal by 10or 20 calories (and since calorie counts are "averages" I may or may not have actually gone over at all, but in my head I failed).

If you're the kind of person who can binge on veggies to the point of stalling your weight loss, then you'd better count them. When WW was a calorie counting program (eons ago), cooked veggies counted, but raw veggies didn't. WW has now limited carrots to 3/4 cup for "free" and anything over has to be counted.

The systems you can use are endless, but the one that's best for you is the one that keeps you honest with yourself, motivated and losing.

I count everything except diet coke, black coffee, crystal light and water.

I count each and every thing that has even one calorie. Every calorie counts! While it is nearly impossible to be 100% accurate, I know that at least if I account for everything I eat, I have a range within which I will be staying

Besides, if I didn't count vegetables, I would be cutting out over half of what I eat on most days!

Well, when I was loosing I counted and weighed veggies. Now that I am maintaining I only count starchy veggies (potatoes and corn). To maintain my current weight (118-120) I need between 1500 and 1900 a day (per my Dr. and online). Right now I keep my calories between 1150 and 1300 per days (most of the time), but I don't count veggies. I like the freedom of not having to weigh EVERYTHING and it really encourages me to snack healthy. I think not counting veggies is somewhat of a WW mentality, which is fine if you follow the WW's plan!

Julie