Hmmmmmmmmmmm. Good question. LOL! What are the other ingredients? If there isn't anything but the potatoes, spices and then only baking. I'd say go for it....LOL! I don't usually count something that is a junk food for a serving of veggies and probably in all seriousness say no. Basically because I'd count in the simple carb area and not knowing how many potatoes it took etc.
Hi there. You said you wanted to get in all your exchanges. Are you doing points (which you seem to be counting) or exchanges? Typically, because of the way this program is structured, I would NOT count the cheese on a pizza as a half milk (even though WW still shows the exchange values on all its foods). But, whatever works for you, is fine.
As for the baked lays, why don't you omit the cheese from the sandwhich and add lettuce and tomato? That will give you another vegetable, and you can eat the Lay's, but not HAVE to "count" them as a veg, which they really are not. Why? too many vitamins go out the window with the additional processing. One regular baked potato (the potato itself) has very close to 100% of the RDA of Vitamin C and A. Baked lays have about 2% of Vitamin C, and NONE of vit. A; additionally, a regular potato is a great source of potassium, an essential nutrient. There is NO potassium in baked lays. So, insofar as you need an additional vegetable, (or fruit serving) eat a bowl of strawberries (w/ cool whip?) or have another small salad w/ your dinner. But, well, try NOT to count the Lay's. It's waaaaaaaaaay too much of a stretch....
What if I take a multi-vitamin with the Baked Lays then do they count (ha ha just kidding). I'm eating my chicken soup now and it's loaded with carrots & broccoli so I think I'm okay for today. Also, I read that you need 2 cups of leafy veges to count as a serving and you say 1/2 cup. That would make a big difference because I usually have a huge salad at lunch with romaine, spinach, etc.
You're right about the serving sizes,(I was counting tomato tho, too) except that when it comes to vegetables, for me, there's no such thing as a serving. I just eat them.... I love them (to me, tho', fruit is a stretch, believe it or not!). Take the multivitamin ANYWAY, because the only way any of us gets in the minimum of RDAs is on a 2000 calorie/day diet, which none of us is really getting right now. Additionally, if you DO take vitamins, please take them WITH FOOD otherwise they are wasted. Why? Because they rely on the food in your system to act as catalysts to make the building blocks of the nutrients. (simplistic answer.) Without the food, they don't get processed and you urinate out the water soluble vitamins (C, B complex) and the fat soluble ones (A, D, K, E.) go out the OTHER way. So, please always take your vitamin w/ food -- and I don't mean just a shot of orange J. How much have you lost so far? How long have you been on program?
I've been on the program about 1 day so I'm quite an expert LOL. I weighed myself yesterday morning and was 168; I won't weigh again until next Monday morning. I don't attend meetings because of financial reasons but I have all the books and the spiral journal. So it is 2 cups of leafy veges per serving??? I'll get them all in somehow.
Leafy veggies are 1 cup servings.... all others are 1/2 cup, so it's not such a stretch. Be patient. I've been OP since April 1, 1998. I live and breathe it. I lost 55 lbs (did I tell you this already?) in 15 months; became a leader; and love the program. If you have any questions, please please write. Where are you located? I'm in NYC by day, and Westchester County, NY, by night.
I'm in Massachusetts. So you've been counting points for 3 years...do you ever take a day off or is it just a part of life now??? How long did it take you to lose 55 and did you exercise. I have a hard time exercising because I have a 17 month old at home but once it's nice out I'm going to start taking her for walks at night.
Rouen Mom,
I'm curious--
Why wouldn't I count the apples in an apple pie as a fruit? I'll admit, I'd have to eat a hefty slice to get an apple's worth of filling, but say I did (and counted the points)--I ate that apple, didn't I? Likewise the cheese that's on a pizza--if I ate enough pizza to get in a full "serving" of cheese, why not count it as a milk? I ate it.
Like you, I have no trouble whatsoever getting 5 vegetable servings per day--I love vegetables of all kinds and eat mass quantities. I think if I counted everything that COULD count as a veggie (my salsa, my spaghetti sauce, my V8 juice, the tomato broth AND the vegetables in my Progresso soup...) and gave myself a check mark for each half-cup serving of cooked vegetables, I'd come close to 10 a day! But for those who just don't care for them, I often see folks encouraging them to "hide" them in spaghetti sauces, soups, smoothies, etc. They still count, don't they? Wherever they may be...
Hi Bumby: Well, the reason that I wouldn't count the apple pie (nor are we, as leaders, allowed to even "suggest" such blasphemy) is that it is considered a novelty food, that is, very processed, and typically found at the TOP of the food pyramid, where "incidental and occasional" foods lie: sugars, high fats, alcohol. So, the apple pie should not be considered a fruit serving under any circumstances. That having been said, about the cheese on a pizza -- I'd be more likely to call it a protein than a milk--although the breakdown on that is very fine. the idea behind this program, is to understand and acknowledge "whole foods" rather than their processed counterparts, as often as possible. Yes, we all have things we do to play the game (points, and eating by the numbers) but on the whole, we need to rethink the way we eat. (By the same token, does Citron flavored Vodka have no points because Lemon Juice has no points? You get my drift... On the other hand, tomato sauce, V-8 juice, and other cooked down or cooked vegetables (even salsa) can count as a veg because it has not been sugared, fatted, etc.
Hi: I'm losing It:
In terms of taking a day off from points -- sure I do, by either not writing it down, or going over my allotment for the day. However, it is soooo ingrained in my thinking and my way of eating, that I always have it at the back of my mind when I am straying. I still journal, and in fact, in my journal, I write each week how many weeks I've been doing program (156 from the start, 86 weeks as a Lifer). It took me 65 weeks to get to goal (my goal loss was 45 lbs. I started it BEFORE we had the 10% concept) and after I got to goal, I miraculously lost another 13 pounds. Honestly. Did not try to ... I've been a leader since September of 1999. I did the first 20 weeks of the program without doing any exercise at all (not by design, but by time constraints) and then I started walking 2 miles a day in one mile increments. Now, I still do the 2 mi/day thing; plus I go to a gym 2x/wk for strength training and boxing (not kickboxing). I'm anywhere from a size 4 (when the cut is big) to a 10, but I've overcome the mania w/ the numbers. Now, if it fits, i buy it.... :-)
