Quote:
Originally Posted by craftymamie
Thank you girls!! I am in a "DUH" mode today I guess. I found the WW recipie for cabbage soup but I used diced tomatoes and not tomatoe paste. The can had a cal count on it so I may just add 1/2 point per bowl then I will be safe. Otherwise it has no cals.
Not to nit-pick, but remember, the other ingredients DO contain calories.
Points are not calories (they're based partially on calories). Zero point foods very often DO have calories (all vegetables have calories, all "real" foods have calories).
Diced canned tomatoes are a zero point food (for one whole cup). One tablespoon of tomato paste has the calorie equivalent of 1/4 cup of canned diced tomatoes (or more if the tomato paste contains sugar).
I think the half-point estimation isn't a bad one, but I think the distinction between zero points and zero calories has to be remembered. That's where I got in trouble with the WW zero point soup. I'd eat a large bowl at lunch and dinner, and throughout the day as snacks. Because WW didn't set a limit on the zero point foods, I thought of them as foods that couldn't threaten weight loss - as zero calorie foods. My weight loss stalled (not only from the uncounted calories, but also from water retention due to the sodium).
Ultimately, the scale will tell you if you're overusing uncounted zero point foods.