Hi ...well...i've been eating a lot of fresh fruits n veggies in my diet lately to replace unhealthy snacks about 4-6 servings daily...i'm wondering if im eating too many n should i count these calories towards my overall calorie intake?? because I heard that fruits/veggies produce a "negative calorie" effect??? @___@ lol

Do some searching on negative calorie effect - it's part urban legend part truth... the search button in this forum is really helpful for stuff like that...

I have an online food journal that I record everything in -some things might have minimal calories, but I want to know about more than just calories -I want to know about fiber, protein, certain vitamins I'm taking - i care about more than just total calories for the day...

If you're just starting to count calories, the philosophy you should stick with- to get yourself into the habit of everything counts - IF YOU BITE IT - WRITE IT.. otherwise it's too easy to forget things...

haha this is awsome because. well lol I do the same I really dont count fruit and veggies. I kind of do but its like its an apple its good for me.

I count everything, even the water I drink. That's the only way I know I'm on track. At first I was a little lazy about it but now I measure and count everything. I was surprised to find I wasn't eating enough, so for me it's necessary or I'll short myself.

Hi, I'm new to the forum, looking for diet help like most of the USA. I find writing everything down really helps me too. I don't ever count fruit as a free food, but wouldn't celery, cucumbers, and lettuce types of greens be considered free food in almost any diet?

I wouldn't worry about celery, cucumbers, and lettuce, but there are definitely fruits and vegetables that are high-calorie and should count towards your daily calorie count.

Calories are calories. Just b/c something is low in calories does not mean you shouldn't count it.

And since when does water have calories in it?

Agreed. Even lettuce has calories in it, according to what I use to track them, as does celery. The reason people say they are "negative" is because you burn cals by chewing.. but you are still taking those calories into your body!

I'm pretty sure they were saying they keep track of everything, even water (so even though it doesn't have any cals.)

im going to remember that quote mal! IF YOU BITE IT - WRITE IT.....very catchy

I assume you are responding to my counting water post. I don't count it because it has calories, I just track how much I drink to make sure I'm getting enough. I also keep track of my vitamins and supplements and keep an excercise journal. BTW every online calorie calculator includes water in it's list of foods.

Ideally no food should be excluded.

Practically, the only exception you should make is when a snack is less than 25 calories for that serving.

Almost everything you eat is higher than this, especially fruit.

If you want to be even more practical, dont count vegetables, but ALWAYS count fruit.

Michael (I hate trusts.)

Eh I stole it from someone else but it's a good mantra to have...

Awesome: If you bite it write it!

Let's see, a medium orange 60 calories, a medium apple 95 calories. The answer to your question is another question: would you log drinking a Coke (140 calories) but not log eating an apple and an orange (155 calories)?

A quarter pound of carrots is 40 calories...

Counting celery, lettuce, and cucumbers for calories seems silly, but I would still note that I put it in my body in case I notice a pattern with weight, energy, or digestion after adding/subtracting.


Maybe my attitude would be different though if I was near my goal weight or working to maintain a weight, but since my weekly deficit is 8000 calories, I'm not going to fuss over how much (non-honey) mustard I add to a chicken breast.

Don't only stress about calories, look at your diet as a whole. Fruits and vegetables are fine, the only one to avoid is bananas. Eat smaller meals and more frequently and do about 45 mins of cardio exercises every day.

If I didn't count my vegetable calories...I'd be going over quite a bit. I get at least 250 a day I would say. Oh, and don't avoid bananas. Where did that come from!?