Do I include fruits and veggies in calorie counting?

[Anonymous]

Right now I'm limiting my calories to about 1500 per day along with 50 min workout. Do my calories include the vegetables and fruits I eat? For example, I made a banana-spinach smoothie earlier with soya milk which would be around 150 calories. Would I have to include this?

[Kalinda]

Yes. 150 extra calories a day is 20 extra pounds a year. Calorie is a calorie doesn't matter whre it comes from.

Fruit is not a low calorie food. It is high in nutrients and relatively low in caleies compared to candy. Soy milk is high
Protein high fat food- not a fruit or vegetable so I don't know where that came from. Vegetables can add up in calories depending on what kind. The only vegetables that are considered free are the raw vegetables that you'd have to eat more than your stomach could handle before it added to anything. Like lettuce.

If it has calories it counts as calories.

[hourglass17]

I eat 200-800 calories a day and don't count much of the fruits and vegetables... but I believe they say you don't have to count the green vegetables like lettuce, spinach, and you should count fruit like bananas fruit with lots of sugar... I don't count apples personally because they speed up your metabolism

[Asker]

Thanks for your reply. You means you eat 1200-800 calories i would think...
Okay, usually i count apples... guess you are right:-)

[hourglass17]

Your welcome... but no I mean I eat "200"-800 calories everyday...

[BertMacklinFBI]

do you mean eating 1500 calories per day on top of your BMR? or 1500 calories only for the entire day?

[Asker]

for the entire day. My BMR is about 1420.

[BertMacklinFBI]

if you want to be 100% accurate then count everything. energy is energy so whatever you eat will be converted to calories, even if it is healthy.

[BertMacklinFBI]

I mean count it even if it is healthy

[kheserthorpe]

Count the fruit and starchy vegetables, don't worry about fibrous vegetables.

[aamy811]

I don't think it would even be healthy to eat that many calories of meat and processed carbs. 1500 calories of Meat is a lot.
I think 1500 is too low. I'm 5'3 and 117lbs with a moderately active lifestyle, my BMR is about 1300 calories. So if I'm sleeping all day without getting up to do anything I need at least 1300 calories.
I do a lot more than jut sleep all day. And I don't just get up occasionally to pee so I definitely need more to eat. A LOT MORE.
The reason food labels always have the based on 2000 calorie diet is because I don't think in average sizes functioning adult should have less than that. Really only a 4 or 5 year old kids should have 1200 calories. and I'm assuming your day involves more thinking than a 4 year old and your taller than 3 feet.
So I suggest actually eating more

[aamy811]

And do count the fruit as calorie intake

[Climber]

Agree with everone. You have to count every calorie, but 1500 a day is not healthy. You destroy your body because it will start burning important muscle to get the calories needed. You cannot fool your body. If it needs 2000 cal, it will find 2000 cal. If you don't have enough fat to give that, see that take enough calories for it.

[SusanRose33]

Yes fruit ad vegetables count because either way you're still taking in those calories, whether you counted them or not so it's better to just count them.

[Prettygurl12]

If it goes in your body you must count it as calorie intake.