This may be a stupid, petty, insignificant question, but what do you guys do about calculating the carbs in fruit and veggies? do you bother?
I’m just about to embark on the T-Dawg 2.0 diet. At the moment, whilst I watch what I eat and my macronutrient ratios etc, veggies and (to a lesser degree) fruit I am just kind of treating as a freebie, largely because I can’t be bothered to be working out the amount of carbs in different veggies, then weighing them etc etc. But I get the impression I should be aware of their impact on my carb numbers.
Should I bother working out the carbs I get from the veggies and, if so, does anyone have any good rules of thumb for how to do it without sitting down with scales and a calculator etc?
once again - apologies if this is a dumb/unimportant/overthought question
For figuring out the fruits and veggies, try using fitday.com. They have a rather large database of most foods. The only thing I have found with them, is their fruits are not variety by variety (ex. they list apple, but not fuji, gala, granny sith, etc) which is not a huge deal. IMO, you should definitely count them as part of your calories and macro breakdown. I use them when I diet only. My bulk diet is set, but while cutting, I find it makes me more accountable, and keeps me on my toes with my food consumption.
supplementary question. If I’m counting veggies as proper carbs, does this mean I should avoid veggies in the evening? Usually evening is the only time I can cook up a big plate of the real heathly stuff like cabbage, broccili etc, during the day I am restricted to stuff that can be carried around and eaten raw. I guess its no great shakes, but i just love my cabbage.
[dammit, I just realised that I am writing a ‘I want to follow this great diet by the Shugart but can I change it in a bunch of ways post’…maybe I should follow with a ‘i wanna do the V-diet but with twinkies’ post.]
Scoober,
It sounds like you are sweating the small stuff. If you are eating things like cabbage at dinner time, nobody is going to say you are doing something wrong. It is mostly fiber and you want that.
If you are following, TD 2.0, then just make sure you are keeping the carbs to the correct level, eat your fruits and veggies and be happy. You really want to focus on avoiding the carbs from grains outside the workout window.
I have done my share of Yo-Yo “dieting”. If you are 12% or so above in BF%, then I wouldn’t worry much about counting carbs down to the exact numbers. I think of them as “servings” and that is about as far as counting as I do. I would count any fruit as a “serving” and I wouldn’t count veggies as carbs.
I have lost many a pound this way and it’s less stressful sweating over exact numbers. Now when you get down to a normal healthy average BF%, then you might have to start counting carbs to fool your body into dropping that last 2-5%.
Like others said this is very fruit and veggie dependent Brocolli No hell takes a ton to mean a thing, a potato yes starchy as hell. Banana YES, strawberries Not so much very low carb and low II/GI.
Just make smart choices for the part of day etc on the diet you have chosen but I would get PLENTY of veggies and dont fear fruit.
Eat your produce.
Raw produce is just as important as protein and fat.
Spinach and broccoli are great for me during the week since I’m on the AD.
On the weekends I fill up on grapes,berries,apples,oranges.
They’re all great.
