Hi,

Thanks for question.

I’m sure you know, weight loss comes down to a fine balancing act of energy in and energy out, so it’s important to be as accurate as possible when counting calories consumed. It takes a surprisingly few number of calories either way to tip the balance between losing weight or not.

Many fruit and vegetables are very low in calories, hence why it’s great to include these in your diet as they add bulk (volume) but very few calories. However it’s important to know that all foods contain calories – none are completely ’free’. Therefore we do encourage members to record absolutely everything into their food diary each day.

If you do not want to have to weigh absolutely every fruit and veg item, there are some where estimating the weight would be fine, whereas others really should be measured. See the lists below for guidance on which fruit and veg items to be vigilant:

Very low calorie fruit and vegetables – you can be more relaxed about not weighing these:

Asparagus

Aubergine

Broccoli

Celery

Chicory

Cucumber

Cabbage

Carrots

Cauliflower

Courgette

Fennel

Gherkins

Lettuce & salad leaves

Marrow

Mushrooms

Peppers

Pumpkin

Radish

Spinach

Spring greens

Spring onions

Swede

Baby sweetcorn

Tomatoes

Turnip

Watercress

Blackberries

Melon

Raspberries

Rhubarb

Strawberries

Higher calorie list – I recommend you check portion sizes:

Beans e.g. Cannellini beans, Kidney beans

Lentils

Peas

Parsnips

Sweetcorn

Sweet Potato

Bananas

Grapes

With fruit, you need to ensure that your visual size reference is correct. In our database, you’ll see we show the weight for a small, medium and large banana / apple / orange. Make sure that what you consider to be a ‘small’ apple isn’t what we class as ‘large’ – else you will be underestimating your calorie intake.

I hope this helps and please get in touch if you need anything further.

Kind regards

Emma