okay- so i'm currently giving my body a bit of a break, it's been a long rough path, im tired. i have a situation that is a little out of my control right now, and i cannot deal with calorie counting, so i am doing the intuitive eating thing.
i am mindful of portions/ what i am eating- and i've been doing this long enough to know how it works, but i am not being obsessive, i need that mental downtime.
i am no longer in a huge "weight loss thing" right now, but i would like to get rid of some visceral fat around my tummy. i have the dreaded stomach flap. i practice a lot of yoga, and sporadically do the "300s" - 10 sets/30 reps of various ab exercises. i do this 1-3 times a week.
so i have been looking at some body building websites, mostly pertaining to nutrition. i have a bad spine injury (Caused by yoga) and will need to be taking it a litte bit easier for a while, i hope to supplement with a little running here and there, but i am in no way ready to lift, or go to the gym yet (simply because i pay A LOT for the studio i go to, and i do not want to pay another monthly membership, cutting yoga is not an option lol).
anyways, so as i was reading this nutrition stuff- i realized that body builders/ those who have very little visceral/body fat, hardly if ever eat fruit.
so i did some research. essentially, sugar (Fructose) from fruits, affects the blood sugar levels, and when your blood sugar is spiked your body doesn't burn fat, but just burns the sugar in your blood- that is what i can narrow it down to.
i love fruit. i generally eat 3-4 servings of fruit a day, and i am going to supplement some of my fruit.
ex: todays "feeding" plan
coffee +skim
oatmeal + blueberries.
(usually would have been a peice of fruit with yogurt here) but instead, 3 oz chicken breast+ steamed cauliflower + baby carrots
spaghetti squash + shrimp+ mushrooms
dinner is TBD but some sort of fish/chicken with steamed veg or veg grilled in PAM or maybe sweet potato.
peice of fruit (to be replaced with something else?? maybe a boiled egg?).
what do you chickies thing of the whole fruit thing?
also- do my replacements kind of look okay? i know it's a tonne of protein lol
Unfortunately, sad but true. There is a lot of sugar in fruit. Perhaps you can replace it with a low sugar/low calorie protein shake to fill you and give you lasting energy?
Good luck! My husband is a fruit farmer...so giving up fruit with the Ideal Protein diet has been challenging but doable.
Hmmmm I love fruit. And since ive been eating better fruit feels like a treat to me. But eventually id like to cut down on it because of the sugar. Maybe limit your fruit if your still going to have it?
It's about balance & context, I think. A piece of fruit with or after a meal with plenty of protein & steady release carbs is fine. An apple as a mid-afternoon snack is fine. A giant bowl of fruit salad & nothing else on an empty stomach is probably not fine. Also, if you're worried, consider cutting the fruit portion in half - it's surprising how quickly half an apple / banana seems normal.
It's about balance & context, I think. A piece of fruit with or after a meal with plenty of protein & steady release carbs is fine. An apple as a mid-afternoon snack is fine. A giant bowl of fruit salad & nothing else on an empty stomach is probably not fine. Also, if you're worried, consider cutting the fruit portion in half - it's surprising how quickly half an apple / banana seems normal.
I like this idea. Pairing fruit with protein is likely not going to make you feel like you feel two hours after eating a bagel.
If you want to reduce fat you have to create a calorie deficit. If fruit is a trigger for you so it lowers your blood sugar and you crash or it makes you crave other sugars I would say that it is better if you reduce it otherways I think you will be fine. I am in the 120s and I still eat 2-3 fruits a day and I am seeing good results with strength training and eating more protein but with the KEY in mind which is whole calorie consumption.
As with exercise, I would say if you want to have the leanness or a body similar to a person that lifts weight, you have to lift weights, if you want to look like a runner, run or if you want to look like a yogi just do yoga. I think you enjoy yoga a lot so just try to incorporate some lifting to your routine starting with some body weight movements at least. If you have problems with your spine talk to a doctor first though.
the fruit thing makes me nervous too on some diets you can have berries but still there is the sugar. I am a carb counter mostly and trying the protien shakes to get myself into IP.
I usually have one piece of fruit per day (between breakfast and lunch), but if I have a sweet craving at night - rarely - I'll make banana ice cream and I don't beat myself up about it.
Most of the time my night snacks are popcorn, TJ turkey jerky, nuts, or a piece of sharp cheese with wasa or akmak.
I'm a low-carber and I eat two 0.5 cup servings of fruit a day on average, but I only eat certain types - avocado, tomato, and berries (usually blackberries) - and really limit the quantity. Berries are an amazing superfood - always making those "best foods" lists for their nutrients but they are actually pretty low-sugar and have a bit of fiber. I think your substitutions and pairing with protein ideas are great and I don't think you need to give up fruit entirely, but just the fruits that are basically only sugar-water (grapes, oranges, melon, apples).
I like this idea. Pairing fruit with protein is likely not going to make you feel like you feel two hours after eating a bagel.
It works! When I workout in the morning (which since I'm on summer break is happening often) I've found that my small breakfasts sometimes aren't enough, but having just carbs doesn't leave me much either.
Two eggs, some veggies and a piece of fruit is the PERFECT workout fuel for me. I have the energy for an awesome workout and I'm not hungry until hours after
clh99002 - in theory, it makes a lot of sense.
in reality, it's 1:35 pm. i've had 2 lg coffees (working on a 3rd - will explain why in a sec). oatmeal/blueberries, 3oz chicken- 4 oz veg, and then my mushroom/spaghetti squash/shrimp concoction. IM DYING. i work at a desk job (with mind numbing work), i am STUFFED, but have 0 energy, so i ventured out for another coffee. in your experience, is this an "adjustment curve" to the lack of fruit sugar?
northernrose thank you!! i will try- even after i eat, i usually crave something sweet. i do NOT eat refined sugars at all, so lots of splenda/ fruit sugars. i also eat very little slow processing carbs- mainly my breakfast oatmeal
healthylifestyle lol 3 portions makes sense, mind you now when we go to the grocery store and lets say, buy one apple, even the smallest to be found in the store- that's usually 2 servings. i would say i am currently eating 5-8 servings of veg, and 4-5 servings of fruit a day (i eat low caloric density, high volume foods- because i would simply rather eat quantity over quality). what kinds of fruits were you eating? i want to aim for 2-3 servings a day!
krampus me too! will be sure to try!
carpediem caloric deficits and visceral fat, at this stage in my PERSONAL game are no longer correlated unfortunately. currently, i am in the top range for my body. i have 2 sore sports left, which i cannot spot reduce, they are both visceral fat deposits, my lower tummy, and my inner thighs. while women carry visceral fat on the inner thighs, my stomach is leftovers from days of obiesity. while "yoga" seems as a very mild activity to must, i assure you, it is not, and highly suggest googling bikram yoga. at this point in the game, i lose stregth/muscle with any further caloric deficit (i operate on about a -800 on most days, sometimes higher). therefore- i am looking to use stored fat as energy, and protein to fuel the growing muscle.
munchy that's exactly where i was having fruit as well. with oatmeal, between bfast and lunch, and then after dinner/before yoga. it's funny, because pre-bikram my body always goes into "OMG YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE ME SWEAT LIKE A PIG IN A FREAKING FLEECE JACKET, I WANT OUT SO GIVE ME FRUIT ENERGY". which is obviously an upgrade from the time it wanted carbs, although i do find that i perform better on complex carbs. maybe pre-yoga dinner should now be oatmeal/complex carbs and some protein? hmmm.
ERHRGool call on the berries! i eat lots of blueberries and strawberries (they are cheap, and superfoods simultaneously, as well as i try to have atleast 1 small banana 4-5 days a week because of the potassium and muscle repair properties. unfortunately my favourite fruits are papayas(which are high sugar, but low cal), watermelons, and mangos. UGH
sontaikkle that's what i do on weekends! unfortunately, i work all day right now, and don't get to the studio until 8 pm, which kind of messes with the food rotations!
stimkovs, what are your natural hunger patterns? Would intermittent fasting be an option? I'm not a natural breakfast eater and my blood sugar stays pretty baseline unless I eat bagels or maple syrup, etc.
I too am stuck at a desk from 9-5. I just don't eat until 2 or 3, and then I'm nice and FULL until dinner because I have a humongous lunch with on average of 40-50 grams of protein. I'm sorta hungry from maybe 11-2 but nothing that affects my ability to be productive on the job (lots of sitting, internetting, you know). It also makes the work day seem to go faster since lunch is "in the middle" of the day.
I would be dying with that too! Very carb heavy. I usually have 5-6 ounces of chicken (3 oz is only 95 calories) to keep me full for lunch. Maybe try eggs in the morning for protein instead of oatmeal (carbs) and berries (carbs and sugar.) Spaghetti is carbs. All of that will leave you very sleepy. Protein will keep you full but not stuffed.
are you drinking enough water? dehydration makes me sleepy. what do you put in your coffee?
fruit. all the sad faces in the world.
