I have been eating tons of fruit since I started my diet/workout routine 2 weeks ago and I havent lost more than 2 lbs. My aunt told me that eating a lot of fruit might cause this problem because it has alot of sugar... I though fruit sugar was good for u?! HelP!
1) 2 lbs in 2 weeks is a perfectly wonderful amount to lose. There's nothing wrong with it. There's nothing wrong with losing 2 pounds in 2 weeks.
2) Fruit does have sugar. Fruit is not "bad". In fact, there's lots of good things about fruit. One of the biggest things is that eating a piece of fruit can be sweet and filling from the fiber and water. However, just like any food you can overdo it and eat too much.
3) Are you counting calories or using some other means of controlling your intake? You could eat nothing but fruit and gain weight unless you're controlling the AMOUNT of food you eat all together.
Eating "tons" of anything can be a problem (It would be harder to overeat nonstarchy veggies, but with fruit it's not that difficult, I've done it many times).
Good for you doesn't mean zero calories. Eating healthy foods doesn't prevent you from gaining weight or guarantee weight loss. Too much of a good thing, is still too much.
Are you eating too much? I don't know. As already mentioned, 2 lbs in 2 weeks is excellent weight loss (especially at your weight).
Even at my size, I can stall my weight loss on fruit (and have). Today, for example I ate over my calorie budget today by about 500 calories (from watermelon). 500 extra calories, even when they come from fruit, are still 500 extra calories.
For the most part, for most people, it boils down to calories. Yes you want the calories to come from healthy foods, but too many healthy food calories will put on extra weight just as easily as too many unhealthy food calories.
Well I didn't mean that I eat alot of them, I just eat a fruit with almost every meal. I do count and write down what I eat, that's why I'm so confused about it.. But yeah, so sugar in fruit is not as bad as regular sugar? Or am I not understanding this right?
at your size and weight, 2 lbs in 2 weeks is fine. It's working for you.
If you're not diabetic, then there's no reason to freak out over fruit sugars. Calories are calories, as far as weight loss is concerned, and you're taking in a lot of great antioxidants in the meantime.
I'd rather you eat tons of fruit than a ton of fake diet foods.
If you're concerned about the calories of the fruit, buy a nutrional scale. They're easy to use, and will tell you how many calories are in the fruit on your plate.
Broken down sugar is sugar. (It's fructose in fruit, btw.)
You might get differing opinions on this depending on the plan a person follows...for example I once heard a person say that fruit is like a candy bar that grows on trees. (Meaning they have a lot of sugar.)
However, I strongly disagree with that analogy. How many candy bars have naturally occurring fiber, vitamins, water, antioxidants? Calorie for calorie a piece of fruit is vastly superior to a candy bar, so much so that it's almost silly to compare it (in my mind) to candy which is almost all sugar and nothing else nutritionally valuable.
For an average person with no particular medical restrictions (like diabetes) some fruit every day, and in moderation even with every meal should not adversely effect them.
That being said, if you're only eating fruits and little in the way of vegetables you might want to reevaluate your balance. Vegetables hold different benefits than fruit that can compliment eachother, but they can't always substitute fully.
Well I didn't mean that I eat alot of them, I just eat a fruit with almost every meal. I do count and write down what I eat, that's why I'm so confused about it.. But yeah, so sugar in fruit is not as bad as regular sugar? Or am I not understanding this right?
Sugar is sugar. The sugar in fruit is just as bad (and just as good) as sugar in a candy bar. It has just as many calories per gram. With fruit (as opposed to say a candybar or a can of soda) you're just likely to get more good things WITH the sugar (water, fiber, vitamins, antioxidants and other phytochemicals), and you're (usually) getting more food (by volume and weight) for the calorie. Because of the calorie density, it's much easier to eat 500 calories of candy than it is to eat 500 calories of fruit. The fiber in the fruit helps fill you faster, so you generally eat less. That's why fruit juice isn't much better than Kool-Aid. You get the antioxidants and vitamins, but not the filling fiber.
I think you're looking for a hard and fast answer, and there isn't one. Nutrition is a science of grays - there is no universally healthy diet, but if you keep a food journal, you can determine what works best for you.
Firstly, I think your weight loss is fine - excellent in fact. Losing .5% of your body weight per week, is actually quite good (and you're losing almost .7%).
Also remember that not everyone loses weight in a consistent pattern. And while most people do seem to lose the most in the first few weeks of a diet, that's not universal either. Many people will lose nothing for the first month or so and then will start losing. Some people lose consistently and gradually, other people lose in spurts (what many people here call whooshes).
You can't judge your diet by two weeks (and probably not even two months).
Most people don't want to wait two months to see weight loss, so they tend to make larger chanages. That's great, but it's not always possible when you don't have a lot of weight to lose.
When you have less than 40 lbs to lose, you have to be more precise than if you were much heavier. The difference between losing weight and gaining or not losing - can be as few as 200 calories - two apples. (I'm not saying cut out the apples, just that your metabolism may require fewer calories than you think it does).
Online calorie calculators are only guesstimates based on average. Many people burn far more, and many burn far less than the calculators estimate. Over the years for myself, I've noticed that the calculators overestimate (more each year) my calorie needs. Some calculators have estimated the calories at which I supposedly should maintain my weight, anywhere from 2500 - 4500. Even the lowest estimate is too high. Based on my food journals, I stop losing at around 2300 calories (a little higher if I eat lower carb).
Many people find no difference in weight loss between low-carb and high-carb eating. You may lose equally well on 1200 calories of fruit as on 1200 calories of fish. Some people don't. I have to keep carbohydrates reasonably low or I tend not to lose weight (but not just because of the carb levels, though. Sugars also tend to make me hungrier for more sugars, and to overeat in general).
Without knowing everything you eat, it's hard to even guess what you need to change (if anything at all, because your weight loss has been GOOD so far).
If you can see a dietitian, I'd recommend it. He or she can help you evaluate your whole diet, and can also help you make the best choices overall. Another good option would be to read a book or two about basic nutrition (and maybe for fun, a book on superfoods - but don't let it make you think that you must eat only foods listed as superfoods, or that you have to eat as many as you possibly can cram into your diet).
Lovely; Thank you for your post. I thought that fruit and veggies could be substitutes but now I know to eat them both cause they have dif vitamins and such..
kaplods; Wow that was alot of info to take in, but I'm very glad you replied to my thread. I never look at my weight loss as .7%, not it seems very good to me. I wish I could see a dietitian.. I don't have health insurance for right now
Sorry, but I must respectfully, but strongly DISAGREE with the statement that their is virtually no difference in how the body recognizes simple table sugar vs. natural sugar from fruit.
Here's the BIGGEST difference and the REASON why sugar from fruit isn't harmful. Fruit contains DIGESTIVE ENZYMES necessary to break down the fruit for absorbtion by the body...simply table sugar does not. Proper absorption means NO FAT STORAGE.
So eat your fruit til your heart's content. Or just ask yourself...how many people do YOU KNOW who got fat eating fruit?
Last edited by joyfulloser; 07-12-2011 at 09:23 PM.
It really is next to impossible getting fat off of fruit. Can you eat your recommended calorie intake in apples? I sure can't! Even bananas, which have about 100 cal for a medium one.... you really can't eat like 15 bananas before making yourself sick. It comes down to the simple math. Calories consumed must be less than calories burned to lose weight. I completely agree with Joyfulloser! So don't worry about it. Fill up on fruit and veggies! It's good for ya!
Or just ask yourself...how many people do YOU KNOW who got fat eating fruit?
My mother. She will binge on an entire box of mangoes. Calories are calories, and if you eat too many of them, you will put on weight. I'm pretty sure that if I were to add a lot of fruit to my current diet, my weight loss would cease. Of course, eating back a 500 calorie deficit in fruit alone would be an awful lot of fruit, as kaplods said it's a calorie density thing, but it's doable. Couple of bananas after every meal (what an idea) would do it.
Of course, you're actually losing weight at a good rate as everyone has pointed out, so I don't think you need to worry! If you do find that your weight loss stops altogether at any point, try replacing some of the fruit with vegetables, which are far lower in sugar and thus calories. Slices of cucumber and tomato sprinkled with salt make a great snack.
My mother. She will binge on an entire box of mangoes.
Hmmm...I see. So, just so the OP is clear...your mother became overweight eating all other types of food in moderation while endulging on boxes of fruit?
Don't know your personal situation, but I have to say the above scenerio sounds HIGHLY unlikely. It sounds like she may have had a binge eating disorder and THAT is what would be the more probable reason for her weight gain...not FRUIT (in itself).
Oh and in your calorie is a calorie statement you never, nor have I ever had anyone else address the fact that fruits have an enzyme (pineapple has Bromelain) in them that aids in its proper breakdown and absorbtion by the body whereas simple sugar doesn't.
In any event...I've always eaten fruit to my hearts content and it has only helped me get healthy and fit!
Last edited by joyfulloser; 07-13-2011 at 10:33 AM.
Height: 5 ft 8.5" athlete who can give a punch & certainly take one too! :)
I suppose this is why I'm a lil fruity, as I consume roughly 6-7 pieces of fruit daily! Fresh fruit is yummy, many of the ones I consume have filling fiber. I LOVE apples, avocado, blackberries, bananas, blueberries, cherries, dates, prunes, grapefruit, kiwi, lemon, pomegranate & watermelon.
For me, fruits helps control cravings due to their filling fiber & makes me a lean mean maintenance machine!
But yeah, so sugar in fruit is not as bad as regular sugar? Or am I not understanding this right?
Here's my understanding of it all..
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends no more than 10% of our daily calories come from added sugars. This does not include the sugar that occurs naturally in our foods such as fruit and dairy. It means sugar added to candy, bbq sauce, cereal, whatever. (though fruit juices/sugars used specifically as a sweetener for other foods is also considered an added sugar)
It's hidden in savory foods as well. Any time you eat something from a package, you stand a good chance of getting added sugars. Especially with HFCS in almost every item in the supermarket. The role of sugar and HFCS in processed foods includes extending shelf life and making foods cheaper to produce. So it's everywhere.
WHO states that the benefits to eating fruit far outweigh the effect of the sugar in the fruit. You'll find fiber of course, but also many nutrients including antioxidants in fruit that you won't find in other foods.
So IMO you should eat all the fruit you want as long as it fits in with your overall pre-planned diet. But watch the sugar that is added to your other foods because that's the real problem.
Hmmm...I see. So, just so the OP is clear...your mother became overweight eating all other types of food in moderation while endulging on boxes of fruit?
Don't know your personal situation, but I have to say the above scenerio sounds HIGHLY unlikely. It sounds like she may have had a binge eating disorder and THAT is what would be the more probable reason for her weight gain...not FRUIT (in itself).
Oh and in your calorie is a calorie statement you never, nor have I ever had anyone else address the fact that fruits have an enzyme (pineapple has Bromelain) in them that aids in its proper breakdown and absorbtion by the body whereas simple sugar doesn't.
In any event...I've always eaten fruit to my hearts content and it has only helped me get healthy and fit!
Not quite sure what your third paragraph means, did you type in the wrong word somewhere or is it just something I'm unfamiliar with?
Anyway, fruit is what my mother binges on. I've seen her binge on fruit many times. I've only rarely seen her binge on something else. Obviously what she eats will be more complicated than that, but I reckon the fruit binges are a substantial factor in her having put on weight. She probably thinks of it as the one healthy food she can eat as much as she likes of, while knowing that there are reasonable limits to everything and she really shouldn't be eating that much of it.
I have absolutely nothing against fruit, I think it's great, but I also see no reason why the calories in fruit should be disregarded. Digestive enzymes will presumably improve digestion, but they don't neutralise calories, surely?
fruit=bad?!
