... Just throwing this out there, but I eat several servings of fruit each day and my abdominal fat is non-existent... Seriously...

fruit is not an enemy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM

Whoppers aren't an enemy either. Personally I don't eat such burgers often, maybe three or four times a year at most (well, now I throw away the bun, because I have some unpleasant reactions to wheat. Not sure if it's an actual allergy, and I tested negative for celiac disease, but when I eat it, the next day my face, hands, and feet are swollen and itchy and I feel kind of like I have a mild flu or something - so no wheat).

Even with my reaction to wheat, I wouldn't say wheat is my enemy either - it's just not that great for me.

And while fruit is not my enemy, it isn't my friend either. It's just a food I have to eat sensibly (that goes for the Whoppers too, though sensible fruit-eating looks a whole lot different than sensible Whopper eating. I choose to eat a Whopper or similar burger a few times a year, and I calculate it into my exchange plan. Fruit I eat daily, but I also fit it into my exchange plan.

However, there was absolutely nothing sensible about the way I used to eat fruit (and occasionally still do, though I'm a lot smarter now, so fruit-binges are rare). No one needs to eat 3/4 of a large watermelon in a single day. Or three pounds of Ranier cherries.

Because Ranier cherry season is short, I do allow myself a cherry-binge or two (and while I know the fruit isn't an enemy, it sure can SEEM like an enemy when the intese stomache cramps and explosive diarrhea hits).

The problem with even the most "healthy" foods is that "sensible" is entirely dependent upon the situation and the individual.

If you're literally starving to death, a whopper is healthier than an orange.

If you've only been eating low-protein fruit, the whopper still might be healthier than an orange.

It's all context. If you have diabetes or blood sugar issues, unlimited fruit is not your friend (not your enemy either - just a food you have to incorporate, if you can into the diet that's best for you).


Most modern fruit is unlike any that grows in the wild though. Over ten to fifteen thousand years of selective horticulture, we've grown fruit AND vegetables to have far more sugar and carbohydrates and far less (phenomenally less) fiber.

That doesn't make fruit (or any food) an "enemy" it just means that no food is "healthy" except in the context of the individual - dependent upon the rest of the diet, and the individual's current health status and health needs.

I don't anyone here has vilified fruit, just pointed out some contexts in which unlimited fruit is not healthy or conducive to weight loss.

I agree with this. I am vegan and eat basically fruits and vegetables. I don't keep track of either, I just eat them when I'm hungry. I have not gained weight and maintained my weightloss for 17 months. Like kaplods said, it's different for everyone.

Some fruits have more carbs than others. Since it is the summer and berries, which are the lowest carbs, are in abundance, you can have your fruit and still see if eating lower carb will reduce your belly fat. Cherries and cantaloupe are other fruits with lower carbs than others. Bananas and Pineapples have higher carbs. My daughter drinks coconut water to get the potassium and other same benefits of bananas without the carbs.

hey chickies (and chick-os? ha ha...sorry lots of caffiene).

i've been impressively busy at work (i know right??) so i can't really sit down and post a long, drawn out reply- but thank you very much for the information, i have read and considered all of it, kind of frustrating that there isn't a simple template right? but then i guess it would just be too easy.

i think my personal issue, and what it really comes down to, is moderation.

i have an addictive personality, and a huge dopamine defficiency - which essentially means if you find something tasty/feel good- you naturally get addicted to it because of the seratonin/dopamine releases. (seriously, i could get addicted to a pet rock if it felt nice and fuzzy) - this causes me to have issues staying in moderation with things- also why i eat very low calorie, high volume foods.

i am going to try to keep it at 2-3 servings of fruit a day.

thank you for all of the wonderful, thought out input <3

That's not true there is a very simple template that will work for almost everyone if they follow it.

Eat meat, vegtables, and some fruit. If you eat these things it would be pretty tough for most people not to lose weight.

I'm not saying it would be easy for everyone to radically change their diet in this fasion since most people are eating mostly processed garbage and fast food but that template is very simple and for most would result in rapid weight loss.

Eat no more than 2 servings of fruit a day and pair it with a protein. I am diabetic and was also under the assumption that fruit was high in sugar and BAD. I now stick to berries, apples and grapefruit mostly and I have cottage cheese or another protein with it. I do not feel hungry and my blood sugar is normal since eating this way. It hasn't stalled my weight loss as far as I can tell but I only weigh myself once every 2 weeks or so.

There are a lot of simple templates, you just have to choose one and try it. If it works great, there you go. If it works poorly, choose another and try it. If it works good to ok, and you want to tweak and experiment with the template, then go ahead.

I've been using a simple template (a high-protein, lowish carb exchange plan like the ones on frugalabundance.com) and over time have made a few adjustments, but for the most part it works great.