Do pumpkins help me lose weight or gain weight?

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  • corinasue1143
    corinasue1143 Posts: 7,467 Member
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    At about 50-80 calories per cup, even on a very low calorie diet, 1200 calories per day, you could have at least 15 cups a day and still be okay on calories. Even the volume eaters on this thread would say that’s a lot of food. You would be low on protein, maybe only 30-40 grams, and your skin would probably turn orange. It’s low on the glycemic scale, so according to the numbers shouldn’t make you hungry. If you like it and it makes you feel good, I say ENJOY!
  • Cahgetsfit
    Cahgetsfit Posts: 1,912 Member
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    loralenoxx wrote: »
    My nutritionist said as long as you wash it down with a quart of apple cider vinegar, you can eat pumpkins to your hearts content. Just make sure it's gluten free pumpkin, and never after 7. As pumpkin calories will be converted to fat.

    You win the internet today LOLOLOLOL!
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,988 Member
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    kshama2001 wrote: »
    These days my GERD is getting worse so I ate some steamed pumpkins and they are soooo yummy,plus they are stomach-friendly. (Just look at my diary) however it has STARCH and SUGAR in it... will I get fat if I kept on eating it?
    I searched online and some said it is a weight gain food some said weight loss >< I am confused!!!!!

    To everyone who woo'd this post, I would like to draw your attention to these guidelines about the use of the Woo reaction:
    What is not woo:
    • A user asking a question about a topic they heard about (ex. I heard fenugreek causes weight loss, is that true?). Even if what they are asking about is not true, they are asking to learn more, not telling people to take it.

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/43568226/#Comment_43568226

    That's not the terms of use or community guidelines. It's just a post in a thread.

    I've been advocating changes around this for some time to no avail. That post, by a MFP moderator, is much more clear that what is available elsewhere.
  • Panini911
    Panini911 Posts: 2,325 Member
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    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    Why do people think there are weight gain foods and weight loss foods, which I am interpreting means that those foods cause weight gain or weight loss regardless of cals. I suspect it's that incredibly bizarre assertion of OP that led to the woos (although I did not woo her).

    What's the deal? I don't understand how people could believe that, what's the mechanism? It's really an odd assertion. It's like my jr high friend's mom who insisted that eating cheese gave you a huge butt (which was bad in the '80s, I'm old).

    kshama, any thoughts, since you are criticizing those who thought it was a bizarre claim?

    It reminds me of the "one weird fruit you must avoid" (which is usually banana).

    Good question.

    Funny one of my registered dietitians recommended no bananas when i started one round of my weight loss (years ago). I think it related to bananas often being two servings in the size we get them. I didn't ask.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
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    Panini911 wrote: »
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    Why do people think there are weight gain foods and weight loss foods, which I am interpreting means that those foods cause weight gain or weight loss regardless of cals. I suspect it's that incredibly bizarre assertion of OP that led to the woos (although I did not woo her).

    What's the deal? I don't understand how people could believe that, what's the mechanism? It's really an odd assertion. It's like my jr high friend's mom who insisted that eating cheese gave you a huge butt (which was bad in the '80s, I'm old).

    kshama, any thoughts, since you are criticizing those who thought it was a bizarre claim?

    It reminds me of the "one weird fruit you must avoid" (which is usually banana).

    Good question.

    Funny one of my registered dietitians recommended no bananas when i started one round of my weight loss (years ago). I think it related to bananas often being two servings in the size we get them. I didn't ask.

    That's funny and weird. You'd think if that's the reason she or he could just say "half a banana is a serving."
  • corinasue1143
    corinasue1143 Posts: 7,467 Member
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    I was talking to a dietician about diabetes and she said bananas are one of the hardest fruits for diabetics to moderate. I didn’t ask why.
  • RelCanonical
    RelCanonical Posts: 3,882 Member
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    I was talking to a dietician about diabetes and she said bananas are one of the hardest fruits for diabetics to moderate. I didn’t ask why.

    Higher sugar content than other fruit, probably - bananas are pretty calorically dense compared to other fruits, and the makeup of that is mostly sugar with less fiber compared to other fruits. Harder to regulate the insulin spike. I'm not for sure, though.
  • Zinka61
    Zinka61 Posts: 563 Member
    edited June 2019
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    Calories are calories, so just count them, and you should be fine. Pumpkin is so good for you, loaded with potassium, which most people don't get enough of, and vitamin A, fiber...And if it doesn't bother your GERD, that's a plus. Interesting side note. 3 years ago I was told I had GERD. After learning how to live with it, sort of, I had some testing done in the digestive clinic at our hospital. It turns out I don't have GERD at all, but rather, a hypersensitive esophagus which has begun over reacting to completely normal amounts of stomach acid. The specialist commented that they believe this may be very common but that most people are never tested to find out if they really have GERD or not. Just thought I'd throw that out there, because dealing with "GERD" for those 3 years really was a struggle. Now I don't have to take antacids, worry about what I eat, or keep the head of my bed up on risers. (Pumpkin was never on my forbidden list anyway, though). So now I've got to ask: What are your best pumpkin recipes?
  • RelCanonical
    RelCanonical Posts: 3,882 Member
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    Panini911 wrote: »
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    Why do people think there are weight gain foods and weight loss foods, which I am interpreting means that those foods cause weight gain or weight loss regardless of cals. I suspect it's that incredibly bizarre assertion of OP that led to the woos (although I did not woo her).

    What's the deal? I don't understand how people could believe that, what's the mechanism? It's really an odd assertion. It's like my jr high friend's mom who insisted that eating cheese gave you a huge butt (which was bad in the '80s, I'm old).

    kshama, any thoughts, since you are criticizing those who thought it was a bizarre claim?

    It reminds me of the "one weird fruit you must avoid" (which is usually banana).

    Good question.

    Funny one of my registered dietitians recommended no bananas when i started one round of my weight loss (years ago). I think it related to bananas often being two servings in the size we get them. I didn't ask.

    I can definitely take up a big chunk of my calories on bananas, those suckers can get big. Of course, I always get the biggest ones at the grocery store because it feels more satisfying even though I pay by the pound, lol.
  • corinasue1143
    corinasue1143 Posts: 7,467 Member
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    Ok, so I was curious and had to look it up. Comparing apples to bananas to pumpkin.

    Glycemic load. Apples = 3; bananas = 8, pumpkin= 1
    Sugar, more for banana, comparable sucrose and fructose for apples and bananas, glucose= bananas have about twice as much as apples. Pumpkin is so low in sugar they didn’t break it down.
    Could glucose be the culprit?
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
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    This poster is gonna also get "you again" woos. Is there a rule about that?
  • corinasue1143
    corinasue1143 Posts: 7,467 Member
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    Zinka61 wrote: »
    Calories are calories, so just count them, and you should be fine. Pumpkin is so good for you, loaded with potassium, which most people don't get enough of, and vitamin A, fiber...And if it doesn't bother your GERD, that's a plus. Interesting side note. 3 years ago I was told I had GERD. After learning how to live with it, sort of, I had some testing done in the digestive clinic at our hospital. It turns out I don't have GERD at all, but rather, a hypersensitive esophagus which has begun over reacting to completely normal amounts of stomach acid. The specialist commented that they believe this may be very common but that most people are never tested to find out if they really have GERD or not. Just thought I'd throw that out there, because dealing with "GERD" for those 3 years really was a struggle. Now I don't have to take antacids, worry about what I eat, or keep the head of my bed up on risers. (Pumpkin was never on my forbidden list anyway, though). So now I've got to ask: What are your best pumpkin recipes?


    Favorite easy pumpkin recipe.
    1/2 cup pumpkin puree (canned pumpkin)
    1/2 cup nut butter
    1 egg.
    Mix it up. Add what you like, a touch of vanilla, some sweet (suggested starting point =1/4 cup sugar), choc chips, dried fruits, nuts, etc. make as cookies or cookie bars.
    It’s a good, easy, somewhat healthy treat to up your calories just a little.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    edited June 2019
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    Ok, so I was curious and had to look it up. Comparing apples to bananas to pumpkin.

    Glycemic load. Apples = 3; bananas = 8, pumpkin= 1
    Sugar, more for banana, comparable sucrose and fructose for apples and bananas, glucose= bananas have about twice as much as apples. Pumpkin is so low in sugar they didn’t break it down.
    Could glucose be the culprit?

    I'm skeptical about the claim that bananas are the hardest food for diabetics to moderate (moderate to me means "not eat excessive amounts of" and also from what I've heard and read different T2Ds have different responses to different high carb foods and need to experiment), but the glucose is relevant to the effect of the food. Fructose doesn't tend to be a problem wrt spiking blood sugar, whereas fructose is (fructose in excessive amounts is bad for the liver, but that's not an issue with some fruit).

    Sucrose is just glucose + fructose in equal amounts and is quickly broken down.

    But the problem with any such broad claim about an individual food is that it depends on the amount consumed and what it's eaten with. (Often, but not always, bananas and apples might be eaten on their own, of course, but for a T2D in particular, they could be told to limit portion size and combine with other sources of protein and fat and fiber, like a nut butter or eating it with dinner.)

    I have no particular brief for bananas, btw, they are quite low down on my list of preferred fruits, and I dislike them in smoothies. (Banana bread is good, though, and I like a plantain.)
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,988 Member
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    This poster is gonna also get "you again" woos. Is there a rule about that?

    Yes, that's not wooable either:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/43568226/#Comment_43568226

    Woo: Woo is a term for pseudoscientific explanations that share certain common characteristics, often being too good to be true (aside from being unscientific). Woo is understood specifically as dressing itself in the trappings of science (but not the substance) while involving unscientific concepts, such as anecdotal evidence and sciencey-sounding words.

    What is woo: Any claim that is too good to be true, such as ingesting a certain substance will cause weight loss independent of diet and exercise. This is for outlandish claims - keyword being "claims."

    What is not woo:
    • A user asking a question about a topic they heard about (ex. I heard fenugreek causes weight loss, is that true?). Even if what they are asking about is not true, they are asking to learn more, not telling people to take it.
    • Someone mentioning a way of eating, especially an established way of eating, someone else does not prefer.
    • Someone discussing a way of eating or tool to assist in weight loss in normal conversation without going into very specific detail about calorie deficits.
    • Someone recommending a group on MFP for more information.
    • Someone you don't like making a post.
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
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    Well I was being facetious.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,988 Member
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    Well I was being facetious.

    Maybe so, but I'm sure that happens.