Can you get fat from fruit and veg?

meesh202

I know that all the health experts say that eating fruit and veg is good for you, so why do all the diets make you point or count calories? I also know that fruit has natural sugar called fructose and that can have an effect, but Veg!! Just wondering!!

Jeff92se

Yes if you eat too much of them.

RunHardBeStrong

Yes, if you eat over your maintenance calorie allowance then it doesn't matter what you're eating, you will gain weight from excess calories.

neanderthin

If most of your calories are coming from veg and fruit and your gaining weight, then you can contribute your weight gain to them directly........Saying that, it's pretty hard to do in most scenario's where protein, starchy carbs and fat make up the lions share for most people. For example I eat a ton of vegetable daily and 2 to 3 pieces of fruit and they only contribute about 15% of my total calories. But I guess i could blame the broccoli.

japruzze

Eating too much of anything can cause you to be unhealthy and gain weight. I have a friend who is "under" weight but has a high percentage of body fat. The doctor told her she was "skinny fat". Oxymoron maybe but a real health concern!

jillica

I suppose if you ate enough of them...

FYI: For 10 weeks, Mark Haub, a professor of human nutrition at Kansas State University, ate every three hours a variety of Hostess and Little Debbie snacks, Doritos chips, sugary cereals and Oreos, etc

His premise: That in weight loss, pure calorie counting is what matters most -- not the nutritional value of the food.

The premise held up: On his "convenience store diet," he shed 27 pounds in two months.

For a class project, Haub limited himself to less than 1,800 calories a day. A man of Haub's pre-dieting size usually consumes about 2,600 calories daily. So he followed a basic principle of weight loss: He consumed significantly fewer calories than he burned. Despite his temporary success, Haub does not recommend replicating his snack-centric diet.

misty589

If you ONLY ate fruits and veg, you would not be getting all the nutrients you need. Counting calories and nutrients helps you to keep a balanced diet.

TeeferTiger

If you consume 3000 calories worth of anything but only work off 2000 calories worth then yes, you're going to get fat, regardless of what it is you're eating.

However, it's harder to get fat on fruit and veg because of the way they make you feel full when you do eat them. It would therefore be a lot harder to consume 3000 calories a day of fruit n veg than it would of Mc Donalds for example.

FabCheeky

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNYlIcXynwE <----I really like this explanation of things and highly recommend this 3 minute clip. If you like it, you can watch most of the movie on youtube for free.

YukonJoy

I suppose if you ate enough of them...

FYI: For 10 weeks, Mark Haub, a professor of human nutrition at Kansas State University, ate every three hours a variety of Hostess and Little Debbie snacks, Doritos chips, sugary cereals and Oreos, etc

His premise: That in weight loss, pure calorie counting is what matters most -- not the nutritional value of the food.

The premise held up: On his "convenience store diet," he shed 27 pounds in two months.

For a class project, Haub limited himself to less than 1,800 calories a day. A man of Haub's pre-dieting size usually consumes about 2,600 calories daily. So he followed a basic principle of weight loss: He consumed significantly fewer calories than he burned. Despite his temporary success, Haub does not recommend replicating his snack-centric diet.

HA! Sure but did they monitor his triglycerides, body fat content, cholesterol etc???

aippolito1

You can get fat eating too much of anything. There is still sugar in fruits and veggies and any extra sugar your body isn't using, or more than your body requires to function, it will turn into fat. Same goes for any extra calorie. That's why it's important to just stick to your calorie goal, but still make sure you're eating healthy foods, and a VARIETY of foods, so you're getting many different nutrients.

koko65

I suppose if you ate enough of them...

FYI: For 10 weeks, Mark Haub, a professor of human nutrition at Kansas State University, ate every three hours a variety of Hostess and Little Debbie snacks, Doritos chips, sugary cereals and Oreos, etc

His premise: That in weight loss, pure calorie counting is what matters most -- not the nutritional value of the food.

The premise held up: On his "convenience store diet," he shed 27 pounds in two months.

For a class project, Haub limited himself to less than 1,800 calories a day. A man of Haub's pre-dieting size usually consumes about 2,600 calories daily. So he followed a basic principle of weight loss: He consumed significantly fewer calories than he burned. Despite his temporary success, Haub does not recommend replicating his snack-centric diet.

koko65

oops sorry for 2 post . . . was wanted to say that your post was very interesting.

taso42

As hard as it may be to believe, fruits are not exempt from the laws of thermodynamics. Shocking, I know.

Cr357

If those cals cause you to be in an excess then yes.

Sidesteal

HA! Sure but did they monitor his triglycerides, body fat content, cholesterol etc???

Someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe they DID, and he improved in all of those categories.

Cfkearney

I know that there has been a concern about the sugars from fruits and vegetable and certain diets tell you not to eat or to limit them. In my opinion, and I'm not an expert, I don't think anyone is overweight because they just can't seem to lay off the fruits and vegetables. "I ate too much fruit as a kid and now as an adult I'm overweight because of that habit." I really don't think so. I think it's the over indulgence of the other food groups and more likely the snack or fast foods that we probably shouldn't eat but like to that is the cause. If you eat more calories than you burn you will gain no matter where those calories came from. If all you eat is fruits and veggies you would have to eat A LOT before over doing it. The sneaky thing you have to look for is when instead of eating the fruit and veggies you are eating the canned, juiced, or other altered state of the fruit or veggie. There tends to be added sugar in there, which can up the calories of an otherwise low cal snack.

Russellb97

I know that all the health experts say that eating fruit and veg is good for you, so why do all the diets make you point or count calories? I also know that fruit has natural sugar called fructose and that can have an effect, but Veg!! Just wondering!!

goes to calories in vs calories out. If you go over your calories with fruits and vegetables you will gain weight.

Exactly, it's all about energy balance.

If you are only eating fruits and vegetables I think it might be hard to eat too much because you'd be constantly full but you'd also be really low on your protein needs.

jillybeanruns

Calories in vs. calories out - so yes. If you eat 3000 calories of fruit a day every day and you're maintenance calories are lower than that, you will indeed gain weight. A calorie is a calorie is a calorie when it comes to gaining.

In terms of body composition and being healthy, that's a whole different story. Balance is key.

ramonasowner

This was one of the reasons I couldn't get out of my own way, I thought i could have as much as I wanted. Then I started paying attention, I was slowing down everything. Do you know 3 freaking prunes is 60 cals for example!

cherbapp

As other said...yes...more calories in than out causes weight gain.

However, it would be REALLY REALLY DIFFICULT to eat 2500 calories in fresh fruits and veggies in a day. By volume, they are generally the lowest calorie food out there...so the more you eat, the less room you have left for the less healthy foods.

Ok...yes, sugarfree jello is less calories by weight than lettuce...but this is a generalization.

questionablemethods

HA! Sure but did they monitor his triglycerides, body fat content, cholesterol etc???

Someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe they DID, and he improved in all of those categories.

I think you are correct and the explanation that I heard was that losing weight, regardless of the nutrition profile of the diet, typically improves disease factors. His numbers may have improved more by eating other things and I'm pretty sure that no one would recommend it as a long-term plan. He did it as an experiment.

Edit to add: To the OP's question. Yeah, sure. In theory, you can get fat from eating excess calories of fruit and vegetables, but I would like to see this actually happen in real life (whole foods, not juice). It would be AWFULLY difficult to get down that much vegetable matter. :happy:

nalia08

I know everyone else is say you will, but really, you should be able to eat all the fruits and veggies you want! But the only way it works is if they are whole, unprocess, uncooked. Once you add flavor such as: salt, butter and/or dressing, those items will make you gain and then thats when to much is not good. Veggies and Fruits are filler foods that if you eat enough, they will fill you up and they digest quickly which means you will be hungry in a hours time from eating it. I fasted (doing it again this year) with my church last year and did nothing but fruits and veggies and lost 17lbs. However, I didn't overeat because most veggies are not that good to were you would do them like pizza or chips and keep eating (but there is always the exception). I had to cut back on dressing for my salads, butter & salt. I hope this helps.

nalia08

I would like to say that if they are canned, then they are still considered processed unlessed canned in it's own juices with nothing added.

deadstarsunburn

Calories in calories out.

To exceed your TDEE with veggies would be a TON to eat.

_VoV

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNYlIcXynwE <----I really like this explanation of things and highly recommend this 3 minute clip. If you like it, you can watch most of the movie on youtube for free.

This has to do with insulin resistance and the way the body stores fat. 'Carbs' are considered the bad guy in this video. Are you saying fruits and vegetables are carbs, and therefore not good for losing weight? I'm having trouble understanding why you think this video is so relevant to this subject?

killagb

Calories in calories out.

To exceed your TDEE with veggies would be a TON to eat.

Perhaps plain veggies....but things like this...not so much:

stylistchik

I know that there has been a concern about the sugars from fruits and vegetable and certain diets tell you not to eat or to limit them. In my opinion, and I'm not an expert, I don't think anyone is overweight because they just can't seem to lay off the fruits and vegetables. "I ate too much fruit as a kid and now as an adult I'm overweight because of that habit." I really don't think so. I think it's the over indulgence of the other food groups and more likely the snack or fast foods that we probably shouldn't eat but like to that is the cause. If you eat more calories than you burn you will gain no matter where those calories came from. If all you eat is fruits and veggies you would have to eat A LOT before over doing it. The sneaky thing you have to look for is when instead of eating the fruit and veggies you are eating the canned, juiced, or other altered state of the fruit or veggie. There tends to be added sugar in there, which can up the calories of an otherwise low cal snack.

This^^

Fruits and veggies are so low in calories that you would have to eat an insane amount of them to exceed your calorie limit every day. It would be nearly impossible because of how much fiber/water they contain... most likely you'd be full LONG before you'd come close to exceeding your calorie goal to the point of weight gain.

amyoliver85

Let's go through what you're asking point by point:

1- Veggies and fruits are good for you. Yes! They are, and they should comprise the bulk of your diet. They are filled with essentials like fiber and many vitamins. You'll be a much healthier, happier person if you eat your fruits and veggies.

2- Your net daily calorie consumption is directly related to your weight. Veggies and fruits, like everything else, have calories. So 3500 calories of bread or 3500 calories of veggies is still 3500 calories.

3- But wait...does that mean you can eat as much bread as you can veggies? No. Your WEIGHT is attributable to calories. What that weight is made of (visceral fat, visible fat, lean muscle, bulk muscle) is attributed to what you eat, and your exercise. So 3500 calories of bread is going to look a lot floppier than 3500 calories of vegetables. Just keep that in mind!

4- Vegetables and fruits contain a lot of the same "ingredients" that other foods have...because that's where processed foods get some of their "ingredients". So think about fruit and it's sugar. It's sugar, no matter how you roll the dice, and too much is too much. Also, many vegetables, like carrots and potatoes, are starchy...just like pasta and bread.

So let's break it down:

- Eat more veggies and fruits than anything else.
- Look up the glycemic load (not the index, the load) of the foods you want to eat...yes, even fruits and veggies, and use that chart to help you decide which foods to eat in moderation and which foods to eat as you please
- Watch your caloric intake. Remember, net calories are net calories, no matter what the food is!

j3nn953lk

As hard as it may be to believe, fruits are not exempt from the laws of thermodynamics. Shocking, I know.

Kind of rude.

But anyway... your question has already been answered, but I wanted to add something. I agree with the people who are saying not to worry about it. TECHNICALLY you can gain weight eating anything, but I think you should eat as much fruit and veg as you want. Veg especially is almost always a better choice than anything else, and if you fill up on it, you'll be less likely to eat other stuff that's much worse. It's more important to be healthy than skinny.

ARDuBaie

Considering that it takes about 30 calories to peel two clementines and they only give you 60 calories, it would be very hard to gain weight on them.

Okay, a little humor there.

It is all about calories. Any diet - Atkins, Weight Watchers, Slim Fast, South Beach, Grapefruit Diet - have one thing in common; they limit calorie intake. That is all. South Beach has one up on the rest of them because it also prevents spiking of the glycemic index which can lead you to become hungry and binge.

Vegetarians and Vegans don't just eat fruits and vegetables. They eat carbohydrates in the form of pasta, bread, etc. Vegetarians may eat dairy products and eggs as well. I point this out only because I have known people who thought that vegetarians and vegans only ate fruits and vegetables.

A fruit and vegetable diet can make you fat if you take in more calories than you burn. As mentioned, it is not the food that you eat, but the amount of calories you ingest. Ingest too many, and you become fat.

Additionally, eating only fruit and vegetables will leave you nutritionally deprived. You need proteins to build muscles, support hormonal functions, and for other purposes. You need complex carbohydrates for energy that last and well as some major vitamins. Fruits and vegetables provide instant energy, not lasting energy.

At any rate, I think one day of peeling apples, oranges, bananas, and grapefruit, picking grapes off the vine, chopping tomatoes, cooking squash, etc. would just cause me to go crazy. There is no way I would be able to stick to a fruit and vegetable only diet.