Can you get fat from fruit and veg?

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.

Jorra

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.

Just because you should be able to eat all you want, doesn't mean that's how it works. If you ate 4000 calories worth of fresh, raw apples and spinach, you would still gain weight. Sure, it's EASIER to eat 4000 calories if you have butter or dressing, but that doesn't mean you are immune from gaining weight by just eating fresh, raw food.

You lost weight eating nothing but fruits and vegetables because only eating those things created a calorie deficit. You were also probably undernourished due to not getting any protein or dietary fat.

MercenaryNoetic26

They clean out the pooper real good. I doubt anyone eats enough fruit/veggies to gain weight from them alone. But I agree, it's certainly possible...

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.

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?

Most people do not eat a strict diet of fruits and vegetables. --And there are even fat vegetarians. The reason that I posted this was because some people have a hard time understanding how a sugar from something as healthy and wholesome as a banana or rice or potatoes or whatever super carby source you choose could cause you to be fat. Monitoring calories alone isn't enough for most people to successfully lose weight or maintain weight loss. At some point, most people have to monitor their carbs as well. Something as minor as eating a very ripe large banana can cause a sugar spike which triggers a flood of insulin. Continuing that pattern (flooding system with sugar than insulin) over the entire day for months will lead to insulin resistance which puts you on the path to diabetes.

I eat a TON of green veggies and a moderate amount of fruit and starchy veggies. Fruit is more of a dessert item in my day to day life, because it's sugar. It's a better sugar for me than a candy bar with the same amount of calories...but it's still sugar. I think that increasing veggies is a great way to lose weight. I also think that it's irresponsible to say 'eat as much fruit as you want' to someone who doesn't know what that will do to their blood sugar and their body's reaction to blood sugar over time. Insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes don't happen overnight. They happen over time and with a lot of floods and crashes.

I think that the video is a great explanation of how sugar affects a body and how it turns into fat.

You might wonder at what I eat. I try to eat meat (fatty and lean...I eat meat), fish, eggs, nuts (watching almonds due to carbs), lots of green veggies, some starchy veg (like sweet potatoes), some fruit here and there, small amounts of unrefined coconut sugar OR honey, extra virgin coconut oil, and extra virgin olive oil. I screw up on some days---because I'm human and this is life and potato chips love me...hahaa---but for the most part, I keep my carbs between 40g and 80g a day. This sugar/carb monitoring has successfully helped me lose weight AND corrected my PCOS that caused me no end of trouble for a decade or so of my life. I eat a lot of good healthy fats and a lot of protein. When I say that I eat a ton of green veggies, I mean that my salad might have 4 or 5 tightly packed cups of organic baby greens or spinach. I eat a lot of green beans and zucchini.

I think that switching from a lot of processed foods to a whole food way of being is the best first step, but in my personal pursuit of vibrant health---that wasn't enough. I had to start watching my carbs, too. Even though they all came from fruits and veggies---I simply had too much sugar in my diet. I continued to have PCOS problems and some lingering excess weight as long as I DID NOT monitor my carb intake. I didn't understand fully until I accepted that sugar is sugar is sugar.

If the ultimate goal is to lose weight, then eat whatever you want and stay under calorie goals for the day...you will meet your goal weight with persistence.

If your ultimate goal is to be HEALTHY, then you should know about what you are eating and what it does inside of your body. Not everyone is going to thrive on my ideal fat-protein-carb ratio (loosely: 50 to 55% fat, 30% protein, 15 to 20% carbs), but I have finally gotten to my healthiest happiest weight (107 this morning at 5 feet tall)---have energy like you wouldn't believe---have functional muscles (190 lb leg press and working my way up)---and am living with a health that I never imagined I would. Most of my health puzzle was eliminating food allergens, but some of my problems were also caused/made worse by carbs.

Rae6503

Imagine the stomach issues involved in eating 3000 calories for fruit and veggies. Ouchy.

IronmanPanda

They clean out the pooper real good. I doubt anyone eats enough fruit/veggies to gain weight from them alone. But I agree, it's certainly possible...

You said pooper...

FabCheeky

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!

YAY! ^^This.

CaptainGordo

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

Kind of rude.

Rude? No.
Blunt and honest? Yes.

meesh202

I do actually like fruit and veg but tend to steam most of my veg and never add salt. And fruit is eaten 1 or 2 pieces a day. So I know that I'm not in anyway over doing it there. My problem is chocolate!!! Just interesting.