Does cutting sugar mean I have to cut fruit?!

FLCullen

I embarked upon my weight loss regime 3 weeks ago, and got myself a personal trainer who recommended that I cut all sugar, including naturally sugary foods like all fruit, starchy veg and sweet veg like carrots. This sort of removes all the joy from my lo-cal snacking. I want to lose around 20lbs, and I eat reasonably healthily (plenty of fruit and veg, a small serving of chocolate every day and a horrendously fatty meal once every two weeks). Will depriving my body of sugar really have any good effects on my weight loss?

Any advice or tips here would be appreciated- especially on what low fat, low carb foods are left for me to eat!

sapalee

I'm certainly no expert but since no one has replied yet I'll throw in my 2 cents based on my readings.

Eliminating added sugar from your diet: Excellent idea, go for it and you'll feel and look better. You may be grouchy and angry for a week or so but the cravings will go away, making it surprisingly easy to pass them up.

If you have a lot of weight to lose it is recommended to limit, or eliminate for a short time, fruit.

I haven't come across anything yet about swwet veggies like carrots, and they are a wonderfully sweet treat when you eliminate added sugars.

Chocolate: A great deal of research has shown the benefits of dark chocolate and it's relatively low sugar, I have a square of 86-90% almost everyday, the benefits and mental health reward far outweighs the small amount of sugar.

20 pounds to lose doesn't seem like all that much, so the elimination of even some veggies seems a bit extreme to me.

For me I'd be more concerned about refined carbs then the sugar in fruits and veggies.

...and don't be so scared of fat, it's good for you!

misssephy

I would cut out artificial sugars where possible yes. So no fizzy sugary drinks like Coke or foods like ice cream etc. Moderation is good but don't over indulge.

The sugars in fruit and veg are easier for our bodies to handle so I wouldn't cut out vital fruit and veg as you get so many vitamins etc from them.

tsh0ck

weight loss is about calories, pure and simple. sugar has no effect. unless you have a medical condition related to sugar, no reason to worry about it as long as you are eating right and working out. I don't track sugar or sodium, either, frankly. no reason to.

sapalee

weight loss is about calories, pure and simple. sugar has no effect. unless you have a medical condition related to sugar, no reason to worry about it as long as you are eating right and working out. I don't track sugar or sodium, either, frankly. no reason to.

Umm, insulin resistence and it's cascade of subsequent diseases? To say it has no effect is a bit short-sighted.

Calories may be more important to the scale but it sounds like the original poster, from her description of her current diet and activity, is concernced about well-being and long term health as well.

Sublog

weight loss is about calories, pure and simple. sugar has no effect. unless you have a medical condition related to sugar, no reason to worry about it as long as you are eating right and working out. I don't track sugar or sodium, either, frankly. no reason to.

Umm, insulin resistence and it's cascade of subsequent diseases?

Calories may be more important to the scale but it sounds like the original poster, from her description of her current diet and activity, is concernced about well-being and long term health as well.

Insulin is not an issue while working out and eating at a calorie deficit assuming you are healthy. There are NO negative long term effects of sugar intake while being non sedentary and reducing calories to lose weight. Zero.

In short, if you're dieting and healthy and working out, you don't need to track sugar. It has no effect on weight loss/health or anything else.

MJ7910

personaly i would not be able to cut stuff like carrots, apples, bananas. those are my go tos for when i'm craving somethign a little sweet. it actually can keep me from grabbing somethign worse for me. i would reconsider that advice. i eat lots of good veggies and fruit and some of them are very sweet. and i have lost weight. the only things i would probably cut would be stuff that is really junky for you or has a lot of sugar but no other nutritional value, like sugary candies. even a piece of chocolate every once in a while is ok for you. i have found in my personal experience that deprivation leads to cravings, leads to overeating.

marycmeadows

weight loss is about calories, pure and simple. sugar has no effect. unless you have a medical condition related to sugar, no reason to worry about it as long as you are eating right and working out. I don't track sugar or sodium, either, frankly. no reason to.

This would be incorrect. It's NOT as simple as calories in vs calories out. Our bodies respond better when they are fed properly. This includes limiting sugars and sodium. I don't eat fruit. Except on my weekly cheat day. I also don't eat starchy carbs (bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, etc).... I eat veggies, beans, and protein.

Melanie1967

I am no expert, but I have been working a program here for 2 years. I eat lot's of fruit, on a daily basis, and have since I started here. It don't seem to be hurting me, but everyone looses differently. Goodluck!

deadstarsunburn

That wasn't very smart of a personal trainer to tell you to cut out even sugars in fruits and veggies.
I would seriously reconsider finding a new personal trainer.

Obviously eating too much sugar simply isn't healthy for reasons like you need other nutrients in your body and you can't build a healthy body with out those.

HOWEVER calories in calories out is what does the weight loss NOT sugar.
Burn more than you consume but to truly taken care of your body and to not get hungry fast, eat good quality food.

emy10284

weight loss is about calories, pure and simple. sugar has no effect. unless you have a medical condition related to sugar, no reason to worry about it as long as you are eating right and working out. I don't track sugar or sodium, either, frankly. no reason to.

ok in the beginning it may seem as its all about cals but as time goes on u will see u will need to monitor everything to get to your goal . i am recently down to last 10 and i am adusting everything such as now i have lower my carb intake and upped my protein and just this week after 2 weeks of adjustment i am seeing some results again .

secretlobster

If you are severely limiting your consumption of sugar, then the amount of sugar in fruit and vegetables is almost negligible in comparison to that found in food that has added sugar.

Sublog

weight loss is about calories, pure and simple. sugar has no effect. unless you have a medical condition related to sugar, no reason to worry about it as long as you are eating right and working out. I don't track sugar or sodium, either, frankly. no reason to.

This would be incorrect. It's NOT as simple as calories in vs calories out. Our bodies respond better when they are fed properly. This includes limiting sugars and sodium. I don't eat fruit. Except on my weekly cheat day. I also don't eat starchy carbs (bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, etc).... I eat veggies, beans, and protein.

What proof do you have of this statement? Because everything I've ever read about says otherwise.

Because fruits are "not proper" food apparently?

margolane1932

Here's the deal.

More calories out than calories in = weight loss. But not always the right type.

Fruits and veggies and starchy roots are all sugary and have carbs. But your body doesn't process them in the same way that it processes refined sugars. It's all about insulin which is produced to combat high blood sugar brought about by things like wheat flour, corn and corn syrup, canola/vegetable oil, soy products, and preservatives. Insulin triggers your body to continue to store fat.

The carbs and sugar that are naturally-occurring will keep your body running without spiking your blood sugar and producing insulin.

Anything that you can eat that has only one ingredient in it is fair game. Eggs. Yams. Bananas. Blueberries. Even steak, if it's lean, in moderation, and preferably grass-fed, is good for you.

Even super low-cal things that are pre-packaged/processed or have artificial sweeteners will prevent you from losing body fat because they contain the things that will increase your blood sugar and keep you from loosing body fat.

And be careful not to let your blood sugar go to low on the other end. That produces cravings, headaches, lethargy, grumpiness, and in extreme cases, light-headedness. If you're ever dieting so strictly that your blood sugar drops to that level, a carby-sugary treat like sliced bananas and blueberries in a bowl of skim milk will do wonders to get you back into the right blood-sugar zone.

tsh0ck

weight loss is about calories, pure and simple. sugar has no effect. unless you have a medical condition related to sugar, no reason to worry about it as long as you are eating right and working out. I don't track sugar or sodium, either, frankly. no reason to.

Umm, insulin resistence and it's cascade of subsequent diseases?

Calories may be more important to the scale but it sounds like the original poster, from her description of her current diet and activity, is concernced about well-being and long term health as well.

Insulin is not an issue while working out and eating at a calorie deficit assuming you are healthy. There are NO negative long term effects of sugar intake while being non sedentary and reducing calories to lose weight. Zero.

In short, if you're dieting and healthy and working out, you don't need to track sugar. It has no effect on weight loss/health or anything else.

yup. thanks.

(which is, I thought, what I said. but alarmists seem to have a hard time accepting the idea of moderation.)

edit: I'm only at 37 pounds lost since I started this almost five months ago. but I'd certainly pick the guy who has lost 150 pounds when it comes to advice.

pbeazy

I'm on a modified ketogenic diet myself, and I eat fruit, but in limited quantities. My favorite dessert is blackberries and low sugar cream, but I only have that every couple of days or so.

My go to for "snack foods": beef jerky, cheese sticks, pork rinds (when I miss potato chips) and almonds. I stongly recommend these for chocolate cravings...

http://store.bluediamond.com/Oven-Roasted-Dark-Chocolate-Almonds_p_77.html

And yes, I do restrain my calories to 1750 a day, but I try to keep carbs under 50g net everyday. Somedays I hit that, some days I don't. But as long as I'm under 75g or so, I'm seeing great results.

secretlobster

Anything that you can eat that has only one ingredient in it is fair game. Eggs. Yams. Bananas. Blueberries. Even steak, if it's lean, in moderation, and preferably grass-fed, is good for you.

This is a GREAT rule of thumb to live by, in general terms. No naturally occurring food is bad for you per se, or has the ability to singlehandedly ruin your diet. Remember when eggs were "bad"? haha

elwinberry

You dont have to cut it out completly. however natural sugars in fruit do have impact. Just adjust your days accordingly. My diet I only have 15g of sugar a day and 120g of carbs a day. Any personal trainer will tell you to cut sugars and carbs. The amont of sucess since I started is amazing. In two months Ive gone down two pant sizes. All I can say is try what your trainer says for a little bit see if it helps, see how you feel and then you judge. What I follow is "THE BELLY FAT CURE" by Jorge Cruise and I workout everyday. Strength training three days a week.

tsh0ck

weight loss is about calories, pure and simple. sugar has no effect. unless you have a medical condition related to sugar, no reason to worry about it as long as you are eating right and working out. I don't track sugar or sodium, either, frankly. no reason to.

This would be incorrect. It's NOT as simple as calories in vs calories out. Our bodies respond better when they are fed properly. This includes limiting sugars and sodium. I don't eat fruit. Except on my weekly cheat day. I also don't eat starchy carbs (bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, etc).... I eat veggies, beans, and protein.

no ... I'm pretty sure weight loss is about energy. energy in this instance? calories.

sodium in the body is fine, within reason. again, assuming no medical condition. we lose 90 to 95 percent of our sodium through urination. drink lots of water. flush out lots of sodium. then increase food with potassium. when potassium and sodium are working in balance, much less water retention.

sapalee

weight loss is about calories, pure and simple. sugar has no effect. unless you have a medical condition related to sugar, no reason to worry about it as long as you are eating right and working out. I don't track sugar or sodium, either, frankly. no reason to.

Umm, insulin resistence and it's cascade of subsequent diseases?

Calories may be more important to the scale but it sounds like the original poster, from her description of her current diet and activity, is concernced about well-being and long term health as well.

Insulin is not an issue while working out and eating at a calorie deficit assuming you are healthy. There are NO negative long term effects of sugar intake while being non sedentary and reducing calories to lose weight. Zero.

In short, if you're dieting and healthy and working out, you don't need to track sugar. It has no effect on weight loss/health or anything else.

yup. thanks.

(which is, I thought, what I said. but alarmists seem to have a hard time accepting the idea of moderation.)

edit: I'm only at 37 pounds lost since I started this almost five months ago. but I'd certainly pick the guy who has lost 150 pounds when it comes to advice.

I'm not against moderation, I was simply responding to your statement that sugar has no effect. It seems a bit careless to advise people on diet when you fail to recognize that our body is ruled by hormones and the role food plays in affecting those hormones. There is more to your health then losing weight at this moment. I'm sorry if my inclination towards prevention and quality is viewed as as alarmist.

OP: If you only care about losing weight then follow the advice about caloric balance. If you care about the complexities of your body with regard to homones, inflammation, etc over long periods of time then dig a little deeper.

Fair enough?

trainmanup

So much broscience in this thread.

Realistically, aside from the general fact that you're trying to lose weight, in which case a simple calorie deficit *would* suffice, try to reduce ADDED sugar to around 35g per day, just for the simple long term health benefits. Naturally occurring sugars such as fruits and dairy are fine.

Having a long term calorie deficit based solely on [for example] peanut butter cups may get you weight loss, but in the end, you'll more than likely be one of those skinny-fat looking people. A proper diet (with exercise) is essential to get good end results, not just overall weight loss.