5 a day makes me gain!

Louise1247

I have only gained a pound to half a pound , but fruit seems to be making me really bloated and gain a little weight back- this is the first gain since my weight loss started back in late February.

I have been eating 5 portions or less a day e.g:
Plum and juice for breakfast, raisins with lunch, banana and mushroom with another meal and then small amounts of salad with my meal.

Is this normal? how can i prevent this?

Dave198lbs

fruit is not a magical thing. you could limit your fruit to one serving a day and be just fine. rasins are not great as they are concentrated sugar,

try cutting back on the sugar (fruit)

Louise1247

ok, but this goes against everything I have ever learned! ll through my weight loss people were encouraging me to eat more fruit and veg

Its a perfect way to increase the calories, stay within carbs and stay below the fat limits! - veg does not give me the calories i need..

so confused

BeautyAndTheGeeks

The sugars in fruit are natural sugars, so I don't tend to worry too much about them. Certain fruits and vegetables are prone to making you more gassy/bloated though, so you kind of have to figure out which ones work for you. I prefer to stick with berries/bananas for fruit (although I've recently worked apples into my diet, despite them making me feel quite bloated and hungry if eaten alone) and then root vegetables, sweet peppers and carrots for my veggie intake. I'd like to start incorporating more greens into my diet too, but they leave me way too gassy, so I need to figure out a way to prevent that.
It's all trial and error, if you've recently upped your calories it'll take a couple of weeks for your body to adjust to that and then the weight will start coming off again .

Shelltighe87

I have the same problem. I ate apples and oranges like they were going out of fashion. Sounds daft but they contain natural sugar which is bad for you. So eating too many is just like having sugar.

vanderandkarl

maybe eat your 5 a day as veg also mix it up as your body gets used to the same foods all the time x

you really do need to eat your 5 a day to get all the vitamins and minerals you need to function properly

good luck xx

Pebble321

It's pretty unlikely that fruit and veg at making you gain - unless you aren't logging them and are going over your calories?
Australian guidelines suggest 5 veg and 2 fruit every day which seems like a good balance to me.

Edited to add: personally I wouldn't count juice or raisins as "fruit and veg" - they are both pretty concentrated forms of sugar, you need to be careful with portion sizes. How about dropping theses and replacing with with fresh fruit or veg.

ruggedBear

Try supplementing your veggies with lean proteins instead of fruits - lots more benefit with no downside, and similar calorie values. Within the first month of MFP, I dropped my fruit servings down to one or less per day, and it's been easier to curb sugar cravings when there's less sugar in my diet. There are some sweet vegetables that are good replacements when you do crave, or stick to berries which have plenty of nutrients to balance out the sugar.

Ilovejacks

My Dr. tells me only to eat between 1/2-1 servinging of fruit a day.Seems to work for me.Also, are you tracking your sugar on your food diary?

Louise1247

i havent upped my calories im still on 1200 that i have been since mid march

Also the veg doesnt supply me with the calories i really need to keep to a healthy amount!

Just looking over my diary now i think it may be the SALT!! water gain.. makes sense.

Also I log every tiny thing i eat, literally :P

Thanks guys

richx83

in the 5 a day program you should be aiming to be 3 - 4 portions of vegetables and 1 - 2 of fruit really.

Louise1247

yup i look at the sugar and everyone used to tell me not to worry about it if it comes from a fruit source! there is no way of sticking to just 27g anyway im sure...

Ill try a few things out and hope it sorts itself- my diet with little fruit worked well before so i should continue that way

Pebble321

i havent upped my calories im still on 1200 that i have been since mid march

Also the veg doesnt supply me with the calories i really need to keep to a healthy amount!

Just looking over my diary now i think it may be the SALT!! water gain.. makes sense.

Also I log every tiny thing i eat, literally :P

Thanks guys

This makes sense - salt is more likely to make you retain water an fruit and veg.
Keep up with the fruit and veg - they add so much goodness to your diet.
If you need to get up to cals, try higher cal options like avocado, bananas, sweet potato etc.

richx83

Oh and try not to drink calories in form of juices etc, its not great

madsenj12

It sounds like you aren't eating enough vegetables and too much fruit. Fruit is better to have as a snack and not with a meal. You could have a piece of fruit for breakfast before your meal, one piece for a snack mid morning and one mid afternoon as a snack. Eating fruit at night is not a good idea. Try not to eat dried fruits as they are full of sugar. You didn't say what type of meals you are eating but if you have a good balance of protein, carbs and vegetables then you are getting all the nutrition you need. The food diary is a great tool to keep you on track. Good luck. xx:happy:

Dave198lbs

i havent upped my calories im still on 1200 that i have been since mid march

Also the veg doesnt supply me with the calories i really need to keep to a healthy amount!

Just looking over my diary now i think it may be the SALT!! water gain.. makes sense.

Also I log every tiny thing i eat, literally :P

Thanks guys

I hope you arent afraid of fat. almond butter is an excellent source of good fat and has the calories you seem to need. ditch the juice and raisins and have some almond butter spread on a half an apple. yummy.

Louise1247

ok, I try to eat daily for veg: spinach, lettuce, cucumber, large mushrooms
and fruit: banana, plum, and raisins---- these are essential as the potassium is balancing out the salt from my diet

Shfiftyfive

I'm betting it's underestimating your calories consumed and/or overestimating your calories burnt that is making you gain. I've been on diets where I could eat as much fruit as I wanted and have lost weight.

RVfrog

I agree sugar in the fruit and salt will do that. Also, if you are careful with the serving size that can also help with a gain. I only get 2 fruits a day per dietitian because of the sugar content. Hope you got some good advice. YOU can do it. Be more aware of what you are eating for awhile and you'll be able to figure out what it is. Good luck

Pebble321

ok, I try to eat daily for veg: spinach, lettuce, cucumber, large mushrooms
and fruit: banana, plum, and raisins---- these are essential as the potassium is balancing out the salt from my diet

That's all good - but adding in extra veggies can only be a good thing. Look out for whatever is fresh and cheap and in season in your market - variety is good.

Louise1247

I tried almond butter and didnt like it BUT i love peanut butter

I eat chicken, haddock and gammon for my main meats

The fats i consume are from healthy sources such as olive oil, egg, peanut butter, etc- just trying to stick below the 50g mark