Grapefruit = better weight loss

AESprouse
AESprouse Posts: 112 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I just read an article that said people who eat grapefruit in addition to (as opposed to instead of) their normal diet lose weight 4-5 times as fast as those who do not. Does anyone have any insight on this? TIA!!
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Replies

  • Colorfan
    Colorfan Posts: 230 Member
    Sounds full of crap really.

    If that were the case, every doctor and nutritionist in the world would be telling everyone to eat grapefruit as part of their weight loss regimen.

    So Im gonna say the evidence is weighed against it.
  • stines72
    stines72 Posts: 853 Member
    Everyone's diet and caloric needs and bodies are so different that I have a hard time grasping how their research can be anywhere near conclusive unless they used 1,000 identical clones for this study
  • pinkraynedropjacki
    pinkraynedropjacki Posts: 3,027 Member
    I have Ruby grapefruit almost every day. I do believe it's helped. I don't like the yellow one as much, the ruby one is a bit nicer. Before I started eating it I lost less, despite my diet & exercise being the same (I mean EXACTLY the same) and on the days I ate it...I lost a little by the next morning & retained less water & actually felt a little better.

    Everyone is different, but if I don't have it.... I feel like crap.
  • soleilxo
    soleilxo Posts: 202
    To tell you the truth, I believe it. Grapefruit is an amazing fruit overall. Your study was not the first i came across having the same results (people losing more weight eating a grapefruit in the morning for breakfast. I read that grapefruit lowers and stabilizes insulin levels & thus, causes your body to use energy more efficiently.

    In general grapefruit is a very good fruit. Its lower in sugar since it has a low glycemix index score (so it doesn't cause your blood glucose level to rise quickly), its high in fiber, vitamin C, beta carotene, lycopene and phytochemicals. Its said to also lower cholesterol & prevent cancer. I <3 grapefruit.. now I want one..lol :)
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Grapefruit is great - but it does not promote better weight loss.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,984 Member
    Consider this: a grapefruit is about 40 calories

    A bowl of cereal is more than double that (even more with milk).

    Calories in/calories out.

    Not rocket science.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • YaGigi
    YaGigi Posts: 817 Member
    To tell you the truth, I believe it. Grapefruit is an amazing fruit overall. Your study was not the first i came across having the same results (people losing more weight eating a grapefruit in the morning for breakfast. I read that grapefruit lowers and stabilizes insulin levels & thus, causes your body to use energy more efficiently.

    In general grapefruit is a very good fruit. Its lower in sugar since it has a low glycemix index score (so it doesn't cause your blood glucose level to rise quickly), its high in fiber, vitamin C, beta carotene, lycopene and phytochemicals. Its said to also lower cholesterol & prevent cancer. I <3 grapefruit.. now I want one..lol :)

    This!

    My doctor recommends eating an orange or a grapefruit 3 times a week at least or to have a fresh juice.
  • MichelleLaree13
    MichelleLaree13 Posts: 865 Member
    If I ate a grapefruit every day before anything else, I might starve. :sick: I have tried to eat grapefruit and the taste is so bitter to me. I did get use to eating plain nonfat greek yogurt though. Maybe I will give it another try.:drinker:
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    Was this article written or sponsored by a grapefruit company? Sounds like propaganda. Calories matter, adding calories making for faster weight loss breaks the laws of physics and biology. I don't buy it. Was there an actual peer reviewed study for this article, or was it just some writer making stuff up? I'm guessing the latter.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    I just read an article that said people who eat grapefruit in addition to (as opposed to instead of) their normal diet lose weight 4-5 times as fast as those who do not. Does anyone have any insight on this? TIA!!

    That makes no sense at all. Also, I have no desire to speed up my weight loss, especially not that fast. That would be like 8-10 pounds a week, not safe.
  • hulkling
    hulkling Posts: 35 Member
    Be very careful eating grapefruit/drinking grapefruit juice if you are taking any kind of medication. There is evidence it can play havoc with the effects. (In some cases nullifying the meds, in others increasing the effects dramatically)

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20497086
  • Lynnmi07
    Lynnmi07 Posts: 131 Member
    I have to say I believe this from my own experience. I think it has a diuretic effect or something so you retain less water or I can say it does make me "regular". So I think it is a healthy addition to your diet if you like it. I enjoy grapefruit, however, i know many people who do not. I wouldn't start eating it because of this "rumor" if you hate the taste but if you enjoy it, eat it!
  • erinsueburns
    erinsueburns Posts: 865 Member
    I'm a big fan of grapefruit, but haven't really eaten it in a decade as it makes birth control pills less effective. No matter how much it might or might not help you lose, that results in a fail for a weight loss plan for many women of child bearing years, myself included ;)
  • jasonpclement
    jasonpclement Posts: 146 Member
    its healthy, but there won't be anything magical about it. Large fruit for low calories, i'd say is its best aspect.
  • Contrarian
    Contrarian Posts: 8,138 Member
    I just read an article that said people who eat grapefruit in addition to (as opposed to instead of) their normal diet lose weight 4-5 times as fast as those who do not. Does anyone have any insight on this? TIA!!

    This is not correct. If you want to eat grapefruit because you enjoy the taste, then do, but it does not improve weight loss. If it was that simple, no one would be overweight.
  • katz22
    katz22 Posts: 116 Member
    Be very careful eating grapefruit/drinking grapefruit juice if you are taking any kind of medication. There is evidence it can play havoc with the effects. (In some cases nullifying the meds, in others increasing the effects dramatically)

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20497086


    Grapefruit can have an effect on certain enzymes in the liver. It's got benefits because it's a fruit with fibre vitamin c etc. However it is not the magical fruit of weight loss or we would all be eating it.
  • Katbody10
    Katbody10 Posts: 369 Member
    Due to certain medications my elderly parents have to take (heart, blood pressure, etc) .. Grapefruit is highly discouraged as it negates the effects of those certain medicines.

    Dad LOVES grapefruit .. needs to lose weight .. but can't have it because of his meds. He does occasionally sneak one (half) in ... but it's generally not a good idea for him since the interaction with the meds isn't positive. :(

    Edit: I love grapefruit .. the white is my favorite .. hard to find though.. always the too sweet ruby's are available.
  • Ravepixie87
    Ravepixie87 Posts: 22
    I pretty sure this myth was created when they tried to bring out that "grapefruit" diet. Anything that claimed you can just add one type of food into your diet and miraculously lose weight is full of it, dont you think if that was the case everyone would just eat grapefruit and look like supermodels?

    Where did you read this hun? You need to be really careful about where you get information from, there are so many biast sources that are really just trying to sell you something.

    Credible sources will always quote the peer reviewed scientific journal where the information came from, and even then alot of the time one study will say one thing and another study will say something completely different!
  • princessage117
    princessage117 Posts: 171 Member
    I feel like it helps me lose weight, whether or not it helps everyone, I do not know, but I enjoy eating them and I feel they help. Just make sure you aren't on meds that interact with it and go for it, why not.
  • Car0lynnM
    Car0lynnM Posts: 332 Member
    If you like grapefruit enough to eat one every day, have at it. It's not going to hurt your weight loss, and they are very healthy. Not sure about it HELPING weight loss, though. I would just include it as part of a healthy diet, and move on.
    There is no magic bullet!!
  • Jorra
    Jorra Posts: 3,338 Member
    http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20010105/what-could-possibly-be-bad-about-grapefruit

    Grapefruit can also be dangerous. And I don't like it. Therefore it is bad.
  • ubermensch13
    ubermensch13 Posts: 824 Member
    Get ahold of the actual study, not the article. Read what their controls were, what the blind study was, what the methodology and data received was. I'm betting, their control group ate higher calorie foods at breakfast than their grapefruit group, showing that people who eat grapefruit for breakfast probably are doing one of the following: 1. Eating less calories overall during the day b/c grapefruit is low cal meal option and/or 2. Make overall better food choices during the day, having a higher calorie deficit overall. The idea that Grapefruit in and among itself is what is the causation for weight loss is nothing but crap.
  • BondBomb
    BondBomb Posts: 1,781 Member
    I ate three grapefruits a day while pregnant because I craved it. My son is super skinny. Coincidence?

    Yes.
  • athryn
    athryn Posts: 59
    You have to be extremely careful with Grapefruit if you're on any kind of medications, particularly anti-depressants and cholesterol medications, as there are some enzymes in grapefruit that can cause you to overdose yourself (because the enzyme boosts the medication effects.)

    Source: http://www.health.harvard.edu/fhg/updates/update0206d.shtml
  • Vonwarr
    Vonwarr Posts: 390 Member
    Be very careful eating grapefruit/drinking grapefruit juice if you are taking any kind of medication. There is evidence it can play havoc with the effects. (In some cases nullifying the meds, in others increasing the effects dramatically)

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20497086

    I came here to say this too. Grapefruit can be good and bad. Personally I can't stand em, so I'll miss out on the potential benefits to take the slow and steady way that works for me. :)
  • Lindaendall
    Lindaendall Posts: 177 Member
    If you're eating a grapefruit instead of chocolate, cake and biscuits then it is bound to be good.......but if you mean you can eat full calories and a grapefruit on top the grapefruit will make you lose weight I find it unbelievable. Hard work and commitment will lose your weight for you.......keep strong
  • onyxgirl17
    onyxgirl17 Posts: 1,722 Member
    It's disgusting and I don't like it lol. So it might be a diuretic and low calorie but that doesn't make it a magic food...
  • louiselebeau
    louiselebeau Posts: 220 Member
    Its a fiber filled diuretic!
  • PetulantOne
    PetulantOne Posts: 2,131 Member
    There are no magic foods.
  • aloranger7708
    aloranger7708 Posts: 422 Member
    Grapefruit is SO good for you, but I don't think it would magically help you lose weight unless you were on a low-calorie plan and exercised. Obviously. It's a great thing to have in your diet, that's for sure.

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