Has anyone eliminated fruit in their diet?

kimjj1025
kimjj1025 Posts: 29 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Happy Wednesday Everyone!

I've been logging my food fairly consistantly. I've always been aware that fruit had sugar, which is why it is so yummy. However, I didn't realize how much sugar I eat in fruit until I see the total at the end of the day. Like today, I plan to have banana and some blueberries in my high fiber oatmeal, necturine at lunch and grapes for an afternoon snack and I'm 19 grams over my daily allowance! There is either no sugar or very little sugars in the remainder of my planned meals. So my question to all of you is; Did you have to eliminate or severly reduce your fruit intake to lose weight?

Thanks!
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Replies

  • nomeejerome
    nomeejerome Posts: 2,616 Member
    Absolutely not
  • grimendale
    grimendale Posts: 2,153 Member
    Please don't. I lost 90 lbs eating three servings of fruit a day. You need the vitamins, fiber and natural sugar you get from fruit. If you want to cut sugar, cut refined and processed sugar, not fruit.
  • Dianescraps
    Dianescraps Posts: 84
    Nope, and if natural, unprocessed sugars put me over on my sugar numbers I do not stress about it.
  • momzeeee
    momzeeee Posts: 475 Member
    I keep my sugar intake to under 50 a day, regardless of where it comes from. I used to be pre-diabetic and I'm very aware of sugar now. For me it's not a weight loss thing (I'm in maintenance), but I don't think a lot of sugar, regardless of the source, is a good thing.
  • BrainyBurro
    BrainyBurro Posts: 6,129 Member
    d'oh! what crazy fad diet has got all of these people scared to death of fruit? i've been seeing thread after thread about this subject lately... who in their right mind would listen to ANYBODY who tells them that eating fruit is bad?

    fruit is not bad. sugar/carbs are not bad. unless you have some sort of medical condition (diabetes), you don't even have to pay attention to your sugar/carb intake.

    1g carbs = 4 calories.

    that's all that matters. stay under your daily calorie burn (TDEE) and you'll lose weight.
  • carrietehbear
    carrietehbear Posts: 384 Member
    Nope... I don't even look at my sugar content.
  • BigBrunette
    BigBrunette Posts: 1,543 Member
    Nope. I haven't eliminated anything from my diet. Fruit is your friend.
  • MFPRat
    MFPRat Posts: 201 Member
    I asked my wellness nurse/nutritionist about this very thing and this is what she said:

    Fruit does affect bloodsugar in the same way as added sugars (sugar is sugar is sugar). However, the difference is that fruit also contains fiber and vitamins/minerals/antioxidants--all of which benefit your body and the fiber can help slow the release of the sugar directly in to your bloodstream. We like to suggest pairing fruit with lean proteins (nuts, low-fat plain yogurts, seeds, etc) to further help slow the release.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    I wouldn't eliminate fruit.

    Hit your calorie and macronutrient goals and use some common sense with food selection and I wouldn't worry about it beyond that.
  • NewCaddy
    NewCaddy Posts: 845 Member
    Nope, and if natural, unprocessed sugars put me over on my sugar numbers I do not stress about it.

    THIS^^^
  • mazdauk
    mazdauk Posts: 1,380 Member
    I took off the sugar macro for that reason - I'm not diabetic and I don't sit with packets of doughnuts or biscuits for lunch, I know most of my sugar is coming from fresh/dried fruit and milk so the macro is irrelevent.

    If you eat a lot of processed foods however, you'd be surprised at the amount of "hidden" sugar (AND salt) in foods - check the back of a tin of baked beans, for example. Make your changes here before droping fruit!
  • jakkisr
    jakkisr Posts: 175 Member
    Absolutely not! In fact, I've eaten more fruit while losing weight than I've ever eaten in my life on a regular basis!

    Unless you have a medical condition (such as diabetes) I wouldn't be at all concerned about natural sugars in raw fruit going over the macros in MFP.

    Eat them up and enjoy!
  • FearAnLoathingJ
    FearAnLoathingJ Posts: 337 Member
    No
  • shar140
    shar140 Posts: 1,158 Member
    Completely eliminated, no. Reduced, yes. I used to eat probably 3-4 servings a day of sugary fruits - apples, bananas, grapes, etc (well, let's face it - some apples are big enough to be 2 servings so probably even more than 3-4! and who only eats 15 grapes?? and one medium banana should really be 2 servings). Now I've cut it down to about 2 servings a day, of less sugary options - mostly berries, but occasionally kiwi or pineapple or another in-season fruit, but I limit it. More veggies instead! (and I don't mean corn or potatoes)

    Apples make me hungry an hour later (or less), even with a meal, so I have pretty much eliminated them. Bananas don't do that, so I still eat them when I'm training.
  • fooninie
    fooninie Posts: 291 Member
    Sugar (naturally occurring or otherwise) does spike insulin levels and MAY cause the body to store fat. HOWEVER (before haters jump all over me) I would never cut out fruit from my diet, but I would watch my intake (if I am trying to lose weight). There are way too many health benefits which outweigh the sugar.

    Interesting and true story for you: my friends husband ate roughly 4-6 cups of fruit daily when he was diagnosed with pre-diabetes (to quench a sugar addiction, he replaced refined sugars with naturally occurring ones). He believed that if it was naturally occurring, it could not be bad for him. Wrong. He is diabetic now. So, really, moderation is always the key I think. Has anyone else ever heard of this?
  • C12254
    C12254 Posts: 198
    I already need to give up cake, cookies, and ice cream (at least not have as much). theres no way ill give up fruit.

    it sounds like you're eating A LOT of it though.
  • BeachIron
    BeachIron Posts: 6,490 Member
    Absolutely not.

    I'm starting to really wish MFP would simply eliminate the sugar column. It's creating entirely too much angst.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    Sugar (naturally occurring or otherwise) does spike insulin levels and MAY cause the body to store fat. HOWEVER (before haters jump all over me) I would never cut out fruit from my diet, but I would watch my intake (if I am trying to lose weight). There are way too many health benefits which outweigh the sugar.

    Interesting and true story for you: my friends husband ate roughly 4-6 cups of fruit daily when he was diagnosed with pre-diabetes (to quench a sugar addiction, he replaced refined sugars with naturally occurring ones). He believed that if it was naturally occurring, it could not be bad for him. Wrong. He is diabetic now. So, really, moderation is always the key I think. Has anyone else ever heard of this?

    Acute spikes in insulin will not result in net fat gain if you're in a caloric deficit.

    Food for thought from a very solid resource:
    weightology.net/weightologyweekly/?page_id=319
  • flanary888
    flanary888 Posts: 158 Member
    I go over my sugars every day that I have fruit, but I just subtract it out to see where I am for the day on "other" food. I will never give it up though! Chips may have no sugar, but they are much worse for you than fruit!
  • TruckersWifeTruckersLife
    TruckersWifeTruckersLife Posts: 408 Member
    some fruits are very high in sugar so yes you do have to be careful of how much fruit you eat
  • Lynn_babcock
    Lynn_babcock Posts: 220 Member
    We don't get fruit in the house very often.. mangos this week because they smelled so incredible (and tasted even better!). But generally if the fruit bowl has anything in it it's just bananas. We always have at least one side of vegetables for dinner, but I prefer 2-3 for a meal for variety. Last night we just had corn.. which is more a starch then a vegetable, but usually we'll have a mixed greens pot, broccoli, or zucchini.. being the most common here... so salad. This week we've also had turnips and beets. I stopped tracking my sugar.. I'm not much a sweets person anyways.. but my coffee creamer usually put me over the limit. I track other stuff now.. my cousin died of a heart attack last year at 40. He's as close as you can be to a brother while being a cousin (my mom's brother married my dad's sister)... he was 40, not overweight, and worked construction. He had his heart attack while roofing a house. My sister had pregnancy complications and now her blood pressure is incredibly high.. it was 110/80 before.. and now it's like 160/100. We seem to be leaning toward some heart problems in the gene pool.. so the stuff that effect the heart more (cholesterol, fat, sodium) and the things I'm concerned about to track.
  • jsiricos
    jsiricos Posts: 340 Member
    I treat myself, but fruits almost all gone

    I AM diabetic, and the pain of the sugar pounding thru my head is something I can do without
  • Krys_140
    Krys_140 Posts: 648 Member
    Absolutely not.

    I'm starting to really wish MFP would simply eliminate the sugar column. It's creating entirely too much angst.
    They do let you remove it yourself, through the "settings" tab. I've taken it off my daily reports.

    OP: Unless you have a tendency towards diabetes (family history, other risk factors), you can safely eat all the fruit you like. Personally, too much fruit messes with my digestion, but I typically keep my intake RIGHT at that line. :wink:
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    Sugar (naturally occurring or otherwise) does spike insulin levels and MAY cause the body to store fat. HOWEVER (before haters jump all over me) I would never cut out fruit from my diet, but I would watch my intake (if I am trying to lose weight). There are way too many health benefits which outweigh the sugar.

    Interesting and true story for you: my friends husband ate roughly 4-6 cups of fruit daily when he was diagnosed with pre-diabetes (to quench a sugar addiction, he replaced refined sugars with naturally occurring ones). He believed that if it was naturally occurring, it could not be bad for him. Wrong. He is diabetic now. So, really, moderation is always the key I think. Has anyone else ever heard of this?

    Are you trying to imply the fruit caused his diabetes?
  • Melissa22G
    Melissa22G Posts: 847 Member
    Nobody ever got fat eating too many fruits and veggies.
  • CrankMeUp
    CrankMeUp Posts: 2,860 Member
    Sugar (naturally occurring or otherwise) does spike insulin levels and MAY cause the body to store fat. HOWEVER (before haters jump all over me) I would never cut out fruit from my diet, but I would watch my intake (if I am trying to lose weight). There are way too many health benefits which outweigh the sugar.

    Interesting and true story for you: my friends husband ate roughly 4-6 cups of fruit daily when he was diagnosed with pre-diabetes (to quench a sugar addiction, he replaced refined sugars with naturally occurring ones). He believed that if it was naturally occurring, it could not be bad for him. Wrong. He is diabetic now. So, really, moderation is always the key I think. Has anyone else ever heard of this?

    Are you trying to imply the fruit caused his diabetes?

    this.
    just no.
  • pjp1125
    pjp1125 Posts: 313
    I have reduced fruit and replaced it with vegetables. Same benefits, but less sugar and calories. I don't think fruit is bad at all, I just prefer to reduce my sugar intake where I can.
  • TedStout
    TedStout Posts: 241
    Sigh. MODERATION. If you are eating an entire watermelon every day, probably not a good thing. If you have some fruit every day, probably a good thing. Its your body, do what you want. As for me, I eat anything...IN MODERATION. If this is going to be a lifestyle change for you vs a temporary diet, you will need to learn how to eat like a normal human. Its doable, its good for you. Just my two cents.
  • BroiledNotFried
    BroiledNotFried Posts: 446 Member
    If you are diabetic, then one serving of fruit a day is the max.
    If you are exercising (burning carbs), then you need more fruit.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,989 Member
    Sugar (naturally occurring or otherwise) does spike insulin levels and MAY cause the body to store fat. HOWEVER (before haters jump all over me) I would never cut out fruit from my diet, but I would watch my intake (if I am trying to lose weight). There are way too many health benefits which outweigh the sugar.
    Concern of fat storage only happens if there is an excess of calories.
    Interesting and true story for you: my friends husband ate roughly 4-6 cups of fruit daily when he was diagnosed with pre-diabetes (to quench a sugar addiction, he replaced refined sugars with naturally occurring ones). He believed that if it was naturally occurring, it could not be bad for him. Wrong. He is diabetic now. So, really, moderation is always the key I think. Has anyone else ever heard of this?
    Sugar whether from refined or natural sources is broken down to it's simplest form and absorbed in the body (glycogen). If your friends' husband has a history of diabetes in his family, it may have been unavoidable.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

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