Bananas are killing my macros

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Replies

  • 87monkey
    87monkey Posts: 83 Member
    I eat at least one banana a day! It replaces me munching on junk food :D
  • Kitteneyes01
    Kitteneyes01 Posts: 125
    I need to eat more bananas...and bread...I always struggle to meet my carb macro...
    You struggle to reach your carb macro? Never heard that one before...

    Yep. I'm usually off by 50-60 with carbs. I focus the majority of calories on protein and fibre. Eh
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    If you really love bananas that much one of three things:
    1. Edit your other carb sources
    2. Go by your net carbs subtracting the fiber. You can do that by going to settings and replacing sugar with fiber so it shows on your diary instead of sugar, which is a useless number.
    3. Take a 20 minute walk, which should take care of the banana carbs
  • BruceHedtke
    BruceHedtke Posts: 358 Member
    And I actually have eaten a low-carb tortilla for breakfast and for dessert, rolled up with a banana, some peanut butter, and some nutella. It is delicious. :smile:

    That sounds good! I think I'm gonna try that.
  • aylajane
    aylajane Posts: 979 Member
    To the people saying they dont get enough potassium - you are probably getting way more than you think. Potassium is not required to be put on the nutrition labels and very few foods actually do. So the numbers you see in MFP are way lower than you are actually getting.

    If you are getting leg cramps or other symptoms, then worry about it. Or have your doc test you to be sure you are getting enough. Otherwise, eat the bananas and other good sources and dont worry about the actual number so much.
  • stuffinmuffin
    stuffinmuffin Posts: 985 Member
    I eat them two or three times a week by cutting one up and putting it in my salad. My salads are weird, but combining fruit like raisins or bananas with veggies instead of just eating the fruit keeps me from having cravings and being hungry later. And that is all I worry about, not the number of carbs or sugar I end up with in a day. Of course I haven't been doing this long. Maybe it will spell some sort of weird health disaster later. If it does, I'll keep everyone posted on my way to pick out the casket. Or maybe the urn. Whichever is cheaper.

    :laugh: I'm tempted to try this now too!
  • caitconquersweight
    caitconquersweight Posts: 316 Member
    I started splitting bananas in two and eating them at different times of the day. So instead of eating two whole bananas, I just eat ~50g twice a day.
  • amandzor
    amandzor Posts: 386 Member
    Since I'm unwilling to give up bananas. I think I'll have to focus on dinner, and eliminating carbs from there.

    I had lettuce wraps last night instead of the tortillas I was planning based on a suggestion I received here.

    THANK YOU!

    It was yummy. I'll have to do that more often.

    The world is not over if I miss a macro, but it's nice to find ways to try and meet them.

    And as much as I love Nutella....I'd just end up eating the whole jar. It is fat people crack.
  • athensguy
    athensguy Posts: 550
    Unless you're diabetic, I don't see a reason for you to worry about it.
  • FitnFeistyLyness
    FitnFeistyLyness Posts: 757 Member
    i eat anywhere from 1 to 2 bananas a day . it hasnt affected me releasing weight.

    love them in my green smoothies

    or with pb

    or made into a frozen dessert .
  • FindingAmy77
    FindingAmy77 Posts: 1,268 Member
    This is exactly the reason I have stopped tracking macros. I am losing weight consistently by eating at a deficit of calories and calories are what I track. I was getting all restrictive and ocd when I was tracking macros and trying to stay out of the red. Too dam annoying. I love my frozen bananas and eat them almost everyday. I just had some a minute ago. Yum. I get my carbs from veg and fruits and all my numbers are perfect and my nails are great and hair too. SO that is what counts in my book.
  • ShannonS921
    ShannonS921 Posts: 194
    I eat a banana almost every morning. It's delicious, filling, but man does it kill my carb intake for the day.

    Fruit constitutes most of my carbs for the day, especially if I eat an apple in the afternoons.

    Usual carb additions throughout the day include brown rice, whole wheat tortillas and a fiber granola bar. Usually, I need these to meet my calorie goal.

    Just wondering if anyone else has run in to this problem, and want to know if you reduced your fruit in take, or you just said to hell with it.

    Edit: Also! I'll add that I'm still losing weight consistently. 2-3 pounds a week, and I'm in the gym 4-5 days after work, and try to do something active on the weekend (ride a bike, go for a walk)

    Then I really don't see the problem. You enjoy your bananas, you're still losing weight consistently...

    Am I missing something?
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,839 Member
    Bananas get the blame because they're the most "extra" in my day.

    Nope. The bananas are much more important to a healthy diet than tortillas or other starchy carbs. A banana is nutrient rich. The starchy items you say are necessities are nutrient poor and calorie dense.

    Check out the "Healthy Eating Plate" at http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/.

    If the question is, "Should I eat this bread-y carb or should I eat this fruit?" The answer is the fruit. Since you say you have plenty of calories to spare, you can certainly eat both but the bread-y carb is the unnecessary item.
  • seamandi
    seamandi Posts: 25 Member
    I eat fruit only for breakfast, usually a banana is included. I am constantly over my carb and sugar goals for the day, but since it's all from fruit I don't worry about it. The benefits I've received from eating lots of fruit (more energy, clearer skin, better sleep) makes me confident that fruit is not the enemy. I wouldn't worry about it.
  • mzbek24
    mzbek24 Posts: 436 Member
    I usually just don't have an entire banana every time. I keep frozen bits of banana in my freezer and add like 45g to a smoothie or whatever-also good to ensure none go to waste. If there's a couple going a bit on the oldish side, I put them in my freezer collection.

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