Is fruit my problem?

angie718
angie718 Posts: 14
edited September 24 in Motivation and Support
Hi everyone :) I'm getting a little discouraged here and hopefully for some motivation and or some advise.... I have been using MFP since 12/18/2010 (love the site) and have really been making lifestyle changes since Nov of 2009. With that said...in the course of changing eating habits and running and strength training, I have really not seen any pounds shed nor many inches (total of 5 inches). My starting weight was 144 and I am 141 15 months later. My clothes don't fit different, but I have noticed my face has slimmed down some...With MFP I have been tracking various things, carbs, protein, fiber, cals, and sugar. No matter how hard I try...I cannot stay below my sugar...My fruit intake is 98% of the time the only sugar I consume...I have a terrible sweet tooth and the fruit really helps to keep from snacking on chocolate, bakery items etc... so my question is....could my sugar intake (even though from fruit) be what is keeping me from losing weight? I have a high fiber, high protein diet...and sadly...my personal trainer tells me that I am NOT gaining muscle weight. My BMI still shows me overweight and so does my body fat. Motivation??? Advice??? Thanks

Replies

  • laurabeth02
    laurabeth02 Posts: 37
    Jackie Warner's book 'This is Why You're Fat and how to get thin forever' recommends 2 servings of fruit a day. I had to cut back on my fruit intake, I having a hard time shedding any pounds too. It can get frustrating, but I just think about how much healthier I am eating. Good Luck!
  • tritta01
    tritta01 Posts: 311
    Tr y tracking sodium
  • SamsGonePaleo
    SamsGonePaleo Posts: 18
    It depends, make sure you are making the right fruit choices !
    I would try limiting your fruit servings to a maximum of three or two per day to break through your weight loss plateau. Also, be sure that your serving sizes are correct, and that you are not eating even more than you realize. One serving of fruit is equal to approximately ½ cup, but serving sizes vary. In addition, for weight loss, I would stick with fresh or frozen fruit only. Skip the dried fruit, fruit cups and fruit juice, all of which are higher in calories or lower in fiber and easier to over-consume. Regarding sugar, while the sugar in fruit, known as fructose, is healthier than refined sugar or high fructose corn syrup, it still contains the same number of calories per serving (4 calories per gram) so again, it cannot be consumed in unlimited quantities if you are watching your weight.
  • heatherjbw
    heatherjbw Posts: 5
    Let me first say that I am not an expert. I am only repeating what I've been taught through training in a low-glycemic index weight management program. Though I eat as low-GI as possible, I do not limit my fruits, many of which are mid- to high-GI. I was taught, with the exception of white potatoes, that if it grows in the ground or on a tree, it should be a part of a healthy GI diet. The way the nutritionist who developed this specific plan put it, is that no one got fat eating watermelon. So while it seems like you are desperately searching for something that will help you, my opinion is that the fruit is not the issue.

    My only thought is carbs. Are you restricting them entirely? Your body does need "good" carbs in order to burn for exercise, not just protein.

    Good luck!
  • bethrs
    bethrs Posts: 664 Member
    I think the only real way to help woudl be to check out your food diary. Here are some questions I have:

    How many calories a day do you eat? What is your BMR? What is your deficit?

    Do you weigh/measure your food?

    How do you handle exercise calories?

    How do you measure calories burned?

    Have you seen a doctor for a basic check up, sometimes illnesses or other problems (thyroid) can interfere with weight loss)...

    Hope that helps.
    -Beth
  • jlcarwi
    jlcarwi Posts: 1
    Are you eating fresh fruit or canned fruit? If you're eating canned fruit that's not canned in natural juices then the sugar content is most likely through the roof. My suggestion (if you haven't already tried it) is to look at the labels if you are buying canned fruits. Try to get the ones that are packaged in natural juices. See how that works for you! :)

    Also, I find that going to classes that the gym offers, instead of working solely with a personal trainer tends to show faster results because if you find a class that you really enjoy, you're going to work your butt off (figuratively and even literally!) because you enjoy the class and you want to put your full effort into it. For example, I was seeing a personal trainer and I had little weight loss as you said you had, then I started going to the classes at my gym and one in particular is Zumba. You've probably heard of it. It is a really great way to get your body moving and shape up too.

    If you find a workout that you enjoy doing the results will come faster because you ENJOY the workout and will do your very best at it!
  • LaurenRose2011
    LaurenRose2011 Posts: 86
    It depends, make sure you are making the right fruit choices !
    "I would try limiting your fruit servings to a maximum of three or two per day to break through your weight loss plateau. Also, be sure that your serving sizes are correct, and that you are not eating even more than you realize. One serving of fruit is equal to approximately ½ cup, but serving sizes vary. In addition, for weight loss, I would stick with fresh or frozen fruit only. Skip the dried fruit, fruit cups and fruit juice, all of which are higher in calories or lower in fiber and easier to over-consume. Regarding sugar, while the sugar in fruit, known as fructose, is healthier than refined sugar or high fructose corn syrup, it still contains the same number of calories per serving (4 calories per gram) so again, it cannot be consumed in unlimited quantities if you are watching your weight." Dr. Melina Jampolis, Physician Nutrition Specialist -"http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/expert.q.a/08/28/fruit.weightloss.jampolis/index.html", 28 August 2009 (It's always best to cite your sources when directly quoting them.) ;)

    Thank you, Dr. Melina Jampolis.

    She does have good words! lol

    But she's right. Fruit is not a "free food" and you can get too much. Everything we eat has calories. So, make sure you are recording those calories into your diary. On the sugar side of things, you should eat no more than 15-20g of refine/processed sugars per day, and no more than 85g total of refine/processed and natural sugars combined. So, if your sugars from refined/processed sources are 0g per day you can eat 85g of natural sugars per day (which is approximately 2 medium oranges and 2 bananas).

    By the way, what is your sodium intake per day? Sodium is the silent killer in a lot of diets. If you're frequently exceeding more than 2,000-2,500mg per day then this could be the culprit.

    Good luck.
  • callipygianchronicle
    callipygianchronicle Posts: 811 Member
    When you exceed your Sugar category, are you also over on Carbs? There are many possibilities, and this community is great at finding problem areas. But you will need to open access to your diary in order to get the most help.
  • 123456654321
    123456654321 Posts: 1,311 Member
    Are you accurately tracking your calories?
  • RMinVA
    RMinVA Posts: 1,085 Member
    I don't have a lot of added sugar in my diet, but I easily can hit 50-60g with a couple servings of fruit, veggies and dairy. Weight just seems to come off better if I stick to that range. And usually the only way for me to keep that # in check is to limit fruit to no more than 3 servings.

    Something else to try would be to make sure you eat your fruit during the day. Stick to protein and veggies from about 4pm on.
  • angie718
    angie718 Posts: 14
    Thank you for all the replies....and here are the answers to all the questions you asked....

    I track my calories...all of them, I measure and weigh my food as accurately as I possibly can

    I eat all my calories everyday and eat my exercise calories and I reach my sugar intake pretty darn close to when I hit my carb intake for the day. I eat half a grapefruit at night before bed because I had read that is good for digestion and helps to promote weight loss. The rest of my diet at night is strickly protein and veggies. I only eat fresh fruit...nothing canned. And I usually only eat 2-3 servings a day...I may have to drop that to 1-2 servings a day.

    I work out 4-5 times a week and they are usually in class settings with addition running or eliptical use...I do pilates, boot camp, yoga, and a class called group power. When I run, depending on the day, its anywhere from 1.5 miles to 3.5 miles.

    I try to minimize my sodium by not adding extra to foods, but I probably could do better in this department. I will try this for a week and see how I do...thank you for the advice on the sodium.

    I do have an underlying medical issue (thyroid) but I am treating for it and everything is good there...just discouraged.
    Thank you for all the thoughts/advise
  • RMinVA
    RMinVA Posts: 1,085 Member
    If you are eating all of your exercise calories, try cutting out about 100-200 cals a day to give yourself some wiggle room.

    Nutrition labels by law can vary as much as 20%. Remember that the data base also has a lot of user driven entries too...which can mean human error. There is a great video, link below, that illustrates the importance of weighing your food on a scale: It is a real eye opener.

    http://www.youtube.com/user/Fatlosstroubleshoot.

    Unless you have an HRM, you might not be burning as many cals as you think. So eat more than you think, burn less, and you may even gain some weight, even though you think you are doing everything right. Hope that helps.
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