Fruit - good for your diet, but is it bad for weightloss?

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lismany
lismany Posts: 18 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been a bad eater all my life, which ultimately resulted in weight issues for the last 10 years I cant seem to get it off. Often when I feel I should diet I go straight to chicken, fruit, and veggies.

I can have a serving of strawberries and grapes, an apple, a banana sometimes even a tangerine or orange on top of it all in ONE day (broken up between meals/snacks) is this good, or bad?

That being said, is there a limit on how much fruit I should have weekly/daily to LOSE weight?

I know one apple a day keeps the doctor away, but what keeps the lbs away for a little while?
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Replies

  • kristen6350
    kristen6350 Posts: 1,094 Member
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    I typically eat a serving of fruit 1-2 times a day. I haven't had any issue losing. Unless you are trying to watch sugar for health reasons you shouldn't have any issues either.

    If you want, take a look at my diary. My fruit usually comes in around 10am during the work week. Typically either berries, an apple or an orange. Whatever I have on hand.

    I typically know that bananas will make me hungrier, so I try and avoid those if I can.
  • Roxiegirl2008
    Roxiegirl2008 Posts: 756 Member
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    I eat fruit every day. I make sure I count the calories. I seriously eat an apple for my snack each day. I also add some sort of berries to my Greek yogurt at lunch.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    That's six servings of fruit. The Canada Food Guide recommends between 7-8 servings of vegetables and fruit a day for young women so you are right in range.

    http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/basics-base/quantit-eng.php

    What is your BMI index?
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    edited January 2015
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    As long as it fits your calorie goal (and macro goals if you pay attention to those), it doesn't really matter what you eat. Some people are freaked out by sugar at the moment but unless you're a diabetic or similar, it shouldn't be an issue.

    Think about it...have you ever heard of someone getting fat by eating too many fruits in a day?

    I'm a big fan of fruit too. In the summer when everything's fresh, I can eat several servings in a day. Hell, I've eaten a whole pound of strawberries in one sitting!
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    "but what keeps the lbs away for a little while? "

    Eating the appropriate number of calories for your needs.
  • Holla4mom
    Holla4mom Posts: 587 Member
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    Welcome to the forum lismany!! It's totally okay to eat fruit. It's a misconception that they are "bad for your diet." They are only bad for your diet if you have a medical issue that requires you to cut your sugar and carbohydrates drastically.

    Otherwise, set your weight loss/ calorie goals and your macros (how much carbs, protein, fiber) you want and go for it!


  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    IMO, good for diet and good for weight loss are the same. A balanced diet will keep you from suffering other health issues (hair loss, rickets, weak bones, other deficiency related health issues, gall bladder problems). To lose weight, all you have to worry about is the total number of calories a day you are getting in, and MFP calculates that for you.
  • sherbear702
    sherbear702 Posts: 649 Member
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    "Nobody ever got fat eating a banana" I like that quote. Although fruit is delicious, you probaby shouldn't pound it down all day long. Throw some veggies in there, lean protein, dairy, etc...if you want to lose weight you should eat a balanced diet and stay at or slightly under your calorie goal.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
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    It doesn't matter what you eat if your only goal is to lose weight. You can eat any kind of food or nothing at all and still lose.

    If you want to be a healthy person, then you should put some thought into the foods you eat, do some exercise, get regular check-ups and hope for good luck. The luck is the best thing to have, but you might want to hedge your bets and have a healthy lifestyle.

    Eating fruits and veggies isn't just for people trying to lose weight. People who are obese with no intention of losing still eat fruits. People who are thin and not worried about their weight eat fruit. People who are losing eat fruit.

    I eat a lot of fruit and I still lose weight. Down 80 pounds and still going. Fwiw. :)
  • jkwolly
    jkwolly Posts: 3,049 Member
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    sherbear702 wrote: »
    "Nobody ever got fat eating a banana" I like that quote. Although fruit is delicious, you probaby shouldn't pound it down all day long. Throw some veggies in there, lean protein, dairy, etc...if you want to lose weight you should eat a balanced diet and stay at or slightly under your calorie goal.
    Unless they ate too many banana's over their daily caloric needs :p
  • Sercee
    Sercee Posts: 36 Member
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    The only time I've come across fruit restrictions is in the first two weeks of a specific eating program I have that specifically cuts all carbs (similar to Atkins) in order to reset the way your body processes glucose. The fruit is added back in after 2 weeks, though, and you can eat as much as you like as long as you're meeting your goals.
  • cebreisch
    cebreisch Posts: 1,340 Member
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    There are good things/bad things about fruit. They're better for you than cookies, but they also have lots of natural sugars, but the sugars are natural and not processed, but you also get fiber....it's an awful cycle! LOL

    Vegetables always are better, but fruits are better for you than most other things.

    Several of my doctors have said they have vegetables (the non-starchy kind) for 1/2 their plate, lean protein for 1/4 of the plate and carbs for 1/4 of the plate. You could certainly do fruit for 1/4 of the plate (as the carb) for your meals.

    I know Weight Watchers will typically allow about 2, maybe 3 servings of fruit "free" due to the fiber in them, but wants people to have 7 servings of fruits/vegetables a day.

    For what it's worth....
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    Everything in moderation.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,391 MFP Moderator
    edited January 2015
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    It's fine as long as the fruit isn't taking away from hitting protein goals or fat goals. Personally, protein and fat comes first because they are essential. But I also get 3-4 servings of fruits a day.
  • SuggaD
    SuggaD Posts: 1,369 Member
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    I agree with everything in moderation. I prefer more vegetables, less fruit. So no more than 2 fruits per day for me.
  • Springfield1970
    Springfield1970 Posts: 1,945 Member
    edited January 2015
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    As long as it fits your calorie goals and macros I say go for it.
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
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    For pure weight loss, if you lose weight on 1,500 calories, it doesn't matter whether most of them came from fruit or ice cream or broccoli. People bring up macros (protein, fat, carbohydrates) because fat and protein are lacking in most fruits and yet are essential for digestive function, mental function, staying alive, etc. Log your foods to see if you're getting enough protein and fat.
  • ithrowconfetti
    ithrowconfetti Posts: 451 Member
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    lismany wrote: »

    but what keeps the lbs away for a little while?

    A calorie deficit, regardless of the types of food you choose to consume, assuming you have no underlying medical/health conditions.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited January 2015
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    SuggaD wrote: »
    I agree with everything in moderation. I prefer more vegetables, less fruit.

    Me too.
    So no more than 2 fruits per day for me.

    This is what I usually end up eating (1-2 servings), but I don't limit it. I simply don't ever exchange fruit for vegetables. I dislike the 5-7 servings of fruit and veggies recommendation, since they aren't really interchangeable. However, if I happen to have a day where I, say, eat 6 servings of veggies, 4 servings of fruit, and still get in my protein and a reasonable amount of fat and stay within my calories, it doesn't bother me in the least. Pretty rare that I would end up eating that much fruit on top of everything else, though.
  • nineateseven
    nineateseven Posts: 65 Member
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    Fruit is great! Just keep an eye on how much calorie "space" you have for things you need to meet other nutritional needs. I've had to scale back on fruit a bit because I needed the calorie space to fit in more foods that were higher in iron.

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