Too much fruit?

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fifi_fitness1
fifi_fitness1 Posts: 13 Member
edited June 2016 in Health and Weight Loss
I usually go over my sugar limit for the day because I eat lots of fruit. I cant live without it. I've read many contradicting articles that either say its okay or it isn't. Its not like I'm eating chocolate, but is it still bad?
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Replies

  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 4,978 Member
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    Unless you have a medical reason to limit sugar then don't worry about going over the sugar goal.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    If you have a medical reason to restrict sugar or your eating plan requires it (like if you were trying to stay in ketosis or such), then natural sugars matter. For the rest of us, it's a lot of personal preference and choosing our priorities. I don't track sugar and don't worry about it as long as the rest of my goals are being met. Others do. It's up to you.
  • terbusha
    terbusha Posts: 1,483 Member
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    If you have a blood sugar issue, then you should consider it. If you're healthy and getting enough fiber in your diet, then eat that fruit! It comes with lots of great fiber and nutrients :)
  • CarolF11
    CarolF11 Posts: 67 Member
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    fifi_fitness1 wrote: »
    I usually go over my sugar limit for the day because I eat lots of fruit. I cant live without it. I've read many contradicting articles that either say its okay or it isn't. Its not like I'm eating chocolate, but is it still bad?

    Try eating fruits that are low in sugar, like berries, maybe that will help.
  • MorganMoreaux
    MorganMoreaux Posts: 691 Member
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    I eat tons of fruit daily and haven't noticed any issues. I juice in the mornings, usually have banana mid morning, an apple and berries during lunch, and more berries and other stuff (kiwi, mango, pineapple) after dinner. My heaviest weight was 155lbs and now I weigh 113lbs - and have maintained 113lbs for a while. My bloodwork is great. I've been eating fruit like this for years and have not seen any loss of health from it. I do try to have nuts when I eat fruit so there is some fat along with the sugar lol. If you don't have a medical need to control sugar I wouldn't worry about eating a lot of fruit.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,902 Member
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    People with no medical reason to limit sugar may find Fiber a more useful nutrient to track than Sugar. For example, after I upped fiber I noticed I was staying fuller longer, and could skip a snack, making it easier for me to stay in a calorie deficit.
  • STEVE142142
    STEVE142142 Posts: 867 Member
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    As some other people have previously stated unless you have blood sugar issues there's no reason to limit your fruit intake.
    As far as weight loss it's a simple matter of calories in vs. Calories out.as long as you're eating less calories than your body burns you will lose weight.

  • pebble4321
    pebble4321 Posts: 1,132 Member
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    Aussie guidelines suggest 2 fruit and 5 veg a day.

    Although this isn't intended to be a prescription or right for everyone, it seems like pretty sensible advice to me - with more of a focus on veggies, but still plenty of room for fruit.

    Really though, it depends on what else you are eating - if you are feeling good, are healthy and are losing weight at a moderate rate, you are probably just fine.
  • atitagain1958
    atitagain1958 Posts: 160 Member
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    @STEVE142142 I take it you have no medical background because it isn't really that simple.
  • melonaulait
    melonaulait Posts: 769 Member
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    Barring medical issues/allergies, you can eat as much fruit as you can fit in your goals! Don't worry about the sugar on MFP, in fact you can switch it out for another nutrient in your diary.
  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,196 Member
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    The issue is that it is likely too much fruit/sugar for you. How many servings of veggies are you getting each day? How many servings of fruit?

    I have medical issues that force me to reduce carbs--I can easily gain 10 pounds every June just by eating an extra serving or two of fresh fruit when it is local, cheap and delicious every year. Some of us DO gain weight by eating too much fruit.

    Subbing out some of your fruit for non-starchy veggies is a place to start. You might also see if fruits that are low on the GI index work better for you. For example, cherries are low GI and in season right now--they freeze well too.
  • fr33sia12
    fr33sia12 Posts: 1,258 Member
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    pebble4321 wrote: »
    Aussie guidelines suggest 2 fruit and 5 veg a day.

    Although this isn't intended to be a prescription or right for everyone, it seems like pretty sensible advice to me - with more of a focus on veggies, but still plenty of room for fruit.

    Really though, it depends on what else you are eating - if you are feeling good, are healthy and are losing weight at a moderate rate, you are probably just fine.

    This is what gets me, every country has different recommendations, in the UK its 5 portions of fruit & veg a day. Does this mean if I go to Australia I automatically need different portions of fruit & veg :)
  • thenewkayla
    thenewkayla Posts: 313 Member
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    I eat fruits at breakfast and my main source in snacking I don't worry about it.
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    edited July 2016
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    atitagain1958 wrote: »
    you may simply be eating too many carbohydrates to allow your body to lose weight.
    This isn't true. Not one bit. A calorie deficit (eating less calories than your body needs to maintain its current weight) is all that is needed to lose weight. High carb, low carb, it doesn't matter. If you're in a calorie deficit, you'll lose weight. Some of my days are higher carb than others, and I eat chocolate, too....I'm always over on my mfp for sugars, so I just stopped tracking sugar and track fiber instead, which is more important to me....nearly 90lbs down.

    As many have said here... if you don't have a medical condition that requires a reduction in carbs and sugar, then there is no need to worry. Weigh all your food on a food scale and log accurately.
    atitagain1958 wrote: »
    @STEVE142142 I take it you have no medical background because it isn't really that simple.

    Sorry, but @STEVE142142 is absolutely right. A calorie deficit CICO is all that is needed for weight loss. Science.

    Read what I said above. If what you said is true (carbs cause weight gain and make it difficult to lose weight) , then I shouldn't have been able to lose almost 90lbs.
    /thread.

  • fr33sia12
    fr33sia12 Posts: 1,258 Member
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    fifi_fitness1 wrote: »
    I usually go over my sugar limit for the day because I eat lots of fruit. I cant live without it. I've read many contradicting articles that either say its okay or it isn't. Its not like I'm eating chocolate, but is it still bad?

    Looking at your food diary it's not the fruit that's pushing your sugar intake up. I wouldn't worry about the fruit, but if you are concerned about sugar look at the other foods it's coming from.
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
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    Calories are all that count to lose weight. Macronutrients (including sugar as a carb) are down to personal preference.
  • atitagain1958
    atitagain1958 Posts: 160 Member
    edited July 2016
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    cerise_noir wrote: »
    atitagain1958 wrote: »
    you may simply be eating too many carbohydrates to allow your body to lose weight.
    This isn't true. Not one bit. A calorie deficit (eating less calories than your body needs to maintain its current weight) is all that is needed to lose weight. High carb, low carb, it doesn't matter. If you're in a calorie deficit, you'll lose weight. Some of my days are higher carb than others, and I eat chocolate, too....I'm always over on my mfp for sugars, so I just stopped tracking sugar and track fiber instead, which is more important to me....nearly 90lbs down.

    As many have said here... if you don't have a medical condition that requires a reduction in carbs and sugar, then there is no need to worry. Weigh all your food on a food scale and log accurately.
    atitagain1958 wrote: »
    @STEVE142142 I take it you have no medical background because it isn't really that simple.

    Sorry, but @STEVE142142 is absolutely right. A calorie deficit CICO is all that is needed for weight loss. Science.

    Read what I said above. If what you said is true (carbs cause weight gain and make it difficult to lose weight) , then I shouldn't have been able to lose almost 90lbs.
    /thread.

    Fruit is high in the simple sugar fructose, which is the main reason why many people trying to lose should limit it when they're trying to lose weight. Unlike glucose, the most common simple sugar that's sent to your muscles, brain, and other organs for them to use as energy, fructose is only processed by your liver. Why is that bad? If your liver already has ample energy, there is a higher likelihood that your liver will repackage the excess fructose as fat, saving it for use at a later time. While this is a biochemical truth, its impact on your waistline is blown out of proportion, especially when you consider that fruit isn't even one of the top five sources of fructose in the American diet.

    It's science people. I'm glad eating a lot of fruit hasn't affected weight loss for a lot of you! But it's not like that for ALL of us! I think @fifi_fitness1 deserves to know the science behind why she's reading articles that it affects it. She also reads articles that it doesn't because, like some of you know, it hasn't affected you...yet. That doesn't mean it will. But it doesn't mean it never will either. Everyone is different. Everybody is different. Everybody loses weight differently. What's right? What's wrong? IT'S WHATEVER WORKS FOR YOU IN A HEATHY MANNER! Not 5 fruits a day vs 2.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    atitagain1958 wrote: »
    I agree none of us are here because we ate too many apples. However, I agree that fruit is a healthier alternative to many desserts and junk foods, but if fruit is a staple item at every meal and snack, you may simply be eating too many carbohydrates to allow your body to lose weight.

    No, not unless you are going over calories or having more trouble staying full. It's also ideal (although not necessary for weight loss) to make sure you aren't low in protein, healthy fats, and vegetables due to unbalanced fruit consumption. But plenty of 80-10-10 vegans seem to lose weight fine, although not a way I'd personally enjoy eating.
    And any time we eat carbohydrates our blood sugar goes up. That triggers our body to release insulin to lower the blood sugar. How does it do that? By converting it to FAT for storage!

    (1) Only if your glycogen stores are full up, which is unlikely if in a calorie deficit.

    (2) If you have an overall calorie deficit for the day/few days/week it wouldn't matter anyway, because you'd not gain net fat, but end up using more fat than you put on.

    It simply makes no sense that if you eat lots of carbs your body magically is able to run on less energy than it would otherwise need, which is in essence what you are claiming.
    Moderation is the key! Eat 2-3 fruits a day but get in some lower carb veggies too! Are you eating enough protein? Healthy fats? If we want to lose weight and keep it off, we need to learn to balance our foods so we get the proper nutrients.

    From a nutritional perspective I actually agree with this (and eat a lot more vegetables than fruit, personally, although I eat more fruit in the summer than at other times of year because I like local seasonal fruits), but not because of the myth that CICO won't work if you eat carbs.

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