Eating Fruit? How much is too much? From a hardcore fruit addict

Personally, I don't eat as much fruit anymore but that is because it doesn't satisfy my hunger and leaves me feeling sleepy. I just stick with mainly raspberries and strawberries which are lower in calories than a lot of other fruit and raspberries have a good amount of fiber. Adding more protein to my diet to replace some of the fruit has really helped me. I do believe fruit has a lot of nutrition and there is no need to cut it out completely but I think 1-2 servings a day is enough and fill the rest with veggies, protein, and some healthy grains. Also, when I DO eat fruit, it helps if I eat it with some protein...so raspberries as a "dessert" to go with my high protein lunch or strawberries as a snack, but also with a couple of nuts or plain greek yogurt.

nevadavis1 wrote: »

How do you guys address fruit? Even if I cut the calories in meals to accomodate the fruit, MFP is telling me I'm way over my sugar allotment and way under my protein. I've tried subbing in six almonds for the fruit, but that really doesn't satisfy me in the same way.

Normally I don't worry about sugar from fruit (and 3 pieces doesn't seem like that much, although you are choosing higher sugar fruits), but the comment about being low on protein is a concern. My general guideline is to watch calories, make sure you are getting enough protein, vegetables, healthy fats, and fiber, and if you have room to be above the sugar guideline after that, just make sure it's mostly from healthy sources.

One reason you might be feeling tired IS being low on other things, like protein. Many people do better on more balanced macros, and if you are really high carb, especially carbs that you digest pretty fast (higher sugar fruit, refined grains, etc.) that would be worth changing to see if it helps.

What are your current calories, protein (in grams), fat (in grams), fiber, and carbs (also in g)? And I guess the sugar.

I also love fruit and eat a lot of it. I eat an orange with breakfast, have something like grapes or watermelon at lunch, and an apple for a snack in the afternoon. I eat 1300 calories a day M-Th and 1500 F-S and have lost 65+ lbs so far. I make it fit in my calories and it makes me fell satisfied.

My wife and I dropped 110 pounds together. We ate all the fruit we wanted. I know I after 6-8 servings daily.

nevadavis1 wrote: »

Thanks, yes my protein is definitely low but I haven't quite figured out how to boost it just yet. I only started this on Monday, so I don't have a lot of data yet, but yesterday I hit my highest protein yet and it was still low. So, here's yesterday, but I got the protein through eating a high protein dinner, but that dinner sent me over my calorie count.

Cut back on carbs and increase proteins. If you see an increase in fat, too, that's probably not a bad thing as long as it doesn't impact your ability to stay within your calories.

You say you love your fruit, which is fine... but that's a lot of carbs. Are there some starches or grains in there that you can swap out for some proteins?

nevadavis1 wrote: »

Hi, I'm new here. Need to lose about 50 lbs (maybe more) to be healthy, so I have my work cut out for me.

Generally in any given day I eat an apple with breakfast, a banana as a midmorning snack, and an orange as an afternoon snack. I'm frequently very tired (doctor is going to test for sleep apnea) and I find it hard to get through a workday without my fruit snacks.

The problem is that the calories and especially the sugar adds up. My mother has been counting calories for years and is very strict about it. She advises giving up nearly all fruit because of the calories. I keep thinking "but fruit has healthy stuff in it that I need."

How do you guys address fruit? Even if I cut the calories in meals to accomodate the fruit, MFP is telling me I'm way over my sugar allotment and way under my protein. I've tried subbing in six almonds for the fruit, but that really doesn't satisfy me in the same way.

If you don't have a medical concern causing you to need to limit sugar then don't worry about it.
Do try to hit your protein goal though. Hard boiled eggs, cottage cheese, yogurt, cheese, meat might be alternatives to almonds for snacks.
3 pieces of fruit is not really excessive but I might choose some other fruits or combine smaller amounts with other foods. Like fruit with yogurt or peanut butter.
Try vegetables for snacks.

What is your rate of loss set to and how many calories do you have? If you are 50 lbs overweight try 1 lb a week. Be sure to eat some exercise calories.

nevadavis1 wrote: »

I know berries are better--less sugar, more nutrients, but darn they're expensive (and often not great quality at our stores here). I tried planting a blackberry bush in hopes of growing my own fruit, but the birds stole them all. Apples, oranges, and bananas are cheap and plentiful, so that's how I got stuck on this track. Yeah, I need to find some high protein snacks that satisfy (I think the fruit fiber is what makes me feel full), but the almonds didn't do it.

I planted raspberries. They've taken over my yard.

*If* you have the space to grow a full bramble (my backyard is *tiny*) you will be able to feed the birds (and squirrels), and have enough berries that you can't cram them all in your food hole besides. I still have frozen berries from last summer, and sometime in July I stopped picking them because I was out of containers and freezer space.

I started with 3 plants. 2 of them lived, and spread. I added another plant when we moved to our current house because I wanted a full row down the fence. Now, I have to dig them up and mow them, because otherwise there would be no place for the dog to poop. The single row along the fence is now 2 rows, along the fence and along the house. Both rows are 3 feet wide, and you can't reach the berries along the fence to pick them without getting tangled up in the thorny canes. It is GLORIOUS. They're like WEEDS!!!

For a protein snack, I like greek yogurt. I eat it topped with raspberries from my yard.

I don't think 3 fruits per day is too much. Like many others don't track sugar and I never worry aobut sugar that comes from fruit. As long as the fruit fits the calorie goal then you can eat it. One thing you might ask the doctor to check is your B-12 levels. They don't check it in routine blood tests, and if you have low B-12 you will feel tired ALL THE TIME, no matter how much sleep you are getting.