Bananas - Diet Friend or Foe

JolieBlonde
JolieBlonde Posts: 10
edited October 1 in Food and Nutrition
I was doing so well losing about a pound a week. This week I replaced my breakfast chicken muffin with Trader Joe's Multigrain Os, a banana, and 1/2 cup TJ's fat free milk. I've gained 3 lbs in 5 days!

I was just trying to get some potassium. But the sugar in that one meal ended up being 45grams!

Does anyone have insight on this otherwise super food? I hope to add and exercise/cardio routine to my life soon. But for now, the only thing I have control over is my diet and trying to lose weight. I'm going through an unbelievably stressful time and was super proud of myself for sticking w/my diet and not trying to cope w/food. So seeing the scale climb over that one change is a big deal for me right now.

Thanks for your input :)
Jolie
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Replies

  • JennsLosing
    JennsLosing Posts: 1,026
    i pretty much eat a banana a day, and ive been losing steadily.
  • sc1572
    sc1572 Posts: 2,309 Member
    I love bananas! They're my everyday food! I eat a lot of fruit so I always go over in sugar as well. :(
  • CoachMaritova
    CoachMaritova Posts: 409 Member
    I like bananas.
  • Tereztaylor07
    Tereztaylor07 Posts: 200
    Cereal and Bananas is lot of sugar with no protein. I eat a banana with peanut butter (or add a half cup of milk and ice and make a breakfast smoothie!). I always try to eat carbs with a bit of protein to slow the sugar spike that follows. Your breakfast is just one big carb/sugar rush!
  • SabrinaJL
    SabrinaJL Posts: 1,579 Member
    My mom lost about 60 lbs and she eats a banana pretty much every day.
  • jeffsgal105
    jeffsgal105 Posts: 195 Member
    I'm assuming you're female, if not sorry. Perhaps it's just that TOM gain. I've had no problems with bananas causing weight gain. Just the Ben & Jerry's lol
  • swaymyway
    swaymyway Posts: 428 Member
    I eat a banana a day and have lost almost 100lbs, nothing wrong with bananas!

    Are you perhaps due your time of the month by any chance?
  • courtneylwatson
    courtneylwatson Posts: 260 Member
    A serving of a banana is actually half of a banana. Thing is they go bad if you only eat half. Maybe freeze the other half for a smoothie in a later meal?
  • cheshirechic
    cheshirechic Posts: 489 Member
    I've had no problems with bananas and weight gain, but I'm also interested in responses.

    I usually use a banana as a sweetener to overnight oats (made with greek yogurt for protein's sake), and as a sweetener in muffins instead of just sugar sometimes. <3
  • gentlebreeze2
    gentlebreeze2 Posts: 450 Member
    You don't need to be as concerned about sugar in fresh fruit. Bananas are so good for you with potassium, potassium is water soluable so you need to make sure you have a good balance between sodium and potassium every day. Really it's the refined sugar that isn't good for you.
  • kadoodle76
    kadoodle76 Posts: 234
    Cereal and Bananas is lot of sugar with no protein. I eat a banana with peanut butter (or add a half cup of milk and ice and make a breakfast smoothie!). I always try to eat carbs with a bit of protein to slow the sugar spike that follows. Your breakfast is just one big carb/sugar rush!

    Thanks for that...I didn't know about eating protien to slow sugar spikes. I always try to eat fruit with things high in iron because it helps absorb the iron, but didnt know about protien.
  • gentlebreeze2
    gentlebreeze2 Posts: 450 Member
    A serving of a banana is actually half of a banana. Thing is they go bad if you only eat half. Maybe freeze the other half for a smoothie in a later meal?

    A frozen banana on a stick is just as good as ice cream.
  • beccau_20
    beccau_20 Posts: 191 Member
    They are a friend to me :o)
  • hpsnickers1
    hpsnickers1 Posts: 2,783 Member
    I was doing so well losing about a pound a week. This week I replaced my breakfast chicken muffin with Trader Joe's Multigrain Os, a banana, and 1/2 cup TJ's fat free milk. I've gained 3 lbs in 5 days!

    I was just trying to get some potassium. But the sugar in that one meal ended up being 45grams!

    Does anyone have insight on this otherwise super food? I hope to add and exercise/cardio routine to my life soon. But for now, the only thing I have control over is my diet and trying to lose weight. I'm going through an unbelievably stressful time and was super proud of myself for sticking w/my diet and not trying to cope w/food. So seeing the scale climb over that one change is a big deal for me right now.

    Thanks for your input :)
    Jolie

    Even the sugar in fruit can stop weight loss in its tracks if you get too much of it. Sugar is sugar regardless of where it comes from. The difference is nutrients in fruit and no nutrients in refined sugar. The body isn't saying 'this is sugar from fruit so this is okay. I'll treat it differently". It doesn't. It's all treated the same. Even "complex" carbs (like grains) are broken down into simple sugars and raise blood glucose levels. Unless you are doing excessive exercise the body has no other choice but to send sugars/carbs that aren't used immediately off to fat for storage. Carbs are just instant fuel.

    If you do a lot of excessive cardio (which the body sees as stress) then carbs will get used. If you don't then drop the carbs and increase your fat.

    Bananas are one of the highest sugar fruits (funny how all the GMO fruits are highest in sugar. The granny smith apple is the one apple that resembles the original apple the most - and it's the tartest - the "true" apple is very very tart). Bananas are also GMO fruits. I eat very little fruit but when I do it's berries. They are very low sugar - especially strawberries and raspberries.
  • bmmadden
    bmmadden Posts: 499 Member
    i pretty much eat a banana a day, and ive been losing steadily.


    Me too cheerios and a banana is my go to breakfast and Ive lost weight pretty steadily too, but Ive heard some people and even some "diets" restrict them so I guess maybe some people react different to the sugar and carbs in them, maybe try ditching the cereal and try something with protein along with banana or half banana
  • jchester71
    jchester71 Posts: 124 Member
    I eat at least 1 banana a day. The bottom line is calories in and calories out. If you gained that much weight in those few days (and you are sure it wasn't water weight) you are simply eating more than you are burning.
  • Fat_2_Fit_Mommy
    Fat_2_Fit_Mommy Posts: 569 Member
    I just started this diet thing. But I eat a banana just about every day I LOVE bananas they have to be one of my favorite fruits. But I did lose 1 pound soo I guess they haven't hurt me any.
  • mkraemer91
    mkraemer91 Posts: 28 Member
    Not sure how you eat your bananas.... But I know some people don't like the taste when they are still green/yellow. If you eat a banana that is still green/yellow the majority of it is starch, with few sugars. I think around 80% starch. As the banana ages the starches are converted into simple sugars, so if you eat a banana that's starting to or is completely browned it contains mainly sugar. Probably around 80-90% sugar!
  • SetecAstronomy
    SetecAstronomy Posts: 470 Member
    You don't need to be as concerned about sugar in fresh fruit. Bananas are so good for you with potassium, potassium is water soluable so you need to make sure you have a good balance between sodium and potassium every day. Really it's the refined sugar that isn't good for you.
    I second that!
  • moonflower09
    moonflower09 Posts: 91 Member
    It seems to me if you are staying w/ in your fitness/calorie plan it will all fall into place. How often are you weighing in? Maybe try 1 x a week and concentrate on water and good eating habits. Health and fitness has to follow when your are eating right. Stress can be a problem too. When your ready some light excercise can help w/ stress and weight loss. I like bananas too. Just make a delicious banana berry smoothie for dinner. Keep up the good job!
  • sitstaygimmeeakiss
    sitstaygimmeeakiss Posts: 130 Member
    I lost faster & felt better when I was eating several portions of fruit a day - bananas included. (not budgeting my food money well enough - but HOPEFULLY next month I can leave enough for my daily fruit). I didn't eat the same everyday, though - I like to mix up different types of fruit. I usually would have them frozen, mixed in the food processor to taste like ice cream. Yum!! (So I'd end up having several bananas in one sitting).

    Right now it's killing me not to be able to buy the fruits that are in season now. But, you can only spend what you have, so I'm currently doing without, which is such a shame. I feel better when my foods are as unprocessed as possible, as much fruits & veggies as I can possibly eat. I lose fast (I think because I was so full & satisfied), stay full & feel SO great.

    And - one more thing - YES - you SHOULD be proud to stick to this through the stress!! I have taken a few 'breaks' (as my son called it - bless him!!) during real bad stress recently, but I'm back to it.

    Good for you!!
  • JolieBlonde
    JolieBlonde Posts: 10
    Wish the board had a Like button for all your great posts! I'm so grateful for all the feedback :) Really appreciate it. Everyone made good points. Thanks especially for the breakdown of their sugar content and how if I don't burn it, I'm going to store it. So true. Congrats to all who have lost so much weight enjoying bananas.

    As some of the posts mentioned, I think my weight gain was eating a high-sugar breakfast and no protein to prevent a sugar spike. I do love bananas and esp w/peanut butter. I have eaten them w/peanut butter and didn't experience the weight gain. Also like the idea of eating half a banana.

    I think most important is that I haven't been able to work out. So I saw a weight gain from this one meal change. From now on, I'll try to combo it w/protein. But until I can get back my weight down and my cardio up, I think I'm going to stick w/a higher protein breakfast :)

    Yay for this super food and all your great advice about how to eat it :)
  • JolieBlonde
    JolieBlonde Posts: 10
    [/quote]

    Even the sugar in fruit can stop weight loss in its tracks if you get too much of it. Sugar is sugar regardless of where it comes from. The difference is nutrients in fruit and no nutrients in refined sugar. The body isn't saying 'this is sugar from fruit so this is okay. I'll treat it differently". It doesn't. It's all treated the same. Even "complex" carbs (like grains) are broken down into simple sugars and raise blood glucose levels. Unless you are doing excessive exercise the body has no other choice but to send sugars/carbs that aren't used immediately off to fat for storage. Carbs are just instant fuel.

    If you do a lot of excessive cardio (which the body sees as stress) then carbs will get used. If you don't then drop the carbs and increase your fat.

    Bananas are one of the highest sugar fruits (funny how all the GMO fruits are highest in sugar. The granny smith apple is the one apple that resembles the original apple the most - and it's the tartest - the "true" apple is very very tart). Bananas are also GMO fruits. I eat very little fruit but when I do it's berries. They are very low sugar - especially strawberries and raspberries.
    [/quote]

    Thanks so much for taking the time to share your knowledge on this subject and for the great advice. Super helpful :)
  • Silverkittycat
    Silverkittycat Posts: 1,997 Member
    Friend. :love:
    I eat the frozen ones constantly -

    dianas_banana_babies.jpg
  • christine24t
    christine24t Posts: 6,063 Member
    Protein helps you feel full. So is it possible that since you've cut out the chicken, you snack a little more throughout the day to stay full?
  • wildon883r
    wildon883r Posts: 429 Member
    People get fat from over eating/drinking. Everybody should eat several servings of FRUIT EVERYDAY. There arent very many natural eating fat people.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    If you are going to change something in your breakfast I would keep the banana and lose the processed cereal - at least the banana is in its natural form with all it's micronutrients intact, who knows what they have taken away and added in to make your cereal. What about oatmeal and banana instead of cereal?

    (I haven't had many bananas lately as they are SO expensive ($16/kilo!) but my sister just came back from holidays with a big box of bananas for the family so I'll be eating one a day for the next week or so :smile: )
  • ohwhataday
    ohwhataday Posts: 1,398 Member
    I'm gonna eat more bananas!
  • Countrymade
    Countrymade Posts: 183 Member
    I pretty much have a banana everyday. I buy the small ones no more than 3 oz. because the large ones actually counts as
    2 fruits. I have been losing steadily.
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
    I have cut out bananas since joining here. I can't afford the sugar in my diet, and I get potassium from baobab powder.
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