Does cutting sugar mean I have to cut fruit?!

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Replies

  • JDthe3rd
    JDthe3rd Posts: 16 Member
    My age is on my profile.

    And we don't need people contributing false information to confuse everyone.

    Next time i'll make a better choice of words.
  • I actually met with my dietician today, and we talked about sugar in fruits for quite a while. Yes, it's sugar, and your body does recognize it as sugar, but fruit also has fiber and vitamins that are good for your body. Plus I love fruit. So for me to completely eliminate it, would not set me up for success. I've had trainers give me food tips in the past, and after working with my nutritionist for the past four months, I realize they really weren't the best "tips."
  • trainmanup
    trainmanup Posts: 9 Member

    Care to share how fructose from fruit is different from fructose elsewhere? Fructose is fructose last time I checked.

    It's mainly the difference in nutrients that accompany the food. Sugar is essentially empty calories, it really has no nutritious value. Eating fruits or vegetables will grant far more essential vitamins and minerals compared to a brownie however.
  • beckajw
    beckajw Posts: 1,728 Member
    weight loss is about calories, pure and simple. sugar has no effect. unless you have a medical condition related to sugar, no reason to worry about it as long as you are eating right and working out. I don't track sugar or sodium, either, frankly. no reason to.

    Umm, insulin resistence and it's cascade of subsequent diseases?

    Calories may be more important to the scale but it sounds like the original poster, from her description of her current diet and activity, is concernced about well-being and long term health as well.

    Insulin is not an issue while working out and eating at a calorie deficit assuming you are healthy. There are NO negative long term effects of sugar intake while being non sedentary and reducing calories to lose weight. Zero.

    In short, if you're dieting and healthy and working out, you don't need to track sugar. It has no effect on weight loss/health or anything else.

    ^^ This.

    Fruit and carrots and sweet potatoes and squash, etc. are all full of really good things for you. Don't let their sugar content scare you away. The fiber in them helps to control any insulin swings.

    A healthy diet is a balanced one. Cutting out things isn't balanced and depriving yourself of something you are enjoying isn't going to make this a "forever" thing.
  • littlelaura
    littlelaura Posts: 1,028 Member
    I am a prime example of what misinformation can do to people, I was fit and fabulous years ago 5 ft 2 in and 105 lbs. I was athletic with a 4 pack. I exercised religiously daily 7 days a week and ate what I believed to be the health advice of my time the 80s, it was high carb, low fat, well low fat was very high in sugar and thus I gained tons of weight , fruit is your friend, not exactly. you can get fiber elsewhere, fruit is a luxury item.

    Eat it yes, can it have health benefits sure, but you dont need alot of it. If you are unfortunate to gain weight and end up diabetic like myself eating fruit can spike your glucose and if your already on a high enough glucose level if could even harm you. This is why fruit should be treated the same as a cupcake albeit yes it is a healthier choice over all than processed food as it has nutrients. But lets say your the average Joe or Jill then it may not affect you over all to have excess sugar in your diet, but as you age it will catch up with you, your body can not forever metabolize sugar effectively and having balanced lower sugar in your diet will be your best choice.
  • xElineeee
    xElineeee Posts: 29 Member
    I saw this in an interview: 'A piece of fruit never made anyone fat. It's not too sugary. So stop with the fruit has sugar kind of kick. Fruit is amazing for you.'
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
    I am a prime example of what misinformation can do to people, I was fit and fabulous years ago 5 ft 2 in and 105 lbs. I was athletic with a 4 pack. I exercised religiously daily 7 days a week and ate what I believed to be the health advice of my time the 80s, it was high carb, low fat, well low fat was very high in sugar and thus I gained tons of weight , fruit is your friend, not exactly. you can get fiber elsewhere, fruit is a luxury item.

    Eat it yes, can it have health benefits sure, but you dont need alot of it. If you are unfortunate to gain weight and end up diabetic like myself eating fruit can spike your glucose and if your already on a high enough glucose level if could even harm you. This is why fruit should be treated the same as a cupcake albeit yes it is a healthier choice over all than processed food as it has nutrients. But lets say your the average Joe or Jill then it may not affect you over all to have excess sugar in your diet, but as you age it will catch up with you, your body can not forever metabolize sugar effectively and having balanced lower sugar in your diet will be your best choice.

    Do you think maybe your "treat fruit the same as a cupcake" outlook might be biased by the fact that you're diabetic? I'm going to go out on a limb and say that eating too much fruit wasn't the reason for getting diabetes. You're being really alarmist by comparing (for instance) an 80 calorie apple with 19 grams of sugar to a 700-calorie cupcake with 64 grams of sugar. I get that sugar has a really negative effect on your life, but it's NOT necessary to go to extremes.
  • CDRhom
    CDRhom Posts: 9
    If you choose to eliminate fruits and veggies from your diet, you are going to have to ensure you find another source of the all important fiber. Fiber keeps the system running smoothly and helps move waste.
  • littlelaura
    littlelaura Posts: 1,028 Member
    Not being an alarmist, more like a realist. . Fruit sugar is the same as table sugar once ingested.
    Also once a woman is over 40 even if still fit and healthy without a major weight issue she will struggle to maintain or even lose that little bit because her metablism will slow way down and so watching your sugar intake is important. That is all I am saying, not that you cant ever eat fruit or a cupcake , I never said any food is off limits, just all things in moderation. Can you lose weight on the twinkie diet sure but it doesnt make it healthy.
  • I would cut all sugar unless in comes from a food or NATURE.... this mean the lest processed you can find
    fruits have sugar but it is complete and healthy for you in the collect amounts.. That is the issue .. Eat fresh fruits and you will have no issues.. If you want to use a sugar additive never use the fake stuff.. Go REAL honey not fake stuff from store but from a local market .. It should become crystalline after some time... then if you just have to use sugar use a raw unbleached cane sugar or syrup. these are your less processed and the most complete form you can buy

    ty
  • DeanneLea
    DeanneLea Posts: 261
    Cutting back on unhealthy sugars is a good idea but honestly, I'd never follow a program that required me to cut out WHOLE foods.
  • Wow! this is quite the thread! I was curious to read what other people thought about this, but the back and forth was a little too much to read. I would inquire with my personal trainer and ask the reason behind taking fruit/sweet veg out of your diet. I have know of phases where someone has a lot of weight to lose and and will for a short amount of time eliminate fruits and sugary veggies. The reason I was told was to help retrain your body so you can control your cravings. I personally cut out fruits and sugary veggies for 2 weeks when I first started eating better and now slowly enjoying them again, in moderation! I think it depends on what kind of track your on with your PT and your personal goals that you have set for yourself.
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
    Not being an alarmist, more like a realist. . Fruit sugar is the same as table sugar once ingested.
    Also once a woman is over 40 even if still fit and healthy without a major weight issue she will struggle to maintain or even lose that little bit because her metablism will slow way down and so watching your sugar intake is important. That is all I am saying, not that you cant ever eat fruit or a cupcake , I never said any food is off limits, just all things in moderation. Can you lose weight on the twinkie diet sure but it doesnt make it healthy.

    Wow, you actually feel the need to reference a "twinkie diet" in a thread where someone asks if she can occasionally eat fruit. That's pretty alarmist. No one is talking about eating ONLY fruit. If you honestly think a piece of fruit is comparable to a twinkie or a cupcake, then you should not be giving advice, and I'm sorry that you have diabetes but it's seriously gone to your head.
  • DeanneLea
    DeanneLea Posts: 261
    Not being an alarmist, more like a realist. . Fruit sugar is the same as table sugar once ingested.
    Also once a woman is over 40 even if still fit and healthy without a major weight issue she will struggle to maintain or even lose that little bit because her metablism will slow way down and so watching your sugar intake is important. That is all I am saying, not that you cant ever eat fruit or a cupcake , I never said any food is off limits, just all things in moderation. Can you lose weight on the twinkie diet sure but it doesnt make it healthy.

    Wow, you actually feel the need to reference a "twinkie diet" in a thread where someone asks if she can occasionally eat fruit. That's pretty alarmist. No one is talking about eating ONLY fruit. If you honestly think a piece of fruit is comparable to a twinkie or a cupcake, then you should not be giving advice, and I'm sorry that you have diabetes but it's seriously gone to your head.


    AGREED!
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
    Here's the thing, the person on the twinkie diet had improved indicators of health. Weight loss, lower triglycerides, improved blood pressure, improved cholosterol levels etc..

    Immortality
  • FLCullen
    FLCullen Posts: 49 Member
    Anything that you can eat that has only one ingredient in it is fair game. Eggs. Yams. Bananas. Blueberries. Even steak, if it's lean, in moderation, and preferably grass-fed, is good for you.

    [unquote]
    I like this idea, it seems sensible.

    The talk with my trainer began witht he sentence 'losing weight is not about being healthy', which is when the alarm bells started ringing. The theory is that if I starve my body of sugar, carbs and caffeine, my body will have no choice but to eat it's fat stores, resulting in rapid weight loss. He recommended such drastic measures because i don't eat too badly and I don't eat a lot of refined carbs (no white bread, I hate pasta and I only eat rice occasionally)- though I'm Irish and therefore culturally obliged to eat potatoes all the time.

    I think I'll try to cut my fruit intake, maybe to eating only fruit before lunch, and following a low-carb plan after that time, with plenty of vegetables and lean meat, and just ignore the carrot/sweet potato remark (because if I can't have potatoes I can have sweet potatoes, right? RIGHT?!). This should halve my sugar intake (if I cut the chocolate too, at least for a while), while giving my body enough nutrients to function.
  • rockette7
    rockette7 Posts: 18
    How on earth is fruit the same as eating cake? Yes, fruit has sugar. Yes, you probably shouldn't eat fruit all day every day. Should you cut fruit altogether? No! That's crazy. Fruit has so many minerals and nutrients and all kinds of good stuff in it. So much health advice recommends eating lots of fruit and veg, and in as many colours as possible.
    I'm a bit confused as to why being Diabetic means you can't eat fruit. My Granddad was Diabetic for nearly 50 years. When he first had it, he had to inject pig insulin with massive glass syringes he had to boil between uses. And he could still eat fruit, as long as it fitted into his sugars for the day.
  • Your body does not know the difference between a banana and a snickers bar (had I known that I would have rather had a snickers bar in the morning everyday instead!). If you want to lose body-fat, cut all sugars out or keep them under a certain gram amount per day. Calories in does not equal calories out. What the scale says means nothing - get a caliper test done and see how much of your weight is really straight fat and then decide what is most important.

    This information is coming from an elite trainer who has many years experience in fitness/body-building competitions and nutrition. I paid for this information. If you are over 20% body-fat, cut your sugars. You will see immediate results.
  • I'm more confused then ever. I started my weightloss a
    journey 4 weeks ago. I've cut out refined sugars, but am still eating fruit daily. I'm seeing a steady weight loss of about 2 pounds a week. I do a 90 minute cardio 3 times a week. I'm not sure if this is water weight. Should I continue to eat the fruit or should I cut it out? I'm sticking to my 1200 calorie diet which includes the fruit. But according to my daily sugar is over the 25gm limit because of the fruit. So does it matter or not?
  • g2214n
    g2214n Posts: 36 Member
    Back in time I've had one too many sessions with England Rugby Team Elite Sports Nutritionist. And it all depends on your goals. If you want to get ripped in short time due to performance/game season basically he suggests you cut down all sugar(to an extreme where even tomato was out of the diet) and go high protein and high fat. Yet again it is all monitored and changes daily as per activity level/ BF% down etc on each one of the competitors of the team. Few days before game they re feed on carbs - so the energy level goes up and they are ready to run for prolonged period of time. Rather the opposite with bodybuilders they keep low carb until after performance so they look totally ripped. Most importantly - all go back to re feeding and re introducing carbs after competition/season and they all bulk up(BF% and kg go up)
    To summarize - yes if you have to achieve goal due to your commitments for limited period of time and under observation of nutritionist and be aware when you re introduce carbs you might put X amount of weight back on - cut all fruits and starchy veg;
    no - if you want steady long term weight loss to incorporate healthy amount of exercise and all sorts of nutrients - you enjoy balanced diet within calorie limit.

    Is your PT qualified Nutritionist as well so he is to advise you on daily bases?
  • LGS1974
    LGS1974 Posts: 26
    I wouldn't cut the veggies - at the end of the day you want to create good habits for life and restricting good foods doesn't sit well with me.
  • lynn1982
    lynn1982 Posts: 1,439 Member
    My 2 cents:

    As others have said, it depends on your goals, whether you are insulin resistant, etc. Do you have a problem with sugar? If so, limit even fruits and veggies high in sugar. There's a lot of information (and misinformation?) online about the effects of sugar, including fruit sugar. As others have mentioned in this thread, fructose from a Snickers bar is the same as fructose from a banana or an apple. HOWEVER, personally, if I eat a chocolate bar, I'm going to want another one and another one and another one. When I eat a banana or an apple as my afternoon snack, I'm completely satisfied. It's probably psychological for me, but I've never binged on apples, so I choose to keep them in my diet rather than candy or other forms of refined sugar. It makes things easier FOR ME and I can stay on track. Whether it makes sense scientifically is another story...

    Keep in mind too, fruit has other nutritional value in it that is not in a candy bar. So I guess it depends on your goals... For me, this is about health, not just losing weight.
  • sugar is important to your body
    there's nothing wrong with carbs, people who demonize them don't understand how important they are to your body
  • darkangel45422
    darkangel45422 Posts: 234 Member
    There are some studies and beliefs that suggest that cutting carbs and sugar will help with weight loss and overall health, and that people seeking to lose weight could benefit from limiting even natural sources of sugar like fruit. That said, I personally believe you will be better off doing something that is comfortable for you (unless a doctor is telling you it's medically necessary for your health).

    If cutting fruit, either permanently or short-term to lose weight, is something you would find overly restrictive, then perhaps try a middle ground - limit the amount of fruit you're eating. If for example you're currently having 5 servings a day, try 2. If it doesn't work for you you can always change back after all.

    Just remember that you need to do what works for you.
  • smmadsen
    smmadsen Posts: 39 Member
    Beware anyone who tells you to cut things out of your diet.

    There are a lot of people with unfounded opinions, who think they have found the secret to health and weight loss.

    From a Health Care Professional's perspective.......who happens to work with Diabetics.

    Simple science tells us that we have to carbs for energy. It is up to you what type of carbs you put in your body.
    Almost everything has carbs and that is good because we need them to survive.

    However, some are better than others.

    If you are changing your diet to be healthier and loose weight then figure out your calorie deficit and eat a well balanced diet which should contain fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy, whole grains and yes even fat (high in omega 3 are the best).
    and exercise!

    I think if you set goals that are realistic and that you can live by then it will work for you!
    Find what works best for you but please research it before jumping on their wagon!
    Good luck!
    You can do it!
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
    I'm more confused then ever. I started my weightloss a
    journey 4 weeks ago. I've cut out refined sugars, but am still eating fruit daily. I'm seeing a steady weight loss of about 2 pounds a week. I do a 90 minute cardio 3 times a week. I'm not sure if this is water weight. Should I continue to eat the fruit or should I cut it out? I'm sticking to my 1200 calorie diet which includes the fruit. But according to my daily sugar is over the 25gm limit because of the fruit. So does it matter or not?

    No, you don't have to.

    2 pounds a week is great results, congratulations.
  • Wildflower0106
    Wildflower0106 Posts: 247 Member
    Yes cut out all sugar from your diet, it isn't like your body needs sugar... oh wait

    Seriously though, the sugar demonization now includes healthy whole natural foods with many other nutrient benefits because it has sugars? SMH Look eat a balanced overall diet and focus of lean meats fruits and veggies. These are good for you (medical issues are a different story). You can also fit in less nutritional foods, as long as your overall diet is balanced and you are a deficit you will be fine. Soumds like your trainer has some personal bias... A registered dietician would be better to ask for advice on nutrition. People make this way to complicated.
  • kesciamuhammad
    kesciamuhammad Posts: 27 Member
    Why pay a personal trainer to give advice, then come on a board to get advice from as many other people as possible? There are as many opinions on this topic as there are people who have found what works FOR THEM. I certainly have my own, but you know what they say about opinions, they're like axxholes, everybody has one!
    There are many different ways to achieve weight loss, a few ways to achieve health and fitness, and a couple ways that may work FOR YOU. Good luck.