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Low carb eating fruit

22 replies

ThatsNotMyCherry · 26/08/2020 16:44

Will fruit really make me fat?

I’ve lost weight previously on a low carb diet she need to lose post baby weight now however I’ve developed a liking for fruit this time which I never had before. I can cut out all other sweet stuff so having fruit doesn’t make me crave sugary foods. Will it really impact my weight loss efforts if I have 4/5 portions of fruit every day? Thanks

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DeborahAnnabelToo · 26/08/2020 16:49

It will impact if you do low carb, yes. Berry fruits are OK in moderation but not 4 or 5 portions a day.

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Sairafina · 26/08/2020 21:18

Most fruit is no go if you are trying to maintain a low carb diet. There is a phenomenal amount of sugar in fruit which will knock you out of ketosis, if that is the route you're going down.

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ThatsNotMyCherry · 26/08/2020 21:25

So I’m doing low carb not no carb as I think that’s more sustainable. Do I still need to be in kerosis?

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CalmYoBadSelf · 26/08/2020 21:26

You need to be in ketosis for low carb. If you want to eat fruit you'd be better just counting calories

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KetoPenguin · 26/08/2020 21:27

I think doing low carb without getting into ketosis is the worst of both world

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DeborahAnnabelToo · 26/08/2020 21:27

I think if you want to lose weight it'll have to be lower carb and lower calories. It's quite an unforgiving way to eat and you sort of have to be in or out iykwim

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KetoPenguin · 26/08/2020 21:31

Oops posted too soon. In low carb you would get less energy from carbs but not get the energy from ketosis. Maybe stick to cutting out added sugar and choose lower g.i carbs.

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endofthelinefinally · 26/08/2020 21:34

I am low carbing while I taper off steroids. The only fruit I have are berries and just one small portion a day.
I have poor mobility, but I have managed to lose 6kg over the last 3 months.

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mamaduckbone · 26/08/2020 21:35

I lost over a stone doing low carb but not no carb and still ate lots of fruit. I'm not one for a particular 'diet' but I felt way better for cutting out pasta, bread and potatoes and even though I'm not now dieting I haven't really gone back to eating those things.

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Elouera · 26/08/2020 21:45

Do you use an app to track your carbs? I used carb manager and wouldnt have had a clue about the amount of carbs without it. Some berries are ok in moderation, but in general, other fruit it too high in sugar- esp 4-5 servings!!! I would think 5 servings of fruit a day even with a normal diet is too much!

If you are tracking your carbs, and have lower carbs in the rest of the day, then you could fit in a very small amount of fruit. Melons, coconut, lemons etc arent as high in sugars as say a mango or banana. I agree though, that if you are needing to consume so much fruit, a low carb diet isnt what you need.

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ThatsNotMyCherry · 26/08/2020 22:40

@mamaduckbone Yes that’s what my thinking was. I don’t really want to diet. I want to do something sustainable.

When I last did low carb (In my 20s, now I’m my 30s) I cut out bread, potatoes, pasta etc out of all of my meals but I still had a bar of chocolate every day and occasionally had a carby meal and I still lost weight! I thought cutting out those things would make a difference but it seems that everyone is saying that with the fruit I won’t be able to lose weight. At the moment I usually have a banana, apple, raspberries and grapes every day. It’s hard for me to imagine that fruit is fattening!

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Sairafina · 26/08/2020 23:41

My understanding is that for a low carb diet, you should be consuming around 50g carbs per day (for keto this is reduced further to 20-25g).

From the fruit you have listed:
Banana 27g
Apple 25g
Raspberries 15g
Grapes 16g

It's all the sugar in fruit which can lead to weight gain. Contrary to popular belief, fat doesn't make you fat! Sugar is enemy no.1.

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ThatsNotMyCherry · 27/08/2020 19:31

Thanks for the breakdown. I could probably cut down to 1-2 portions of fruit a day. Maybe an apple in the afternoon and a few raspberries in the evening. According to the Tesco website my Apple has 16g carbs rather than 25g

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alittleprivacy · 28/08/2020 10:54

No. It's total BS that fruit will make you fat/hinder weightloss. In fact there are studies that show people who eat all the fruit they want in addition to a low calorie diet lose weight at a faster rate than people eating the same low calorie diet with no fruit. I went from just about obese to a healthy BMI in 4 months by cutting out processed sugar and being careful with carbs. (But not cutting them out, I had a full portion of starchy carbs with my dinner and oats/bread with breakfast and/or supper.) But I ate all the fruit I wanted and I wanted A LOT. Probably 10 portions a day half the time. Then I went down to a BMI of 23.5 after another 2 months. After that I found my sport and went to a very muscular BMI of 21. I eat processed sugar now whenever I feel like it, which isn't anywhere like as often as most people but I will always, always eat all the fruit I want. And I always want a lot.

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ThatsNotMyCherry · 28/08/2020 17:07

@alittleprivacy Is that because you did a low calorie diet rather than low carb? I find calorie counting difficult, would rather cut out carbs.

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alittleprivacy · 28/08/2020 17:55

No. I just went on a no processed sugar diet and pretty much replaced processed snacks with fruit. Once I was eating less processed sugar my appetite adapted and I found I wanted protein more than simple carbs. So I switched from porridge and berries for breakfast to banana and oat omelette with a side of berries. Or a fruit and yoghurt smoothie instead of toast. I hadn’t even intended to reduce carbs but my appetite changed once I eliminated processed sugar. I definitely eat way more fruit than I ever did.

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alittleprivacy · 28/08/2020 18:02

I would have failed without fruit. I have a sweet tooth and if I hadn’t been able to indulge that I’d have given up. I really couldn’t be bothered with calorie counting either. I prefer just one or two simple adaptations that don’t take up space in my head.

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ThatsNotMyCherry · 28/08/2020 19:31

Thank you. That’s what I’ve done so far for the last two weeks i.e. replaced sugar with fruit and cut out bread, rice, potatoes, pasta etc. I was previously having carbs in each meal and some form of chocolate after lunch and dinner previously! I don’t crave the carbs or chocolate which I find amazing but I do think I would find it hard without the fruit.

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BrandNewShinyThings · 28/08/2020 19:44

I'm following the diet outlined in Sweet Poison, you are allowed 2 pieces of fruit a day, preferably berries, pears, banana if with porridge, satsuma, and try to avoid melon, grapes, apples, mango etc. I am finding it very manageable and can still eat pasta, bread, potatoes as long as no more than 3g per 100 sugar. The book is The Sweet Poison Quit plan. There's another book which is more about the science behind it but this book goes into what you can and cannot eat.

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21rohi · 28/08/2020 19:54

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21rohi · 28/08/2020 19:56

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mamaduckbone · 28/08/2020 20:39

I absolutely can't 'diet' and have a fiendish sweet tooth which fruit helps quench...my thinking was if I have salad with my dinner instead of pasta/potatoes then I've 'earnt' a banana or a small bar of chocolate. It worked for me. I don't think slavishly following a particular diet plan is sustainable in the long term, and besides which life is actually too sort to count carbs/calories. I've put a few pounds back on, but for example I'll only now have one roast potato with dinner instead of 4 = long term changes not short term fixes.

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