Excessive fruit consumption ?

c - 13

Hey all,
Just a quick bit of background 22 y/o male, 5ft11 approx. 15 stone. Have been trying to loose a bit of fat there recently.

However I noticed I could eat a lot of fruit in the course of a day. Take the last hour for example. I ate 4 plums at 15 minute intervals apart. Thats 4 per hour over a 7 hour day that could be a lot of fruit :eek:
Anyway my point is would eating large amounts of fruit whilst trying to loose weight have any effect - is there anything better I should eat, should I cut down on the fruit etc ?

The rest of my diet is probably ok but could still do with some improvement.

In case someone asks I excersise wise I have been trying to follow the crossfit programme as closely as possible.
Any help at all would be appreciated - apologies in advance for the rambling post !

Sorry - just thought there as well i'm consuming a hell of a lot of coffee too (black, no sugar) should I try cut back on this too ?

rubadub

Apples, organges, pears are about 10-12% sugar, so most are about 40kcal per 100g (of what you actually eat). Bananas are high in sugar/carbs than most and so pack more calories per weight. People go a bit a crazy over soft drinks with "did you know a can of coke has 52 spoons of sugar in it" or some other crazy myth, then you tell them most soft drinks have just as much sugar as apple or orange juice and they wont believe you.

Of course drinking juice is better than coke, and eating fruit is better than drinking processed juice. I would certainly cut back on the coffee. Try and get a balanced diet, what else are you eating in the day?

http://www.weightlossforall.com/free-food-calorie-counter.htm

c - 13

Thanks rubadub, I kind of felt the sugar levels in fruit were high but its kind of a case of "It's fruit it has to be good for me" thinking.

Standard day
6.45 - 3-4 Slice brown bread, small amount of butter, cup of coffee.
8.00 - Cup of coffee
9.45 - Apple (maybe cup of coffee)
12.30 - Pitta bread with Chicken, onion, lettuce, small amount grated low fat cheddar, cup coffee, bottle water, apple
3.00 - Apple (maybe cup of coffee)
5.45 - Meat, two veg, small amount of potato.

And mix comsumption of several other pieces of fruit into that too. Dont eat after 7 if I can avoid it at all.

Now that I see it written down it looks pretty bad actually. Ive tried the eat 6 small meals thing but I find i'm just not hungry.

Cravez

I wouldnt eat too many citric fruits though, especially oranges. Too much of them can give you stomach upsets and problems and *this is true* my friend would literally go through a crate of oranges a day, he ate soo much oranges his skin started to turn orange! We had to tell him to cut down on eating them!

amazingemmet

Sorry not commenting on the fruit issue, but in your diet, if your cutting some weight can i suggestskipping the potatoes in your evening meal and just having a bit more veg and meat instead.

lukegriffen

i remember my gym instructor telling me once to cut back on fruit, due to the sugars, and that some people's bodies may not convert it efficiently.
It had worked for her. I couldn't believe she said it, i always assumed fruit was 100% good for you. I'm addicted to fruit so I never gave it up, so don't know if she's right.

Your diet seems quite good ( though a plum every 15 mins is crazy). I'd keep the potato in but try and lose the pitta bread. Isn't pita laced with calories ? Rather than eating 3-4 slices of bread for brekkie, try alternating breakfast with porridge, or even oats with yogurt. Cutting down on wheat might help you. If you feel a little tired after eating a lot of wheat, you may have a slight intolerance of wheat, indicating your body has trouble converting it to energy , and may store it as fat.

But i'm a bit of a fattie, so don't listen to me.

King of Kings

fruit is amazing - I refuse to hear anything bad about it.

But all those plums....you must have been on the pot soon afterwards.
Common sense should rule when it comes to anything. ...too much of anything is not good.

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

c - 13

Thanks for all the replies guys.
I had a feeling that the bread intake wouldnt be a good thing. Im one of those people that loves their bread, but if it has to go it has to go. With regards to the potatoes - I could take them or leave them and would have no problem with more veg etc substitute.

Would the following amendments to the original diet I posted be a better step ?

6.45 -Porridge/oats with yogurt, coffee
9.45 - Apple or other fruit
12.30 - Chicken salad (Home made), bottle water, apple or other fruit
3.00 - Apple or other fruit
5.45 - Meat, more veg.

g'em

have some protein along with your fruit at snack time- fruit gets broken down really easy and so doesn't satiate you for long. Have a yoghurt or some nuts or even a couple of slices of meat if you're at a push. Protein takes longer to digest and so you stay fuller for longer.

c - 13

What sort of nuts do you suggest g'em ? I mean I know peanuts arent the best to eat (salted especially) - say brazils, cashews, pistachios ?

rubadub

g'em wrote:

have some protein along with your fruit at snack time- fruit gets broken down really easy and so doesn't satiate you for long. Have a yoghurt or some nuts or even a couple of slices of meat if you're at a push. Protein takes longer to digest and so you stay fuller for longer.

Yep, I have plain unflavoured whey, I blend in fruits, juices and ice to make smoothies.

turbot

c - 13 wrote:

Hey all,
Just a quick bit of background 22 y/o male, 5ft11 approx. 15 stone. Have been trying to loose a bit of fat there recently.

However I noticed I could eat a lot of fruit in the course of a day. Take the last hour for example. I ate 4 plums at 15 minute intervals apart. Thats 4 per hour over a 7 hour day that could be a lot of fruit :eek:
Anyway my point is would eating large amounts of fruit whilst trying to loose weight have any effect - is there anything better I should eat, should I cut down on the fruit etc ?

The rest of my diet is probably ok but could still do with some improvement.

In case someone asks I excersise wise I have been trying to follow the crossfit programme as closely as possible.
Any help at all would be appreciated - apologies in advance for the rambling post !

Sorry - just thought there as well i'm consuming a hell of a lot of coffee too (black, no sugar) should I try cut back on this too ?

As I understand, if you want to burn body fat, you need to create a metabolic situation where that happens.

Firstly, fruit can be quite sugary.
Secondly, coffee / caffiene stimulates your adrenal glands, which in term expedites an increase in your blood sugar levels.

Eating the way you describe will give you continous mini-bursts of blood sugar, barely giving your body the chance to burn fat.


According to Patrick Holford at least - one of the easiest ways to lose weight is to balance your blood sugar levels and maintain that balance, to help you burn fat. Read the Low GL Diet. For someone with the same issues as you (and same body weigt) this was enlightening.

But that means eat, for exampe, porridge, and then don't eat for another 4 hours (giving your body the chance to burn some fat).

In conjunction with very high intensity training, and lots of exercise, you'll burn even more.

g'em

c - 13 wrote:

What sort of nuts do you suggest g'em ? I mean I know peanuts arent the best to eat (salted especially) - say brazils, cashews, pistachios ?

almonds, cashews, walnuts (walnuts esp have been highlighted recently as helping to lower cholesterol and may do the job more efficently than oils as was previously thought), hazelnuts are best, peanuts aren't too bad as long as you eat them unsalted or untreated (same goes for all nuts).

Best thing is to buy a mixed bag of nuts in Teco or Marks (I'm sure any big supermarket does them tbh) and eat a small handful as a snack. Nuts are high in protein and fat, but it's good fats so eaten in moderation they're a winner.

c - 13

Nice one thanks g'em.

iascanmore

For nuts and a whole host of other heathly goodies, I would highly recommend one of the Chinese supermarkets in Dublin city centre.

Eg halk kilo of unsalted cashews is normally around €4.30. They also do big bags of other nuts/seed for equally cheap prices.

I go in every few weeks to stock up and then make my own mix that I bring to work for munching on.

g'em

iascanmore wrote:

For nuts and a whole host of other heathly goodies, I would highly recommend one of the Chinese supermarkets in Dublin city centre.

Eg halk kilo of unsalted cashews is normally around €4.30. They also do big bags of other nuts/seed for equally cheap prices.

really??? wow, that is cheap. It's incredible how expensive small bags of nuts cost in supermarkets so if I could buy in bulk like that it'd be great (I'll just have to keep them out of sight in the kitchen though- cashews are the business!!!). Thanks for that, I must check it out- any particular recommendations for well stocked shops and locations? Thank you kindly

rubadub

g'em wrote:

really??? wow, that is cheap. It's incredible how expensive small bags of nuts cost in supermarkets so if I could buy in bulk like that it'd be great (I'll just have to keep them out of sight in the kitchen though- cashews are the business!!!). Thanks for that, I must check it out- any particular recommendations for well stocked shops and locations? Thank you kindly

Yes all aisian food places seem to charge €10 per kilo for cashews and mabe a little more for pistachios, but the are ready shelled!.
At christmas time shops have very cheap nuts, just check the price per kilo, I got lovely roasted percy dalton cashew that were under €10 per kilo, with a very long expiry date. (in some shops christmas has already begun!)
Tesco do "value" regualr roasted peanuts VERY cheap, I think 42cent for 200g. Cheaper than the cheapest peanut butter, I have blended them to make my own. I drink lots of water to help offset any excess salt I am taking in.

Sprinkle the raw cashews in sesame oil (also dirt cheap in aisian markets) then roast them in the oven and eat them while still hot

g'em

rubadub wrote:

Sprinkle the raw cashews in sesame oil (also dirt cheap in aisian markets) then roast them in the oven and eat them while still hot

I actually drooled a little when I read that.. thanks for the info rubadub

iascanmore

g'em wrote:

really??? wow, that is cheap. It's incredible how expensive small bags of nuts cost in supermarkets so if I could buy in bulk like that it'd be great (I'll just have to keep them out of sight in the kitchen though- cashews are the business!!!). Thanks for that, I must check it out- any particular recommendations for well stocked shops and locations? Thank you kindly

As confirmed below prices are that cheap - goes to show how much money the big boys actually make.

As far as I know there are two Chinese supermarkets one on Abbey Street right by the luas stop and
the other is in behind the market on George Street. I use both - Abbey Street one probably better.

Tescos are doing good sized bags of walnuts for €1.29 - I bought 6 the other day. I wish I hadn't bothered.
Theres about 20 in bag - first bag had 8 bad ones, the second had 9!!

If I had the time, I'd bring them back an demand a refund.

G'em its a pleasure to give to you some good info in return for all yours on the stickies and in general...

g'em

iascanmore wrote:

G'em its a pleasure to give to you some good info in return for all yours on the stickies and in general...

awwww!!!! that makes me feel all warm and tingly inside and it's genuinely lovely to hear that the stickies and such are a help