My spouse thinks fruit is to blame for my weight gain.

[trinity082482]

thanks bunches

[christiahall]

I am having the same problem! I used to never eat fruit because of the sugar, but now I have like 2 bananas a day, plus a few other pieces of fruit. Its gotta be that! I gained 6 pounds. But, if I eat less fruit, then... all that is left is more veggies!

Haha.

[rawfigure]

I NEVER ate fruit. I think 30 years ago I decided it was to much sugar. BUT since going RAW I added fruit and now it is 50% of my diet. I was close to my ideal weight so weight loss is hard for me and I lost 4 pounds when I started eating banana's and apples ! So I would look to volume of ALL the food, not just fruit. It may be overconsumption of food, not one food /group.

[michelle allene]

I beleive that is probably your culprit. The sugar in fruit can have that effect on you, especially if you are insulin resistant, or just dont handle sugars well. I once knew this girl who was on Slimfast. you are supposed to eat a peice of fruit w/your shake. She would have a banana w/hers. She GAINED weight. Found out it was the b~a~n~a~n~a :eek:
Sounds like your body doesnt break down sugars well at all. Lay off the fruit. If you DO eat some fruit, eat low glycemic ones, that dont have a big affect on your system. Such as cherries, strawberrys, blue & black berries, also raspberries. Those are high in good things your body needs anyway. :)

[michelle allene]

I beleive that is probably your culprit. The sugar in fruit can have that effect on you, especially if you are insulin resistant, or just dont handle sugars well. I once knew this girl who was on Slimfast. you are supposed to eat a peice of fruit w/your shake. She would have a banana w/hers. She GAINED weight. Found out it was the b~a~n~a~n~a :eek:
Sounds like your body doesnt break down sugars well at all. Lay off the fruit. If you DO eat some fruit, eat low glycemic ones, that dont have a big affect on your system. Such as cherries, strawberrys, blue & black berries, also raspberries. Those are high in good things your body needs anyway. :)
YARD BY YARD, LIFE IS HARD...INCH BY INCH, LIFES A CINCH :D

[living4god]

It may be that you are not getting enough fat in your diet too. My former boss at a nutrition company used to coach bodybuilders. When they needed to drop that last bit of fat to get cut for competition, he would have them eat lots of healthy fats. (avocado, EVOO, raw nuts) He said that when your body doesn't get enough fat, it holds on to it. But when you are getting plenty, your body releases it b/c it knows what it needs to function will be supplied. Just a thought... :)

[madmel]

Trinity,

how MUCH fruit do you eat in a typical day? Not knowing how much leaves a lot of room for speculation :)

Maybe post a day's intake? Could be interesting.

cheers,
madmel

[Ariannah]

Celebrate your successes! You got over some pretty scary medical problems, girl! There is a LOT you are doing right! At your age, taking the bull by the horns and getting over these problems, taking the initiative to be pro-active in your own health - not taking it lying down, YOU are doing fabulously!!

However, to address your concerns:
Was this weight gain on 100% uninterrupted raw for a sustained period of time?

You mentioned recently that you eat hummus made with canned chick peas (cooked) and with a careful read of your journal linked in your signature - there are several cooked days in there. As recently as the 22nd of January you had French toast, the kind with eggs, as well as other cooked food, and a couple days before that, you said you had "pigged out" on cooked food and not the good kind.

Re-read your own journal and take a look at the things you've been consuming. Sometimes really looking (I know for me) can give someone an honest self-assessment of their intake.

The cooked days do make a difference.

What is the longest period of time you have been 100% raw?

Also, some dehydrated, rich recipes, if they are the foundation of the diet rather than the "extras" they are more dense than water-rich fruit.

Fruit is an important part of a healthy diet, and current recommendations, even for a cooked diet, are that at least 5 servings be consumed per day.

[DavidZaneMason]

Based on a system that may not be as healthy as could be....then fruit CAN be higher in calories, and give rise to higher weight gain. During transition phases, it is still very wise to balance your intake....eat a WIDE variety of foods....and monitor your weight and activity levels within reasonable parameters - don't you think?

-You might find that when you have eaten healthy for a long time....and are very comfortable....that your weight will tend to more readily balance......and your desires for certain foods will naturally simplify and decrease. What do you think?

-Follow your goals and dreams! See how you feel in 12 months! :)

-David Z. Mason

[PeachyMama]

I was one who always had a problem with fruit and blood sugar. When I first went raw, I was amazed to be able to eat fruit without problems. And then they reared their ugly head again. I found the culprit wasn't the fruit, but rather, the rest of my diet. Too much gourmet! Since cutting back to the occasional cracker or carrot pecan burger (Ariannah, I think we're twins in that regard :p ), fruit is back to being my friend again.

I eat as many as 5 bananas a day plus other fruits, and I am losing, and have been losing since I started. My only cooked indulgence is using tamari, and I've found that it doesn't affect the way I feel or my weight loss. Plus, it's wicked good on a big salad, without adding fat. I also ONLY get my fats from avos and raw nuts or seeds. I've stopped eating oils. If a recipe calls for oil (like better than beef), I'll substitute with water.

[Rawzula]

My old roommate said that a person eating more than one banana was "piggish" and excessive:eek: and that bananas are fattening. We would get into arguments and he'd get upset because I ate 2 bananas in one day:eek:.

[chilove]

Hello there,

It is much more likely that it is the fat in your diet that is causing weight gain rather than the fruit. Even a small amount of fat can contribute way more calories and fat grams than one would think. You can always track your food intake on a program like nutridiary or fitday. You will see how quickly a tiny bit of fat can up your calories and fat grams for the day. I, and many other people have lost lots of weight on a fruit based, low fat diet.

All the best,

Audrey
www.rawhealing.com

[JGex]

Hello there,

It is much more likely that it is the fat in your diet that is causing weight gain rather than the fruit.


Chilove beat me to it... :D

[jaurequi]

One gains weight when consuming more calories than they burn. It can come from carbohydrates, fat, or protein.
Exercise needs to be part of the plan.
A calorie, is a calorie, is a calorie.


Best,

[luna99]

I feel like I live on fruit.. I eat it for breakfast and snacks in the evening and make ice cream or frozen fruit sorbet *a lot* and I"ve lost weight.. not as much as I'd like.. but I still lost weight..... and I feel like I have a high possibility of being diabetic (my dad is) or insulin resistant (though I haven't been tested for it)....

I'd agree with the person who said you should go back through your journal and see what you're eating...

I'm thinking it's not solely the fruit that caused you to gain weight.

[Svadhyaya]

I agree with the above (calories in vs. calories out) for the most part, but I do think that your body's metabolic process when it comes to sugar does factor into things, as well. Bodies are tricky things....what works for one doesn't work for another and even season to season and year to year our own bodies can change and require our diets to evolve to remain at our healthiest state.

Take a week and limit fruit markedly. See what happens.
The next week, limit fat.
The next week, add dense greens at least twice a day....
See where your needs are by how you feel after a period of eating each different way.

A lot of people say listen to your body, but that can also be tricky. The human body loves sugar, by design, so if you aren't feeding it twinkies, it's probably gonna be asking for fruit. Possibly even too much fruit. It takes awhile to discern between the body's needs and it's wants. They aren't the same thing.

[eatyourbroccoli]

ok, so youve gained ten lbs. but have you gone up in pant/dress size?

are you sure this 10 lbs isnt muscle?

i dont hear you saying "oh wow guys..ive been eating raw and ive gained 10 lbs of fat!! i feel terrible, slow, lethargic, hazy..what do i do?"

what i see is "well, guys, ive gained 10 lbs and my husband thinks i should lay off bananas :rolleyes: "

are you on this diet for yourself, or for him? how do you feel?

why are we so preoccupied with weight? we need to shift our perspectives to health.

now, if youre not feeling well, thats another story. but why second guess comfort you know is being achieved through a healthy approach?

[trinity082482]

Trinity,

how MUCH fruit do you eat in a typical day? Not knowing how much leaves a lot of room for speculation :)

Maybe post a day's intake? Could be interesting.

cheers,
madmel


Um :o Quite a bit. I snack on fruit now instead of craving cooked foods like my usually cookies or my spouses work snacks like those Flakies? :eek: haha. Those things are terrible for you.

Usually I will have maybe 6-10 fruits.. because sometimes there are 6 in my fruit salads alone! :o

I really didn't think the sugar in fruit would stick to my waist line. I thought my muscles would gobble it up and nothing would be stored. :confused:

[trinity082482]

Ah ha ha.. So I guess my spouse was right? :o Guess I got to go tell him :p

[trinity082482]

Celebrate your successes! You got over some pretty scary medical problems, girl! There is a LOT you are doing right! At your age, taking the bull by the horns and getting over these problems, taking the initiative to be pro-active in your own health - not taking it lying down, YOU are doing fabulously!!

However, to address your concerns:
Was this weight gain on 100% uninterrupted raw for a sustained period of time?

You mentioned recently that you eat hummus made with canned chick peas (cooked) and with a careful read of your journal linked in your signature - there are several cooked days in there. As recently as the 22nd of January you had French toast, the kind with eggs, as well as other cooked food, and a couple days before that, you said you had "pigged out" on cooked food and not the good kind.


You are 100% right. I haven't been 100% raw, its a struggle for me but before raw I was 134 pounds. I was unhealthy because of my medical problems like you had mentioned and I am super happy that they are gone that is why I stay raw dispite the weight gain. But I ate bad foods all the time and weighted less than I do now. Im 142 pounds now and I think that is why my boy friend thinks its the fruit because I would eat french toast, pancakes, pizza, mc donalds and I was still 10 lbs lighter than I am on raw. :o Oh well LOL Thank's for your post! It is fabulous!

[trinity082482]

ok, so youve gained ten lbs. but have you gone up in pant/dress size?

are you sure this 10 lbs isnt muscle?

i dont hear you saying "oh wow guys..ive been eating raw and ive gained 10 lbs of fat!! i feel terrible, slow, lethargic, hazy..what do i do?"

what i see is "well, guys, ive gained 10 lbs and my husband thinks i should lay off bananas :rolleyes: "



Oh my gawd LOL eatyour broccoli. Your post almost made me fall off my chair laughing. I have not gone up a dress size but my shirts are more snug. :)

[rawpriestess]

Well, each person is different

If you are eating 100% raw foods 100% of the time, you will lose weight IF

and that is a big IF, you body thinks it is the best thing for you to do right now.

just allow your body to heal any way it wishes, either it will lose weight or gain weight, or stay the same, or maybe you will release some fat, or some toxin, or some gunk in your body, or you will release headaches, or pulminary disease, or some other ick in there.

your body in it's infinite wisdom will KNOW what to do when it is being fed well, and you are resting and taking care of yourself.

[eatyourbroccoli]

Oh my gawd LOL eatyour broccoli. Your post almost made me fall off my chair laughing. I have not gone up a dress size but my shirts are more snug. :):) .

[aubrey]

Nah, I don't think its the fruit. I used to know a couple fruitarians, and they were some of the leanest people I had ever seen...but then again, they only ate fruit!

I think the key to anything in life is balance. Once you find an inner balance and rhythm with this, you will be able to accomplish anything!

[Lunar*Fey]

I haven't read the other posts but I just wanted to say that I eat TONS of fruit and have a huge amount of trouble gaining weight. There have been periods of time (often) during which I eat like 6-12 bananas a day without weight gain...

Give your body a chance and don't freak about numbers...your body is probably going through a lot and it can take a lonnnnng time for it to adjust

[mershwista]

There are various metabolic types. Some people metabolize fat most efficiently, some carbs, and some protein/mixed. Obviously, you are NOT a carbohydrate type. With that said, it is wise to avoid large amounts of carbohydrates, and fruit is full of carbohydrates...simple carbohydrates at that.

Those who lost weight on fruit are probably carbohydrate types. Those who aren't probably can't eat as much fruit.

[dreamrawalwz]

I think the being afraid of fruit thing is from the media and how it's been engrained to our brains. I understand that everyone's metabolism is different and blood sugar may fluctuate, but it's the MOST natural thing. When people blame fruit instead of...other things, it baffles me (not saying you are, i'm just saying what i've observed in the human population).

[mershwista]

I disagree...there's plenty of evidence for metabolic typing. And different dietary styles work better for different people. Just as (horrible example, I know) some people can lose weight on Atkins and others can't, some people do well on a high-carb diet whilst others do not.

[startootsie]

Hello!

Well, I agree with diffrent body types! I had to figure that our for myself! I agree with, maybe trying a day or a few days low fruit and then try low fat. You know, mix it around and see how you feel and what happens with your weight.

For me, I have nver really been a fruit person. And I have always been thin. And then again, there is probably very thin "fruit people", that is why I agree with everyones body is different! I have heard of people saying that fruit makes you gain weight, other's say that fat makes you gain weight, other's say that greens make you gain weight. I think that just means, to find out what works for your body. I do know something, I had a dream that Tofu would make people gain weight. I don't know if it was later in life or after they ate it. It was a dream.

Let me know how it goes!

Good luck!

Create a day of love and light!

Christianna

[michelle allene]

Well now we see the truth. Put the rest of your diet in order and you will probably see results. Good results. Good Luck. :)

[Nectarine]

I haven't read the other posts but I just wanted to say that I eat TONS of fruit and have a huge amount of trouble gaining weight. There have been periods of time (often) during which I eat like 6-12 bananas a day without weight gain...

This is exactly my situation. If I stopped eating the amount of fruit I eat per day, especially bananas, I'd lose too much weight due to my freaky fast metabolism, and even though I eat 14 bananas per day (sometimes more), I still have to supplement with a handful of nuts at least once a day, and a drizzle of olive oil in my salads. This is just to maintain my weight, nevermind putting on any.

[Apasaraw]

From Trinity's blog:

Q: Have you seen any healthy changes after being raw?
A: Yes. My arthritis has not flared up in the past two months. My skin is clearer. I see a change in my body tone although I have not lost weight. I feel more sculpted in area's where there was no definition like my calves.


Ok, so whats the problem? haha!

Seriously you are so much more healthy now! The weight will let go when your body is ready...look at all that has happened so far? Maybe eat a few more veg instead of fruit to lower your kcals IF you feel like it...but seriously, I think you're doing great! I do think there is more muscle being put on...if you're like me, I get bigger muscles and then the fat comes off later when the metabolism speeds up from the muscle gain...I "deflate" if you will.

More activity is great too, but I say just keep up the good work...

[mershwista]

Wow, nectarine, I know sooo many people who would be jealous of you!

[Nectarine]

I tell you what mershwista,

It really is a test of one's mettle, when your metabolism is this quick in processing food, if you go on a fast for say 48 hours. After 6 hours of fasting (not including sleep time the night before), my body was in an uproar since it had used up everything from the last meal. My body will go into autolysis (your body feeding off itself) very quickly if I abstain from eating food. I didn't feel like I had fully regained my strength until 24 hours after the fast ended. My brother's and my son's metabolisms are exactly the same. Both of them are eating monsters, and can clear a whole table of food between them. The only thing that would sit there in my stomach was cow's milk, and no wonder, considering what's in it. My body must have been saying 'what in God's name have you given me here? I'm not digesting this! :)

[mershwista]

lol...I can imagine. I never said I was one of those people, though. I used to have your metabolism when I was younger...now I am still slender but have to watch what I eat and what I do in order to stay that way. My metabolism's still high enough that fasting is too much of a difficulty for me....so after enough failed attempts, I stopped trying to do it. Sometimes I have to learn things the hard way...lol. In fact, I think most things end up that way, at least the ones that stick. Annoying how that works...

[trinity082482]

Wow. I wish I could eat 14 bananas in a day :D


Thanks for your posts guys!

[bittersweet]

Trinity-
I'm sure that you could eat as many bananas as you want. Just eat them fully ripe, and properly combine your food. Fats mess me up. I can eat as much fruit as I want and it digests fine and I NEVER gain weight as long as I don't eat overt fats.
I used to be afraid of fruits, but now I embrace them!

[faith4u]

Thank you so much Rawkinlocs for saying that.

I was starting to worry about all of the fruit that I eat. IT is crazy too because when I eat all raw and mostly fruits my skin clears up like never before in my life. It isn't until I start eating more fats (raw) or cooked food (especially salt) that my face starts breaking out again.

On the other hand stress is a huge skin buster for me. Nothing makes my skin look worse than chronic stress.....which is where I am at right now. :) BUT there is an end in sight!!!

Thanks again for your post, I appreciated. (like always)

[lissomllama]

My spouse thinks I have gained 10 lbs since going raw because of fruit.
I was like I gained 10 pounds from fruit?

:eek:


He goes on about how there is too much sugar in them and I shouldn't eat so many banana's. I had 2 today. :rolleyes:

I duno maybe he is right... maybe he is wrong?

What do you think? :confused:

I want him to read this thread hahaha. ;)


I think your spouse is confused and has the wrong information. It would help him greatly to stop listening to the media and experience some natural health in his own body before he attempts to make radical assumptions about yours.

Fruit does not cause weight gain. Quite the opposite actually.

Fruit contains natural sugars and electrolytes which hydrate the body and boost the metabolism to aid in burning excess calories. As long as you are eating balanced and truly raw, you will eventually be at the weight you need to be.

Some things to ponder:

-Why is it so hard for us to believe/know the simple, elemental things that make sense and come natural to us, but we almost always listen to the negative, complicated things that really shouldn't make sense. Honestly, how could simple, natural fruits of the earth make us unhealthy or overweight?

-Do you really know what weight your body is supposed to be at yet? You most likely have a lot of healing to go through before your body weight will regulate and some people gain weight on raw because their body needs it. How realistic and healthy are your weight goals?

-It takes time and flucuation to get our bodies back on track.

[TarFriend]

Have you ever looked into quick exit food combinations? I have read that fruit should only be consumed on an empty stomach because it will ferment when other foods are combined with it. You should wait at least three hours after any meal to eat fruit. it takes twenty to thirty (a little lonnger for bannas) to exit the stomach completly. Idealy you would eat fruit and only fruit in the morrnings and none after that when you are eating other cataegories of food. This is how I have been doing it and its working out pretty well. If you haven't tried this alreay maybe it is worth a shot.

[trinity082482]

I've never heard that Tarfriend, thanks. :)

[Smileen]

Tarfriend, I was just going to bring that up. Harvey Diamond in Fit for Life has a nice, clear explanation of how to eat fruit.

[Ariannah]

Have you ever looked into quick exit food combinations? I have read that fruit should only be consumed on an empty stomach because it will ferment when other foods are combined with it. You should wait at least three hours after any meal to eat fruit. it takes twenty to thirty (a little lonnger for bannas) to exit the stomach completly. Idealy you would eat fruit and only fruit in the morrnings and none after that when you are eating other cataegories of food. This is how I have been doing it and its working out pretty well. If you haven't tried this alreay maybe it is worth a shot.
That is so true! Our culture has been brought up that fruit is "a dessert" when it's actually a meal all on its own.

Some things too, like certain melons, are meant to be eaten alone and not in combination with other fruits. I know watermelon should never be mixed with anything.