Question about Fruit

[TipTop in TX 81]

It's summer and I love fresh fruit.< /p>

I had my VSG on 3-16-16. I have been following my plan and am still losing weight, just a little bit slower. I attribute that mainly to not doing much exercise. I walk about 4 times per week about 1 to 1-1/2 miles.

I eat about 70-90 grams of Protein and my calorie intake is about 800-900 per day. Because of the fruit I have been eating, my carb intake is around 60-75 grams. When I don't eat fruit, it is about 25-35 grams.

When I eat watermelon, I count it as part of my Fluid intake since it is 90% Water. I have never been able to get in 64 oz of Fluid since my surgery, even with my Protein shakes. Most of the time fluid intake is about 40-50 oz per day. I have only recently, in the past month or so, been able to drink Water vs. sipping it.

I don't eat any refined carbs, so no bread, rice, Pasta, pastries, sugar, etc. Is eating fruit something I should be concerned about? Should I be limiting my fruit intake to stay within a certain carb gram amount at 3 1/2 months postop?

The only thing I really eat that increases my carb intake is the fresh fruit and my Quest Protein Bars. Any tips or comments are appreciated.

Thanks!

[Bufflehead 6,358]

Honestly I'd be more concerned about the Protein Bars than the fruit. Protein bars are, too me, just a glorified candy bar -- and you see many post-wls people getting obsessive about them and considering them a "treat" like they used to with candy. They tend to be slider foods and trigger foods for many people. They are also incredibly processed and filled with tons of ingredients most people can't pronounce.

(I know they have Fiber and some people think this erases the carb content, I disagree, but I suppose that's a matter for you & your dietitian to work out).

I would work on getting your protein from lean, natural sources like chicken breast and fish rather than highly processed, carb-laden, sweet, candy-bar like protein bars. And enjoy your fruit

[gary5862 208]

I'm allowed one small serving of fruit per day on my plan. It is cherry season and I'm loving it.

[Daisee68 2,493]

Agree with @@Bufflehead - try to cut out the Protein bar and fill in with lean Protein and see if that helps speed the weight loss. Other than that, how much fruit are you eating? 30 - 45 g in carbs just from fruit does seem a bit high.

[ocgirl15 667]

I also agree with @Bufflehead. Pro fruit.... Anti Protein Bar. Now my Nut allowed reasonable quantities fruit after I was cleared to try "any" food. My personal trick it pair my fruit with Protein like cottage cheese , Greek yogurt, cheese or some lunch meat. Berries are a great choice and so is watermelon. Things like pineapple or banana are considered an occasional treat. I also find I can't eat much fruit without a tummy ache so it keeps me in check.

[daniotra 298]

I wouldn't stress about the grams of carbs. Eat Protein first, then veggies, then fruit and other carbs.

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

[jess9395 5,449]

I eat Quest and Power Crunch bars several times a week and have since I was about six months out. It's worked well for me, it isn't a trigger or a slider (often I can only eat half even now at 2.5 years post op) and I don't obsess. Everyone is different and I have always had trouble fitting in all my Protein so I still have one supplement (shake or bar) almost daily.

Whether you can count "net carbs" and subtract sugar alcohols and Fiber does depend on your plan/nutritionist/dietician/reason. I count net carbs because the others don't impact blood sugar causing the rise/fall/cravings cycle for me personally. That is what my dietician's plan counts as net carbs.

I also have eaten fruit regularly in moderation since about a year out. I have learned how much I can have before it sets off the blood sugar rise/fall/cravings. With berries and watermelon it's a good amount. stone fruit a moderate amount, apples/oranges/bananas I have to be careful with.

[lessismore4me 47]

One suggestion would be to check the glycemic list of the fruits you are eating. The higher the number the more sugar. Watermelon and bananas are high, berries are much lower.

Sent from my SM-G925V using the BariatricPal App

[kmorri 1,689]

Honestly I'd be more concerned about the Protein bars than the fruit. Protein Bars are, too me, just a glorified candy bar -- and you see many post-wls people getting obsessive about them and considering them a "treat" like they used to with candy. They tend to be slider foods and trigger foods for many people. They are also incredibly processed and filled with tons of ingredients most people can't pronounce.

(I know they have fiber and some people think this erases the carb content, I disagree, but I suppose that's a matter for you & your dietitian to work out).

I would work on getting your Protein from lean, natural sources like chicken breast and fish rather than highly processed, carb-laden, sweet, candy-bar like protein bars. And enjoy your fruit

I agree with this 100%! Protein bars and Protein shakes are just way too processed. Work on getting your protein from real food.....fish is a great source as it's higher than most meats......and yes enjoy your fruit.....I usually have fruit once a day but I always have it along with a protein......strawberries with my Greek yogurt......almonds with watermelon.....apple with a slice of low sodium deli meat....the options are limitless.

Good luck!!

[KristenLe 5,979]

It's summer and I love fresh fruit.< /p>

I had my VSG on 3-16-16. I have been following my plan and am still losing weight, just a little bit slower. I attribute that mainly to not doing much exercise. I walk about 4 times per week about 1 to 1-1/2 miles.

I eat about 70-90 grams of Protein and my calorie intake is about 800-900 per day. Because of the fruit I have been eating, my carb intake is around 60-75 grams. When I don't eat fruit, it is about 25-35 grams.

When I eat watermelon, I count it as part of my Fluid intake since it is 90% Water. I have never been able to get in 64 oz of Fluid since my surgery, even with my Protein shakes. Most of the time fluid intake is about 40-50 oz per day. I have only recently, in the past month or so, been able to drink Water vs. sipping it.

I don't eat any refined carbs, so no bread, rice, Pasta, pastries, sugar, etc. Is eating fruit something I should be concerned about? Should I be limiting my fruit intake to stay within a certain carb gram amount at 3 1/2 months postop?

The only thing I really eat that increases my carb intake is the fresh fruit and my Quest Protein bars. Any tips or comments are appreciated.

Thanks!

I would not be concerned with the carbs from fruit. My plan looks at "added sugars" and not naturally occurring sugars. Fruit is recommended on my plan. They suggest having protein with it though. You need to increase your fluids as much as possible.

[TipTop in TX 81]

You all have been so helpful.

@@Bufflehead, @daisy68 - how depressing, but you are right. I really like my Quest bars and I consider them a great way to get my Protein in while getting the closest to a cookie. They are not a slider for me and actually fill me up, like a Meal Replacement. It's hard to beat the convenience, but I will definitely cut back on them since I could easily eat one every day.

@@gary5862 - I love cherries too, but am eating mostly watermelons and nectarines. Oh wait, and strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, plums, peaches...

@daisy68 – I eat about 1 or 2 servings of fruit about 4 times per week. A serving being one fruit (plum, peach) or serving (cantaloupe, cherries – about ½ cup). Sometimes with watermelon I might do a cup as a serving. I generally chart it as a snack because I don’t usually eat it with my regular meal.

@@ocgirl15 and @KristenLe– so you actually eat your fruit WITH your Protein meal?

@@daniotra – That is what my NUT initially said, I was just struggling with how many carbs the fruit was costing me. Sometimes I eat the fruit as a snack without eating any protein first. So are you suggesting always eat protein before eating any fruit?

@@jess9395 – The Quest bars are very convenient when I am on the go or realize I haven’t eaten. They are not a slider for me either. I have to consider what Bufflehead was saying though because I do consider the chocolate chip cookie dough one a treat! Thank you for the specifics about each type of fruit. It took me a minute to realize what you meant by stone fruit. LOL. I don’t do net carbs.

@@lessismore4me – I’ll check glycemic for the fruits I eat mostly, which is watermelon and cherries right now, but wait...also grapes, cantaloupe, honeydew. I used to eat a lot of bananas before surgery, but hardly ever eat them now.

@@kmorri – I probably drink a Protein shake every day, just so I can get my protein in. I can only eat about 3 oz of food protein before I am too full. I do love fish though. I have a new bottle that keeps my Water cold for 24 hours and have definitely been drinking more Water in the last few days since buying it.

P.S. I just weighed myself. I lost almost 3 lbs since last week! I love fruit!

SaveSave

[KristenLe 5,979]

@@TipTop in TX Congrats on your weight loss! I am still pre-op so haven't started my eating plan yet. I will find out more details about eating fruit - but was told to plan on 50% Protein / 50% produce for my meals.

[sgc 538]

This anti-carb craze is something when it has people questioning whether they should eat fruit.

[TipTop in TX 81]

Hey sgc,

Yeah it's kind of sad I'm questioning eating fruit. I am not anti-carb, just some kinds of carb. I COULD just eat fruit all day in the summer - I love it so much. My main concern is that I don't want to overdo it on fruit. I mean if I could get my Protein in and just eat fruit the rest of the day - I would.

I have a call into my NUT and will see what she says.

[TipTop in TX 81]

My NUT called me back. As long as I eat Protein first, fruit is fine. She also says at my stage, which is almost 4 months, that 75 g of carbohydrates is fine per day and my 850 calories is right on target. She said it's important that we have carbohydrates because that gives us energy we need to be able to function well. She said fruit is a better option than refined carbohydrates like bread, Pasta, etc. and she was glad I wasn't eating that.

Just thought I would update my post. Thanks everybody.

P.s. I asked her about the Protein also, Protein shakes and Protein Bars and she was OK with that even though she preferred that I get it from food. One thing she did say was taking in too much protein daily might cause issues with kidney function so she wanted me to stay between 65 and 75g per day as a female. That was good to know.