How many times have you been told eating fruits and vegetables is the best way to lose weight?
Of course fruits and vegetables are a lot better than eating candy, starchy foods, and fatty foods, but you might be surprised to hear fruits may not help you lose weight.
It is hard to believe but one of the most important things to remember is the amount you eat will determine weight loss. Serving sizes are crucial when you’re working on losing weight. The more you eat, the less likely it will happen and while you may not realize it, weight gain can even happen when eating fruits.
Some foods make it easy to follow when it comes to the serving sizes you eat, but other times that is not the case. Sweet foods taste better and that can cause you to overeat without even knowing it’s happening. This makes it hard to control how much you eat. This is why it’s important portion out your foods and then close the cupboard door so you’re not tempted to eat more.
The problem you’ll have with fruit is the calorie factor. Even though they’re naturally grown in the garden with no added preservatives, they still have calories and that causes a problem when you’re trying to lose weight. It doesn’t matter if you’re trying to count calories, keep track of points, or just eat healthier, eating too much fruit can cause you to gain weight, rather than lose it.
Below are some ideas on how to include fruit in your diet while still losing weight:
- Eat berries, fibrous, and small fruits. These include raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, kiwis, clementines, plums, peaches, and small apples.
- Enjoy the fruits mentioned above but in moderation, and start to focus on eating more vegetables. Especially green leafy or fibrous vegetables, should be a focus on your healthy eating plan.
- If you find you still need to cut carbs/calories from your diet, start with grains and starchy carbs and then move onto fruits.
While fruit tastes great and fruit is good for you, you must eat fruits properly or you’ll find yourself gaining weight instead of losing it. It may be hard for you to do, you must limit yourself on the amount you eat so you have the ability to lose and not gain. There comes a time in everyone’s healthy meal plan when they need to eat less.
If you find you are struggling with putting together a healthy eating plan, Contact Alisa – she can assist you in creating a meal plan that fits you. Art Fitness is always here for you during your health journey!