Fruit in your diet is really a double-edged sword when trying to lose weight. No one should come out and say that fruit is bad for you, but depending on your goals, fruit might not help your progress. It has to always come back to your goals. If your goal is to get ripped, what you do in your diet is going to look very different than the vast majority of people. Fruit is just one type of food that you might have to watch to reach your goals.
Fruit: The Bottom Line
Fruit and Fat Shredder
I get asked a lot how much sugar you should have in your Fat Shredder diet. I don’t know that there’s a specific number to shoot for but in my experience, a controlled amount is best. Limiting your sugar often is a natural by product of controlling your carbs. If you cut out overeating carbs, track your fiber, and stick to your carb macro goal, you will see that you really control that excess added sugar. If you’re getting 30+ grams of fiber a day you won’t have space for adding a bunch of excess sugar (often from processed foods that are low in fiber).
While I was on Fat Shredder at 1900 calories, I was able to fit in usually just one piece of fruit a day. Many times it was either an apple, banana, or orange. As I transitioned to a maintenance diet I had more space in my calorie budget to fit in more fruit. It still comes back to what fits in your budgets and what are your current goals. If you are bulking at a surplus and with 50% of your calories coming from carbohydrates then you can fit and lots of fruit and hit your fiber budgets! But for fat loss and Fat Shredder there just isn’t that much room for a ton of fruit (unless that is your favorie and only carb source).
Sugar Content of Fruit
Know that all fruits are NOT created equal! Some fruits are packed with more sugar than others. Below you’ll find a table of some common fruits in their sugar contents. Make sure to take a look at their serving sizes. The first four columns all relate to a pretty typical serving of fruit. The final column is where you see a direct comparison between all fruits. There you see how many grams of sugar would be in 100 g of the various fruits.
As you can see, there are some good choices. One really good option is cantaloupe. You get a really large serving size (1/4 of a melon) and only 11 g of sugar. Blackberries and blueberries are also good options. Try throwing some in your Shakeology. You can also see why so many health food companies use dates to sweeten their products. THEY’RE PACKED WITH SUGAR! So if you’re trying to lose weight and you come and tell me, “I eat fruit all the time and love Lara bars…” I’m going question you on if you are sticking to your carb goal! Be careful with raisins too. They are made out to be an easy snack but are LOADED with sugar.
Balancing Good and Goals
I feel like I say this all the time but it still all comes back to your goals and tracking. If you said you’re going to do 1900 calories and Fat Shredder, then a bunch of servings of fruit is not going to help you reach that goal. It’s not that fruits are “bad,” they just have to serve your purposes and goals. If you are tracking with MyFitnessPal you’ll have no problem staying on top of your carbs from fruit. Make everything you eat fit your goals (and that includes “good” and “healthy” food like fruit… just because it’s good fro you doesn’t mean it will help you reach your goals). Keep bringing it teamRIPPED!
Need a coach?
My email: coachwayne@teamripped.com
IG: @wayne_wyatt
