Do you limit the fruit you eat per day?

[skinnymom!]

I am in Pre-Maintenance, my daily carb counts are all over the place though. One day will be low (20's) and the next day will be high (50's) so obviously I'm not doing a good job of staying on an even keel However, it is still working for me, I'm still losing weekly, although the amount of loss has slowed down as expected.

I really enjoy eating fruit, and still stick to the low glycemic berries for the most part. I also do combine my fruit with fat. For example today for breakfast I had 1 cup of strawberries with 2 oz of heavy cream which I then added 1 packet splenda to and whipped. We have some yummy Granny Smith apples in the kitchen, would one of those with a cheesestick be too much or is it ok? It seems wierd to me to be concerned about eating fruit. Strawberries and apples surely didn't make me fat

I guess my question is, is a few servings of fruit a day ok as long as you eat some sort of fat along with it?

[julirama723]

Re: Do you limit the fruit you eat per day?

I've asked this question in the past, and the short answer is "eat your fruit!"

As long as you are eating your induction menu, and getting all of your veggies, where you choose to get your remaining carbs from is your choice. I think fruit and veggies are the best option. Fruit is my food of choice for getting extra carbs. It doesn't make me feel sluggish or "full" like whole grains tend to do.

Now, if you're in premaintenance, you need to find your CCLM. UNLESS you haven't found your CCLL, then you need to find that first. This means you MUST eat the same level of carbs each day. Alternating between low (20) and high (50) isn't going to tell you anything, except that maybe you can eat 35g daily and still lose. It's an average. So, start at a level you know you will lose weight, and plan your menus out BEFORE you eat. Stay roughly at that level for a WHOLE WEEK. I actually recommend TWO WEEKS at each level. Now, what I don't know is if you should increase your carbs by 5g (since you need to find your CCLL) or by 10g (since you also need to find your CCLM) in this process. Perhaps increase by 5 until weight loss slows down, then increase by 10.

The only way you will know if you can actually handle x amount of carbs is to plan and eat that amount daily. I am taking a break from that for another week or so, but I've made it up to 85g a day by doing it very scientifically. I guess I'm a huge nerd, huh?

Keep some higher carb snacks like apples and bananas in your arsenal to help you reach that carb amount. And always eat fat with them. I like a banana cut up in cream cheese, or an apple with peanut butter.

[not2late]

Re: Do you limit the fruit you eat per day?

How slow are you losing? Because Dr. Atkins wanted us to lose the last pounds over a period of months on Pre-Maintenance, not weeks. So a weekly loss isn't really what you do during your Pre-Maintenance.

I eat as close to my CCLL on Pre-Maintenance. Remember it's to prepare you for Maintenance phase, and if you are maintaining then you aren't losing weight. So eating at Induction level isn't what you want to be doing consistently.

[skinnymom!]

Re: Do you limit the fruit you eat per day?

I am SO bad at numbers so this finding my CCLL and CCLM is not fun for me LOL!

I have gone from losing 2lb a week to .5 lb a week.

Thanks guys, I swear I'll do better at figuring out my numbers, I am just not a math lover

[mitzimarie]

Re: Do you limit the fruit you eat per day?

The only way you will know if you can actually handle x amount of carbs is to plan and eat that amount daily. I am taking a break from that for another week or so, but I've made it up to 85g a day by doing it very scientifically. I guess I'm a huge nerd, huh?

Yay, Nerds!!! I have taken your lead, Julie, and approached OWL very scientifically myself. I am on my 3rd week of Rung 4 and will spend another week there (skipping Rung 5 since alcohol hasn't agreed with me in many years and I don't miss it) and I am testing out 45 net carbs this week. I lost 2 pounds each of the last 2 weeks while on Rung 4 at 40 net carbs.

About fruit - my awesome Pro-Atkins doctor always reminds me not to shun fruit. Just make sure you don't omit any of the 3 cups of required veggies to get more fruit.

Skinnymom - You don't have to be a Math lover to do this! Fitday will do it for you.