Help! Too much fruit!

[pureland5]

Hi everyone,

I am a fruit addict. Well, really I'm a sugar addict, but since I cut out refined sugar, I'm getting my fix with fruit these days, and I can't seem to stop. I've read all about limiting fruit for the purposes of weight loss and acne (my two challenges), and I think it's finally starting to sink in.

I need some motivation and encouragement. Fruit is so easy to reach for and so portable. I just need to chop up vegetables to make them more convenient, I think . Any suggestions or tricks you've used to get off of the fruit-crack??

Should I cut it out completely, or try to limit myself to 1-2 servings per day? Is cold turkey more effective (haha--maybe I should replace the fruit with cold turkey!).

I'd really like to lose some body fat and get my skin truly clear. I've been recovering from a couple of gym injuries (rib contusion and broken toe), and I haven't been able to get in my Crossfit workouts lately, and the fat is creeping back in....

Thank you for your encouragement!

[karrottop]

I use to be like that! I found it helpful to go cold turkey and find fruit alternatives. For example, I have found that jicama and carrots have the nice crunch factor that apples and pears give me:) After a while, slowly re-introduce it in small quantities. Berries are a good place to start because they're not overly sweet, so I didn't want to eat too much of it. Also, their small size makes them more manageable and satisfying. Good luck!

[CaseyD]

They way I initially quit sugar was eating fat instead of fruit. Fruit is not a good way to handle a sugar craving, it just reinforces it. So, every time I craved sugar so bad that eating something was the only way to fight it, I would eat grass fed hamburger and avocado, or tuna in olive oil - usually some kind of meat I love with a good fat. I think this is a much better choice than fruit.

However, I'd try something non-food first if you're not hungry. Exercise is great - go for a walk, do a bunch of burpees, whatever it takes to get those endorphins pumping. But, I do know sometimes eating something is the only way to make the craving go away in the beginning - so eat some healthy fat and protein!!

[Tom Denham]

Pureland5 - It sounds like you would benefit from doing more food prep to make sure you always have protein, fat, and vegetables within easy reach. That would make passing the fruit bowl easier. You might benefit from cutting out fruit during your Whole30, but regardless, make other foods easier to reach.

[AnnaO]

Fructose or sucrose, it´s all the same poison to me! I went cold turkey, it´s hard but fats and animal protein will help, as has already been suggested. In my experience keeping even a small serving of fruit in will not stop the cravings, thereby making it harder to quit. Water and herbal tea is helpful too. Prepping veggies for snacks seems like a great idea. Good luck!

[pureland5]

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I've managed to only have about 1 serving per day since my posting, and I feel great. I'm sticking to lower sugar berries. I might try to go a few days without fruit to see if I can reduce the cravings even more.

How often do you recommend items like sweet potatoes and carrots for someone like me? You know I'll go for the sweetest thing remaining! Especially with regard to fat loss, do I need to limit these strictly?