EP. 65- WHAT ABOUT FRUIT? ‘Whole Food’ Carbs Part 1

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Hey, hey, hello, and happy Monday! Welcome back to the podcast. I’m excited to talk to you about today’s topic: fruit. I just got back from being in Dallas late last night. My trip was amazing. I spent an entire week training new life coaches, and it couldn’t have been better. I can’t wait to go back and do it all over again. Shout out to all the people I had the pleasure of working with while I was away. I’ve got my co-host waffles by my side, and we’re ready to talk about everything fruit, so let’s get to it.

Today is part one of this two-part series. Next week I’ll be back for part two where I talk about all those other carbs like grains, legumes, and starchy root vegetables. I was inspired to make this episode by a question from a listener. It reads as follows:

“Can you eat fruit with the last ten formula?”

My response to that was “ABSOLUTELY!” As you’re listening you’re probably thinking to yourself, “That’s not in the formula Brenda! You teach breakfast, lunch, dinner, veggies, protein, healthy fat.” The truth is, you can always eat anything. Nothing is against the rules. I have an entire episode about it. Episode 58: The 2 things you should NEVER SAY if you want to lose this weight for good. In that episode, I talk about how you should never say “I’m not allowed to have this food.” and  “I can’t have this food.” The decision is always yours. I like to teach from a place of empowerment.

The Weightloss Triage

Overeating

With that out of the way, let’s talk about the factors you should consider when deciding whether or not to eat fruit. My first recommendation is that, if you haven’t heard it yet, head back and listen to Episode 57: Intermittent Fasting: What You Need to Know. Specifically, pay very close attention to the section about the weightloss triage. If you have listened, let’s do a quick refresher course. If you’re overeating, you know it. Overeating can be anything from when we sit down to eat a meal can lead to struggle to snacking, but it essentially boils down to consuming food when we’re not hungry. Look at what you eat, and ask yourself, “Am I overeating?” If you are, there’s no reason to even talk about fruit. Overeating = Overweight. Simple as that.

Sugar & Flour

Once you’ve addressed any and all overeating, the next thing I recommend is assessing your intake of sugar and flour. Remember, these two things affect your hormones because they’re not actually food, and they’re not necessary. It’s so easy to consume excess calories when we eat calorically dense foods like sugar and flour. These nutrient deficient and calorically dense foods are precisely the reason why someone can be overweight and simultaneously be undernourished.

Nuts, Fruits, Grains & Starchy Vegetables

If you’ve addressed both of these factors, you’re losing weight, and you’re sticking to your one weekly joy eat, you’re ready to look at your whole-food carbohydrate consumption. Yes, these foods have micronutrients. They nourish your body. They also get broken down into sugars when you consume them. They will cause a release of insulin into your bloodstream, and insulin is a fat storage hormone. When insulin is released in your body, you’re no longer in fat burning mode; you’re in fat-storage mode. Does that mean everyone has to cut out sugar? Of course not! Some women can keep losing weight by merely addressing the two things we talked about earlier. Some aren’t. Every weight loss journey is different.  

Bio Individuality is an Amazing Thing

There are no two bodies that are exactly the same. All of our bodies process sugars and carbohydrates differently. Some are more sensitive than others. If you’re eating fruits and still losing weight, that’s great! If you’re not, maybe you do need to consider reducing or cutting out these whole-food carbohydrates, specifically fruit. Remember, nothing is off-limits. The choice is still yours. Remember, your actions create your results.

The Glycemic Index

The glycemic index is essentially a formula that was created to measure how much foods affect your blood sugar. It’s merely a tool (like a shovel) that will help you determine which foods will be helpful in your weight loss journey, and which ones won’t. Often it’s more important to look at how much of a food you’re eating than it is to look at its place on the glycemic index scale. Overeating is overeating.

Try Experimenting with Fruit

If you’re ready to test whether eating fruit will be compatible with your weight loss goals, start with a serving. Try a small to medium sized apple, a cup of berries, half a cup of strawberries, half a grapefruit. What you don’t want to do is gorge yourself on massive servings of fruit. Use the hunger scale to keep from overeating. Just because fruit is healthy doesn’t mean it’s impossible to overeat it. If you want to lose these last ten pounds, it’s imperative that you pay attention to not only what you’re eating, but also how much. If after testing it out, you’re still on track with your plan, a little bit of fruit is probably okay. If not? It probably isn’t. Simple as that.

Fruits fall all up and down the glycemic index. Some stimulate the release of insulin more than others, so use the tool to decide which fruits you want to try. Not all fruits are created equal. Use the information at your disposal to make empowered decisions. Consistency is key. You can’t run an experiment without consistency. Test your fruit intake for 2-3 weeks. If you’re not getting results, you’re going to have to make some tweaks. Try eating one piece of fruit instead of two. This is your journey. I’m just here to give you the tools you need to make empowered decisions. If what you’re eating creates the results that you want, that’s great! If not, make a change. You produce the results you see.

Final Thoughts

Remember, your thoughts create your feelings, your feelings drive your actions, and your actions create your results. If you do not see the results you’re looking for, make a change. Make a deliberate decision to pursue your weight loss goals mindfully, and I’ll be back next time with more about whole-food carbohydrates. Have a wonderful week, and I’ll see you right back here next Monday.

If you’re struggling with your weight loss, apply for my coaching program today! I’d love to help you on your journey toward reaching your weight loss goals. If you love this podcast and you want to share the tools I’ve shared with you, please show it to at least two women who could use our help. My goal is to double the number of listeners of The Last 10 Podcast by the end of the year, and I can’t accomplish it without you. Thanks in advance.

XOXO,
Brenda

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