So, I had been hearing a lot about how going on a diet where I eat only fruit the entire day, as much as I want would help me lose those extra pounds I have been dreading to shed for quite some time now. I know my metabolism is all messed up but somehow the sound of going on an “only fruit” diet was like ‘zen’ to my ears. My desperation of losing weight was obviously as visible as those extra sides flap fat of mine so I thought, why not?

Before I started this diet, I had to research it as of course, I am no fool to blindly follow a diet unless I have read every available article about it online. I did a study of the fruit diet including what to eat and what not to eat during the diet. I am sharing my knowledge with you below to give you a clear picture of how does this diet really work.

A fat stupid hippo sees itself in mirror and visualizes itself as a thinner versionThe Size Zero Myth:

Fruit diet seems to be a one-stop solution for all my weight issues. It makes sense too as I will be eating only fruits which practically has the least amount of calories hence I will become slim and trim in no time.

There are so many dieticians who have suggested this diet and influencers who follow this diet and upload such great images of their weight loss journey. If it works for them, it definitely will work for me as well.  I am tired of following a balanced diet and losing weight really slow and even worse, reaching stagnation in weight loss. Becoming a fruitarian does look promising in terms of weight loss.

via GIPHY

The Wise Hero Reality:

A wise tortoise with a book in one hand and a chemical beaker in anotherBecoming a Fruitarian or a Vegan has become a trend nowadays especially due to the increasing number of influencers on social media. I found a couple on Instagram sharing their story about how fruit diet has made them fit and it definitely looked promising to me.

One of the most common diet fad is that same diet can work for multiple people which is absolutely a foolish approach as you will be putting all your hard work on a diet which has a high chance of failure. Having a complete knowledge about any diet you decide to follow and analyze if the food group suits your body types based on your past experiences is an absolute must before you even think of following any fad diets.

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What is a Fruit Diet?

A Fruit Diet which is also known as the Fruitarian Diet is a highly restrictive diet where you extract your entire day’s calories by only eating fruits. This can help in losing a drastic amount of weight in a short time. Many people follow this diet just to detox themselves.

[epq-quote align=”align-right”]Fruit diet should be a stepping stone for your weight loss program. You should not follow it for the long term as it deprives you of many food groups which are essential for your body to function[/epq-quote]A Fruit Diet or Fruitarian Diet is a very effective way of weight loss. Few people follow this diet just for detoxing themselves. Others try to follow this diet for a long time for effective weight loss. However, this diet should be a stepping stone for your weight loss program. You should not follow it for the long term as it deprives you of many food groups which are essential for your body to function. 

How Does the Fruit Diet Help with Losing Weight?

Doing an all-fruit diet is not at all east as you are restricted from eating any other types of food other than fruits. Fruit diet consists of eating fruits which are low in calories and easy to digest which aid with weight loss.

Fruit diet is a very challenging diet. It is very difficult to follow such diets as you will have to completely eliminate other types of food and you will be only allowed to eat fruits. But on the other hand, most fruits are extremely low-calorie food and easy to digest, hence this will aid in tremendous weight loss. Some of it can be water weight too. If you plan on quitting this diet, make sure you go on a low-calorie diet for some time after that or else you will bounce back to your original weight or higher.

What Should You Eat?

Following is the list of fruits you are allowed to eat in a fruit diet.

What Should You NOT Eat?

As the name suggests, this is an ONLY-FRUIT diet which means food groups other than fruit is not allowed in this diet. You are not allowed to have vegetables, eggs, meat, fish, dairy products, gluten, grains, etc. This is a very rigid diet with limited choices in terms of food.

Fruitarian Diet- 7 Days Meal Plan

What Happened When I Became a Fruitarian?

My experience of being on a fruit diet was something I should have anticipated even before I started it. I have seen a lot of my family members ocassionally fasting during festivals where they only survived on fruits (I am from India and fasting to impress a deity during festival or prayer day is common here), but I had never believed in fasting and hence had no experience of only eating fruits. Let me be absolutely clear here people, I hate fruits. Other than high-calorie fruits such as mango, banana, and grapes, I do not enjoy eating other fruits hence fruit diet seemed a tough choice for me but I was determined to lose weight hence was ready to try anything that would help.

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One fine day I had the courage to give up on solid, tasty, cooked food and eat only fruits the entire day, and what followed was really uncomfortable. I had lots of watermelon, oranges and a handful of grapes. By evening, I started feeling tired (I used to work 8 hours in the office every day), and had a mild headache. I started craving for a cup of coffee but it was not allowed so had a cup of green tea (which I absolutely hate). I started feeling hungry and pukish. I really wanted to eat a slice of bread but I forced myself to have a bowl of fruits instead. Within no time I started puking which went on quite some time and I remember having a really bad headache but I decided not to give up as it was just the first day, instead I had an antacid tablet and I forced myself to sleep so that I feel better in the morning.

The following days were also not so good but I made sure to add a banana in my meals so that I do not feel famished. I also added yogurt in my diet, though it is not a fruit somehow it made me feel much better and helped me hold on to this diet.

I could go on for a week with this diet after that I just gave up as people started asking me if I was sick. Yes, this diet actually made me look sick with sunken eyes and dull skin, I had suddenly aged in a week.

Did I Lose Weight?

I decided to give it up and eat real food. Did I lose weight in this diet? Yes, I lost 2.5kgs in a week and I was really happy about it but I did not feel very thin.  I was feeling so famished that I hogged all my favorite meals and then you can imagine what must have happened after that, I had put on more weight than I had lost. It made me sad but somewhere deep down I really did not care as I did not want to ever relive the horror of fruit diet ever again.

Some Tips to Ease The Fruit Diet:

In my short period of following fruit diet, I realized that the only way I can survive this diet to add a variety of fruits in my diet and try out different combinations to make it look appealing to the eyes as well. This trick can help you pull on this diet at least for a week. Check out Instagram to follow influencers who are Fruitarians, you will be amazed to see the different recipes they share. This will definitely motivate and help you to stick to this diet.

 

 
 
 
 
 
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Why Do You Gain More Weight After You Leave Fruit Diet?

Let me explain to you how a fruit diet works on our body. In a normal balanced diet, you eat vegetables, fruits, grains, meat, milk, etc which gives our body an overall balance of vitamins and nutrients. Your body is aware that it is getting a sufficient amount of food hence it does not tend to store fat for future use and tries to burn more fat.

When you go on a fruit diet, you are feeding your body a very low calorie which makes your body a fat saving machine as your body responds to this as a scare in food and the metabolism lowers. As you are only eating fruits and no fat, you do not tend to gain weight in this stage but as soon as you leave this diet, and go back into your regular routine, your body gets access to fat. Now, your body has already assumed that there is a scare of fatty food so it starts storing fat for future use. Hence, as soon as you are off fruit diet back to a normal diet, you tend to gain more weight than you lost due to your low metabolism.

So, how can you avoid that from happening? Simple, as soon as you are off fruit diet, do not eat high-calorie food. Start with a diet low in fat and carbs and slowly add more fat and carbs this will boost your metabolism in steps. This way your body will get accustomed to the fact that it has access to fat hence it will not tend to store fat and in turn, you will not gain weight.

The Tried and Tested Verdict:

Surviving on fruits is just opposite to living your life. No sane person can enjoy eating fruits every day for years and be happy about it. Even in Paleo times, our ancestors had vegetables, meat, and milk.

fat woman holding a scale

Our body is just not designed to remain healthy on fruits as you need a balanced diet to live a healthy life. Eating only fruits is going to make you malnutritioned. Surviving on fruits will definitely make you look leaner because you will lose all your muscle which may give rise to other health issues. I would suggest you follow fruit diet as a detox phase 1 day to maximum a week followed by a balanced diet restrictive high calorie food. Anything in moderation is the key to weight loss.