sugar intake - don't understand
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Marianna93637 wrote: »By the way I could use some friends!
this is my 3rd day only. Someone to tell me every day "hey you, watch the creamer" lol.
Oh boy, an MFP baby. How cute.
Seriously, don't be too hard on yourself. I have been losing since the first of the year and have been on MFP since February. I am still learning and tweaking and trying to figure out how all of this works. Start by weighing, measuring, and logging EVERYTHING. You can start to see trends and then you can work on the changes. When I first started, someone told me that weight loss is not a big change, it is a series of small changes, which is so true.
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for me unless you are a sugar addict and feel crap after eating sugar just watch your major macros - protein fats and carb. Try and eat a mixed diet with plenty of veg and fruit and your vitamins and minerals should take care of themselves. Most people don't eat enough protein so it would be worth making sure you hit mfp's level. Even this is low and studies show eating more protein and exercise reduces muscle loss while you lose fat :-)0
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You don't have to control sugar unless that's a specific goal. For general weight loss, just watch calories. You can adjust later if you have problems with energy, hunger, or body composition.0
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Lasmartchika wrote: »Marianna93637 wrote: »
There's nothing wrong with drinking flavored creamer. Please enjoy your coffee the way you like it.
It's a sin not to enjoy coffee the way you like it... coffee's sacred.
Yes, coffee is sacred lol. I'm Hungarian, and when the Turkish occupied our country a few hundred years ago, they already had coffee. When the Hungarians saw them drinking it, they thought they were drinking black soup.
I love this black soup
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for me unless you are a sugar addict and feel crap after eating sugar just watch your major macros - protein fats and carb. Try and eat a mixed diet with plenty of veg and fruit and your vitamins and minerals should take care of themselves. Most people don't eat enough protein so it would be worth making sure you hit mfp's level. Even this is low and studies show eating more protein and exercise reduces muscle loss while you lose fat :-)
You're right. I was also surprised how little protein I'm eating. I thought it was much more. I guess I mostly eat vegetables, and somehow rack up the carbs with the protein lagging behind. Now I'm consciously trying to eat more protein and less carbs. (I realized today that a can of tuna has 0 carbs but lots of protein)0 -
Marianna93637 wrote: »Lasmartchika wrote: »Marianna93637 wrote: »
There's nothing wrong with drinking flavored creamer. Please enjoy your coffee the way you like it.
It's a sin not to enjoy coffee the way you like it... coffee's sacred.
Yes, coffee is sacred lol. I'm Hungarian, and when the Turkish occupied our country a few hundred years ago, they already had coffee. When the Hungarians saw them drinking it, they thought they were drinking black soup.
I love this black soup
I spent some time visiting Hungary and loved it! The wines were especially wonderful.
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300 calories from coffee is a lot. If you like it, keep it, but understand that's probably your only "treat" for the day. Is it worth a tuna sandwich to you? A slice of cake? 30 minutes on the treadmill? Then great!
If not, try half the creamer and half skim milk. You could try splenda for sweetness, or switch to drip coffee or an americano. Even if you can cut it to 2/3 the calories, that would help you out.
Also, it's not true that "you don't eat sweets", because the coffee creamer IS a sweet, and you have it every day. Understanding the patterns that led to weight gain is the first step to taking it off!0 -
Marianna93637 wrote: »If I didn't use creamer, and just used milk, regular creamer or drink it black, I'd have to add a little sugar, so then we're back at too much sugar
Up until now I was worried about my sodium, I thought I was way over the limit, because I like salty, savory and sour, but my sodium intake is under.
Who knew?
you know there are other options than sugar. like splenda or even stevia if you prefer to go the "natural" route. I replace all the sugar in my beverages and baking with stevia. it all tastes fine.0 -
If not, try half the creamer and half skim milk. You could try splenda for sweetness, or switch to drip coffee or an americano. Even if you can cut it to 2/3 the calories, that would help you out.
Also, it's not true that "you don't eat sweets", because the coffee creamer IS a sweet, and you have it every day. Understanding the patterns that led to weight gain is the first step to taking it off!
I'm gonna try some of these alternatives. What I meant when I said I don't eat sweets, was that I don't eat cookies, candy, chocolate, ice cream, pudding, nothing, none of these. The only thing close to sweets I 'eat' is yoghurt and sometimes a granola bar. that's why my feelings were hurt lol about the sugar sneaking in.
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I would suggest dumping those flavored Nestle creamers. Why? It is full of chemicals and hydrogenated oils - not good. I switched to the So Delicious brand of coffee creamer. It is dairy free and made from coconut milk but it does not taste like coconut. There is the regular flavor as well as vanilla and hazelnut. Yes, it does have sugar but it is lower in calories and healthier. Also, the product is non-GMO certified, has half the ingredients of the other stuff AND you can pronounce those ingredients!0
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rhtexasgal wrote: »I would suggest dumping those flavored Nestle creamers. Why? It is full of chemicals and hydrogenated oils - not good. I switched to the So Delicious brand of coffee creamer. It is dairy free and made from coconut milk but it does not taste like coconut. There is the regular flavor as well as vanilla and hazelnut. Yes, it does have sugar but it is lower in calories and healthier. Also, the product is non-GMO certified, has half the ingredients of the other stuff AND you can pronounce those ingredients!
guess what…so delicious has chemicals in it too…as does every single food we consume...0 -
rhtexasgal wrote: »I would suggest dumping those flavored Nestle creamers. Why? It is full of chemicals and hydrogenated oils - not good. I switched to the So Delicious brand of coffee creamer. It is dairy free and made from coconut milk but it does not taste like coconut. There is the regular flavor as well as vanilla and hazelnut. Yes, it does have sugar but it is lower in calories and healthier. Also, the product is non-GMO certified, has half the ingredients of the other stuff AND you can pronounce those ingredients!
guess what…so delicious has chemicals in it too…as does every single food we consume...
Yes, that is true BUT it is the lesser of two evils in my opinion (and that is what it is, just an opinion). I tend to avoid anything hydrogenated as it is high in trans fats, just like the Nestle creamers have.0 -
ok, I made some coffee just now. I measured everything and added 2 tbs creamer (fat free or regular has the same amount of sugar) and a half of cup skim milk. The taste is ok, I guess I could live with it. But here's the same question I had all along: how come SKIM milk has 12 grams of sugar in 1 cup? It's not even sweet. This is my issue. I'm not even drinking / eating anything that is classified as sweet (hot chocolate, cup cake, etc) and still, there's all that sugar. I don't even think it's added, it might just be natural.
I guess I'm just frustrated.0 -
Milk contains lactose. Lactose is a sugar. Unless you've got a specific medical issue that requires you to track sugar - and are advised to do so by a well-informed physician, nutritionist or dietitian - there's no reason to separate sugars from other carbohydrates.Marianna93637 wrote: »ok, I made some coffee just now. I measured everything and added 2 tbs creamer (fat free or regular has the same amount of sugar) and a half of cup skim milk. The taste is ok, I guess I could live with it. But here's the same question I had all along: how come SKIM milk has 12 grams of sugar in 1 cup? It's not even sweet. This is my issue. I'm not even drinking / eating anything that is classified as sweet (hot chocolate, cup cake, etc) and still, there's all that sugar. I don't even think it's added, it might just be natural.
I guess I'm just frustrated.0 -
Marianna93637 wrote: »ok, I made some coffee just now. I measured everything and added 2 tbs creamer (fat free or regular has the same amount of sugar) and a half of cup skim milk. The taste is ok, I guess I could live with it. But here's the same question I had all along: how come SKIM milk has 12 grams of sugar in 1 cup? It's not even sweet. This is my issue. I'm not even drinking / eating anything that is classified as sweet (hot chocolate, cup cake, etc) and still, there's all that sugar. I don't even think it's added, it might just be natural.
I guess I'm just frustrated.
Many, many foods have naturally occurring sugars. Fruit is the most obvious one, but veggies do too. Carrots, tomatoes, peppers are among the higher sugar veggies. Another is dairy. Like RllyGudTweetr said, dairy has lactose. Other sugars are sucrose (table sugar), glucose (also called dextrose), fructose (fruit sugar), maltose (produced when grain is allowed to germinate and is found in beer, cereal, and potatoes), and a bunch of others. Honey is made of fructose and glucose, corn syrup is also made of fructose and glucose, maple syrup is sucrose with small amounts of fructose and glucose, agave nectar is fructose and glucose (and is even higher in fructose by weight than high fructose corn syrup).
You will not get away from sugar. When cutting calories, a simple way to find lower calorie foods is to look for added sugar. You rarely see "sugar" on the label. It is usually one of the chemical names for the different sugars.
In the end, you have to decide where you want to spend your calories and enjoy the foods (an beverages) you have chosen.
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the butternut squash and onion both convert sugar in your body. you know that the food also converts into sugar in your body all carbs do. there are carbs in fruits and vegetables. the cards must be calculated as sugar...
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I'm sorry but just because you say you're hypoglycemic doesn't mean you are. You are self diagnosing when it could very well be something else. There are many things that share symptoms. You can't just choose the one you want to be true. It doesn't work that way.
No, I don't WANT to be hypoglycemic. Why would I? But I'm sure it's at least a mild form of it. It's been at least 10 years that I figured it out, and since then it all makes sense. The symptoms, how I react when I 'fix' it, everything. I haven't actually gone to the doctor to really test it, but during check ups (a couple in the past 10 years) they checked it and it didn't show.
It's probably similar how some people suffer from symptoms of hypothyroidism, it doesn't show up in tests but if treated with medication, they positively respond to it.
I don't really care for a diagnosis from a doctor, I know what my symptoms are, what I have to do; what it's called is irrelevant.0 -
I like the vanilla creamer too and knowing I could have it while losing weight was a huge factor in my success in calorie counting. Maybe the biggest, seriously. I do not feel deprived because my coffee is "normal". So, what I did because I rarely want to devote even 70 calories to my morning coffee, was start by measuring 2 Tablespoons each day in a slightly smaller cup of coffee. Now, many months later, I have an even smaller cup of coffee with just 1 tablespoon of creamer. You should see how long that jug of creamer lasts me now! Some days I want more cream so add 2 T, but rarely. Instead, I enjoy the smaller cup of coffee with a Tablespoon. I still don't like my coffee black.
Also, I use real sugar in my cereal which I eat with plain yogurt instead of milk, because I like it. This is something I've done for years, way before "dieting". Being able to continue this habit has also helped me.
Oh, and one more thing: when I make hot cereal like oatmeal or cream of wheat, instead of milk I use a tablespoon or 2 of vanilla creamer. Yummy. Been doing that forever too.
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I'm not even responding to this. Have no idea why you're attacking me (pity part, etc)0
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I'm an Aussie and have no idea what creamer is, can someone explain please. We just have normal plain ol milk here lol0
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Marianna93637 wrote: »forgot to mention: I'm hypoglycemic. Not diagnosed because it never came up on tests, but I know I am. I have all the symptoms, and I usually know how to eat, and what to eat. The symptoms are actually unpredictable at times, but it's never life threatening, just uncomfortable (shakes, sweating, all of it is very sudden).
So i try to stay away from processed sweets (and hardly ever have actual sweets), but I know some sugar is in a lot of food.
If you are hypoglycemic, you should be monitoring your carb/sugar intake. Bananas aren't your best choice unless they are small and you are pairing it with a protein/fat like peanut butter or nuts. You must always eat protein and fat with a carbohydrate. This helps stabilize blood glucose. If you consume too many carbs, your blood glucose will spike and crash shortly after.
You can purchase the most accurate glucose meter on the market for $19.99 at CVS. Test strips and lancets are expensive but it's worth having so that you are able to check your blood glucose when you are experiencing symptoms.
FYI, I am a diagnosed hypoglycemic.0 -
Marianna93637 wrote: »I'm sorry but just because you say you're hypoglycemic doesn't mean you are. You are self diagnosing when it could very well be something else. There are many things that share symptoms. You can't just choose the one you want to be true. It doesn't work that way.
No, I don't WANT to be hypoglycemic. Why would I? But I'm sure it's at least a mild form of it. It's been at least 10 years that I figured it out, and since then it all makes sense. The symptoms, how I react when I 'fix' it, everything. I haven't actually gone to the doctor to really test it, but during check ups (a couple in the past 10 years) they checked it and it didn't show.
It's probably similar how some people suffer from symptoms of hypothyroidism, it doesn't show up in tests but if treated with medication, they positively respond to it.
I don't really care for a diagnosis from a doctor, I know what my symptoms are, what I have to do; what it's called is irrelevant.
That was one check up 10 years ago. Go back to the doctor if anything. It's not uncommon for people to want to believe there is something wrong with them than to realize they are just normal and need to do things like people with no conditions and put in the work. Feel free to throw yourself a pity party and self diagnose yourself. It's a slap in the face to all those people around here that actually do suffer from issues and are proactive by getting intervention.
You actually don't want a diagnosis because you don't want to be told you're normal. You don't know if you have anything for sure. And you don't know what to do. This thread alone is the perfect example. Why do I say that? Because someone that would have been hypoglycemic for 10 years would have known the answers to such an amateur topic as far as sugar, diabetes, hypoglycemia is concerned. You think you know. But you don't.
I agree with MrM. As someone who suffers from hypoglycemia, you likely would not be able to consume some of the things you do without severe consequences.
If you believe you have hypoglycemia, you should call your doctor and get tested again. And a simple fasting blood glucose test won't give you a diagnosis. A hypoglycemia diagnosis involves much more than that. A diagnosis is actually important because hypoglycemia can be extremely dangerous. Simple tasks like driving are risky because a hypoglycemic can pass out randomly. Most hypoglycemics wear a medical alert bracelet in case they are found unconscious and thus are unable to tell the medical responder that they are hypoglycemic. The medical bracelet lets the EMT know that they need a shot of glucagon immediately. It's not something to be taken lightly.0 -
Marianna93637 wrote: »I don't get it. I don't eat sweets, not now and not before because I just don't crave it.
My only sugar intake comes from fresh fruit (banana, strawberry, etc), and the creamer from my coffee (I don't use sugar).
Today I've eaten 1 banana, coffee with creamer, egg whites with a little butternut squash and onion, tuna salad, steamed red cabbage and water. I'm already over my allowed sugar intake and it's only 3:30 !!!!
This doesn't make sense. Granted most of it came from my creamer, but I can't do sugar free, it tastes nasty. But a large portion came from the banana - why is that a negative?
You've run into one of the great limitations of MFP: It can't distinguish sugar the way you're supposed to eat it (wrapped in a whole fruit with lots of fiber) from high fructose corn syrup, fruit juice stripped of fiber, or other processed crap.
In simple terms, the fiber in whole fruit prevents your body from processing the sugar instantly and spiking your insulin level. So it shouldn't count against your sugar total (neither should lactose in milk which is chemically speaking sugar but isn't metabolized in the same harmful way). Fruit is good as long as it's whole.
My source is the book Dr Lustig's book Fat Chance: The Bitter Truth about Sugar. Here's his youtube lecture:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM
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__drmerc__ wrote: »In equal portions how can these different types of sugars cause different amounts of fat?
If that's true then calories in calories out doesnt work
Yeah, if it fits on a bumper sticker it's probably not going to adequately describe something as complex as human nutritional needs . . .0 -
I seriously don't understand how this conversation went from me questioning why I go over the suggested sugar intake so easily to someone telling me how I'm having a pity party, because I say I think I'm hypoglycemic, and the "it's my creamer that's an issue". HUH??
by the way as far as I know there is a mild, moderate and severe form of hypoglycemia. No, I'm not an expert. Yes, I'm self diagnosing myself, because as a single mom I was never able to afford insurance, and even now the insurance I have would charge me an arm and a leg to find something out that's really not an issue.
My symptoms have been these:
* nausea
* Extreme hunger.
* Feeling nervous or jittery.
* Cold, clammy, wet skin and/or excessive sweating not caused by exercise.
* A rapid heartbeat (tachycardia).
* Numbness or tingling of the fingertips or lips.
* Trembling.
I got this from http://www.med.umich.edu/intmed/endocrinology/patients/hypoglycemia.htm
Usually this happens suddenly, and is easily fixed by eating something. It happens sporadically and I haven't been able to figure out why.
Am I hypoglycemic? Maybe yes, maybe no, it actually doesn't matter because I know what happens to me and how I can fix that.
So can we get off this subject now please?
thank you.0
This discussion has been closed.
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