Calories vs Nutrition

Playvet12

So what do you do when you work out and earn more calories that you can eat, but you're having to choose between eating more food (that you deserve) or eating food that maintains and is with in your, for instance, sugars or sodium for the day. So, for instance, I worked out today and got back a lot of calories, but I know that whatever I eat for dinner is going to exceed my daily goal for sugar. Can I go over because I would have gone through some sugar while working out, or should I still keep my daily allowance?

MakePeasNotWar

In my opinion, absent any blood glucose issues, you can always ignore the sugar limit. There is no basis for limiting total sugars (including fruit and dairy sugars) for healthy adults. Some agencies advocate limiting free sugars, but the aim of those limits is to lower overall calories (which you are doing already), or ensure that people have sufficient room within their calorie requirement to meet their nutrient needs (which presumably you are doing as well).

As for sodium, you lose sodium when you sweat, so going over on workout days should not be a problem (again, unless you have a medical condition pertaining to sodium intake)

strong_curves

As long as you're below your calorie goal for the day... going over on sugar (or carbs, or sodium, etc) doesn't matter.

Sarasmaintaining

strong_curves wrote: »

As long as you're below your calorie goal for the day... going over on sugar (or carbs, or sodium, etc) doesn't matter.

This. I've never tracked sugar/sodium and I've had no problem losing weight or maintaining the loss. The only thing I've really focused on has been CICO and eating at the correct calorie amount for my goals

DancingMoosie

Make sure you have already eaten your nutritious food, and then have a treat. I eat too much sugar (IMO) yet my fasting glucose is only 79. If you don't have blood sugar or blood pressure issues, don't worry too much about going over a little.

malibu927

I burned over 800 calories according to my Fitbit. Had 600+ left over after dinner. Ate an ice cream sundae, and when it syncs after midnight I should be at my fat goal and just below protein.

livingleanlivingclean

I don't worry about sugar, and add salt to my food.

The only sugar I half care about is added sugar, but as most of my sugar comes from vegies, fruit and dairy I'm not overly concerned by that number...

Leslierussell4134

I might be the odd ball, but iv we always tracked my sugars and sodium. Sodium especially because of the inverse relationship to potassium and the way we waste potassium in urine when daily sodium is over the recommended limits, regardless of how much we sweat out during exercise. Potassium is already my hardest nutrient it achieve and I don't want my excess salt messing that up.
Also, excess sodium in the diet can encouage hupertension of you're susceptible over time. The American Heart association does have a lot to say about added sugars, and does make a recommendation of about 100 cals for woman and 150 cals for men in the link below. Also check out the research in the link toward the end of the info.
I honestly don't see the need to limit natural sugars in fruits and veggies, as long as they fit into my desired macros for the day. I am one that doesn't think anything that grows is bad for you in moderation.

http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/HealthyEating/Added-Sugars_UCM_305858_Article.jsp#mainContent

M30834134

Playvet12, do you know that you can go to Home->Goals->Fitness and specify how you want your workout calories allocated to your nutrients?

For example, I have 65% of my workout calories added to carbs and 35% to protein - I do not increase my fat intake even if I workout. We need carbs to fuel the recovery process and, obviously, we need protein but fat requirements stay the same regardless of fitness activity.

This way, your workout calories will be added to carbs (including sugar) and proteins - giving you proportionate daily adjustment.

Serah87

Leslierussell4134 wrote: »

I might be the odd ball, but iv we always tracked my sugars and sodium. Sodium especially because of the inverse relationship to potassium and the way we waste potassium in urine when daily sodium is over the recommended limits, regardless of how much we sweat out during exercise. Potassium is already my hardest nutrient it achieve and I don't want my excess salt messing that up.
Also, excess sodium in the diet can encouage hupertension of you're susceptible over time. The American Heart association does have a lot to say about added sugars, and does make a recommendation of about 100 cals for woman and 150 cals for men in the link below. Also check out the research in the link toward the end of the info.
I honestly don't see the need to limit natural sugars in fruits and veggies, as long as they fit into my desired macros for the day. I am one that doesn't think anything that grows is bad for you in moderation.

http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/HealthyEating/Added-Sugars_UCM_305858_Article.jsp#mainContent

I go over my sugar levels every day!!! Had heart disease and now no longer do!!!

ETA: Just to add, I am in excellent health per my doctor and my blood work.

ihatetodietalways

If you really want to have sugar, have it. But if you feel fine, don't eat back your exercise calories. My jazzercise instructor is 60 and ripped. She says she never eats back exercise calories.

ihatetodietalways

Serah87 wrote: »

Leslierussell4134 wrote: »

I might be the odd ball, but iv we always tracked my sugars and sodium. Sodium especially because of the inverse relationship to potassium and the way we waste potassium in urine when daily sodium is over the recommended limits, regardless of how much we sweat out during exercise. Potassium is already my hardest nutrient it achieve and I don't want my excess salt messing that up.
Also, excess sodium in the diet can encouage hupertension of you're susceptible over time. The American Heart association does have a lot to say about added sugars, and does make a recommendation of about 100 cals for woman and 150 cals for men in the link below. Also check out the research in the link toward the end of the info.
I honestly don't see the need to limit natural sugars in fruits and veggies, as long as they fit into my desired macros for the day. I am one that doesn't think anything that grows is bad for you in moderation.

http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/HealthyEating/Added-Sugars_UCM_305858_Article.jsp#mainContent

I go over my sugar levels every day!!! Had heart disease and now no longer do!!!

ETA: Just to add, I am in excellent health per my doctor and my blood work.

Can you elaborate on the heart disease. What was the indicator for heart disease that you erased?

M30834134

ihatetodietalways wrote: »

If you really want to have sugar, have it. But if you feel fine, don't eat back your exercise calories. My jazzercise instructor is 60 and ripped. She says she never eats back exercise calories.

That's not a very good suggestion to make not knowing the particulars. We don't know if the OP using TDEE or not. It appears that your instructor is using TDEE with activities already accounted for in which case eating back exercise calories would be totally wrong. But we dont know these details about the OP.

I don't use TDEE and prefer to adjust my daily calorie budget based on activities - it entails more work but gives me more granular control

ihatetodietalways

Sugar is always on the label, its a carbohydrate. Easy to track.

SnuggleSmacks

Barring a medical condition, or a special diet like keto, there is no basis for counting sugar. If you're in a deficit and lifting, make sure you get adequate protein. The fat/carb ratio matters a great deal less, except that you do want to ensure you eat some good fats for satiety and digesting fat-soluble vitamins.

ihatetodietalways

I just finished reading a book called Diabetes Epidemic from a very respected doctor in Chicago (Dr. R. Kraft) and he wrote a book documenting his research on almost 15,000 people from ages 3-90. He found out the fasting blood glucose does not find those who have insulin resistance and therefore those who go to get diabetes. There is a huge number (20%) undiagnosed. So, he recommends getting your fasting insulin at a minimum to see how you are doing handling carbs in the diet. He is very concerned and says this problem is why there are many undiagnosed diabetics out there as well as the millions more that will become diabetic in the near future. Just pointing this out, don't beat me up because of the sugar issue. Look him up and maybe read the book!

JTGJTG

Why are you tracking sugars? (Honest question.) My doc has me tracking carbs instead. "Eat what you want, but stay in 90 carbs/day and no more than 40 per meal.") So, if I want ice cream, it has to fit those parameters. Also, I don't get to add carbs for exercise - that helps with the weight, not as much as I thought it would with the blood sugar.

This method works when I stick to it .
T2 dx 15 years ago

ndj1979

unless you have a medical condition there is no reason to worry about going over on sugar.

as long as you have hit your micro/macro needs for the day, I would suggest eating something that you want/like...

ohmscheeks

Wow, yeah I haven't even attempted to "count" at that level - Just calories.

goaliesmate

Work towards balancing nutrition over a week. Doing it 'correct' daily is almost impossible. And it is so easy to adjust future menu plans to add more of the 'short' nutrients and decrease the 'long' food groups.