Sugar - WTF?

I've had a banana and a bowl of fruit and fibre, but my nutrition says I'm -3 for sugar, so I've eaten too much sugar today already.

The heck with that! I've had totally the right kind of sugar. But if the system is going to behave like that at me I might as well stuff a mars bar in my face

Replies

  • Pearsquared
    Pearsquared Posts: 1,656 Member
    Food > Settings > Nutrients Tracked > Change Sugar to "None" or another nutrient.

    Unless you have existing blood sugar problems, just count sugar as a carb.
  • happymum37
    happymum37 Posts: 95 Member
    Hi, I think this site is really good but find I'm obsessing about all the percentages. I've just been stressing because I've had no mg of cholesterol and about 300 per cent vitamin c. I've just decided not the get so worked up about it, right now I'm concentrating on losing weight-one step at a time.
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
    Food > Settings > Nutrients Tracked > Change Sugar to "None" or another nutrient.

    Unless you have existing blood sugar problems, just count sugar as a carb.

    This.
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
    Yarwell posted an excellent FAQ on sugar the other day. Definitely worth a read:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1017237-so-what-s-with-this-sugar-then-faq
  • Gizziemoto
    Gizziemoto Posts: 430 Member
    Food > Settings > Nutrients Tracked > Change Sugar to "None" or another nutrient.

    Unless you have existing blood sugar problems, just count sugar as a carb.

    This.

    Exactly! Do not freak out over good sugar vs bad sugars (refined). Unless required for medical purposes, get rid of it.
  • Food > Settings > Nutrients Tracked > Change Sugar to "None" or another nutrient.

    Unless you have existing blood sugar problems, just count sugar as a carb.

    This.

    Exactly! Do not freak out over good sugar vs bad sugars (refined). Unless required for medical purposes, get rid of it.

    This - I track fiber instead for medical issues. I eat one banana and my sugars are done for the day - it's crap. Unless you are diabetic or have a reason to track sugars, don't track. MFP doesn't differentiate between natural sugar and processed sugars.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    Sugar is not a problem unless you are a diabetic.



    IN for the ridiculous condemnation of sugar.
  • Pinkranger626
    Pinkranger626 Posts: 460 Member
    I look at the sugars because I'm curious about it, but I also take into account how much added sugar I eat in comparison with natural sugars like in fruit
  • Gizziemoto
    Gizziemoto Posts: 430 Member
    Sugar is not a problem unless you are a diabetic.



    IN for the ridiculous condemnation of sugar.

    I am in with you.
  • ditditdee
    ditditdee Posts: 38 Member
    I would only enable the ones you see as a problem for you personally. I struggle to eat enough fiber, and I get migraines with too much sodium, so I have enabled those and pretty well just discount all the rest of them.
  • newjourney2015
    newjourney2015 Posts: 216 Member
    Like others have said, don't track sugar, track sodium instead. Sodium will derail your efforts for sure if you're not watching them.
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
    Sugar is just a carb. As long as you're eating enough fats and protein, your carbs/sugar aren't particularly important unless you have a medical issue that requires carbs/sugar to be monitored.

    However, it should be noted that fructose and sucrose can only be stored as liver glycogen and not muscle glycogen. The liver can hold 100-120g glycogen so anything more than that will be converted to triglycerides. As long as you still have a calorie deficit this will even out. Just try to make most of your carbs glucose and not sucrose or fructose. Fructose in particular has been shown to decrease exercise performance, increased likelihood of gastrointestinal distress, and increase perception of exertion.

    Here are some studies:
    http://www.setantacollege.com/wp-content/uploads/Journal_db/the effects of glucose....pdf

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3592616


    As long as you're under your calorie goal, you'll lose weight. Some people find that sugar (even from fruit) causes them to have more sugar/carb cravings so keep that in mind.

    For information on setting your macro target, read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/911011-calculating-calorie-macronutrient-needs?page=1#posts-13821336
  • muppetfan13
    muppetfan13 Posts: 28 Member
    I freaked out over the sugar my first couple of days, too. Then I decided to track fiber instead. I hid the sugar and focused on fiber, and I've been much happier. I know I still have too much processed sugar in the form of my coffee creamer, but I would rather consume that little bit than that little bit + whatever I felt like stuffing my face with before I embarked on this journey. For me, it's more important to reach the fiber goal than to worry about the sugar, especially when I'm trying to ingest more fruit and veggies.