45g of sugar too high?

bsbprincess

I was setting up my diary and goals, and noticed that even though my calorie intake goal is only 1200 daily, my sugar allowance is 45g. Isn't that high? I did some googling and found numerous sites that said your daily allowance should be 20g for women, based on a 2000 cal diet.

I tried to find answers about this on here but only found pages of people saying they go OVER all the time if they eat fruit. I'm lost. Any input is appreciated! I really want to be healthy on top of losing weight.

Thanks all!!

lizkharvey

Good question. Interested on answers for this as well. My sugar intake is always too high

bsbprincess

It started because my Aunt was asking what the sugar max was on MFP, when I told her 45 her jaw dropped. She thought it was way too high for anyone trying to be healthy so I did some research. Really hope someone here can shed some light on this for us.

Blueseraphchaos

I don't have any medical issues, so i just don't track sugar, lol. If you have medical issues, you should see your doctor for guidance on setting a goal (diabetic, insulin resistant, etc). Without a medical condition, you can eat what you want as long as you're under your calorie goal and still lose weight. For the best nutrition, it's better to make the majority of your diet fruits, veggies, lean proteins, healthy fats, and whole grains, since those will typically give you the best nutrition and also prevent extreme hunger. But you can still eat whatever you want in moderation; learning portion control of high-calorie, low-nutrient foods helps prevent you from feeling deprived.

Of course, as i said before though, if you have a medical condition requiring you to limit sugar, it's best to see a doctor.

nvmomketo

Depends on your goals. Some people will do well on that, others eat more and others eat less. If you have insulin resistance it could be a bit high. If not, you may be fine.

MelaniaTrump

That 20 grams is for added sugars in processed foods.

Blueseraphchaos

Also, mfp doesn't differentiate between added sugars and naturally occurring ones, while many recommendations are to limit added sugar. That could be the disparity you see. I won't even get into the discussion of whether or not added sugar is different from sugar in fruits; just throwing a possibility out there for the disparity in recommendations.

kgeyser

MFP's sugar recommendation does not differentiate between added and natural sugars, which is why people will go over with just a few pieces of fruit. The 20g recommendations are for added sugars, so in order to make sure to stay within that, you would have to check labels against your MFP numbers.

If you don't have a medical reason to track sugar, I wouldn't worry about that number. Many people don't even track sugar, they swap it out for fiber instead.

bsbprincess

Thanks so much, all!! I don't have any health issues, but my Grandpa had diabetes so it's in the back of my mind for if I don't get my butt in gear soon (I'm 29 now). I think that's a good point, unless I pack in fruit all day, I can't imagine getting an unhealthy amount if I eat natural things such as that.

Thanks Blues... that didn't even occur to me. That maybe they're not talking about grams in natural stuff like that.

bsbprincess

kgeyser wrote: »

MFP's sugar recommendation does not differentiate between added and natural sugars, which is why people will go over with just a few pieces of fruit. The 20g recommendations are for added sugars, so in order to make sure to stay within that, you would have to check labels against your MFP numbers.

If you don't have a medical reason to track sugar, I wouldn't worry about that number. Many people don't even track sugar, they swap it out for fiber instead.

Thank you!!! Really appreciate all the input.

Sued0nim

kgeyser wrote: »

MFP's sugar recommendation does not differentiate between added and natural sugars, which is why people will go over with just a few pieces of fruit. The 20g recommendations are for added sugars, so in order to make sure to stay within that, you would have to check labels against your MFP numbers.

If you don't have a medical reason to track sugar, I wouldn't worry about that number. Many people don't even track sugar, they swap it out for fiber instead.

This

I have no idea what my sugar has been over my weight loss and maintenance but know my fibre

yarwell

bsbprincess wrote: »

I was setting up my diary and goals, and noticed that even though my calorie intake goal is only 1200 daily, my sugar allowance is 45g. Isn't that high? I did some googling and found numerous sites that said your daily allowance should be 20g for women, based on a 2000 cal diet.
Thanks all!!

You're comparing apples and oranges, no pun intended. MFP's goal is for total sugars from all sources and is 15% of calories, the other numbers you quote are for added sugar.

The prevailing attitude of many on here to sugar intake is

Sued0nim

yarwell wrote: »

bsbprincess wrote: »

I was setting up my diary and goals, and noticed that even though my calorie intake goal is only 1200 daily, my sugar allowance is 45g. Isn't that high? I did some googling and found numerous sites that said your daily allowance should be 20g for women, based on a 2000 cal diet.
Thanks all!!

You're comparing apples and oranges, no pun intended. MFP's goal is for total sugars from all sources and is 15% of calories, the other numbers you quote are for added sugar.

The prevailing attitude of many on here to sugar intake is

The prevailing attitude of many on here to sugar intake is ..hit your calorie goal across the week, meet your nutritional requirements and your sugar intake will be appropriate to health providing you do not have a medical condition where you need to track sugars

I know where some people's heads are in relation to this and it isn't in the sand

Yi5hedr3

Yes - set to 30.

blankiefinder

I also tracked fibre instead of sugar, and it worked well for me.

hamlet1222

I suspect most vegans consume way more than 45g of sugar a day, and I've never seen a fat vegan.

Given your family history though I would get your fasting blood glucose level tested.

ninerbuff

45 grams of sugar is 180 calories. Most people could burn this off by walking moderately for about 45 minutes.
Total calories overall at the end of the day matter most. Of course if you want your health better, also ensure your macro/micro nutrients are in line with your goals. But let's say that goal is 1200 on a 40/30/30 ratio. That's still 480 calories allowed for carbs and that 180 fits in easily.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld

hamlet1222 wrote: »

I suspect most vegans consume way more than 45g of sugar a day, and I've never seen a fat vegan.

Given your family history though I would get your fasting blood glucose level tested.

Really? There are a lot of fat vegans like there are a lot of fat meat eaters.

Back on topic though. I don't ever track my sugars, I swapped it out of my diary for fibre. Don't let that sugar target stop you eating your fruit and veggies. Good luck with your weight loss goals

tomteboda

I'm with @blankiefinder . Get rid of the sugar tracking, and track fiber instead. Tracking fiber is much more useful and informative. There's sound science behind the recommendation of 25-30g fiber minimum daily, both in short- and long-term benefits @ninerbuff pointed out, rightly so, that worrying about macronutrient goals / micronutrient goals is also far more important.

I got annoyed by the "you ate too much sugar" warnings from my bananas and apples so I put a ridiculously high target in manually (like, 200g). This has been wonderful for Christmas

star1407

Really glad I saw this, my little red alert always tells me I've had too much sugar. Didn't know I could switch it for fibre. Plus that's a good thing for me to monitor as I have ibs

umayster

yarwell wrote: »

bsbprincess wrote: »

I was setting up my diary and goals, and noticed that even though my calorie intake goal is only 1200 daily, my sugar allowance is 45g. Isn't that high? I did some googling and found numerous sites that said your daily allowance should be 20g for women, based on a 2000 cal diet.
Thanks all!!

The prevailing attitude of many on here to sugar intake is

How apropos

LeWahnderful

WOW! No wonder many of us are over weight, that's the amount in a can soda

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld

tomteboda wrote: »

I'm with @blankiefinder . Get rid of the sugar tracking, and track fiber instead. Tracking fiber is much more useful and informative. There's sound science behind the recommendation of 25-30g fiber minimum daily, both in short- and long-term benefits @ninerbuff pointed out, rightly so, that worrying about macronutrient goals / micronutrient goals is also far more important.

I got annoyed by the "you ate too much sugar" warnings from my bananas and apples so I put a ridiculously high target in manually (like, 200g). This has been wonderful for Christmas

That would make your other macros hard to balance if you were plotting that many calories of just sugar.

rankinsect

bsbprincess wrote: »

Thanks so much, all!! I don't have any health issues, but my Grandpa had diabetes so it's in the back of my mind for if I don't get my butt in gear soon (I'm 29 now). I think that's a good point, unless I pack in fruit all day, I can't imagine getting an unhealthy amount if I eat natural things such as that.

Dietary sugar intake is not a significant risk factor for diabetes. The big risk factors:

1. Body fat
2. Fat distributed mainly on the abdomen (beer gut) as opposed to other areas like hips and thighs
3. Sedentary lifestyle

lemurcat12

LeWahnderful wrote: »

WOW! No wonder many of us are over weight, that's the amount in a can soda

Doesn't have anything to do with being overweight if you aren't over calories. It's about nutrition and not going over calories accidently for those not tracking. You don't gain weight at a deficit just because you have a can of soda. (However, I personally would not waste calories on a can of soda, but I suppose if you really enjoy it you might find it worth it.)

lemurcat12

umayster wrote: »

yarwell wrote: »

bsbprincess wrote: »

I was setting up my diary and goals, and noticed that even though my calorie intake goal is only 1200 daily, my sugar allowance is 45g. Isn't that high? I did some googling and found numerous sites that said your daily allowance should be 20g for women, based on a 2000 cal diet.
Thanks all!!

The prevailing attitude of many on here to sugar intake is

How apropos

Too bad the reasons given by both the WHO and NHS for the sugar restriction is calories and tooth decay (which can be dealt with by reasonably oral hygiene).

Also, if we are going to pay attention to the added sugar recommendations (which I also do), maybe it would be good to pay attention to other things, like the recs re vegetable consumption and sat fat limits?

tomteboda

@RuNaRoUnDaFiEld I'm not planning sugar, period. I leave everything else in place and throw in an absurdly high number for sugar (under nutrition details) so that MFP doesn't scream at me when I log my food. I honestly don't care what my sugar consumption is. It isn't important.

My macro balance remains at 50/30/20. I don't actually care much about that, either, it was the MFP default and it turns out that I wind up around there just eating what I want to eat.

The only stats I really care about are (1) total calories (2) exercise time (3) fiber (4) salt.

_Terrapin_

yarwell wrote: »

bsbprincess wrote: »

I was setting up my diary and goals, and noticed that even though my calorie intake goal is only 1200 daily, my sugar allowance is 45g. Isn't that high? I did some googling and found numerous sites that said your daily allowance should be 20g for women, based on a 2000 cal diet.
Thanks all!!

You're comparing apples and oranges, no pun intended. MFP's goal is for total sugars from all sources and is 15% of calories, the other numbers you quote are for added sugar.

The prevailing attitude of many on here to sugar intake is

yarwell.....if this pic is you....I now understand how you lost 40 pounds of fat.

Ninkyou

kgeyser wrote: »

MFP's sugar recommendation does not differentiate between added and natural sugars, which is why people will go over with just a few pieces of fruit. The 20g recommendations are for added sugars, so in order to make sure to stay within that, you would have to check labels against your MFP numbers.

If you don't have a medical reason to track sugar, I wouldn't worry about that number. Many people don't even track sugar, they swap it out for fiber instead.

This.

I took sugar off of my track list and replaced it with something else.

ninerbuff

LeWahnderful wrote: »

WOW! No wonder many of us are over weight, that's the amount in a can soda

Sorry, people are basically over weight because they over consume ALL calories and not just sugar calories.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

senecarr

yarwell wrote: »

bsbprincess wrote: »

I was setting up my diary and goals, and noticed that even though my calorie intake goal is only 1200 daily, my sugar allowance is 45g. Isn't that high? I did some googling and found numerous sites that said your daily allowance should be 20g for women, based on a 2000 cal diet.
Thanks all!!

You're comparing apples and oranges, no pun intended. MFP's goal is for total sugars from all sources and is 15% of calories, the other numbers you quote are for added sugar.

The prevailing attitude of many on here to sugar intake is

Given the image comes from the metaphor about ostriches, which itself is completely false to begin with, I feel like there's a sugar knowledge inception in this comment.