my downfall is sugar

lisa9805

so I was looking over my logs and about 8/10 I go over the required amount of sugar in my day.
I do love a good cup of tea with sugar and milk so I know part of it comes from that. The other is through what I eat. Now for breakfast I like steel cut oats but I always have issues eating it plain. I try cinnamon and apples but it's not the same as a bit of maple syrup (sugar) or pinch of brown sugar. What do you put on your oats? Even looking at dinner recipes I make they sometimes have some form of sugar (honey usually in the sauce when I do a sauce). Just wondering how you have made changes to your sugars in your day to day eating.

janejellyroll

Do you have a medical reason to limit sugar? Many people disregard the sugar limit and just make sure they're hitting overall goals for protein and fat.

jenlaw71

no doubt! had a glass of oj yesterday - went over my sugar.........i've had a banana and a small golden delicious apple today and I'm about to go over already..........

I'm just focusing right now on the other aspects - especially sodium and carbs........I'll talk to my doctor when I see her in a couple weeks.......

lisa9805

No medical reason I was just going by what MFP lists.

janejellyroll

lisa9805 wrote: »

No medical reason I was just going by what MFP lists.

Sugars are found not just in added sugars, but in things that many people eat every day (like dairy products and vegetables and grains). MFP doesn't distinguish between added sugar and the sugar that is intrinsically found in foods, which makes the sugar tracking not useful for many users. If you do find that the sugar you're adding to foods (like the sugar in your tea or the honey in your sauce) is crowding out other things you need to eat or causing you to miss your calorie limit, I'd suggest just reducing the amount you add (using less than a recipe calls for) or reducing the frequency of how often you choose some things (I will add sugar to coffee on some days and not on other days, depending on what else I'm eating that day).

puffbrat

I stopped tracking sugar since I usually go over MFP's recommendation and don't have a medical reason to limit it. Many people try to distinguish between natural sugars in foods like fruits compared to added sugars like desserts. I get a combination of those and don't really intend to cut out or dramatically reduce either. Now I track fiber instead (you can change the macros you track in settings) since that can be related to how full I feel.

lisa9805

Well my fiber is coming in under. I don't know if it's because I have cut out a lot of breads and the like. I eat steel cut oats most mornings and some days sweet potatoes...

CassidyScaglione

I put coconut, flax, grounded almond, pumpkin seeds, and cinnamon in my oatmeal... In various combos.

I find it sweet enough without adding sugar.

nvmomketo

Liquid stevia is a way to add some sweetness without any sugar. I tend to under sweeten with stevia though because some find the aftertaste bitter.

WishfulThinking0

I have a similar problem with fruit sugars, rarely do I add sugar to my food or drink. I get mixed messages on sugar... some say it's the real problem and others say it's fat, I'm at a loss what to think! I just like my fruit and all the vitamins that come with it

lemurcat12

lisa9805 wrote: »

Well my fiber is coming in under. I don't know if it's because I have cut out a lot of breads and the like. I eat steel cut oats most mornings and some days sweet potatoes...

It might be a good idea to work on increasing fiber rather than focusing on sugar, as that will likely help with lowering sugar from foods other than fruits and veg anyway. Great sources of fiber include legumes, as well as whole grains and of course vegetables and many fruits (berries are great and so is avocado).

Yi5hedr3

Set macros to 20/20/60. Problem solved!