Question: Sugar grams

flatcoatedR
flatcoatedR Posts: 173 Member
edited November 2024 in Food and Nutrition
I pretty much have been watching my calories, carbs, and sugar grams. I'm quite large and have a lot of weight to lose. How many grams of sugar do all of you allow yourselves per day? I'm not sure how many I should be allowing myself to lose. Thank you.
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Replies

  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
    Unless you are diabetic its not necessary to track sugar grams. All you need to lose weight is a reasonable calorie deficit and log everything you consume.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    I don't pay any attention to the amount of sugar I eat to lose, personally. As long as I'm hitting my calorie numbers and my protein minimum, everything else tends to fall in line. If you're watching sugar as part of a health concern or to try and achieve something like ketosis, then sugar will probably matter more to you. But just for straight weight loss, it's not a big concern.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited August 2017
    Total sugar doesn't really matter -- it's just a subset of carbs. I like the WHO recommendation of no more than 5% of calories from added sugar (as a rough guideline, sometimes I'm over, more often I'm under), but that's more about calories from low nutrient foods, not sugar in and of itself. I would not consider all foods that contribute sugar to be the same, as they differ in other respects (like micronutrients, total macros, fiber, calories, how filling they are).

    I focus on getting enough protein (I aim for 95-100 g, based on lean body mass or .8x120, my preferred weight), enough fat (especially healthy fats like nuts, seeds, avocado, fatty fish, olives and olive oil) to be satisfying to me, and then try to devote the majority of my remaining calories to nutrient dense foods, but if I can fit in a treat (which might be sweet), I certainly see nothing wrong with that.
  • Bluetail6
    Bluetail6 Posts: 2,991 Member
    The only sugar I keep track of is added sugar. I keep track of the added sugar in the notes section. This is not necessary at all. I just personally want to keep my daily added sugar to 25g or less. Again, this is not necessary for weight loss.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    cathipa wrote: »
    Unless you are diabetic its not necessary to track sugar grams. All you need to lose weight is a reasonable calorie deficit and log everything you consume.

    Even if you are diabetic, watching sugar grams is not necessary unless you take insulin. Total carb grams is the important number for T2 diabetics, not how those carbs are divided up into the subsets.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Never tracked sugar. An irrelevance to me, just a subset of carbs after all.
    Sugar is just one source of calories - focus on the big picture of an overall healthy diet in the correct quantity not small details.

    Extreme example:
    When cycling long distance events I'm eating 90g of sugar (glucose & fructose mix) an HOUR, for hour after hour...... As long as I am in a calorie deficit I would be losing weight that day.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    I changed my settings to track fiber instead of sugar. No medical issues (for me) so I decided fiber was more important.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    TeaBea wrote: »
    I changed my settings to track fiber instead of sugar. No medical issues (for me) so I decided fiber was more important.

    I did the same thing. My Dad died of colon cancer so it is more important to me to make sure I get enough fiber as part of my preventative measures than it is tracking sugar since I track total carbs.
  • Old_Cat_Lady
    Old_Cat_Lady Posts: 1,193 Member
    I don't eat anything that has more than 10 grams of added sugar. Yeay, fiber one bars fit. I never count sugars from natural foods.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    I left sugar on my diary but only for curiosity's sake. The only worry about eating too much sugar is that it will either push your calories over your limit, or crowd out other stuff in your diet.

    So I prefer to track my calories, and then secondarily pay attention that I'm getting enough protein, fat, and fiber. If I hit all those numbers, I'm good, and chances are my sugar isn't crazy high anyway.

    And IMHO it's more fun to try to get more of something into your diet than less of something anyway :)
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    I watch my carbs, and look at sugar and fibre too. I try to keep sugar under 5g and fibre over 50% of my carb total. the sugars I do eat tend to come from veggies and a few fruits. Possibly from dairy.
  • Aerona85
    Aerona85 Posts: 159 Member
    I don't watch it because the majority of the stuff I log doesn't have added sugar split out from natural so how would I know for sure which one for sure something was (unless I made it myself and put sugar in...only time I really do that is when making overnight Oats in put in around 1/2 tbsp or a little less maple syrup. Otherwise I don't add sugar, and I don't really care for overly sweet foods.
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  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    emailmehere1122 wrote: »
    I don't know if Dr Mercola is a quack but how about
    Harvard health
    https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/is-fructose-bad-for-you-201104262425

    Webmd
    http://www.webmd.com/heart/metabolic-syndrome/news/20090421/fresh-take-on-fructose-vs-glucose

    Or livestrong
    http://www.livestrong.com/article/533337-fruit-sugar-vs-other-sugars/

    What about them? They're each blogs opining about how different kinds of sugar might affect the body.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    emailmehere1122 wrote: »
    Hfcs can be 90% fructose and there is crystalline fructose. If you read the articles all the way through they all say fruits and vegetables aren't a concern but to watch your added sugars, especially fructose. If your liver is converting fructose into triglycerides and ldl cholesterol then why not be aware of that and limit added fructose...in hfcs and sucrose...especially if you have a poor lipid profile

    They are blogs of people giving their opinions, not medical facts. As other replies mentioned, they don't suggest anything conclusive. And I don't have a poor lipid profile. There are some health conditions that may require watching your sugar, so yeah if you have one of those, watch your sugar.

    Regardless, what I said in my first reply stands - I focus on making sure I am getting enough protein, fat, and fiber. And guess what that causes? My sugar can't be too high, because otherwise it would crowd out something else.

    Sugar is just the latest boogeyman. Everyone wants some big bad thing to point our fingers of blame at. We keep going through phases of fearmongering one ingredient. It isn't getting us anywhere. Just eat a balanced nutritious diet at the right calorie level, and you don't have to be afraid of any food.
  • emailmehere1122
    emailmehere1122 Posts: 140 Member
    I guess I was mistaken...I didn't know webmd was someone's opinion I thought it was medical fact. The op was asking about cutting back on sugar and people were saying even someone with diabetes doesn't need to worry about sugar which I thought was crazy but ok
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    emailmehere1122 wrote: »
    I guess I was mistaken...I didn't know webmd was someone's opinion I thought it was medical fact. The op was asking about cutting back on sugar and people were saying even someone with diabetes doesn't need to worry about sugar which I thought was crazy but ok

    Yeah, unfortunately lots of these websites have blogs in addition to their health fact sheets. And the other thing you have to watch out for is that just because someone is a doctor doesn't mean they are experts at everything health related. look at Dr, Oz - he is a brilliant cardiologist but he's ruined his good name by being uninformed about weight loss/nutrition!

    I can't speak about diabetes, I don't have it and I'm not a doctor.

    Mind you, I'm not saying eat all the sugar all the time :lol:, but if you are at your calorie goal, you'll lose weight, whether you ate 20g of sugar or 100g of sugar :cookie:
  • bpetrosky
    bpetrosky Posts: 3,911 Member
    emailmehere1122 wrote: »
    Hfcs can be 90% fructose and there is crystalline fructose. If you read the articles all the way through they all say fruits and vegetables aren't a concern but to watch your added sugars, especially fructose. If your liver is converting fructose into triglycerides and ldl cholesterol then why not be aware of that and limit added fructose...in hfcs and sucrose...especially if you have a poor lipid profile

    HFCS-90 is rarely used as-is, it's usually mixed down to a much lower ratio like 55/45. Crystalline fructose is often used for other properties than it's sweetness, as other forms of sugar are cheaper. So the sweetness in a product is primarily from sucrose or HFCS, and the crystalline fructose is used in a much smaller amount for a different reason. An average person is going to consume roughly equal amounts of fructose and glucose over the course of a day, almost never in isolation.

    The OP did not indicate she had any health problem that would suggest fructose was a problem. So the most reasonable advice would be to maintain a level of overall calories consistent with her goal, moderating her sugar intake within that goal as needed.

    Again, sugar in general and more recently fructose in particular have become the villains du jure. Mercola and Lusting have been flogging this theory and a number of agenda sites are generating a flood of scary sounding articles and blogs that are designed to be used as clickbait.
  • bpetrosky
    bpetrosky Posts: 3,911 Member
    flatcoatedR wrote: »
    I pretty much have been watching my calories, carbs, and sugar grams. I'm quite large and have a lot of weight to lose. How many grams of sugar do all of you allow yourselves per day? I'm not sure how many I should be allowing myself to lose. Thank you.

    OP, as long as you're currently in good health metabolically, the main target you'll want to watch is your overall calories. You will lose weight if you do that, no matter the macro ratio.

    Make sure you are getting sufficient protein and fat, and the carbs (and sugars) can fill in the rest. Don't let a fear sugar prevent you from enjoying some fruit or even a sweet treat as long as it fits your calorie target.
  • emailmehere1122
    emailmehere1122 Posts: 140 Member
    And you have decided these doctors and the American Heart Association are wrong to tell use to limit our added sugars based on what...someone else's webpages that you like better?
  • bpetrosky
    bpetrosky Posts: 3,911 Member
    edited August 2017
    emailmehere1122 wrote: »
    And you have decided these doctors and the American Heart Association are wrong to tell use to limit our added sugars based on what...someone else's webpages that you like better?

    Yes, I try to choose my sources carefully. Science news reporting is notoriously bad and a lot of blogs and agenda sites cherry pick sources to make their case.

    Again, I'll start off with this quote again from the article you posted. It's about context and dosage in the total diet.
    But Rippe says targeting one type of sugar or even one food as the main culprit in the rise in obesity and obesity-related disease misses the point.

    "We are eating too much of everything, not just sugar," he says. "Over the last three decades, the average American has increased their calorie consumption by 24% and physical activity has declined. People are singling out sugar as the one smoking gun in the obesity epidemic when there are guns everywhere."

    As I advised the OP previously, addressing her total calorie budget and the essentials first within that budget, she can decide what to do with the rest of her calories as desired. This is in line with the American Heart Association recommendation regarding discretionary calories:
    A person’s discretionary calorie budget varies depending on how physically active they are and how many calories they need to consume to meet their daily nutrient requirements. The American Heart Association recommends that no more than half of a person’s daily discretionary calorie allowance be spent on added sugars.

    Common sources of discretionary calories (in addition to added sugars) are fats, oils and alcohol. Fats are the most concentrated source of calories.

    Discretionary calories can be used to:

    Eat additional foods from a food group above your daily recommendation.
    Select a higher-calorie form of a food that’s higher in fat or contains added sugars (whole milk vs. skim or sweetened vs. unsweetened cereal).
    Add fats or sweeteners to the leanest versions of foods (for example, sauce, dressing and butter/margarine).
    Eat or drink items that are mostly fat, sugar or alcohol such as candy, cake, beer, wine or regular soda.

    http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/HealthyEating/Nutrition/Sugar-101_UCM_306024_Article.jsp#.WaahnsiGOUk

    The AHA's guidelines are written for a general audience who are not using calorie counting as a tool. They're trying to thread a needle to get people to cut back on calories without cutting out fruits and other sources of sugars that are still nutritionally beneficial.

    You started off stating that you weren't afraid of sugar, then linking to an alarmist opinion piece written by an anti-sugar crusader. The point is to maintain a healthy weight, and the way to do that is to budget overall calories. Sugar, intrinsic or added, will fall into place when other needs are met.

  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    TheWJordinWJordin wrote: »
    I don't eat anything that has more than 10 grams of added sugar. Yeay, fiber one bars fit. I never count sugars from natural foods.

    I don't care about sugar from an individual item, but total. Barely anything I eat has much added sugar, so if a few days a few I have ice cream (which is not my current pattern, but was for a while) with most of my added sugar in that one item, no biggie.

    Similarly, if I'm pretty low most days but have an occasional day (like a holiday or special event) where I'm way above my normal amount, fine with me.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    emailmehere1122 wrote: »
    I don't know if Dr Mercola is a quack but how about
    Harvard health
    https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/is-fructose-bad-for-you-201104262425

    Mercola is a quack. The "Harvard" piece you looked is some guy wondering if there might be something to Lustig's ideas, not an actual recommendation from their site.

    It also does not say that added sugar in ANY amount or sugar overall (as in fruit) is something to worry about, and Lustig himself says don't worry about fruit.

    So I'm not sure what point you are trying to make.

    The Harvard site recommends that added sugar (as in sweets) be consumed sparingly, but doesn't fixate on sugar as the one and only thing to limit, and has a limit similar to the one from the WHO I mentioned above. That's more about overall healthful diet, and the site (sensibly, IMO) focuses much more on foods that should be included, and definitely recommends fruit. It does not recommend focusing on an overall sugar limit (vs. limiting non nutrient dense foods).

    Also, I think there'd be a difference if focusing on people with a specific use for the added sugar, like endurance athletes who consume it at such times and aren't risking going over calories. Lots of this advice assumes someone who needs to lose weight or is struggling to maintain or form healthy habits and is not logging.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    emailmehere1122 wrote: »
    people were saying even someone with diabetes doesn't need to worry about sugar which I thought was crazy but ok

    That person was pointing out that what people with diabetes need to worry about is carbs (not never eating them, but moderating, eating them in balance with other foods, things like that), not specifically sugar, which is right -- someone with diabetes may find that fruit is not a problem at all, but that fast carbs of other sorts are (I have a friend who has T2D and tests and sees weird differences like rice is way worse than pasta, and for him fruit is fine).

    Maybe if you had responded to that person's post and asked for clarification you would better understand what she was saying.
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