sugar!!! what are your numbers like?

colindae
colindae Posts: 37 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So... mfp says I shouldf only have 24g of sugar a day. Im really paying attention now because Im cutting back my sugar but this is ridiculously difficult. does anyone else have this kind of number and how do you deal with it?

Replies

  • AndiGirl70
    AndiGirl70 Posts: 542 Member
    My sugar is over every single day. In general I eat very well with tons of veggies, fruits, and lean meats. I scratch my head on where to cut the sugar myself.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
    Don't track it. Not diabetic.
  • LAW_714
    LAW_714 Posts: 258
    So... mfp says I shouldf only have 24g of sugar a day. Im really paying attention now because Im cutting back my sugar but this is ridiculously difficult. does anyone else have this kind of number and how do you deal with it?

    It's a really difficult number to meet. I usually go over (and I'm okay with that), but I keep it around on the log as a quixotic goal. There are actually the odd, rather rare days where I meet it.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    dunno, haven't tracked sugar in years
  • forgtmenot
    forgtmenot Posts: 860 Member
    I removed the sugar part of my food diary because I eat fruit quite often and it was always throwing me way over on my sugar. I do avoid refined sugars as much as possible and I figure that's good enough.
  • quiqui29
    quiqui29 Posts: 42
    I've noticed if I drink milk and any kind of juice in the same day I tend to go over my sugar ad well but just about every food I log has sugar so its hard many days but I try to burn as many calories exercising to cover it.
  • Bry_Fitness70
    Bry_Fitness70 Posts: 2,480 Member
    I only pay attention to refined sugar - natural sugar, like from fruit, isn't a concern.
  • callas444
    callas444 Posts: 261 Member
    The apple I ate today had 19 grams. If I worried a lot about that sugar number being red, I wouldn't eat apples, bananas, cherries, or even cucumbers! I still track sugar but I don't beat myself up if I go over the goal. I'm going for eating better, not perfect. Perfect is why every diet I have ever been on has failed. I can't do perfect. But I can do better. I can set small goals and reach them. Maybe that's reasonable for you as well.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
    I haven't tracked a single gram of sugar through 300+ lbs. of weight loss...... only concerned with Carbs Proteins and Fat. ... Best of Luck
  • Rebeck725
    Rebeck725 Posts: 5
    I read somewhere that natural sugars in fruits and vegetables shouldn't really count toward the daily food allowance. As long as you're cutting out foods with high fructose corn syrup and granulated cane sugar, you should be okay. I've started baking with coconut sugar - calories are about the same, but the glycemic index is much lower, and it has vitamins and enzymes that other sugars don't.
  • theoriginaljayne
    theoriginaljayne Posts: 559 Member
    That limit is based on the recommended amount of added sugars per day. However, MFP also includes natural sugars in your total, and if you're eating a lot of fruit (as I do!), you'll easily go over. It's fine. Unless you've been advised by your doctor to limit your sugar intake, I wouldn't worry about it.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
    I read somewhere that natural sugars in fruits and vegetables shouldn't really count toward the daily food allowance. As long as you're cutting out foods with high fructose corn syrup and granulated cane sugar, you should be okay. I've started baking with coconut sugar - calories are about the same, but the glycemic index is much lower, and it has vitamins and enzymes that other sugars don't.

    Hfcs turns to glucose in the body just the same as tge fructose in fruit.

    Is irrelevant unless you are diabetic or pre diabetic and eat meals containing solely carbs.
  • highervibes
    highervibes Posts: 2,219 Member
    I don't track sugar. I track the macros + fibre and potassium. I would guess I'm probably "over" since i eat ice cream a fair bit.
  • astrovivi
    astrovivi Posts: 183 Member
    I read somewhere that natural sugars in fruits and vegetables shouldn't really count toward the daily food allowance. As long as you're cutting out foods with high fructose corn syrup and granulated cane sugar, you should be okay. I've started baking with coconut sugar - calories are about the same, but the glycemic index is much lower, and it has vitamins and enzymes that other sugars don't.

    Hfcs turns to glucose in the body just the same as tge fructose in fruit.

    Is irrelevant unless you are diabetic or pre diabetic and eat meals containing solely carbs.


    It is also relevant for anyone with a tendency to fructose malabsorption (which affects about 1/3 of the population to some degree, whether or not it's felt significantly).

    with sources of concentrated fructose, you have to consider the total fructose load over the course of a day as well. your liver doesn't like the constant bombardment of fructose so getting a balance of sugars is better from an overall health perspective. This last bit is essentially true for pretty much everyone, not just those with insulin resistance etc.

    I know we always say that it doesn't matter ... and it does not from a 'carbs' point of view but from a health point of view over the long term, it can make a difference.
  • freekat
    freekat Posts: 71 Member
    I only pay attention to refined sugar - natural sugar, like from fruit, isn't a concern.
    This
  • violetlattice
    violetlattice Posts: 15
    I switched it out to track fiber instead - sugar intake might have long term affect but I'm definitely more concerned with fiber levels - don't beat yourself up about it. No one ever got fat eating fruit.
  • angelfish257
    angelfish257 Posts: 81 Member
    I'm over on sugar every single day - but as a lot of other folks have said, I eat a lot of fruit which throws this number out quite a bit. I hadn't thought of swapping this out and tracking something else instead like fibre, but will have a play about and see about changing this
  • SJVZEE
    SJVZEE Posts: 451 Member
    So... mfp says I shouldf only have 24g of sugar a day. Im really paying attention now because Im cutting back my sugar but this is ridiculously difficult. does anyone else have this kind of number and how do you deal with it?

    I usually eat over 100g a day, all in the form of fresh fruit and then the trace sugars in veggies (and my small handful of raisins that go in my daily oatmeal). It got annoying to see my sugar in the 'red' every day so I replaced with with a different nutrient to track :)
  • Rebeck725
    Rebeck725 Posts: 5
    Looks like I stirred up quite a discussion over types of sugar - I have ADHD and am definitely sensitive to sugar, which is why I look for low GI alternatives. I don't think the question is WHETHER all sugars turn to glucose in the body, but how fast they do. The slower, the better.
  • perfect_storm
    perfect_storm Posts: 326 Member
    I am always over due to eating a lot of fruit so I don't sweat it bec/it is not refined sugar. It does not seem to negatively affect me.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    I eat about 200 grams of carbs per day. I really don't know or care how much of it is sugar.
  • kenzietate
    kenzietate Posts: 399 Member
    Looks like I stirred up quite a discussion over types of sugar - I have ADHD and am definitely sensitive to sugar, which is why I look for low GI alternatives. I don't think the question is WHETHER all sugars turn to glucose in the body, but how fast they do. The slower, the better.

    Check out http://www.livestrong.com/low-glycemic-index-foods/. As far at fruit goes, berries are much lower than other fruits on the GI scale. Whole fruits are much better than juices in any form b/c they contain fiber. Eat anything with sugar, natural or otherwise with protein and fat to help slow the absorption.
  • smiddy16
    smiddy16 Posts: 6
    It's good to hear that the natural sugars like those in fruit and milk don't count! I was worried when I ate a banana this morning and saw it has 14 g of sugar when my daily limit says 24 g. I will now only keep track of the refined sugars. Thanks so much everyone for your posts!
  • mulecanter
    mulecanter Posts: 1,792 Member
    I had the same exact concern, have some milk with cereal and an apple for a snack and you have pretty much blown the sugar budget. Based on this thread, the common sense is that you don't worry about "good sugar", aka natural sugar found in raw food. I think being sensitized to sugar content in processed foods is the point. The avalanche of sugar on the shelves of the grocery store is truly amazing (as another fat American its a bit depressing). Read the label, some cereals have sugar levels an order of magnitude higher that others. I'm trying to make choices that lower my sugar intake but I don't worry about my sugar graph.
  • mulecanter
    mulecanter Posts: 1,792 Member
    I haven't tracked a single gram of sugar through 300+ lbs. of weight loss...... only concerned with Carbs Proteins and Fat. ... Best of Luck

    Dude! 300+ pounds makes you an expert. You are my hero!
  • elizamac123
    elizamac123 Posts: 11
    I stopped tracking my sugar because I always went over even though all my sugar was coming from fresh fruit.

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