Help... fat and sugar

jackievarley9574

Ok so I need some help. I cannot seem to stay under my fat and sugar intake for the day. I think I’m eating pretty healthy but I’m doing something wrong. I’m eating very simple foods. I just need a little direction I guess. Here’s my log for today
Breakfast:
1 slice of multigrain bread with 2 tablespoons natural no sugar added pb
Activia probiotic dailies drink
Black coffee

Snack:
Small apple and KIND peanut & dark chocolate bar

Lunch:
Diet Mountain Dew (I know it’s not ideal but there was a bad storm coming and I had to skip lunch to get home to kids at a decent time)

Dinner:
Organic sweet potatoes baked with organic maple syrup and I can’t believe it’s not butter (1 teaspoon each)
Baby spinach salad with balsamic vinaigrette
Green beans
(No meat today I was too hungry to wait for it to cook lol)

So I’m over my fat and sugar and I still have 312 calories left to eat. Thanks in advance for any advice.

kam26001

Well, you definitely needed more protein today. If you have 312 calories left, I don't see why you can't you eat something balanced to fulfill your limit. There's nothing wrong with the apple, sweet potato, bread, syrup... if that's what's putting your sugars over. I don't even see that much fat in your meal plan, to be honest. I would just try to get in those 312 cals first. Then dial in on the macros.

solieco1

Maybe your fats and sugars are lower than they need to be to keep you satisfied. You don't have to keep the default macro percentages and can change them in your settings. Unless you have a specific medical need, eat what you want within your calorie limit.

To change them go to
- My Home
- Goals
and you'll see where you can edit.

Or just ignore those numbers and stay within your calories

emmamcgarity

Do you have a medical reason to track sugar or fat?

jackievarley9574

Ah ok I thought that I needed to stay under, no medical reasons to. Just don’t know what I’m doing haha. Thanks guys I appreciate the advice.

gaelicstorm

I think you need more protein, personally. Are you vegetarian? If not, good choices of lean protein are breast meat turkey and chicken. They can increase your protein intake without giving you a lot of fat. I also rely on eggs to help me meet my goals.

I don't track my sugar and I'm a diabetic. I just track overall carbohydrate and make sure that they are in check. That is my first priority. I go over fat too. It happens. I just try to stay as true to my macros as possible.

gaelicstorm

Also I sometimes enjoy a Diet Mt. Dew too

jflongo

As others have pointed out, make sure you hit your protein goals, just depends on what trying to do. A good number is around 0.6 - 1g / lb of body weight, depending on how lean you are and whether you trying to gain strength or just lose weight.

Can you let us know what your goals are though that will help answer these questions.

thisPGHlife

Just to add on, fat and protein numbers are usually considered minimums. Fat is important in helping to regulate hormones and even helps you poop. Unless there is a medical reason, I wouldn't worry about too much fat, within reason, especially if it helps you stay satiated. Same for sugar. Especially since you have a good amount coming from nutrient dense foods like apples and sweet potatoes. And even of the food isn't "the best," you are trying to create your lifestyle. The food police aren't going to put you in jail for a half cup of ice cream that puts you over for sugar. Yes, do your best, but at the end of the day you aren't going to be totally unhealthy if you have 20 extra carbs or were 2 grams shy of your daily protein goal.

Like others have said, make sure you're getting enough calories. Make sure you're to get enough protein and fat but don't stress out about it. I know you said today was off because you didn't feel like waiting for food to cook. If you are still concerned about too much sugar because you feel better when you have less, maybe look into some higher protein foods that are quick. I love using jerky. It can be higher in sugar but also is easy protein. You can have a stash of hard boiled eggs in the fridge. Nuts, seeds, and lunch meat are all great for quick food that gives you some protein and fat. Also, smoked salmon and tuna fish are easy quick things. Salmon is going to have the yummy fats and is great in cucumber slices some cream cheese. If you are short on calories but need the protein then tuna is where it's at. Depending on what you get, the calories are pretty much exclusively from protein with a minimal amount of fat. One regular sized can of Starkist light tuna in water has 1g of fat and 20g of protein with no carbs and is 90 calories.