Why is everyone so afraid of sugar?

Anonymous199616
Anonymous199616 Posts: 22
in Food and Nutrition
I don't understand what's supposed to be so bad, I know in extreme it can cause diabetes etc but in normal amounts of food whats so bad? I've never limited my sugar and I'm fine...
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Replies

  • willdob3
    willdob3 Posts: 640 Member
    I don't think people are afraid of sugar but many people rely on MFP to help them lose weight & are trying to stick to the numbers MFP gives them. They can become alarmed when they think they are eating right but find themselves over on the allowed sugar (or sodium or protein or whatever).

    Sugar does not cause Diabetes.
  • nikkylyn
    nikkylyn Posts: 325 Member
    Probably because sugar is one of the reasons many of us became overweight. For some ppl they can't just eat one cookie. A little sugar leads to a lot.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,262 Member
    Who is this sugar that people talk so disparagingly about .:tongue:
  • WaterBunnie
    WaterBunnie Posts: 1,371 Member
    I no longer track mine. If 3 pieces of fruit a day is going to put me over I'm not willing to listen!
  • dorrien12
    dorrien12 Posts: 17
    There's this particular candy I used to enjoy; Smarties, they only consist of sugar and I couldn't eat just 1 pack, I had many. So I try to avoid the "Extra" sugars and except the sugars that come in Apples, Grapes, & Watermelon etc. At this point in my life I don't have the discipline needed so I cut them out, one day I hope to have the discipline to just eat a few at a time.
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
    Sugar doesn't cause diabetes. When I had Gestational Diabetes, my Endocrinologist said normal people could eat a whole chocolate cake and not have their blood sugar exit the normal range.
  • apatheticsloth
    apatheticsloth Posts: 47
    I don't think people are afraid of sugar but many people rely on MFP to help them lose weight & are trying to stick to the numbers MFP gives them. They can become alarmed when they think they are eating right but find themselves over on the allowed sugar (or sodium or protein or whatever).

    Sugar does not cause Diabetes.

    Absolutely, exactly THIS. I just started a few days ago and I'm eating as healthfully as possible. I'm nowhere near reaching my limits in anything other than sugar. I'm actually surprised at how hard it is to reach the number of calories I'm supposed to eat.

    I love fruits and veggies but I'm shocked at how the number in the sugar column goes up when I eat them. :(
  • Velum_cado
    Velum_cado Posts: 1,608 Member
    Sugar isn't the enemy. Neither are fat or calories. The inability to use moderation and being averse to nutritious food (ie, "I don't eat vegetables") are the enemies.
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,329 Member
    As I understand it, sugar (if you don't burn it off) is converted to fat faster than any other food. If you are active and eat a lot of sugar, your body will use that as fuel and not burn your fat.....and you will end up craving more sugar.
  • BeachIron
    BeachIron Posts: 6,490 Member
    Hey, everyone has to be afraid of something, right?

    Me? I'm afraid of killer clowns from outer space.

    Sugar? Not so much.

    tumblr_ln4oop7eYf1qaivaao1_500_zps94c6dee5.jpg
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
    As I understand it, sugar (if you don't burn it off) is converted to fat faster than any other food. If you are active and eat a lot of sugar, your body will use that as fuel and not burn your fat.....and you will end up craving more sugar.

    Not in a caloric deficit. You will still burn fat. Your body cannot burn nothing.
  • DeterminedRealist
    DeterminedRealist Posts: 21 Member
    Afraid of sugar? ... no not exactly, since I am reversing diabetes, sugar (or more specifically ANY carbohydrate more than 45g per meal) is not my friend. Fruit in moderation as a part of my whole food, veggie rich diet, hits the spot nicely.
  • MexicanOsmosis
    MexicanOsmosis Posts: 382 Member
    Probably because sugar is one of the reasons many of us became overweight. For some ppl they can't just eat one cookie. A little sugar leads to a lot.

    Well damn, I thought I got fat because I was eating a calorie surplus...
  • Elliesque
    Elliesque Posts: 156 Member
    Sugar is the devil.

    No, but really, I just don't eat it because I simply feel better without it. Everyone else I know eats it in droves.
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,329 Member
    As I understand it, sugar (if you don't burn it off) is converted to fat faster than any other food. If you are active and eat a lot of sugar, your body will use that as fuel and not burn your fat.....and you will end up craving more sugar.

    Not in a caloric deficit. You will still burn fat. Your body cannot burn nothing.

    I understand that. The body will use up the sugar FIRST, then, when that's gone, go for the fat (unless you eat more sugar, which a lot of people do). But if you limit the sugar, the body will burn MORE fat.
  • brit__2006
    brit__2006 Posts: 201 Member
    I believe it is definately a misconception. It's not the sugar that made/makes us fat, it's the amount of which we take it in. If I ask someone for some kind of advice they say well if you cut this and that then you will lose. Umm nope, well maybe for a bit, but in my case before I started figuring this stuff out a little better I tried it all, and didn't get anywhere long term. I no longer cut anything from my diet, if it fits in my calories and my macros and I want it. I'll have it, and may have it the next day too. Maybe that's just me, but it's working and I'm still losing and a healthy rate.
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
    As I understand it, sugar (if you don't burn it off) is converted to fat faster than any other food. If you are active and eat a lot of sugar, your body will use that as fuel and not burn your fat.....and you will end up craving more sugar.

    Not in a caloric deficit. You will still burn fat. Your body cannot burn nothing.

    I understand that. The body will use up the sugar FIRST, then, when that's gone, go for the fat (unless you eat more sugar, which a lot of people do). But if you limit the sugar, the body will burn MORE fat.

    That is way too simplistic a way of looking at it. The body doesn't say, "Oh crap, no glucose... guess I'll have to burn fat until that's gone." If there is no sugar for energy, you will burn fat but you will also burn muscle. It takes a 3500 calorie deficit to burn a pound of fat, but only about 600 calorie deficit to burn through a pound of muscle. Carbs are good for you unless you're diabetic. They provide you with energy. Extreme low carb diets i.e. ketogenic diets are good for very quick very short-term fat loss. They aren't sustainable.
  • salleymo
    salleymo Posts: 50 Member
    For me, I'm not so afraid of the good sugars, I'm afraid of the refined ones mainly because I don't get the concept of moderation. I try it in moderation, but can't keep myself from wanting more and eventually overindulging.
  • Trueray
    Trueray Posts: 1,189 Member
    <---Am not afraid lol
  • kingscrown
    kingscrown Posts: 615 Member
    Sugar is not to be feared. The amount is to be weary of. Not because its dangerous, but because it is not nutritious. It's an empty calorie. It should be used as spice in life. I love honey on my tea. Sometimes I'll drizzle some on my yogurt. I don't eat enough sugar calories that it takes away from my nutritious calories. I used to be a big candy hound.
  • connie_messina
    connie_messina Posts: 495 Member
    bump
  • grentea
    grentea Posts: 96 Member
    I don't think it is the sugar that people are afraid of, but the junk food and the empty calories that usually have a lot of sugar. A lot of people are eating a lot of processed unhealthy foods.
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,329 Member
    Carbs are good for you unless you're diabetic. They provide you with energy. Extreme low carb diets i.e. ketogenic diets are good for very quick very short-term fat loss. They aren't sustainable.

    I am not talking low carb. I know carbs are good for you. But I am talking about pure sugar...not potatoes or bread or other carbs. You DON'T need to ingest pure sugar to survive....that's why our bodies convert carbs to glucose. It may sound simplistic, but its true.
  • apatheticsloth
    apatheticsloth Posts: 47
    I'm not afraid of "sugar", I'm shocked by how quickly the number climbs in my food diary when I eat healthy food.

    Perhaps I'm out of my league in this discussion.
  • simplysweetpeach
    simplysweetpeach Posts: 1
    Just like there is "good" fat and "bad" fat there is good sugar and bad sugar. Its pretty obvious as to which is which. 1 in 3 Americans are at risk for type 2 diabetes. Its threads like this one that make me realize why. Dont ever feel bad about slipping up and eating sugar but dont make it a daily habit either, MFP makes you watch what you are eating so you have a more realistic idea of what your putting in your mouth. Yesterday I was at the check out counter and saw the candy bars they put right there in your face and I kept staring at it yearning for the pack of reeses so finally i picked it up and read the sugar content and it was OVER my entire days alotted sugar. If that wasnt enough motivation to put down the candy bar I dont know what is lol. Sugar is bad for you, thats just it, there is a reason vegetable intake is higher than fruit.
  • pollypocket3
    pollypocket3 Posts: 51 Member
    Sugar isn't the enemy. Neither are fat or calories. The inability to use moderation and being averse to nutritious food (ie, "I don't eat vegetables") are the enemies.

    Well put! I have to second this!
  • H_Factor
    H_Factor Posts: 1,722 Member
    you can't have a discussion about "sugar" without understanding the glycemic index chart and the effect of foods with high GI vs. foods with low GI. Foods with a low GI....like most veggies, apples, grapefruit, berries, sweet potato, etc.....take longer to digest and they do not cause a spike in free roaming insulin in your body. Foods with high GI....like basically every processed food and refined sugar, along with "white" stuff like bread, potatoes, etc....they digest QUICKLY and they cause free roaming insulin spike in the body. What's the problem with insulin? That's the hormone that STORES the food you eat. Also, it keeps glucagon to a minimum and that's the hormone that helps with using the foods you eat for energy. When you eat foods that digest more quickly, you get hungry sooner...which usually isn't as conducive for fat loss because when you're hungry, you have to use more will power to avoid over eating. Meanwhile, if you eat quality carbs with a low GI that do not digest quickly (along with lean protein and healthy fats), you don't get hungry as quick and will power isn't as much an issue. Plus, when you eat processed foods/sugars, you tend to want to eat more and more no matter how quickly the calories are adding up. Again, this requires more will power to keep calories at a fat burning level....something that's not necessary if you keep foods with a high GI rating to a minimum.
  • L64Reed
    L64Reed Posts: 31 Member
    Sugar is an additive to foods (along with fat) that can make things addictive. It's not that sugar is bad, it's that sometimes it is hard to turn off the want for all things sugary. I believe that's why most people eat it in low amounts when watching what they eat. However, I would choose real sugar over fake sugars any day. But I feel better when I'm not eating LOTS of sugar. I do not pay attention to going over my sugar when I am eating fruits, but it does remind me how much sugar is in certain fruits and not in others,which is good to be aware of too I suppose.

    Check out Dwindling Expectations and share thoughts and ideas on weight loss! YOLO!

    L64Reed
  • airdale8263
    airdale8263 Posts: 2,153 Member
    Not afraid of sugar even as a diabetic. It is all about moderation and the type of carbs you have. High-fiber complex carbohydrates are what are recommennded for me.
  • Achrya
    Achrya Posts: 16,913 Member
    Sugar killed my parents.


    But seriously I don't have sugar issues. I am over my sugar goal by lunch and it isn't from fruit and yet here I am, losing a little over my planned one pound a week. I stay in my calorie goal so meh to sugar making me more hungry or craving more sugar. Sugar didn't make me fat, a calorie surplus did, and so I see no issue with my nightly ice cream and cookies. Calories well spent.

    Other people's mileage obviously varies.

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