Do you pay much attention to food categories

EuroDivas

What I mean is do you make a big deal of tracking protein, fiber, fat etc. I try my best to keep my calorie goal and most of the time the rest falls into place. The only one which I concern myself with sometimes is sugar. I have noticed if I eat a lot of fresh fruit (for example clementines which I love) I am always over my sugar goal for the day. I cannot fully accept that eating 5 pieces of fruit a day is bad for me.


Do you rate conventional sugar different than fresh fruit sugar? Meaning, if your sugar from the day is mainly from fruit the overage is ignored.

thanks

gem5639

Fruit sugar still isn't "good", fruits can be split in to categories that are high fructose and some not so high fructose - examples

High fructose - banana
Low fructose - apricot

You can be wiser when it comes to choosing fruit... :-)

HappyStack

All fruit is fine. Keep doing what you're doing, staying within your calorie allowance. Sugar doesn't make you fat... doesn't matter if it comes from fruit or from sweets. Your body can't tell the difference.

Sabine_Stroehm

What I mean is do you make a big deal of tracking protein, fiber, fat etc. I try my best to keep my calorie goal and most of the time the rest falls into place. The only one which I concern myself with sometimes is sugar. I have noticed if I eat a lot of fresh fruit (for example clementines which I love) I am always over my sugar goal for the day. I cannot fully accept that eating 5 pieces of fruit a day is bad for me.


Do you rate conventional sugar different than fresh fruit sugar? Meaning, if your sugar from the day is mainly from fruit the overage is ignored.

thanks

Macros.
I paid *some* attention to the macros when I was logging regularly. I pay *more* attention to the foods I am choosing. I try to eat nutrient dense, fiber rich fruits, vegetables and grains, and lean proteins and some dairy. MFP's macros can't show the difference between nutrient dense fruits or vegetables and a twinkie. So I do that myself.

gem5639

Sugar does make you fat!! If it is not expended it is stored and turned to fat!!! Basics....

alexander_airey93

I tend to look at fat content and protein. I'm on high fibre drinks anyway but obviously, I'm more interested in the calories.

RllyGudTweetr

Sugar really doesn't matter for health and weight loss for most folks unless they have a specific medical condition (diabetes, hypoglycemia, etc.). It's just a carb. Unless the sugar is causing you to go over calories for the day, or impairing your ability to get adequate proteins while staying within caloric budget, there's no need to track it separately aside from the aforementioned pre-existing medical conditions.

F00LofaT00K

What I mean is do you make a big deal of tracking protein, fiber, fat etc. I try my best to keep my calorie goal and most of the time the rest falls into place. The only one which I concern myself with sometimes is sugar. I have noticed if I eat a lot of fresh fruit (for example clementines which I love) I am always over my sugar goal for the day. I cannot fully accept that eating 5 pieces of fruit a day is bad for me.


Do you rate conventional sugar different than fresh fruit sugar? Meaning, if your sugar from the day is mainly from fruit the overage is ignored.

thanks

I do my best to meet my goals for protein and fat because my body needs them the most. I end up getting enough carbs without trying. I have to put in effort to get enough fiber and I'm currently looking for ways to improve my fiber intake. But yes, I pay attention to my macros (food categories). The body needs the protein to build new cells and support muscles. It needs the fat for hormone regulation (I think. . .) and to support organ functions.

I do not rate any sugar differently. The chemical makeup of sugar in fruit and sugar in cakes are identical. Sugar really is sugar. I try to limit the sugar I get from candy and whatnot only because I'd rather get the vitamins in the fruits and I'd like to get enough carbs from fiber. I don't avoid any foods though and I usually have some kind of chocolate or cookies or wine or something daily. If I had a medical condition that was negatively affected by sugar or if diabetes ran rampant throughout my family, I would be watching my sugar. But that is not the case so I took it off of my macros that I track because it always goes over. ALWAYS. And chocolate is delicious.

HappyStack

If it is not expended it is stored and turned to fat!!! Basics....

This applies to carbs, protein, fats... sugar in and of itself doesn't make you fat. Too many calories for your activity level makes you fat.

Basics.

F00LofaT00K

Sugar does make you fat!! If it is not expended it is stored and turned to fat!!! Basics....

I think what they mean is that sugar by itself while eating at a deficit does not make you fat. If you eat more protein, fat, carbs, etc. than your body is expending. . . that is, if you eat ANY calories more than your body is using, it will be stored as fat.

thesupremeforce

I don't "rate" sugar at all. Eat a deficit and hit your macros. Worry about sugar IF you have a medical reason to do so. Otherwise, it's not going to impact your weight loss.

NaomiJFoster

I pay a lot of attention to fiber, just because bad icky things tend to happen when I'm not getting the right amount. That's just something I've learned about myself over many year, even before I was trying to lose weight.


I do pay attention to the other macros, I try to be mindful about getting protein. But if it doesn't come out quite right, I don't get concerned about that. Over the course of a whole week, it tends to end up pretty close to where I want it.

TribeHokie

I'm mostly concerned with getting enough protein. I don't really pay attention to carbs or fat, though sometimes I have to remind myself that I need SOME fat since I tend to go for lowfat/nonfat alternatives whenever possible.

cwolfman13

I track my macros, I do not micromanage micronutrients like sugar. I'm more concerned with the macro level carbohydrate than sugar as a subset. I first and foremost try to get in my 0.9 to 1 gram of protein per Lb of LBM and roughly .30 grams of fat per Lb of body mass...then my carbs. I try to get as much vitamin and mineral nutrition as possible from my diet so I eat a lot of veggies and a serving or two of fruit daily. Other than fruit and veg, my carbs are largely made up of whole grains, oats, seeds, legumes, starches like potato/sweet potato/corn, etc. as well as pastas and various rice varieties. I don't eat much in the way of "junk" food...a little here and there, but it's not a substantial part of my diet. I generally steer clear of commercial baked goods.

SailorKnightWing

Just so you can get used to the terminology, nutrients come in two categories: macronutrients (macros: fat, protein, and carbohydrates), and micronutrients (micros: everything else, including fiber, sugar, vitamin C, etc.). :drinker:

TR0berts

Sugar does make you fat!! If it is not expended it is stored and turned to fat!!! Basics....

Um, the "basics" are: sugar is a carb. Unless you are diabetic (or have some other insulin/carb resistant malady), then the carbs are used first. As such, sugar is the least likely nutrient that is stored as fat.

bajoyba

I track my macros and do my best to hit them. Protein is my number one priority, followed by fat, and I try to stay at or below my carb goal. I also don't track sugar at all. Instead, I track my fiber to make sure I'm getting enough, and I track my sodium to give me some insight into potential water retention.

Ignaura

I track my macros and my calories simply just fall into place.

gem5639

Sugar does make you fat!! If it is not expended it is stored and turned to fat!!! Basics....

Um, the "basics" are: sugar is a carb. Unless you are diabetic (or have some other insulin/carb resistant malady), then the carbs are used first. As such, sugar is the least likely nutrient that is stored as fat.

But if you want to achieve "fat loss" then it's best to reduce carb (and therefore sugar) so the body then takes fat as your source of energy, therefore burns fat first cos it doesn't have carbs/sugars to burn, hence then losing pure fat!

HappyStack

It just never ends.

lebbyloses

I didn't at the beginning. Now calories are still king: if I want to have a day of all carbs, I will. But most days I try go over on protein and fiber and under on carbs and sugar. Fat I try to be close to the target. A little under or over is fine, but if it's a high fat day I think it's better to be sure it's because I had a lot of healthy fats.

youdontknowwhatyousaw

I mostly just pay attention to calories. I do make sure I get at least 60 grams of protein a day and that on most days I have around 30 grams of fiber. I watch fiber because if I have several low fiber days in a row I start to feel like crap and just want to lay around doing nothing.

SymphonynSonata

I've never, ever, ever been good at tracking food groups/macros/etc. I just eat what I want to eat. If I spend all of my calories in ice cream and realize I'm freakin starving, then the next day I'll eat a better assortment of foods. I feel like your cravings, generally, will involve the nutrients you really need. I get wicked cravings for cherries and when I eat them they taste great. But if I were to eat them now I'd be disgusted with the flavor - it's weird. I'm like the self-nutrient whisperer.

TavistockToad

What I mean is do you make a big deal of tracking protein, fiber, fat etc. I try my best to keep my calorie goal and most of the time the rest falls into place. The only one which I concern myself with sometimes is sugar. I have noticed if I eat a lot of fresh fruit (for example clementines which I love) I am always over my sugar goal for the day. I cannot fully accept that eating 5 pieces of fruit a day is bad for me.


Do you rate conventional sugar different than fresh fruit sugar? Meaning, if your sugar from the day is mainly from fruit the overage is ignored.

thanks

I watch my carbs, protein and fat as I follow IIFYM, don't bother with sugar though.

bumblebreezy91

If it is not expended it is stored and turned to fat!!! Basics....

This applies to carbs, protein, fats... sugar in and of itself doesn't make you fat. Too many calories for your activity level makes you fat.

Basics.

^this.

To answer the OP's question, I only pay the most attention to calories. And then I track fat, protein, fiber, sodium, and iron. I have iron-deficiency anemia, I'm on medication that can make me constipated, I make sure I'm not too far over in sodium or fat, and make sure I get at least half of my protein goal. I used to track sugar and carbs but it just wasn't worth the anxiety of seeing a red number. I eat a lot of apples and that always put me over, even though the rest of my food was fine. I'm simply not giving up my fruit because MFP doesn't separate natural sugars from artificial/added ones and "good" carbs from "bad' ones. I still eat at a calorie deficit and that's really what matters, so I'm losing weight steadily.

parkscs

Sugar does make you fat!! If it is not expended it is stored and turned to fat!!! Basics....

Um, the "basics" are: sugar is a carb. Unless you are diabetic (or have some other insulin/carb resistant malady), then the carbs are used first. As such, sugar is the least likely nutrient that is stored as fat.

But if you want to achieve "fat loss" then it's best to reduce carb (and therefore sugar) so the body then takes fat as your source of energy, therefore burns fat first cos it doesn't have carbs/sugars to burn, hence then losing pure fat!

Even in a state of ketosis, your body burns your food before it turns to your fat cells. In other words, even when your body is fully adapted to burning fat as its primary source of energy instead of carbohydrates, you still need to eat a caloric deficit.

TX_Rhon

It just never ends.

^^LOL - cuz I feel your pain. :flowerforyou:

OP - I track my protein and exchanged my sugar category for my fiber which I adjusted up a bit. Before being attacked by the "sugar makes you fat" clan, monitoring my sugar makes no difference in my progress. The key is finding what works for you.

Francl27

It just never ends.

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

What you eat doesn't matter. Calories are calories. The only thing I pay attention to is protein, and I try to reach my goal for those (although I don't always)... Protein keeps me fuller and helps preventing muscle loss.

kgeyser

Sugar does make you fat!! If it is not expended it is stored and turned to fat!!! Basics....

Um, the "basics" are: sugar is a carb. Unless you are diabetic (or have some other insulin/carb resistant malady), then the carbs are used first. As such, sugar is the least likely nutrient that is stored as fat.

But if you want to achieve "fat loss" then it's best to reduce carb (and therefore sugar) so the body then takes fat as your source of energy, therefore burns fat first cos it doesn't have carbs/sugars to burn, hence then losing pure fat!

They make these really cool Swedish nutrition bars that help you lose weight. They just burn up all your carbs.

_TastySnoBalls_

Sugar does make you fat!! If it is not expended it is stored and turned to fat!!! Basics....

Um, the "basics" are: sugar is a carb. Unless you are diabetic (or have some other insulin/carb resistant malady), then the carbs are used first. As such, sugar is the least likely nutrient that is stored as fat.

But if you want to achieve "fat loss" then it's best to reduce carb (and therefore sugar) so the body then takes fat as your source of energy, therefore burns fat first cos it doesn't have carbs/sugars to burn, hence then losing pure fat!

:noway: :noway: :noway: :noway:

MandyMason7

They make these really cool Swedish nutrition bars that help you lose weight. They just burn up all your carbs.

Lol, I love you