Calorie Deficits and Sugar

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Replies

  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    You can't be serious.. Even slow cycling will burn about 1000 calories per hour.

    Ah, no.

    Not even close.

    That's what most apps give me for gross burn. What is close? Why does that matter? I thought the point was whether or not you're storing fat during a 6 hour cycling session?

    Because essentially all I am doing by eating the sugar is creating a deficit while I eat it. So if sugar is still stored as fat automatically, what is the difference if I am burning an immense amount of calories while eating an abnormal amount of sugar compared to someone who eats a moderate amount yet burns it off during the day?

    You didn't read everything I wrote. Sugar is stored when the body can't process it. Otherwise the blood would become too dense and you'd die. Triggering this process too often leads to health problems. Obviously eating sugar while exercising heavily would not create this conditions.

    At what point would the bold occur? Would it be at calorie surplus levels?
  • Dr_Gains
    Dr_Gains Posts: 81 Member
    I honestly cant believe i read through most of these posts. Anything is bad in over indulgence. doesnt matter what it is. Water, steak, sugar, etc etc etc. Its all about moderation. Eat healthy and eat within your calorie limits/goals and concentrate more on your performance in the gym AND your energy levels throughout the day. There is no "perfect" diet or macro setting. Its all about waking up and feeling good throughout your whole day. I eat to keep my blood sugar stable and happy. which means more foods that arent high in processed sugar that will drop my blood sugar a couple hours after eating and make me feel like crap. BUT that is the only reason and when i have a craving i eat it in moderation. If i ever see that i need caffeine at any moment to get me through any part of my day i take a good hard look at my diet to see what can be fixed. Sometimes i think people on here just wanna argue to argue. Wake up, eat healthy, train hard, enjoy life.....rant over lol
  • ksy1969
    ksy1969 Posts: 700 Member
    I know there is a lot of people here with absolutely no license giving medical advice - but all calories are not equal, all carbohydrates are not equal. Same with fats and proteins. They are general groupings and the science is so much more complicated that it's getting laughable when people make it so generic.

    Sugar does have an effect on virtually all people regardless of the caloric intake. Find a medical journal that would say differently. No sugar or too much sugar is a very broad band. But between the two there are differences with the exact same number of calories on the human body.

    Actually what is laughable is why some people have to over complicate it so much. Unless you have a medical condition, diagnosed by a physician, there is only one thing you need to worry about to lose weight. CALORIES. That is it period. There are a lot of people that like to self diagnose medical conditions they don't really have because they want to over complicate what it takes to lose weight.

    As others have mentioned, everything in moderation. So if you are more concerned about over all health there has to be a balance.

    I would also like to add, many of us, even though we may not be licensed medical professionals, we respond with what we have researched and learned from people who have PhD's in nutrition and who reviewed scientific research and done their own studies.
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  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
    No you didn't read anything I wrote. Which one of us is trolling again?

    Well, you started us off with this gem:
    The general consensus is that you can still gain weight even if you are at a very high calorie deficit.

    And now you're agreeing with this:
    This is not an issue when eating in a calorie deficit, as your body will be using body fat to some degree throughout the day to fuel itself.

    So which is it? :huh:
  • I've lost 2 pounds in the past 2 weeks and I usually always go over my sugar, daily. I was always told it was a calories in/calories out idea. As a matter of fact, there are lots of people here on FitnessPal who eat whatever they want, just as long as they stay within their calorie-goal limit.


    If they are healthy sugars I think heck why not eat what you want as long as you stay under your calorie goal. I mean eating fruits the amount they want you to have daily puts you over the sugars anyway. Maybe not have a snickers bar every meal lol
  • crzdirector
    crzdirector Posts: 49 Member
    I am far from a dietician or someone who has been at this for 20 years, but I believe that as long as you're not knocking out 4 Kit-Kat's a day is the reason you are over your sugar count...keep on keeping on. Of course, as with everything, moderation is the key...but fruits are good for ya and there is natural sugars in a lot of veggies. And yes occassionally a kit kat is ok. All of this is assuming you don't have a medical issue as to why you need to limit your sugar intake.

    Cheers

    SK
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  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    It really comes down to ADDED sugar. You're not supposed to consume more than 32g of added sugar/day. This means your coffee, yogurt and other things that they add sugar to. Of course, there is natural sugar in fruit, veggies, etc. I think a lot of it is genetic. I have diabetics in my family and I seem to be VERY sensitive to extra sugar because when I really watch my added sugar intake I lose much easier. That being said, the more you have to lose the less little things like this matter because you can make small changes with big results... but once you get down to that last 20-30lbs it will matter more. Good luck!
    Why are we not supposed to eat more than 32g of added sugar? Who said that? What happens if we do?

    Why have so many of us continued to eat sugar, have hit our weight goal and even surpassed it?

    Keep in mind I'm not diabetic so please don't respond with some diabetes stuff.

    This could be the only diet web site where lots of posters tell you not to worry about sugar.

    Of course you have to worry about sugar. If you are just starting on your weight loss journey, and you are going from a daily intake of say 2,400 calories to 1,500 calories, why in the world would you want to waste (yes, waste) calories on a Coke or a donut, which do nothing for satiety?

    It's not easy to cut calories by 40%. But it is easier if you avoid refined sugar as much as possible. Skip the donut for breakfast and eat two eggs. Fewer calories, and more filling (at least for me and others I know). Drink Diet Coke instead of Coke. It's just common sense.

    Why didn't you include avoiding fruit then? That has a ton of sugar in it.

    People tell individuals not to worry about sugar, etc.., as long as the food/drink fits into your day. That little disclaimer always seems to be missing in these posts, not sure why though?
  • lemonsnowdrop
    lemonsnowdrop Posts: 1,298 Member
    It really comes down to ADDED sugar. You're not supposed to consume more than 32g of added sugar/day. This means your coffee, yogurt and other things that they add sugar to. Of course, there is natural sugar in fruit, veggies, etc. I think a lot of it is genetic. I have diabetics in my family and I seem to be VERY sensitive to extra sugar because when I really watch my added sugar intake I lose much easier. That being said, the more you have to lose the less little things like this matter because you can make small changes with big results... but once you get down to that last 20-30lbs it will matter more. Good luck!
    Why are we not supposed to eat more than 32g of added sugar? Who said that? What happens if we do?

    Why have so many of us continued to eat sugar, have hit our weight goal and even surpassed it?

    Keep in mind I'm not diabetic so please don't respond with some diabetes stuff.

    This could be the only diet web site where lots of posters tell you not to worry about sugar.

    Of course you have to worry about sugar. If you are just starting on your weight loss journey, and you are going from a daily intake of say 2,400 calories to 1,500 calories, why in the world would you want to waste (yes, waste) calories on a Coke or a donut, which do nothing for satiety?

    It's not easy to cut calories by 40%. But it is easier if you avoid refined sugar as much as possible. Skip the donut for breakfast and eat two eggs. Fewer calories, and more filling (at least for me and others I know). Drink Diet Coke instead of Coke. It's just common sense.

    Um, maybe because someone has extra calories and they like the way donuts taste? Or they hate the aftertaste of Diet Coke and see nothing wrong with drinking regular Coke? And why is satiety the only thing that matters? What if I want to eat a donut because I like eating them?
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
    "Time spent doing something you enjoy is never wasted time." The same applies to foods and calories.
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  • DamePiglet
    DamePiglet Posts: 3,730 Member
    It really comes down to ADDED sugar. You're not supposed to consume more than 32g of added sugar/day. This means your coffee, yogurt and other things that they add sugar to. Of course, there is natural sugar in fruit, veggies, etc. I think a lot of it is genetic. I have diabetics in my family and I seem to be VERY sensitive to extra sugar because when I really watch my added sugar intake I lose much easier. That being said, the more you have to lose the less little things like this matter because you can make small changes with big results... but once you get down to that last 20-30lbs it will matter more. Good luck!
    Why are we not supposed to eat more than 32g of added sugar? Who said that? What happens if we do?

    Why have so many of us continued to eat sugar, have hit our weight goal and even surpassed it?

    Keep in mind I'm not diabetic so please don't respond with some diabetes stuff.

    This could be the only diet web site where lots of posters tell you not to worry about sugar.

    Of course you have to worry about sugar. If you are just starting on your weight loss journey, and you are going from a daily intake of say 2,400 calories to 1,500 calories, why in the world would you want to waste (yes, waste) calories on a Coke or a donut, which do nothing for satiety?

    It's not easy to cut calories by 40%. But it is easier if you avoid refined sugar as much as possible. Skip the donut for breakfast and eat two eggs. Fewer calories, and more filling (at least for me and others I know). Drink Diet Coke instead of Coke. It's just common sense.

    I don't like eggs.
    I like donuts.
    I don't like to worry.
  • lemonsnowdrop
    lemonsnowdrop Posts: 1,298 Member
    "Time spent doing something you enjoy is never wasted time." The same applies to foods and calories.

    Perfect quote.
  • abatonfan
    abatonfan Posts: 1,120 Member
    It honestly depends.

    I'm diabetic, and most foods with a high amount of ADDED sugar are very high-GI. As a result, when I inject insulin, the sugar/carbs has already been decomposed into glucose and absorbed through my intestines and into my blood before my insulin has a chance to process. This causes my blood sugar to run really high, and, being the OCD-diabetic that I am, I either inject more insulin or go out and exercise. An hour later, my insulin really begins to peak, and my BG drops, but then, because of the extra insulin I injected or the exercise increasing my insulin sensitivity, I am more prone to hypoglycemia during the 3-5 hour post-eating mark... which will then require me to consume more sugar.
  • keegan2149
    keegan2149 Posts: 65 Member
    No you didn't read anything I wrote. Which one of us is trolling again?

    Well, you started us off with this gem:
    The general consensus is that you can still gain weight even if you are at a very high calorie deficit.

    And now you're agreeing with this:
    This is not an issue when eating in a calorie deficit, as your body will be using body fat to some degree throughout the day to fuel itself.

    So which is it? :huh:

    Sorry I meant gain fat which is still true depending on the circumstances. My point was that just because you are maintaining an energy deficit doesn't mean that everything is ok.
  • keegan2149
    keegan2149 Posts: 65 Member
    It really comes down to ADDED sugar. You're not supposed to consume more than 32g of added sugar/day. This means your coffee, yogurt and other things that they add sugar to. Of course, there is natural sugar in fruit, veggies, etc. I think a lot of it is genetic. I have diabetics in my family and I seem to be VERY sensitive to extra sugar because when I really watch my added sugar intake I lose much easier. That being said, the more you have to lose the less little things like this matter because you can make small changes with big results... but once you get down to that last 20-30lbs it will matter more. Good luck!
    Why are we not supposed to eat more than 32g of added sugar? Who said that? What happens if we do?

    Why have so many of us continued to eat sugar, have hit our weight goal and even surpassed it?

    Keep in mind I'm not diabetic so please don't respond with some diabetes stuff.

    This could be the only diet web site where lots of posters tell you not to worry about sugar.

    Of course you have to worry about sugar. If you are just starting on your weight loss journey, and you are going from a daily intake of say 2,400 calories to 1,500 calories, why in the world would you want to waste (yes, waste) calories on a Coke or a donut, which do nothing for satiety?

    It's not easy to cut calories by 40%. But it is easier if you avoid refined sugar as much as possible. Skip the donut for breakfast and eat two eggs. Fewer calories, and more filling (at least for me and others I know). Drink Diet Coke instead of Coke. It's just common sense.

    Why didn't you include avoiding fruit then? That has a ton of sugar in it.

    People tell individuals not to worry about sugar, etc.., as long as the food/drink fits into your day. That little disclaimer always seems to be missing in these posts, not sure why though?

    Fruit isn't as bad because it has fiber. The fiber will make you feel full and slow down the absorption of sugar into your blood stream. It's not as good as say lettuce, but it's not as bad as a coke either. Fruit juice should be consumed in moderation since it has no fiber.
  • keegan2149
    keegan2149 Posts: 65 Member
    You can't be serious.. Even slow cycling will burn about 1000 calories per hour.

    Ah, no.

    Not even close.

    That's what most apps give me for gross burn. What is close? Why does that matter? I thought the point was whether or not you're storing fat during a 6 hour cycling session?

    Because essentially all I am doing by eating the sugar is creating a deficit while I eat it. So if sugar is still stored as fat automatically, what is the difference if I am burning an immense amount of calories while eating an abnormal amount of sugar compared to someone who eats a moderate amount yet burns it off during the day?

    You didn't read everything I wrote. Sugar is stored when the body can't process it. Otherwise the blood would become too dense and you'd die. Triggering this process too often leads to health problems. Obviously eating sugar while exercising heavily would not create this conditions.

    At what point would the bold occur? Would it be at calorie surplus levels?

    The pancreas prevents it from happening in unless you have diabetes. Again the point is that all calories are not the same and just having a calorie deficit doesn't mean you'll get the results you're looking for. There's a reason sugar is stored as fat more quickly than other nutrients. I find it interesting that people who have lost 70-80 pounds are suggesting they did so without any concern for their sugar intake.
  • keegan2149
    keegan2149 Posts: 65 Member
    I'm having a hard time getting a straight answer in regards to calorie deficits and sugar consumption.

    I've seen many people, including on this site, claim that sugar doesn't matter so long as you hit your macros (mainly protein and fat) and stay at your caloric deficit.

    Others claim that the spike in your insulin levels from the sugar causes your body to store fat, and even if you're in a deficit, you will not be able to lose fat because of this. Some claim that even heavy weight training and a caloric deficit will not over-rule sugar consumption that is above 40-50gs.

    So which one is it?

    Excessive glucose in the blood stream will spike your insulin levels, as processing the glucose and removing it as quick as possible from the bloodstream is one of the many things insulin does.

    If the glucose in the blood cannot be used as instant fuel it will be stored in the muscles and liver as glycogen, The bodies ability to store glycogen is very limited and once stores are full the glucose is converted into adipose tissue and stored as body fat.

    This is not an issue when eating in a calorie deficit, as your body will be using body fat to some degree throughout the day to fuel itself.

    So does glucose get stored as body fat whilst eating in a calorie deficit (depending on the quantities you are eating it in and how active you are at that particular time) then yes.

    Does it make you fat whilst eating in a calorie deficit - absolutely not, as your body will utilizing stored body fat for fuel throughout the day.

    IMO it's not so much about burning more calories than you consume, its more about burning more body fat than you store!

    well said!
    Lol. You just agreed with a post that contradicted everything you've been spewing.

    Trolling fail.

    No you didn't read anything I wrote. Which one of us is trolling again?
    11Nx6xs.jpg

    grow up..
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,961 Member
    I'm having a hard time getting a straight answer in regards to calorie deficits and sugar consumption.

    I've seen many people, including on this site, claim that sugar doesn't matter so long as you hit your macros (mainly protein and fat) and stay at your caloric deficit.

    Others claim that the spike in your insulin levels from the sugar causes your body to store fat, and even if you're in a deficit, you will not be able to lose fat because of this. Some claim that even heavy weight training and a caloric deficit will not over-rule sugar consumption that is above 40-50gs.

    So which one is it?

    I have no idea what is true but I can tell you that the part I've bolded is absolutely not true. Or else I wouldn't have lost even on ounce. I don't know if you'd lose weight at the same speed or not, but you WILL lose weight in a deficit (and if you don't then a doctor must be consulted!).
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    No you didn't read anything I wrote. Which one of us is trolling again?

    Well, you started us off with this gem:
    The general consensus is that you can still gain weight even if you are at a very high calorie deficit.

    And now you're agreeing with this:
    This is not an issue when eating in a calorie deficit, as your body will be using body fat to some degree throughout the day to fuel itself.

    So which is it? :huh:

    Sorry I meant gain fat which is still true depending on the circumstances. My point was that just because you are maintaining an energy deficit doesn't mean that everything is ok.

    Can you provide any example where people are shown to accumulate body fat over time when calories in < calories out?
  • keegan2149
    keegan2149 Posts: 65 Member
    I know there is a lot of people here with absolutely no license giving medical advice - but all calories are not equal, all carbohydrates are not equal. Same with fats and proteins. They are general groupings and the science is so much more complicated that it's getting laughable when people make it so generic.

    Sugar does have an effect on virtually all people regardless of the caloric intake. Find a medical journal that would say differently. No sugar or too much sugar is a very broad band. But between the two there are differences with the exact same number of calories on the human body.

    I think that sugar is the easiest thing to cut out of a diet. I'm pretty much on a diabetic diet, even though I don't have diabetes - but have found that keeping my sugar below 10-15g per day has not effect on my cognitive abilities nor my appetite.

    Evolutionary speaking, the amount of sugar Americans eat (I know this is a global site) is significantly more than 100 years ago and the farther back you go in time, the less sugars we had the opportunity to eat on a regular basis.

    Keeping sugar down has been very efficient and effective in lowering my caloric intake. And because I don't have much of a sweet tooth, its no big deal. I can give up sugar easier than meat (fish, fowl, beef...). Others may be different.

    Which is nice for you - but all it does is give you less calories.


    the answer is A) unless you have a medical condition sugar has zero affect on weight loss when consumed in a deficit.

    The sad part is that we live in a country that leads the world in every type of obesity imaginable. We're also nearing the point where over-eating kills more people than starvation. Some of the links posted are probably propaganda from the sugar industry. Yes, that's a thing. (http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2012/10/sugar-industry-lies-campaign) One could say this is the forefront of said epidemic and there are still more people defending sugar intake than not. This isn't funny it's dangerous.
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  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,208 Member
    You can't be serious.. Even slow cycling will burn about 1000 calories per hour.

    Ah, no.

    Not even close.

    That's what most apps give me for gross burn. What is close? Why does that matter? I thought the point was whether or not you're storing fat during a 6 hour cycling session?

    Because essentially all I am doing by eating the sugar is creating a deficit while I eat it. So if sugar is still stored as fat automatically, what is the difference if I am burning an immense amount of calories while eating an abnormal amount of sugar compared to someone who eats a moderate amount yet burns it off during the day?

    You didn't read everything I wrote. Sugar is stored when the body can't process it. Otherwise the blood would become too dense and you'd die. Triggering this process too often leads to health problems. Obviously eating sugar while exercising heavily would not create this conditions.

    At what point would the bold occur? Would it be at calorie surplus levels?

    The pancreas prevents it from happening in unless you have diabetes. Again the point is that all calories are not the same and just having a calorie deficit doesn't mean you'll get the results you're looking for. There's a reason sugar is stored as fat more quickly than other nutrients. I find it interesting that people who have lost 70-80 pounds are suggesting they did so without any concern for their sugar intake.
    False, fats are stored quicker than sugar/carbs
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  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    The sad part is that we live in a country that leads the world in every type of obesity imaginable. We're also nearing the point where over-eating kills more people than starvation. Some of the links posted are probably propaganda from the sugar industry. Yes, that's a thing. (http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2012/10/sugar-industry-lies-campaign) One could say this is the forefront of said epidemic and there are still more people defending sugar intake than not. This isn't funny it's dangerous.

    Only on this web site. I have never heard of or seen of another weight-loss site where posters are pro-sugar.

    Most posters that you consider pro-sugar are actually anti-restrictions where not necessary (and can lead to adherence issues) and pro-balanced diet, which yes, can include sugar.

    Edited to fix quotes
  • BombshellPhoenix
    BombshellPhoenix Posts: 1,693 Member
    /puts spoon in Talenti. Looks around warily. Takes a bite. Puts spoon back in.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    It really comes down to ADDED sugar. You're not supposed to consume more than 32g of added sugar/day. This means your coffee, yogurt and other things that they add sugar to. Of course, there is natural sugar in fruit, veggies, etc. I think a lot of it is genetic. I have diabetics in my family and I seem to be VERY sensitive to extra sugar because when I really watch my added sugar intake I lose much easier. That being said, the more you have to lose the less little things like this matter because you can make small changes with big results... but once you get down to that last 20-30lbs it will matter more. Good luck!
    Why are we not supposed to eat more than 32g of added sugar? Who said that? What happens if we do?

    Why have so many of us continued to eat sugar, have hit our weight goal and even surpassed it?

    Keep in mind I'm not diabetic so please don't respond with some diabetes stuff.

    This could be the only diet web site where lots of posters tell you not to worry about sugar.

    Of course you have to worry about sugar. If you are just starting on your weight loss journey, and you are going from a daily intake of say 2,400 calories to 1,500 calories, why in the world would you want to waste (yes, waste) calories on a Coke or a donut, which do nothing for satiety?

    It's not easy to cut calories by 40%. But it is easier if you avoid refined sugar as much as possible. Skip the donut for breakfast and eat two eggs. Fewer calories, and more filling (at least for me and others I know). Drink Diet Coke instead of Coke. It's just common sense.

    Most people shouldn't be cutting calories by 40%. It's not healthy.
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
    Here's how you know...Do the opposite of what the Keegan ninja person is saying.

    My god, and you wanna talk about bad info!

    Count your calories and watch protein/fats/carbs. That is what matters most.

    Anyone who'd like to argue, I'd also like to see your weight loss tickers. Because the proof is in the oh so delicious pudding.

    I can't believe there are so many people that believe there is no such thing as in insulin response. Google it. Ask a doctor.

    Keegan - Calories in/calories out worked for me. But there are so many studies out their debunking the notion that CICO is the one and only one way to go.

    Unlike some of the posters here, whose religion seems to be CICO, I have an open mind to other theories.
    There is not a single study "debunking" CICO.