Sugar Intake, HELP!

Davedansie

Okay so I have been on Weight Watchers and it was okay, but what annoyed me was that it did not track sugar. I made the switch over here and my sugar intake for one day is set to 38g. That seems very impossible for me. I just had a bowl of Special K cereal and one cup of 1% milk and a small banana. I have already hit my sugar intake for the day! I am a big guy and so I am allowed a lot of calories in a day but apparently that doesn't effect the sugar. Any suggestion or advice would be welcome. Thanks!

treetop57

My opinion? Unless you're diabetic, lactose intolerant, or have some other metabolic problem, sugar from milk and whole fruit is not a problem. I eat a lot of fruit and drink milk, so my sugar is always in the red as far as MFP is concerned, but I don't see it as a problem.

MarincicS

Breakfast cereal is really bad. Most of them have added sugar. You could start by switching to muesli without added sugar - or some of the Kashi brands are very low sugar. Oatmeal is also a bit better, but to me doesn't really taste good without some sweetener.

But i have the same problem. I love a small glass of grapefruit juice first thing in the morning, but the sugar is crazy.

I've basically cut out all bread as well, just trying to lower the sugar.

In any case, for me, i watch it and try to minimize it, but as long as i meet my calorie goal for the day, i don't obsess about the other counts too much.

purpleipod

I don't even track sugar. Unless there is some medical reason that you need to, I don't see the point honestly. My personal opinion.

Pamela777

You know one interesting thing you could do - is log on foods you would normally eat if you weren't doing what you're doing now. Look at at the carbs, sugars etc. Like the days you ate out really be honest. I bet you're doing significantly less than your normal diet if you compare then to now. I don't even watch the sugars, I'm diabetic. I try to eat healthy foods, exercise. Of course I don't indulge in simple carbs, suagry soda etc. I also watch the amount of carbs even complex because they turn to sugar in the body much faster than protein. But, like someone said, oatmeal is probably a better choice than Special K - if it's something you like of course. I hope that helps you somewhat. Good luck and add me as a friend if you need one.

DivaDiane

If you're not drinking soda and eating a lot of sweets, but are getting sugar from unprocessed foods like fruit and vegetables, don't worry about it. I don't even track sugar. But do pay attention to the sugars in processed foods and try to reduce them.

SergeantSunshine_reused

I don't even track sugar. Unless there is some medical reason that you need to, I don't see the point honestly. My personal opinion.

Mine too. I have about 60-100g of sugar almost every day. Fruits, veggies, brown sugar in oatmeal, some treats

Meatsies

I noticed the same thing on mine...my sugars are set to, like, 24g or something. I blow through that after a yogurt in the morning practically. I spoke with my nutritionist and some friends on here about it, and was told basically not to worry about it. Seriously, if your sugars are coming from whole, clean foods, don't stress it. I was surprised my nutritionist said this, but she did say not to worry about it too much, especially since it doesn't seem to be hampering my weight loss efforts. Good luck to you!

2Bgoddess

Yep, cuz milk and fruit have a lot of sugar!

I have to disagree with the post that sugar doesn't matter much. The less sugar floating around in your body to be used as energy, the better. That way when your body needs energy, it has to burn fat to get it. My goal for sugars is about 2/3 of what mfp allows. And half the carbs, as they break down and are stored too.

mom2mozart

I've found out the same thing. I don't track sugar, but am over every day when I do view the entire report. I agree that unless you are a diabetic or pre-diabetic it is probably not an issue. I now eat Shredded Wheat - Original for breakfast most days because it has no sodium or sugar added. Milk tastes plenty sweet enough to me now.

Jade17694

As long as it isnt sugar from junk food its fine in my book. I'm over on my sugar today just because i ate 2 bananas...too bad-i like bananas and every other fruit so im not not eating it because of the sugar.

csingleton80

I'm glad to see this post and this responses, makes me feel much better because I have this problem too. Thanks for the advice on focusing where the sugar is coming from.

Davedansie

Thanks a whole bunch everyone, I have used your advice and life is much more enjoyable not stressing out over it!

Davedansie

Each week I see good results so obviously the sugar isn't a big problem for me!


Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Weight Loss Tools

treetop57

Great progress, Dave!

yarwell

remove sugar from the list at http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings

Sorted !

AmandaK3

Personally I ONLY track the sugar from "processed" food. Sooooo if I have a banana or an apple that sugar I would subtracked from the total at the end of the day. If I have a hot chocolate from Starbucks, or skittles (my aweful favorite) then that I would include.

Sugars are important to watch even if you're not diabetic, but fruits and veggies with natural occuring sugars should be looked at differently.

With this method, most days I am well under my recommended sugar intake.

greasygriddle_wechnage

Yep, cuz milk and fruit have a lot of sugar!

I have to disagree with the post that sugar doesn't matter much. The less sugar floating around in your body to be used as energy, the better. That way when your body needs energy, it has to burn fat to get it. My goal for sugars is about 2/3 of what mfp allows. And half the carbs, as they break down and are stored too.

Wrong, sorry.
It doesn't matter if you went over your sugar intake. Unless you have some sort of genetic disposition where sugar causes a negative reaction in your body then it's not going to matter as long as you're under your calorie goal. If you're under your calorie goal then those sugars are going to do the same thing a complex carbohydrate would do....which is break down into simple sugars and get stored as liver glycogen, muscle glycogen and get used to fuel your organs.

Barbellsandthimbles

I don't even track sugar. Unless there is some medical reason that you need to, I don't see the point honestly. My personal opinion.

Agreed...or, if you find you aren't dropping weight you may want to consider lowering your sugar intake some. Other than that, as long as it's natural sugar and not refined sugar I don't think it's that big of a deal.

paulaloomis

I don't track my sugar either. All I have worried about so far is what my calorie intake is and making sure that I am under that by a couple hundred calories every day. That is how my weight is coming off. Until I started MFP, I never even counted calories and I am amazed at how many are in the foods I like to eat. I agree that unless you are diabetic, don't worry about the sugars right now. Focus on the calories first and that will help. Good luck on your quest for a healthier life! Paula

greasygriddle_wechnage

As long as it isnt sugar from junk food its fine in my book. I'm over on my sugar today just because i ate 2 bananas...too bad-i like bananas and every other fruit so im not not eating it because of the sugar.

This is why it's painful to read about people limiting their food choices on this forum because of some arbitrary number on a website. Eating an extra handful of grapes, some mango or a banana isn't going to make anyone gain weight. Assuming there are no underlying issues with health, fruit is healthy and should NOT be avoided at all. All you need to do is stay UNDER your calorie goal, period.

Fiber + sugar = fruit = GOOD! :drinker: