Tracking Sugar???

qtpie2006

My trainer said that I am eating too much sugar and I won't burn any fat because of the amount of sugar I am eating. Please ignore my diary for the past week. It was my birthday and sugary treats kept coming my way. I have my macros set for 40/30/30 and stay within those guidelines on most days. Should I be tracking my sugar?

gemiwing

What kind of sugar was he talking about? Sugar from fruit and dairy are slow acting sugars- they're fine. Even fast acting sugar isn't 'bad'- it's usually what comes along with it that's the problem (such as transfats).

Did he say why he thinks your sugar is a problem?

qtpie2006

He didn't say what why....he just casually told me he looked at my diary and that I am eating too much sugar.

gemiwing

Looking at this past week, the only refined sugars I see in your diary are from one piece of cake, three Luna bars and you love muffins. Perhaps find a better muffin mix with less sugar- but if they're made with milk- you're going to get some sugar there.

I'm not a personal trainer- but I really don't see the issue here and haven't seen enough research that proves sugar inhibits fat burning in individuals who are exercising and eating a a calorie deficit. If you were inactive, overeating and sugar was a big part of your diet- well yes, that could lead to diabetes (assuming the hereditary component was there as well).

You're not plowing through ice cream sundaes- you're eating fruit and dairy which have natural sugar. Even diabetics don't measure sugar- we measure carbs.

Ask him for his sources- if he's making claims- have him back it up with facts and not a random article from Men's Health. Alan Aragon had a good writeup on this topic of Sugar Fear. Take a look- find research that's backed up and make your own call.
Here's the article- http://www.alanaragonblog.com/2010/01/29/the-bitter-truth-about-fructose-alarmism/

qtpie2006

Thanks for the feedback!! Like I said last week was my birthday and sweet treats kept coming my way. My neighbor made me muffins They were delicious! I was thinking that carbs were more important but when he said that it kind of threw me for a loop so I thought I would ask.

fmbomzo

Totally agree that fruit and dairy sugars aren't my major concern. I'm more concerned with refined sugars and those that cause blood sugar spikes. I track sugar but I kind of know for the foods I eat frequently how much breaks down to refined sugars. For instance, I love kefir. Unsweetened has 12g sugar and sweetened has 20g, so I assume that roughly 8 g are added sugar and use that to guesstimate refined sugar. I go over on sugar everyday in MFP, but I don't usually go over in carbs.

My body responds positively to low-cal/low-fat dairy and fresh fruits and veggies, so I really don't concern myself with the sugar MFP tracks for any of those items.