Does the kind of sugar matter?

candessb

I was just womdering about sugar logging.
Friend's of mine that are thin say they eat Kashi cereal and banans and different types of fruits and veggies, like red peppers and grapes which I know have a lot of sugar in them. I ate a banana, some veggies and whole wheat bread (throughout the day) and was way over my daily sugar intake.
Should I be concerned about this? I don't feel like I'm able to get fruits in at all if i follow MFP's suggestion for sugar.
Does anyone follow this exactly and can I still lose fat from my midsection like this?

LittleSpy

I eat fruit. I eat veggies. I go over the sugar limit set by mfp daily. I've lost 29.4 pounds in 2.5 months and several inches off of my waist so far.

I personally watch my processed sugar intake (candy, baked goods, processed starches, etc), but I don't worry that a banana, an apple, or a glass of skim milk send my sugar total well above the limit.

Mindful_Trent

I second what jlb123 said. I'm not a scientist or a nutritionist, so I couldn't explain the technical differences between the sugar in a cake and the sugar in a banana, but "Natural" sugars found in fruits and veggies are packaged with lots of good stuff like fiber, vitamins, water, etc. Added (processed) sugars don't - and they are the ones you need to watch out for. I exclude fruits and veggies when I compare my daily sugar intake to the guidelines.

Here are good guidelines on added sugars, it's worth a read!
http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=800

marujita

I agree with the others, fruits and veggies are good for you, period! You could look at a G.I. (Glycemic Index) chart to see which fruits and other "good for you" foods fall on the sugar level, if you plan on sticking to MFP suggestions more closely. I'm losing weight so far, and I do not follow the sugar intake suggestion on MFP. But you raise a good question about losing fat from you midsection. There is so much advice out there right now about how to lose belly fat, I don't know what the true answer is....so far I'm sticking with good cardio exercise and staying away from processed foods. some ab exercises, too

number7

The fruits and vegetables aren't a problem at all! As long as the sugars are not from empty calorie foods with nothing BUT sugar, then they are still very healthy, so fruits and vegetables don't have that problem. Also, like everyone was saying, natural sugars are easier for your body to use then processed sugars like those in trashy food, so the natural sugars will just burn off a lot faster and be better for you overall!

Hannah_Banana

Honestly (as long as you are eating in moderation) the GI is more important than sugar content. GI is just the food's affect on your blood sugar levels, which affects your metabolism and weight gain. Some fruits ARE better than others - cherries and grapefruit are MUCH better than pineapple or watermelon. So instead of worrying about the sugar total at the end of the day, look up the GI of the fruit and see if there is a better choice you could make. :flowerforyou:

Desiderata

NATURAL SUGARS VS REFINED SUGARS

Because sugar seems to be the most evil thing to consume in a diet, most people think that all sugar is evil. But there is a difference in the natural sugars that foods like grapes and bananas provide, and refined sugar, or man made sugars, like in cookies or in twinkies (yuck!).

But no matter what type of sugar it may be, the caloric density of any type of sweeter, let it be natural or not, is high.

"Understanding that the body composition aspect is almost entirely a matter of calorie balance, you could in theory, substitute a significant portion of your "clean, healthy, nutrient dense" calories with an EQUAL portion of pure white sugar and if you are in the same caloric deficit, you will continue to lose weight. The mere ingestion of sugar does not stop weight loss, as it is often believed. An insulin and blood sugar spike may not be desirable from a metabolic health, blood sugar control and fat oxidation standpoint, but it wont stop weight loss if you are in a calorie deficit...

Weight loss, weight gain or weight maintenance are all matters of CALORIE BALANCE. Yup. You can eat junk food and lose weight (provided you consistently stay in a caloric deficit)." (Tom Venuto)

SO. You're wondering why your friends' sugar intakes are so high but their still losing weight or maintaining a thin figure? They're still maintaining their calorie deficit, as suggested by MFP, so they're still losing weight. Sugar and weight gain are connected only because diets high in sugar are usually diets that are composed of consumption and high fat content as well, which, well leads to weight gain.

But you're body still does need some sugar in your diet. Thus, natural sugars are obviously the better choice, because of their lack of insulin and blood sugar spike side effects.

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InnerCutie

Wow I just edit my profile to show sugar and I am way over on mine to and I have mainly been eating fruit and veggies today!

Hannah_Banana

Weirdest double post in history.

candessb

Thank You!
Great advice everyone. I think this may help my cravings for sweet things and I'll make sure I eat fruits and veggies that are low on the GI (like green veggies and berries, ect.)
I think I'll eat those apples that have been sitting in the refidgerator after all! (And I'm really happy about it)

patricklee5150

You made some good points but, there was something that you wrote that I found rather troubling. You wrote that it didn't matter if you ate the same amount in calories of sugar or of healthy food....and if it is under the total of calories you burn in a day, you will still lose weight. What?! Actually, the body has trouble processing "processed sugar" and it tends to stick to your belly and around your middle....and the natural sugar found in fruits, for example, burn up quickly. Just wanted to be clear on this because there is so much confusion out there.