How much sugar? U sure?!

J88HNY

Hi guys

I find this odd, can someone please enlighten me? I am allowed 1600 cals a day to reach my target weight which includes 32g of sugar. Most days i manage to come in just under or close enough to my cals and fat allowance etc but nearly ALWAYS go over on sugar. Today for example i've eaten a banana and a yogurt for breakfast, carrot soup for lunch, and i'm already over! this cant be right surely?! Any advice?

jenlhugg

I have the same problem, I consider myself to eat well, I am steadily losing weight, always come under my cal and only get 1/2 of the fat allowance usually, but I ALWAYS go over my sugar. Usually I get 100% more than they allow. I am perplexed also.

drvvork

It is hard to discern for sake of the site to monitor - but you really can't be too taken back by the natural sugars such you would find in your banana and yogurt and other like foods. I guess you will just need to be mindful as you look at that red number and then evaluate and modify if necessary from there - if you fill it is necessary. :flowerforyou:

greeneyes82

Yeah, this is my complaint too!:noway: I go over just eating fruit! I was told the sugar like say from a banana can be turned into energy when you work out. I'm not sure how it works, but I guess it's better than going over on sugar from cookies or pastries.

Sunsh1ne

Try looking for things that come unsweetened, and adding a little bit of natural sweetener to them yourself. The yogurt, for example. Something like a Dannon yogurt with fruit has a lot of added sugar. If you looked for an unsweetened yogurt and added the fruit yourself, and made similar changes, it might be easier to stay within your carbohydrate budget.

Also, this might be a no-no, but I don't look at my sugar-vs-complex consumption. I track total carbohydrates and fiber. I figure that complex carbohydrates almost always come with fiber - whole wheat bread, fresh produce - so as long as I'm getting at least those 19 grams (I usually go over) I can't be in terrible shape. I could be wrong, though. What's the consensus?

mvl1014

...the sugar like say from a banana can be turned into energy when you work out...

All cells on earth use the same energy. The energy is glucose, a sugar. The only way a body can store energy (we have no batteries!) is in the form of ATP. So if you need immediate energy you burn glucose. If you need energy for later, you use the glucose's energy to turn ADP into ATP. It's something you would have learned in high school biology but long story short (TOO LATE! lol): yes sugar from a banana is used as energy.

OP, many yogurts have added sugar. Fruit is fine. If you're getting your sugar from things out of the ground don't track your sugar. If you are eating processed foods, count the sugar and subtract the sugars from natural foods.

Andi_Mo

I was thinking the exact same thing this morning when I asked my tracker to display the sugar. I was floored. I had an apple and a banana and I'm over! What? I understand we should be eating less sugar but it seems wrong. Thanks for posting!

Side Note : mvl - Thanks for your post. Great point!

sdirks

If you're getting your sugar from things out of the ground don't track your sugar. If you are eating processed foods, count the sugar and subtract the sugars from natural foods.

This is absolutely right! "Good sugars" are fruits, nuts, soy and dairy. "Bad sugars" are anything that comes out of a box or wrapped in plastic or cellophane. If you're eating fruits, etc., you probably shouldn't be too worried about your sugar.

Side note: I always used to eat my apples with peanut butter until I realized how much processed sugar goes into store-brand peanut butter. I thought the peanut butter was relatively good for me. I switched to almond butter last week and will never go back--more flavor, fewer calories and sugar, and so much more protein! Little changes like this will make a big difference in your energy level, too.

mvl1014

...how much processed sugar goes into store-brand peanut butter...

I always hear people say this, but my PB is made by a big PB company and it has little sugar. What kind of PB were you eating?

CrystalT

The trouble is that food labels (and therefore this site) track all sugar, not added sugar. You should be more concerned with the sugar that is added to food, like sugar in your coffee or HFCS in your yogurt. You shouldn't worry as much as the sugar you get from fruit, veggies, milk, etc. I would suggest not tracking sugar on the site and pay closer attention to carbs instead.

J88HNY

Wow, so many responses, some leting me know that i'm not alone in this land of sugary confusion, and some with some great advise, so thank you all. I tend to ignore the sugars as i'm over EVERY day and more often than not it comes from fruit etc, so having read your feedback i'll continue to mindfully do this. I 've always focused mainly on the calories and the fats, and i've lost 11lbs in 6 weeks so i must be doing something right?! Thanks again all. J