What about sugar? Cholesterol? Fat?

JeniferEverx3

So every so often I go back and look through my food diary. How concerned should I be about the other factors besides calories? I seem to go over my cholesterol and my sugar daily. I'm getting used to watching what I eat, it's going to be tough trying to manage finding low calorie foods AND watch the amoung of sugar and cholesterol I take in as well. *toomuchwork* lol

weatheredcheese

sugar includes those natural sugars from fruits, so if you are having plenty of fruit and going over no real issue there, as for cholesterol, not a major issue if its not by alot and eggs can push this high (sore subject fro some people) but eggs have a different type of cholesterol than other foods, its a bit like fruit, its not all that bad.

TheVimFuego

So every so often I go back and look through my food diary. How concerned should I be about the other factors besides calories? I seem to go over my cholesterol and my sugar daily. I'm getting used to watching what I eat, it's going to be tough trying to manage finding low calorie foods AND watch the amoung of sugar and cholesterol I take in as well. *toomuchwork* lol

How concerned? Not at all.

Ignore them, laugh at them.

RunForChai

HI,
I think it is important not to go over on fat and cholesterol.
Sugar is more complicated. I wish MFP had a separate section
for fruit. I don't overdo it on fruit, I usually eat 1/4 cup of blueberries and one apple or pear a day---I think the benefits of
real, organic, whole fruit outweigh the sugar---but 2 pieces of fruit can put me over. That's crazy.

If candy or soda or other sugary [added sugar] is putting you over you might consider cutting back.

There are people on MFP and in the world who don't believe that quality of calories is important---but for my body, for me--it is.

Good luck.

JeniferEverx3

Thank you all! I don't eat much candy and I don't drink soda. The sugar is coming mostly from fruit or yogurt w/ fruit in it. My cholesterol is a little high according to my doctor so I wasn't sure how serious it was for me to go a little over the amount every day.

SteelySunshine

I have zero dietary cholesterol. My cholesterol is still high. It might go down in the next couple of month or not, I heard it takes up to 6 months for dietary changes to show up and didn't quit dairy until this January. Also I heard exercise can lower cholesterol and I didn't start exercising until last week or two weeks ago, I forget which. And people make their own cholesterol. So, I would say there are too many factors to tell anyone whether it's important or not for them to reduce their own dietary cholesterol. But, if someone is sedentary or on bed rest and they have a family history of high cholesterol yeah they probably should go without animal fats altogether.

Greenrun99

When you visit the Dr, and he takes your blood for blood tests and to run your numbers.. if he says your cholesterol is high, then you worry... otherwise don't.

tracieangeletti

I have decided that paying too much attention to the macros are driving me crazy. I eat pretty healthy so I'm just concentrating on calorie count. I can become easily obsessed and I'm already obsessive about calories so for the sake of my mental well being I've chosen not to focus on the macros that much. I figure if I'm eating fairly healthy the rest will balance out in the end.

bigsargeofsc

There are five different types of sugar, but they all have the same effect. Too much sugar leads to fat gain and can prevent weight loss. Consuming high levels of sugar, no matter the source, causes the body to respond with an insulin dump to counter the increased sugar levels. Cholesterol is also broke down by type, and not all of it is bad. Your LDL's are the bad ones and should be closely watched and kept under 200. HDL, on the other hand, is the good type and you should keep that number at a proper level. Low calorie is not always the best option depending on your activity level. Your calorie intake has to measure up to your activity level, including work and gym, or else you run the risk of putting your body in starvation mode. Fats are a necessary part of your diet, but not just any fat. I recommend you do some research on the subject and learn which ones are good for you and which ones to avoid. I hope this information will be of some assistance to you. Best of luck!