How to eat less sugar?

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dbkrantz
dbkrantz Posts: 138
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi Guys!

I am new to my fitness pal and I have a few questions. I was on Weight Watchers before so didn't keep track of my sugar intake.

Now, I see that everyday, my sugar is wayyy more than it should be. Granted, today I had a Lemonade (St Pellegrino) but usually, I try not to drink juice and the sugar therefore comes from fruit and other stuff.

Is having too much sugar going to slow my weight loss? If so, do you have any advice on how to reduce it?

Thanks a lot,

Deborah

Replies

  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,411 MFP Moderator
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    sugar is a carb, if carbs are moderate, then you are fine.
  • dbkrantz
    dbkrantz Posts: 138
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    Ah okay I didn't know that. I am still learning the science....

    Carb intake is normal, well a little low actually today but should be fine.

    Thank you for the info!
  • deb3129
    deb3129 Posts: 1,294 Member
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    If your sugar is coming from natural sources, like fruit, then I would not worry about it. I am vegan, and eat a TON of fruits and veggies, and my sugar is always over the limit. But I have lost a lot of weight this way, and all my lab work is fabulous. I just don't eat processed stuff with sugar in it.
  • Fairysoul
    Fairysoul Posts: 1,361 Member
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    You can always stick with water to drink and fruit for sweet snacks..
  • Fairysoul
    Fairysoul Posts: 1,361 Member
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    Also keep an eye on the packaged foods, usually high in sugar!
  • Jimaudit
    Jimaudit Posts: 275
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    Remember to stay away from artifical sweetners as well......all they do is turn to fat...thats why a lot of folks on diets like South Beach or Weight Watchers quickly gain weight when they stop...all of the food specific to those 2 diets are based on artifical sweetners (the packaged food made under their label)...

    Switch from sugar to truvia or stevia...naturally occuring sweetner...tastes great and will not impede your progress!

    Best of luck on your journey!
  • verptwerp
    verptwerp Posts: 3,659 Member
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    If you're concerned, try weaning yourself off sugar by gradually decreasing the amounts you add to your recipes or meals ......... oh, and check labels religously ...... sugar is everywhere & under many different names ...... choose an item with LESS added sugars .....

    Baby steps :drinker:
  • meg7399
    meg7399 Posts: 672 Member
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    Really, your nutrients like sugars, carbs, proteins, DO NOT matter as long as you are in a caloric deficit. Not that they won't play a role in energy, sleep, mood, etc. You could technically eat Big Macs all day but if you expell more calories than you eat you will lose weight.
  • EmilyOfTheSun
    EmilyOfTheSun Posts: 1,548 Member
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    I go over on my sugar EVERY day. It's mainly from the fruits I eat though. I'm no nutrition expert, but it hasn't hindered my weight loss. If I'm over on certain things, I generally don't worry abut it (except calories), as long as it came from a healthy food :)
  • Enigmatica
    Enigmatica Posts: 879 Member
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    The great sugar debate confused me so much that I finally got a blood glucose meter and started testing my blood to see how various meals of mine actually affect my body. I had read so many conflicting opinions it was really frustrating. According to some, my breakfast smoothie is a sugar bomb dietary disaster. And yet I've had no problem losing/maintaining weight with it. Turns out it's not so simple. I posted some results from my testing here for example: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Enigmatica
  • yarninaround
    yarninaround Posts: 10
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    are you reading labels? many items have a surprising amount of sugar, in various forms. These days they break it up and use different names to avoid having to list it at the top of the ingredients list. basically anything thing that ends in "ose" such as sucralose, fructose. anything that's a malt is also a sugar, such as barley malt.

    There is a good blog with a list and explanations of all the sugars called Eating Rules. Go take a look there for further info.

    I find the easiest way to avoid sugars is to not eat packaged foods or drink them. The other day DH brought me home a snack, some seemingly healthy grain chips from Jamba Juice, after reading the label, I counted six different sugars listed!
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,411 MFP Moderator
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    Remember to stay away from artifical sweetners as well......all they do is turn to fat...thats why a lot of folks on diets like South Beach or Weight Watchers quickly gain weight when they stop...all of the food specific to those 2 diets are based on artifical sweetners (the packaged food made under their label)...

    Switch from sugar to truvia or stevia...naturally occuring sweetner...tastes great and will not impede your progress!

    Best of luck on your journey!

    I would really question that. I would suggest the reason people gain quickly from diets is two fold; one, most diets are VLCD (1000 calories or close) which causes your body to adapt metabolically and they lose a lot of lean body mass (reference slowing down of a metabolism) and two people try to eat normal and consume more calories than they burn off.


    All the research I have seen suggest sweetners just induce hunger more.
  • Moxie42
    Moxie42 Posts: 1,400 Member
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    Different people will tell you different things. I never used to pay attention to sugar/carbs and for a while I was losing weight easily. Now that my weight has stalled for quite a while, I'm avoiding added sugar and unnecessary carbs. The key word there though is "added." Personally, I'm okay with natural sugar and carbs, such as from fruit (as my former Weight Watcher leader once told us- "none of us got here by eating too many apples and carrots.") It's the added sugar and "simple" carbs (such as from white breads, pastas, and rice) that are more concerning.
  • dbkrantz
    dbkrantz Posts: 138
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    Thank you guys for all the amazing advice!

    I eat clean food, so no worries about artificials. I will follow your tips on just ignoring the sugar =)
  • painauxraisin
    painauxraisin Posts: 299 Member
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    Remember to stay away from artifical sweetners as well......all they do is turn to fat...thats why a lot of folks on diets like South Beach or Weight Watchers quickly gain weight when they stop...all of the food specific to those 2 diets are based on artifical sweetners (the packaged food made under their label)...

    Switch from sugar to truvia or stevia...naturally occuring sweetner...tastes great and will not impede your progress!

    Best of luck on your journey!




    Sweeteners turn to fat? I've never heard that. How does that happen?
  • stuffinmuffin
    stuffinmuffin Posts: 985 Member
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    sugar is a carb, if carbs are moderate, then you are fine.

    ...and following this logic then vegetables are also a carb. :huh:

    I would suggest ready labels and buying lower sugar products. Refined carbs (such as white bread, pasta, donuts etc) play havoc with your blood sugar levels and I tend to find they make me feel really hungry a while after eating them so try and eat wholemeal products where possible.
    I barely eat refined sugar in my diet and you begin to find that natural sugars begin to taste all that much sweeter such as fruit and dried fruit etc. xx

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