HELP! I think SUGAR may be murdering my Success!

xXMollySarusXx
xXMollySarusXx Posts: 46
in Health and Weight Loss
I keep going over my daily sugar allotment....but a LOT. I try not to eat sugary things, but even the healthiest things I eat are apparently sugary. I've been told artificial sweeteners do more harm than good, and also that it is best to use real sugar in moderation. I try my hardest to not load up on sugar (when I'm sticking to my plan), but I always go over. Any tips? Btw lately because of certain medication I have been taking, I crave more sweets, but if you look at my diary, I eat things like whole wheat cereal (with sugar that is kinda inevitable), and yogurt. And PLEASE don't tell me to just change everything to fruits and veggies--I WANT to, but I still live at home (but I'll be heading to college soon), and my parents only buy a SMALL variety of things (mostly unhealthy) and if they buy fruit or veggies, I get constantly taunted about how they'll probably rot by the time I eat them. Anyway--the main point here is that I really need your help (:
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Replies

  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
    You have 92lbs to lose. Calories are what is important for weight loss. The rest are more pertinent to body composition.


    Also, I don't track my sugar intake and haven't had any issues.
  • sz8soon
    sz8soon Posts: 816 Member
    Your diary is private- we can't see what you've logged.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    Eat whatever you want to eat and hit your calorie number. Feel free to delete the sugar category from your tracking, as it makes no difference. I only track cals, protein, and fiber.
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
    It would help if you open your diary so we could see the types of choices you're making.

    I don't find that sugar itself is a problem (I'm assuming you're not diabetic or IR) but when I don't get enough protein or fat, so by default I have a lot of sugar/carbs, I find myself on a cravings rollercoaster that makes me ultimately end up going over my calories or be miserable staying within them. But, I don't actually think it's the sugar so much as the lack of protein and fat.
  • MidwestAngel
    MidwestAngel Posts: 1,897 Member
    Eat whatever you want to eat and hit your calorie number. Feel free to delete the sugar category from your tracking, as it makes no difference. I only track cals, protein, and fiber.
    I really like your ticker picture.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,428 MFP Moderator
    Sugar doesnt affect weight loss... calories do. You dont need to track sugar. If you get cravings from the sugar, its one thing but it shouldn't slow down weight loss. If you are struggling to see weight loss, i would evaluate the number of calories you do/dont eat and your exercise routine if you have one.
  • greginnd
    greginnd Posts: 26 Member
    And PLEASE don't tell me to just change everything to fruits and veggies--I WANT to, but I still live at home (but I'll be heading to college soon), and my parents only buy a SMALL variety of things (mostly unhealthy) and if they buy fruit or veggies, I get constantly taunted about how they'll probably rot by the time I eat them. Anyway--the main point here is that I really need your help (:

    This, I think, is so sad. You want to eat healthy but your parents put up roadblocks. Ugh. So wrong on many levels.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
    Have lost over 300 lbs. and never tracked a single gram of sugar. Watch your Caloric intake set it with a modest deficit and get moving will pretty much guarantee your success. Best of Luck
  • Piercep5
    Piercep5 Posts: 9 Member
    Keeping your total calorie intake consistent is really important. Another really helpful tool is cardio. It was very easy for me to lose weight when I was doing 30-60 minutes of light cardio everyday (just slightly out of breath). Start very easy like slow walking and add slightly more time/speed each day.
  • drobinson12
    drobinson12 Posts: 3
    When purchasing items try to keep the grams per serving 10mg or below and that will help you keep sugar down. Sugar is my weakness to so for the next 30 days I am doing my best is really limit my sugar intake - when you do you will see the pounds roll off. Good Luck
  • justjo83
    justjo83 Posts: 16 Member
    If your whole sugar amount comes from like candy, bars etc. then yeah it's probably not a good thing. It really is about what comes with the sugar an apple has anywhere from 8-17 g of sugar which is over half of my sugar intake. But its more natural sugars, and you're getting fibre with it and other nutrietns. Its so hard to not eat sugar or carbs I go over mine every day with just fruits and veggies sometimes. So just limit the junk and if you're going over dont worry about it just focus on the other aspects such as calories etc. Good Luck!
  • justjo83
    justjo83 Posts: 16 Member
    WOW!
  • issyfit
    issyfit Posts: 1,077 Member
    I got rid of my sweet cravings by following phase one of South Beach for 2 weeks.
  • bermequeen
    bermequeen Posts: 57 Member
    I have the same problem, but I usually go over because of fruit.
  • andyisandy
    andyisandy Posts: 433 Member
    You have 92lbs to lose. Calories are what is important for weight loss. The rest are more pertinent to body composition.


    Also, I don't track my sugar intake and haven't had any issues.
    yup yup yup!
  • clarkeje1
    clarkeje1 Posts: 1,641 Member
    I stopped tracking sugar because things like fruit and yogurt were putting me over every day. Look more at sodium.
  • keem88
    keem88 Posts: 1,689 Member
    i always go over sugar, even eating fruit. i just removed it from the diary and track other things instead. no big deal
  • SARgirl
    SARgirl Posts: 572 Member
    I'm over my sugar every day and have still lost. I wouldn't worry about it at this point.
  • knelson422
    knelson422 Posts: 308 Member
    I have noticed for myself that if the sugars I intake are from a couple pieces of fruit, not processed sugar, then I am still losing. For me it is not calories, but sugar that matters. I don't like really high fat foods to begin with, but have a killer sweet tooth. If I eat mostly veggies, some protein, and a few fruits, some nuts, I lose. If I eat more sugar, I stay the same, no matter what my calorie intake is. This is just what I have noticed with myself, could be the same for you. Some of us are more sensitive to sugar. Good luck!!
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    You have 92lbs to lose. Calories are what is important for weight loss. The rest are more pertinent to body composition.


    Also, I don't track my sugar intake and haven't had any issues.

    ^^^
    This
  • JustThriveCo
    JustThriveCo Posts: 14
    I don't just have a sweet tooth, ALL my teeth are sweet! So, I can relate to your dilemma, I used to crave sugar like CRAAAAZY!

    The good news is that you are moving away to college soon and can start controlling the food in your environment!

    Because, contrary to many of the opinions here CALORIES don't matter ... NUTRITIONAL CONTENT does!

    Your body can thrive on very low calories if those calories contain every single bit of nutrition your body needs ... and best of all ... the sugar cravings simply disappear when the nutrition is there.

    Focus on feeding your body's cells and removing toxins from your environment and your body NOT counting calories, and your body will simply stop craving the bad stuff.

    I used to HAVE to eat dessert after every meal ... now, it has become an infrequent treat. I just don't want it.

    I NEVER thought I'd be able to say that!!!
  • dblaacker
    dblaacker Posts: 153 Member
    I agree that it may be best to just stop looking at your sugar intake. I'm over on sugar pretty frequently, too, but it's primarily the sugars that are in fruits. I was always going over my fiber allotment for the day, too, but I know that was wrong because adults should strive for 25-30 grams of fiber every day. Do you have a job? If so, you could spend some of your money towards healthy cereals that have less (or no) added sugar. It's January, so... I assume you'll be starting in the fall. You could always try to get out and move around a little more, or find small ways to spend more time on your feet, such as when you're talking on the phone. If all else fails, maybe you can talk to your parents and ask them about their own health, and help them to become more conscious of that, for the good of the entire family. If they're always buying unhealthy food, perhaps they should get checkups. Reality checks work really well for people who need to make a change in their lives.
  • lveh8lve
    lveh8lve Posts: 162 Member
    Contrary to what other people here have said, I have noticed with me that sugar is 100% a factor in my weight loss. If I do not watch my sugar I do not lose or I lose very slowly. If I keep watch on my sugar I tend to lose faster and larger amounts (Im at a 5.7 lb loss for the past month). I believe it has to do with my genetics. I am not a doctor, but this is what I have observed with my own body.

    Sugar is in most everything that is processed or easy. I try to get most of my sugar from fruit or use a natural alternative (maple syrup, honey, or stevia). I've pretty much eliminated alot of the junk that was getting in my way. I eat mostly non-processed homemade foods.

    I would try monitoring it for a few weeks and see if it helps.
  • Dulcemami4ever
    Dulcemami4ever Posts: 344 Member
    If you are worried about sugar because of diabetes, then you should be watching your total carbs. Ignore sugar because total carbs is what is going to tell you all you need to know for that. But listen to the people above me because if you are trying to lose weight and dont have glucose issue then you need to watch those calories. Best of luck :)
  • kakes80
    kakes80 Posts: 251 Member
    Umm I am not sure why people are telling you that your Sugar intake doesn't matter because it ABSOLUTELY does matter! Everyone has a different body and some people can eat sugars and their metabolism allows them to break it down faster and others cannot do that! I am one of those people, BREAD and SUGAR are my bad things, I gain like no other! My nutritionist agrees and told me so! You are suppose to take in more fats in a day than sugars! Listen to your body if that is the one thing you are eating a lot of and you aren't losing THATS WHATS KILLING YOUR PROGRESS! Being healthy isn't just HITTING YOUR CALORIE GOAL its what you put into your body!
  • amihalik88
    amihalik88 Posts: 6
    Do not count the sugar in milk (it's a lot - 12 grams in only one cup!). Your body metabolizes lactose differently than table sugar, it's not nearly as harmful to your health and it's totally worth the calcium. Also, don't count the sugar coming from vegetables or fruits - they are natural. You should only be looking out for added sugars, like table sugar, anything that's packaged or from a bakery (it's almost always just added table sugar), pop, or juice. Juice is different than fruit because one cup of orange juice has the same amount of sugar as about 8 oranges which no one would ever normally eat in one sitting anyway...then to make matters worse, it has none of the fiber to slow the absorption of all that sugar into your bloodstream...so it wreaks havoc on your blood sugar the same as can of pop would. Women should try and keep their added sugars below 20 grams a day (about 4 tsps) and men keep it to under 39 grams (about 7-8 tsps). I am always at 60 or 80 grams of sugar because I eat a lot of vegetables and fruit everyday and have a cup or two of milk everyday for calcium. Even diabetics are allowed milk, vegetables and smaller amounts of fruit. Whenever you eat something processed and packaged, look at the nutrition facts for whatever serving you have and keep a mental note by adding it up through the day and try to stay around or under 20.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,428 MFP Moderator
    Contrary to what other people here have said, I have noticed with me that sugar is 100% a factor in my weight loss. If I do not watch my sugar I do not lose or I lose very slowly. If I keep watch on my sugar I tend to lose faster and larger amounts (Im at a 5.7 lb loss for the past month). I believe it has to do with my genetics. I am not a doctor, but this is what I have observed with my own body.

    Sugar is in most everything that is processed or easy. I try to get most of my sugar from fruit or use a natural alternative (maple syrup, honey, or stevia). I've pretty much eliminated alot of the junk that was getting in my way. I eat mostly non-processed homemade foods.

    I would try monitoring it for a few weeks and see if it helps.

    If its sugar from processed foods that are preventing your weight loss or slowing it down, its probably not the sugar its the sodium. High sodium items make you retain water. If you want to experiment for a month, maintain your calories but substitute some of your calories for additional fruits.
  • Steverino1955
    Steverino1955 Posts: 35
    Sugar can definitely hinder your weight loss. Simple carbs spike your hormone levels resulting in a cascade of events causing you to store fat. Get your sugars from complex carbs as much as possible to avoid this pitfall. You can Google this and get much better explanations than I can provide here.
  • WonderKP
    WonderKP Posts: 146 Member
    small tip: in terms of your yogurt, try Kroger /King Soopers brand yogurt, "Carbmaster" - its low in sugar, higher in protein!! It helps me keep my protein up and simple carbs down. and It tastes as good as any other yogurt. Or try plain greek yogurt...less sugar and a TON of protein in a serving...if you can stand the unique taste of the greek stuff.
  • jjrichard83
    jjrichard83 Posts: 483 Member
    Get rid of all processed sugars, eat only 2 servings of fruit a day, and up the veggie intake!

    Sugar can prevent fat loss, but chances are it's not the only thing- limiting it can't hurt though!

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