too much sugar?

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Mbrowne55
Mbrowne55 Posts: 42 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi There,

I am relatively new to the site (been a member since 2011 but just recently tracking) and looking for a bit of advice. I am in my second week of food tracking and already noticing that although I am staying on my allotted calories per day (1540), I am consistently over the recommended grams of sugar.

It seems that 31 grams is the recommended amount for someone at my calorie level, and I was surprised to see that I am often eating double, or even triple that amount! Weird, since I don't put sugar in coffee, and have been avoiding sweets.

Most of my sugar grams are coming from fruit and yogurt! I am looking for some feedback from other members on this problem. Should I be limiting my fruit - which I know is healthy and keeps me from going astray with sugary desserts.

Thanks for any advice or tips you can provide.

Replies

  • jolson54829
    jolson54829 Posts: 32 Member
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    I would say find a more even balance with vegetables. We all know fruits and vegetables are good for you, but maybe focus more on getting that vitamin A, or other nutrients instead of looking at that sugar number. I'm no nutritionist, but this is what I try to do. My sugar goes over often as well, but that's when I look at the other components on this site that are tracked... looking at my protein, iron, calcium, vitamin A, etc., and trying to eat foods that contain these things. I hope this helps.
  • sarahjay1
    sarahjay1 Posts: 175 Member
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    Bump. I have the same issue... always way over on my sugar.
  • Joshalynn
    Joshalynn Posts: 12 Member
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    Which fruits are you eating? Some things like banannas have a lot more sugar than say,berries. My husband is diabetic and his mother always wants to give him huge bowls of fruit. Fruit is good for you. All the vitamins and nutrients, but it still raises blood sugar which can cause weight gain and effects diabetes. I bet you could "google" a list of the least sugary fruits.
  • The1iceQueen
    The1iceQueen Posts: 119
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    If you like them rhubarb, raspberries, and blackberries, they're pretty low in sugar.
  • lorealbies
    lorealbies Posts: 10 Member
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    I have the same problem. I have noticed that my sugar intake comes from milk, bananas, apples and oranges, while others fruits like papaya, watermelon, melons and strawberries have less sugar. But I really don't care about my red numbers for sugar and even take one or two tea spoons of white sugar with my coffee.
  • goldied01
    goldied01 Posts: 149 Member
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    I know how you feel! Have been doing this since Nov. and can't keep the sugars under control. Fruit takes me over every time. I googled fruits with low glycemic count and there's really not that much out there. I figure getting sugar from fruit is better then the lbs of chocolate I use to eat. For 1500 Cal. you should be having 1 to 1 1/2 servings of fruit a day. So, maybe you are eating to much???? Wish I could help you.....
  • Lammerchops
    Lammerchops Posts: 68 Member
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    Are you talking about carbs or sugars, specifically?
    And how many pieces of a fruit are we talking here?
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    Stop tracking sugar and just track your total carbs. Sugar is a subset of carbohydrates. If I was going to pick a subset of carbs to track, I would choose fiber instead of sugar, JS
  • GettinYolked_
    GettinYolked_ Posts: 12
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    Yeah 31 grams of sugar kind of sounds low. I've read some where that the recommended amount was 50-75 grams.
  • Lammerchops
    Lammerchops Posts: 68 Member
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    Stop tracking sugar and just track your total carbs. Sugar is a subset of carbohydrates. If I was going to pick a subset of carbs to track, I would choose fiber instead of sugar, JS

    Ehhhhh, not sure if I support this comment. Tracking sugar, and becoming educated on the hidden sugars in foods (including super healthy fruit) is often the key to weight loss for so many people. Sugar is a *kitten* and everyone should know where it is and how to avoid it. I think it's important to track your sugar intake depending on your situation, but if you're tripling your daily sugar intake, you're either eating too much fruit (or a lot of dairy, or some other high-sugar food, or a crap-load of low-sugar food), or your daily sugar limit is too low.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
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    I would concentrate more on your 3 main Macro's (Carbs Proteins and Fats) I have never track a single gram of sugar and have managed to lose a few pounds... and on top of that I am a Type 2 Diabetic..... If your staying within your calorie goals, sticking closely to your Macro's and eating the sugar that naturally occur in fruits, then I wouldn't worry to much about them.. If your on a Ho Ho diet then yeah you might want to watch your sugar alittle closer.... Best of Luck....
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    Stop tracking sugar and just track your total carbs. Sugar is a subset of carbohydrates. If I was going to pick a subset of carbs to track, I would choose fiber instead of sugar, JS

    Ehhhhh, not sure if I support this comment. Tracking sugar, and becoming educated on the hidden sugars in foods (including super healthy fruit) is often the key to weight loss for so many people. Sugar is a *kitten* and everyone should know where it is and how to avoid it. I think it's important to track your sugar intake depending on your situation, but if you're tripling your daily sugar intake, you're either eating too much fruit (or a lot of dairy, or some other high-sugar food, or a crap-load of low-sugar food), or your daily sugar limit is too low.

    For people with medical conditions, it might be necessary, but for the rest of us, it is irrelevant. I eat an average of 200 grams of carbs daily. I eat dessert almost every night, and I've lost almost 60 pounds so far.

    If you are eating enough protein and fats, then by default, you'll be just fine on the carb intake. A reasonable calorie deficit is what's required for weight loss.
  • Mbrowne55
    Mbrowne55 Posts: 42 Member
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    Thank you all for your feedback! It is possible that I am eating a bit too much fruit but again, I am within my recommended calories per day (though I come pretty close to the max. most days:)

    I just found it interesting that there so many evil sugar grams in otherwise healthy and nutritious food. I will try to look for the lower sugar fruit in future and one thing is for sure, seeing those little red numbers has caused me to be much more aware of how much sugar is in everything else.

    Who knew there was sugar in 1% milk? Not me.

    Thanks again....I am new to the site (even though I joined a year and a half ago) and love the community so far. Its providing me with a lot of motivation. I have about 30 lbs to lose (down 4 in the first week - beginners luck!) so the support is really helpful.
  • SnicciFit
    SnicciFit Posts: 967 Member
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    Who knew there was sugar in 1% milk? Not me.

    Lower fat food often are higher in sugar. Full fat dairy is a better option in that sense.

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