Only 24 g sugar even possible?

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oklahomapoet
oklahomapoet Posts: 5 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I have never been able to eat the goal on sugar. This site gives me 24g a day allowance. I missed it by over 40g yesterday and all of my sugars came from fruits, veggies, and milk. How is this even possible unless I eat almost nothing but protein?

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  • dirtyd89
    dirtyd89 Posts: 170
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    You don't have to be exact.
    The numbers that your chart is giving you are recommendations for the maximum intake that you can have of certain food groups throughout the day.
    ex.) Protein, Sodium, Carbohydrates, Sugar, etc.
    As long as you don't go over your maximum intake then you'll do fine.
    I recommend going easy on the sugars and simple carbs.
    Stick to eating more lean protein like your doing, complex carbs and limit your sodium intake.
  • oklahomapoet
    oklahomapoet Posts: 5 Member
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    That's the thing is I am WAY over on sugar just from healthy foods. I'm not eating candy or drinking soda. It's frustrating.
  • holothuroidea
    holothuroidea Posts: 772 Member
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    I gave up on MFP's sugar recommendations the first day I was here. I eat 3-4 pieces of fruit a day and I'm highly suspicious of any source that says that's a bad thing.
  • favreervaf
    favreervaf Posts: 54 Member
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    Milk has 11-12g of sugar per 8oz. It is called lactose, it is a milk sugar. And certain fruits have higher sugar than others. I'd say ignore the fruit sugars because fructose isn't too bad, but if you are having juice try to cut down on it. That and milk. It's okay to eat fruits, some of the sugar binds to the fiber in the fruit and isn't absorbed. 24g of processed sugars is very easy to get if you are eating packaged, non-raw goods.
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
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    Sugar is just a carb. As long as you're eating enough fats and protein, your carbs/sugar aren't important unless you have a medical issue that requires carbs/sugar to be monitored. As long as you're under your calorie goal, you'll lose weight. Some people find that sugar (even from fruit) causes them to have more sugar/carb cravings. If this isn't the case for you there's no need to limit sugar.
  • Jamtart9
    Jamtart9 Posts: 13
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    I've adjusted my macro's to 40% carbs, 30% Fat and 30% protein, but I have the same problem, milk, yogurt, even having a protein shake will put me over.

    AND I have a really hard time eating enough protein...
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
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    Oh, but btw it's definitly possible to stay under on sugar. I try to eat more vegetables and less fruit and I'm usually pretty far under on sugar. My goal is 30g but yesterday I only got to 11g (from a small bag of apple slices, low sugar hot chocolate, and the cone that I put my sugar free ice cream in).
  • bayoucitygirl
    bayoucitygirl Posts: 54 Member
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    It IS possible, but I feel better when I eat more fruit. Just remember, your body will metabolize the sugars you get from fruits much differently than it will from things like simple starches and refined sugars ;)
  • oklahomapoet
    oklahomapoet Posts: 5 Member
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    I am eating almost entirely whole foods so I guess I should stop stressing so much. I do have to do protein shakes to get in enough protein for the day. If I'm under on carbs and calories then I think I will call it good.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,104 Member
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    Yeah, don't worry about lactose and fruits so much. Shoot for no more than 60g total, but no more than 24g of actual ADDED sugar. If you stick to whole foods and no more than two fruits a day, you'll hit that easily. You'll even have room for a little bread or sauce.
  • dirtyd89
    dirtyd89 Posts: 170
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    Try cutting down your fruit intake to 1 serving/day and then eat more vegetables instead to replace what you would of been eating had you been eating more fruit.

    The body builders at my gym told me that fruit has lots of sugar and works the same way a simple carb does your body will just store it.
    (Vegetables are primarily water and will just wash right through you.)

    Key is to get foods that your body can use up quickly and that won't get stored too long.
  • mrsfoster102613
    mrsfoster102613 Posts: 126 Member
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    I personally don't stress too much about sugar coming from natural sources (fruits, veggies, raw honey, organic & pure maple syrup etc.). If it's a processed sugar, I'd be more concerned.

    I rarely stay under my sugar goal, and it hasn't impacted my weight loss. Just my own personal experience. :smile:

    Good luck on your journey!
  • toaster6
    toaster6 Posts: 703 Member
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    It is possible-- if I don't workout to give myself a higher sugar allowance, I keep to 24g by having more vegetables than fruit-- that way, I'm still taking in plenty of nutrients and fiber and keeping my sugar in check. But, unless you are watching your sugar for medical purposes (in which case, all sugar counts), you don't need to worry about it too much. The American Heart Association recommends limiting added sugars.
  • BuffedMan
    BuffedMan Posts: 6 Member
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    I was in for a surprise when I joined the site, because I couldn't figure out why I couldn't drop the pounds. I thought my diet was really great until I entered my daily intake into the system and discovered all the hidden sugars. I was way over my protein requirements, low on carbs, but over on sugars. I mixed skim milk with my protein powders, until I realized it added 12 grams of sugar, half the day's supply right there. I discovered that the fruit choices I was making weren't good ones, which included lots of dried fruits that multiple the sugars enormously (e.g., six dried apricots have 15, and I rarely ate only six). Check online for "low sugar fruits," use caution when using dried fruits like raisins and prunes and you can do it. My daily sugar intake is below the guideline, and the weight loss seems even easier.
  • Ascolti_la_musica
    Ascolti_la_musica Posts: 676 Member
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    If you give up your bananas, I'd be happy to eat them for you. I can never get enough bananas. :bigsmile:

    I also drink chocolate milk every day, and my coconut peanut butter probably has quite a bit. Today, I had a pop tart. It was not as tasty as I imagined, and honestly not quite worth all the fuss. I probably get 24g of sugar in a meal, and I'm ok with that. It makes my food yummy, me happy, and gives me the energy for all of this silly exercise I seem to be doing lately. I've lost weight at a fairly steady rate, and it hasn't sucked. Every diet I have ever been on has sucked.

    If I had to limit my sugar, eat a miserable diet, and not have any fun.... I'd order a wheelchair and butt wiping stick from Amazon, then get comfy with my ice cream and sodas again. :ohwell:

    Fitness should be fun. <24g sugar does not sound very fun.
  • taylorxpaige
    taylorxpaige Posts: 34 Member
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    One negative aspect of MFP, compared to other calorie counters, is that it counts sugar as both natural sugars as well as added sugars. In my personal opinion, you only need to be concerned about being over your sugar maximum if you're eating added sugar (cookies, baked goods, candy, condiments etc.).
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
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    I am eating almost entirely whole foods so I guess I should stop stressing so much. I do have to do protein shakes to get in enough protein for the day. If I'm under on carbs and calories then I think I will call it good.

    You do realize you can have your diary display whatever you want right? If you are getting your sugars from whole foods and you don't eat a lot of added sugar, then you don't need to be tracking sugar. Track something else such as sodium, potassium, or calcium.
  • krhn
    krhn Posts: 781 Member
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    I'm always going over my sugar intake RDA... MFP is bloody nuts if they think I can meet my calorie goals whilst taking only 45g (I think) sugar - I take well over 90 daily xD
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,104 Member
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    If you give up your bananas, I'd be happy to eat them for you. I can never get enough bananas. :bigsmile:

    I also drink chocolate milk every day, and my coconut peanut butter probably has quite a bit. Today, I had a pop tart. It was not as tasty as I imagined, and honestly not quite worth all the fuss. I probably get 24g of sugar in a meal, and I'm ok with that. It makes my food yummy, me happy, and gives me the energy for all of this silly exercise I seem to be doing lately. I've lost weight at a fairly steady rate, and it hasn't sucked. Every diet I have ever been on has sucked.

    If I had to limit my sugar, eat a miserable diet, and not have any fun.... I'd order a wheelchair and butt wiping stick from Amazon, then get comfy with my ice cream and sodas again. :ohwell:

    Fitness should be fun. <24g sugar does not sound very fun.

    Less than 24g ADDED sugars daily will become important when you get close to your goal. I'm in Maintenance, have been for five years. I couldn't eat like you do, unless I was willing to do a lot more exercise than my one hour a day five days a week.

    60g total sugars is still doable to me. But I couldn't waste it on sugary treats very often.

    There's context to everything.


  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    The sugar goal on MFP is based on the CDC's recommendation for added sugar in the average diet, not sugars from fruit and veg. The recommendation is relatively new given the obesity problem and the boat loads of added sugar and high fructose corn syrup in the SAD.

    Eat your fruit...eat your veg...limit your consumption of processed foods with added/refined sugar and try to steer clear of high fructose corn syrup...all will be right with the world. I have about 60-100 grams of sugar per day...but very few of those grams come from added sugar and pretty much none of them come from high fructose corn syrup.

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