Sugar, sugar-HELP!

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Terpnista84
Terpnista84 Posts: 517 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am really struggling with my sugar intake. I always go over. I'm making the effort to cut it down- no more added sugar and using a lot of splenda substitute. But I like my SlimFast as a meal replacement/snack/post-workout meal and my low-fat Edy's ice-cream occasionally to keep me sane and to reach my calorie goal on some days. And of course adding fruit puts me over my limit though I have heard not to count the sugar in fruits.

If I focus on a calorie deficit, do I need to worry if my sugar intake is still over what MFP recommends.
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Replies

  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
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    Do you have a medical condition that requires you to limit your sugar intake?

    If you answered yes - then you should watch your sugar intake (according to your doctor's recommendations).

    If you answered no - then you just need to worry about a calorie deficit for weight loss.
  • Terpnista84
    Terpnista84 Posts: 517 Member
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    Lora, you have made my day! :)

    I don't have any medical condition to my knowledge. But I do worry when I hear about people who struggled to lose weight despite their calorie deficit because of the TYPES of food they ate.
  • thisismeraw
    thisismeraw Posts: 1,264 Member
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    If you don't have a medical reason to watch your sugar I wouldn't worry about it provided most of your sugar is coming from fruits. I regularly go over my sugar before breakfast is done due to fruit.

    For slimfast, they are not very nutritous (at least the ones I've seen). I used to keep one in my purse to drink as opposed to stopping for fast food if I was out and was hungry. What about making your own shake that gives you better nutrients? You could make a fruit flavoured on with some water, yogurt, and some fruit. Blended up makes a great smoothie. If you prefer the chocolate one a great shake is some cocoa powder, milk, and maybe some greek yogurt for protein. I personally wouldn't use slimfast after a workout since they don't have much protein (again, at least the ones I've seen around me). A regular protein shake might be better and you can get lower sugar varieties.
  • meeper123
    meeper123 Posts: 3,347 Member
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    I am ALWAYS over but its all natural i stopped tracking sugar and just made sure its from healthy places
  • RunForChai
    RunForChai Posts: 238 Member
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    Hi,
    I removed fruit from my sugar count. I eat blueberries [1/8 cup] and an apple every day. I think the benefits outweigh the negatives--all other sugar counts in my daily tab and I work hard to try to keep within my goals. It is a challenge but worth it.
    Good luck!
  • chica6578
    chica6578 Posts: 76 Member
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    i struggle with the same, but im not yet ready to try anything to stop it lol im a stubborn person. i will say one thing. it may take longer to lose the weight if you consume too many sugars ( at least thats how my body reacts.) and if you really like your slim fasts, try finding a low sugar protien power. and make it with fat free milk or almond milk. you get more protien fron the powder and you also get less sugars, :-) good luck
  • 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.
  • FP4HSharon
    FP4HSharon Posts: 664 Member
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    I use up a lot of my carbs, and sugar, w/my slightly sweetened tea. I can't use non-sugar sweeteners, because they give me migraines. What I don't like is that I'm using up carb calories with processed sugar, that I could be replacing with healthy carbs...veggies, fruits, whole grains. So I'm slowly cutting down my tea & increasing water. Another reason to cut back..."scientists now know that sugar is almost as big a culprit in heart disease as dietary fat. Sugar raises levels of blood fats & LDL (bad) cholesterol. Also damages the linings of blood vessels, raising the risk for stroke, heart attack, high blood pressure, & triglyceride levels." Just because you don't have medical issues now, doesn't mean you couldn't develop them, or just try to be healthy anyway.

    Try to make little changes, that bring your sugar down gradually. Maybe try to find a meal replacement that has less sugar, just buy one of each at the store to give them a try. Same thing w/the ice cream, read the labels & try the brands that have less sugar to see if you might like them even better than the Edy's.

    KEEP Looking for Little Changes That Can Make a Big Difference...I eat yogurt for breakfast. Used to only like Yoplait Original (170 calories/5 g protein/2g fat), kept trying new Greek yogurts as they came out & finally found one I liked, Oikos Traditional (160 calories/11g protein/5g fat). Saw a new Greek yogurt & decided to give it a try & really like it...Fage Total 0% w/Raspberry (120 calories/13g protein/0g fat). So w/gradual changes, I've cut 50 mostly fat calories from my breakfast, but more than doubled my protein intake. Everyone has different tastes, find something YOU like, but don't close the door to a healthy upgrade as new products come out.
  • carolynhart01
    carolynhart01 Posts: 73 Member
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    No Sugar Added icecream sucks. BUT!!!! No Sugar Added Icecream treats (Icecream sandwiches, fudgepops, etc) have been my sanity saver. I need to at least 'think' I am eating chocolate occasionally. At 3-6 g of suger they are a nice occasional treat.
  • c_faulkenburg
    c_faulkenburg Posts: 158 Member
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    I took a peek at your diary and it looks like the majority of your sugar is coming from whole sources. (Fruits, etc.). So I wouldn't worry too much about it.
  • Terpnista84
    Terpnista84 Posts: 517 Member
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    Thanks so much everyone!

    I wish I hadn't gotten the Slim Fast but I bought a 20 count case from Sam's Club so I am stuck with them lol. I wanted to make my own protein shakes but I'm not a fan of the taste and they aren't as convenient. Oh well.

    I am definitely going to try to monitor my sugar intake but I won't be hard on myself if I go over. I've done a good job eliminating added sugar and adjusting to splenda. I don't eat any granulated sugar or white flour so some fruit and low-fat ice-cream shouldn't hurt me too bad.
  • GospelofGrace
    GospelofGrace Posts: 10
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    I definately don't think sugar in it's natural form found in God given whole foods is an issue. I agree with the others, the benefits (fiber) far outways the sugar.
  • Terpnista84
    Terpnista84 Posts: 517 Member
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    I use up a lot of my carbs, and sugar, w/my slightly sweetened tea. I can't use non-sugar sweeteners, because they give me migraines. What I don't like is that I'm using up carb calories with processed sugar, that I could be replacing with healthy carbs...veggies, fruits, whole grains. So I'm slowly cutting down my tea & increasing water. Another reason to cut back..."scientists now know that sugar is almost as big a culprit in heart disease as dietary fat. Sugar raises levels of blood fats & LDL (bad) cholesterol. Also damages the linings of blood vessels, raising the risk for stroke, heart attack, high blood pressure, & triglyceride levels." Just because you don't have medical issues now, doesn't mean you couldn't develop them, or just try to be healthy anyway.

    Try to make little changes, that bring your sugar down gradually. Maybe try to find a meal replacement that has less sugar, just buy one of each at the store to give them a try. Same thing w/the ice cream, read the labels & try the brands that have less sugar to see if you might like them even better than the Edy's.

    KEEP Looking for Little Changes That Can Make a Big Difference...I eat yogurt for breakfast. Used to only like Yoplait Original (170 calories/5 g protein/2g fat), kept trying new Greek yogurts as they came out & finally found one I liked, Oikos Traditional (160 calories/11g protein/5g fat). Saw a new Greek yogurt & decided to give it a try & really like it...Fage Total 0% w/Raspberry (120 calories/13g protein/0g fat). So w/gradual changes, I've cut 50 mostly fat calories from my breakfast, but more than doubled my protein intake. Everyone has different tastes, find something YOU like, but don't close the door to a healthy upgrade as new products come out.
    Thank goodness non-sugar sweeteners have no effect on me because I could not live without it. I add it to everything- even my sweet potatoes. I use it on my oatmeal too. The hardest thing was to adjust to having it in my hot beverages and I don't care for the taste of it in coffee so I've switched over to tea.

    I'm definitely conscious of my yogurt so I bought one container of plain greek and add splenda to it. I also have low-fat dannon vanilla. Eventually I'll eliminate that and try to stick with the greek (it is so bitter though).

    I'll look into finding another ice-cream replacement. Right now the Edy's is pretty good for ice-cream, it has about 4grams of fat. But I am always looking to do better.
  • carolynhart01
    carolynhart01 Posts: 73 Member
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    It doesn't need to alwyas be plain, I LOVE the vanilla. I got used to the differant texture and taste pretty fast. When I was pregnant with the twins I got gestational diabetes and my dietician got me hooked on it. Haven't switched back once. :smile:
  • pandabear7486
    pandabear7486 Posts: 92 Member
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    I was finding on other boards too that MFP standards can be low. I just changed my % to 40-30-30 (which when you select 40 it changed the others to 30-30 automatically). Only been a day but does seem more reasonable.
  • FP4HSharon
    FP4HSharon Posts: 664 Member
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    I was finding on other boards too that MFP standards can be low. I just changed my % to 40-30-30 (which when you select 40 it changed the others to 30-30 automatically). Only been a day but does seem more reasonable.

    I manually changed my % to 50-25-25 based on more current recommendations than MFP seems to be using.

    OP...you might also want to try switching your artificial sweetener from Splenda to stevia (Truvia). It's more natural, doesn't seem to have the negative health effects like some report w/Splenda, & still 0 calories.
  • hmanley66
    hmanley66 Posts: 57
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    MFP is harsh on the sugar and sodium intakes. It seems that if you eat 4 servings of fruit and 1 serving of carbs you are at double your intake already. Don't measure it :) Life should be more sweet than that...
  • LavenderBouquet
    LavenderBouquet Posts: 736 Member
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    Do you have a medical condition that requires you to limit your sugar intake?

    If you answered yes - then you should watch your sugar intake (according to your doctor's recommendations).

    If you answered no - then you just need to worry about a calorie deficit for weight loss.

    Even if a person doesn't have a medical condition now, that doesn't mean that taking in too much sugar in the present cannot cause one in the future. I think it's very important for a person's health to limit refined sugar intake, even too much fruit intake can cause problems. I would try to reduce your sugar and artificial sweetener intake, it may not be what you want to hear, but processed foods aren't the road to healthiness.
  • Terpnista84
    Terpnista84 Posts: 517 Member
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    I eat mostly clean- hardly eat any processed foods.
  • BrofessorDumbelldore
    BrofessorDumbelldore Posts: 11
    Options
    Do you have a medical condition that requires you to limit your sugar intake?

    If you answered yes - then you should watch your sugar intake (according to your doctor's recommendations).

    If you answered no - then you just need to worry about a calorie deficit for weight loss.

    Even if a person doesn't have a medical condition now, that doesn't mean that taking in too much sugar in the present cannot cause one in the future. I think it's very important for a person's health to limit refined sugar intake, even too much fruit intake can cause problems. I would try to reduce your sugar and artificial sweetener intake, it may not be what you want to hear, but processed foods aren't the road to healthiness.

    Care to enlighten us to the conditions we will get sweet cheeks?

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