Problems hitting calories without going over sugar & protein

AZenLife
AZenLife Posts: 8 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi! I was wondering if someone could help me with this:

I'm having problems getting my 'extra' calories earned from working out, without going over my sugar and protein... I know this tool counts good sugar/natural sugar in fruits too... but isn't it more refined sugars we should worry about? any suggestions on hitting required calories, but with the balance of protein and sugar? I seem to have this problem more when working out hard... probably because I crave more protein and sugar to balance what I'm losing?

I play sports, dance, and work out 6 days a week.

Thanks; any help is appreciated :)

Replies

  • AZenLife
    AZenLife Posts: 8 Member
    Obviously, I know this is a guideline tool... but I'm really missing the mark on my sugars. I've adjusted my yogurt to low sugar (2% organic, no fruit juices added) and to whole grains. I'm more aware, I guess that's the first step.
  • chicbuc
    chicbuc Posts: 637 Member
    First of all if most of your sugar is coming from fruit, I wouldn't worry about going over. I quit tracking sugar for that reason.

    Second, MFP has protein set too low, IMO. Try using a 40 carb/30 protein/30 fat.
  • Saraaw23
    Saraaw23 Posts: 35
    If your metabolism is working well (and all that dancing and exercise!) then you should be able to break down that extra sugar easy as pie!

    As for me, I found just reading the back labels of lots of my food and drink items and substituting them with similar things that are lower. Like, I would drink prune juice but switched to Plum juice for its lower sugar count - but works just as great!

    Hope this is helpful!
  • CoachReddy
    CoachReddy Posts: 3,949 Member
    First of all if most of your sugar is coming from fruit, I wouldn't worry about going over. I quit tracking sugar for that reason.

    Second, MFP has protein set too low, IMO. Try using a 40 carb/30 protein/30 fat.

    nope.

    .7-1g of protein per pound of LEAN body mass (ie: not including body fat)

    for women this usually hovers around 100g of protein, although in reality, you don't even need that much unless you're an athlete. the adult woman only requires 46g of protein daily.
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
    Sugar is just a carb. As long as you're eating enough fats and protein, your carbs/sugar aren't particularly important unless you have a medical issue that requires carbs/sugar to be monitored.

    However, it should be noted that fructose and sucrose can only be stored as liver glycogen and not muscle glycogen. The liver can hold 100-120g glycogen so anything more than that will be converted to triglycerides. As long as you still have a calorie deficit this will even out. Just try to make most of your carbs glucose and not sucrose or fructose. Fructose in particular has been shown to decrease exercise performance.

    Here are some studies:
    http://www.setantacollege.com/wp-content/uploads/Journal_db/the effects of glucose....pdf

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3592616


    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 so keep that in mind.

    MFP sets protein too low. To set your macros, check out this link: 

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/911011-calculating-calorie-macronutrient-needs?page=1#posts-13821336

    Also, it's hard to have too much protein. 

    "It has been observed that the human liver cannot safely metabolise much more than 285-365 g of protein per day (for an 80 kg person), and human kidneys are similarly limited in their capability to remove urea (a byproduct of protein catabolism) from the bloodstream. Exceeding that amount results in excess levels of amino acids, ammonia (hyperammonemia), and/or urea in the bloodstream, with potentially fatal consequences,[1] especially if the person switches to a high-protein diet without giving time for the levels of his or her hepatic enzymes to upregulate. Since protein only contains 4 kcal/gram, and a typical adult human requires in excess of 1900 kcal to maintain the energy balance, it is possible to exceed the safe intake of protein if one is subjected to a high-protein diet with little or no fat or carbohydrates. However, given the lack of scientific data on the effects of high-protein diets, and the observed ability of the liver to compensate over a few days for a shift in protein intake, the US Food and Nutrition Board does not set a Tolerable Upper Limit nor upper Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range for protein.[2] Furthermore, medical sources such as UpToDate[3] do not include listings on this topic." 

    Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit_starvation
  • texasredhawk
    texasredhawk Posts: 2 Member
    For some sensible guidelines on sugar and protein, check out Mark's Daily Apple: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-much-protein-should-you-be-eating/#axzz2T2pkA0QW

    I find that my sweet spot for weight loss is a daily goal of:
    50g carb
    30g sugar
    60g fat
    150 protein.

    I rarely get past 100 on the protein, but definitely have to stay under 30g on the sugar. That's not much, given that one small yogurt is often 15g. I eat almost no fruit -- mostly vegetables and meat. I'm rarely hungry and only occasionally have cravings. It doesn't matter whether your sugar is coming from fruit or candy. It's still sugar.
  • kms1320
    kms1320 Posts: 599 Member
    2 under for the day on the sugar, and that was even with an airheads bar and some cherry fun dip!
  • CoachReddy
    CoachReddy Posts: 3,949 Member
    Sugar is just a carb. As long as you're eating enough fats and protein, your carbs/sugar aren't particularly important unless you have a medical issue that requires carbs/sugar to be monitored.

    However, it should be noted that fructose and sucrose can only be stored as liver glycogen and not muscle glycogen. The liver can hold 100-120g glycogen so anything more than that will be converted to triglycerides. As long as you still have a calorie deficit this will even out. Just try to make most of your carbs glucose and not sucrose or fructose. Fructose in particular has been shown to decrease exercise performance.

    Here are some studies:
    http://www.setantacollege.com/wp-content/uploads/Journal_db/the effects of glucose....pdf

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3592616


    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 so keep that in mind.

    MFP sets protein too low. To set your macros, check out this link: 

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/911011-calculating-calorie-macronutrient-needs?page=1#posts-13821336

    Also, it's hard to have too much protein. 

    "It has been observed that the human liver cannot safely metabolise much more than 285-365 g of protein per day (for an 80 kg person), and human kidneys are similarly limited in their capability to remove urea (a byproduct of protein catabolism) from the bloodstream. Exceeding that amount results in excess levels of amino acids, ammonia (hyperammonemia), and/or urea in the bloodstream, with potentially fatal consequences,[1] especially if the person switches to a high-protein diet without giving time for the levels of his or her hepatic enzymes to upregulate. Since protein only contains 4 kcal/gram, and a typical adult human requires in excess of 1900 kcal to maintain the energy balance, it is possible to exceed the safe intake of protein if one is subjected to a high-protein diet with little or no fat or carbohydrates. However, given the lack of scientific data on the effects of high-protein diets, and the observed ability of the liver to compensate over a few days for a shift in protein intake, the US Food and Nutrition Board does not set a Tolerable Upper Limit nor upper Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range for protein.[2] Furthermore, medical sources such as UpToDate[3] do not include listings on this topic." 

    Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit_starvation

    sure, but excess protein does you no good and is a waste of money. :tongue:
  • kms1320
    kms1320 Posts: 599 Member
    I go with whatever Scooby says :P
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I shoot for 100g of protein (I have no problem reaching that most days), stay under in carbs and be close in fat. That's about it.
  • AZenLife
    AZenLife Posts: 8 Member
    Thanks for the replies, everyone! Much appreciated!
  • AZenLife
    AZenLife Posts: 8 Member
    Sugar is just a carb. As long as you're eating enough fats and protein, your carbs/sugar aren't particularly important unless you have a medical issue that requires carbs/sugar to be monitored.

    However, it should be noted that fructose and sucrose can only be stored as liver glycogen and not muscle glycogen. The liver can hold 100-120g glycogen so anything more than that will be converted to triglycerides. As long as you still have a calorie deficit this will even out. Just try to make most of your carbs glucose and not sucrose or fructose. Fructose in particular has been shown to decrease exercise performance.

    Here are some studies:
    http://www.setantacollege.com/wp-content/uploads/Journal_db/the effects of glucose....pdf

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3592616


    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 so keep that in mind.

    MFP sets protein too low. To set your macros, check out this link: 

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/911011-calculating-calorie-macronutrient-needs?page=1#posts-13821336

    Also, it's hard to have too much protein. 

    "It has been observed that the human liver cannot safely metabolise much more than 285-365 g of protein per day (for an 80 kg person), and human kidneys are similarly limited in their capability to remove urea (a byproduct of protein catabolism) from the bloodstream. Exceeding that amount results in excess levels of amino acids, ammonia (hyperammonemia), and/or urea in the bloodstream, with potentially fatal consequences,[1] especially if the person switches to a high-protein diet without giving time for the levels of his or her hepatic enzymes to upregulate. Since protein only contains 4 kcal/gram, and a typical adult human requires in excess of 1900 kcal to maintain the energy balance, it is possible to exceed the safe intake of protein if one is subjected to a high-protein diet with little or no fat or carbohydrates. However, given the lack of scientific data on the effects of high-protein diets, and the observed ability of the liver to compensate over a few days for a shift in protein intake, the US Food and Nutrition Board does not set a Tolerable Upper Limit nor upper Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range for protein.[2] Furthermore, medical sources such as UpToDate[3] do not include listings on this topic." 

    Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit_starvation


    Thanks for the very detailed reply-- love the physiology! I've studied some science, and I get how the body works, but I still have problems hitting the marks for myself. But, you've brought up good points that I can think about objectively, and hopefully take into account with my own plan. And I appreciate the literature! I need to read a bit more and research the science behind things a bit more to understand... because that's how my mind works... I don't think I even articulated my issues appropriately. But thanks again for the helpful post!

    Also, it's important to note: I'm not -just- trying to lose weight, but rather lose weight/convert to muscle. Thanks!
  • MelsAuntie
    MelsAuntie Posts: 2,833 Member
    Don't worry about going over protein. Nothing harmful about that.
  • CoachReddy
    CoachReddy Posts: 3,949 Member
    Don't worry about going over protein. Nothing harmful about that.

    and nothing beneficial either. ;)

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