Daily Sugar Total.......

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Evilmuffin666
Evilmuffin666 Posts: 132 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am new to MFP (three days) and have been logging everything I eat and exercise. I am having a hard time to make it to the intake totals for everything EXCEPT Sugar. In that category, I blow it away. I was never a healthy eater... and am determined to get into a healthy Lifestyle, so I am exercising a min of 135 mins a day sometimes 180 mins (3 hrs) a day. I have been using the database to try and find Food with NO sugar..... but it seems like everything has sugar in it... (Oranges, apples, etc.) I noticed that the daily total for sugar will go up with exercise but then again, so does the calorie intake. I am having a hard time Meeting the Minimum calorie intake as it is. I am usually short between 700 and 900 Calories. Any suggestions?

Replies

  • coolswim11
    coolswim11 Posts: 2
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    at this point...i kind of ignore the sugar total...you would have to eat no fruit, and it would suck.
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
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    MFP's sugar totals are set to the usual standards for *added* sugar. Unless you have a medical reason to track it, I don't think it's even worth tracking -- sugar is a carb and most of us are already tracking carbs.
  • FreeThotStrm
    FreeThotStrm Posts: 40
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    I recommend avoiding all foods with ADDED sugar (not fruit, eat your fruit!!) and ignoring the sugar intake. If you know that the sugar you are taking in is natural then it doesn't matter. When you eat fruit you are taking your sugar with some fiber and it's good for you- gives you energy!
  • alfiedn
    alfiedn Posts: 425 Member
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    I'm interested in this as well. I always go over my sugar intake, even on days where I am being good. Truth be told, I have an incredible sweet tooth!
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    The sugar macro is way too low, I don't even bother with it, especially as I like fruit. It's probably good if you have diabetes but otherwise, not a big deal... I just try to stay under in carbs.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,118 Member
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    I'm interested in this as well. I always go over my sugar intake, even on days where I am being good. Truth be told, I have an incredible sweet tooth!

    Some things have to be dialed back to lose weight. You don't have to give up your sugary treats, but it makes life much easier to curtail them.
  • veracalore
    veracalore Posts: 14
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    I ignore it. Just don't eat things with added refined sugar.
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
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    I recommend avoiding all foods with ADDED sugar (not fruit, eat your fruit!!) and ignoring the sugar intake. If you know that the sugar you are taking in is natural then it doesn't matter. When you eat fruit you are taking your sugar with some fiber and it's good for you- gives you energy!

    I hate this argument, sugar is sugar. The 25g of sugar from an apple vs 25 grams of sugar from chocolate effect your body in the same way. If you are eating at maintenance, or at a deficit, it does not matter if you are getting your sugar from fruit, or if you are eating straight table sugar, as far as body composition. That is not to say that they are equal, because fruit has vitamins and nutrients that granulated sugar doesn't, but as for the sugar itself, it's the same thing. I'll leave you with this:

    "Surwit and colleagues compared the 6-week effects of 2 hypocaloric diets – one with 43% of the total calories as sucrose (table sugar), and one with 4% of the total calories as sucrose [15].
    No significant differences were seen in the loss of bodyweight or bodyfat between the high and low-sucrose groups. Strengthening these results was the use of dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) to measure body composition. Furthermore, no differences in blood lipids or metabolism were seen between the groups. It looks like a more sugary intake still cannot override a calorie deficit."
  • SailorKnightWing
    SailorKnightWing Posts: 875 Member
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    I think it's like this: sugar is sugar, but sugar doesn't matter for most people (diabetics notwithstanding). The reason you should avoid foods with a lot of added sugar is more because they tend to have more calories and fewer nutrients, whereas fruits with naturally-occurring sugars are generally lower in calorie and higher in nutrients. Sugar itself isn't really a good indicator of whether a food is healthful or not.

    Or I could be completely wrong, I'm not a nutritionist.
  • yamahammer342
    yamahammer342 Posts: 3
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    I recommend avoiding all foods with ADDED sugar (not fruit, eat your fruit!!) and ignoring the sugar intake. If you know that the sugar you are taking in is natural then it doesn't matter. When you eat fruit you are taking your sugar with some fiber and it's good for you- gives you energy!

    I hate this argument, sugar is sugar. The 25g of sugar from an apple vs 25 grams of sugar from chocolate effect your body in the same way. If you are eating at maintenance, or at a deficit, it does not matter if you are getting your sugar from fruit, or if you are eating straight table sugar, as far as body composition. That is not to say that they are equal, because fruit has vitamins and nutrients that granulated sugar doesn't, but as for the sugar itself, it's the same thing. I'll leave you with this:

    "Surwit and colleagues compared the 6-week effects of 2 hypocaloric diets – one with 43% of the total calories as sucrose (table sugar), and one with 4% of the total calories as sucrose [15].
    No significant differences were seen in the loss of bodyweight or bodyfat between the high and low-sucrose groups. Strengthening these results was the use of dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) to measure body composition. Furthermore, no differences in blood lipids or metabolism were seen between the groups. It looks like a more sugary intake still cannot override a calorie deficit."

    This isn't exactly true. Fructose and sucrose have very different GI, meaning they will have a different effect on blood sugar and insulin levels. Sucrose has a high GI and will create more of a spike in insulin levels. Now, I agree the OP shouldn't worry too much about that as long as they are meeting their calorie goals, but I thought it was worth mentioning.
  • harleygroomer
    harleygroomer Posts: 373 Member
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    the sugars in fruit are a nature sugar, and you DO need the fruit for fiber as well as vegies. As for sugar--there is a large listing of sugar free foods in here to pick from, and I try to get the closest one. But as for SUGAR it self? NO NO NO NO NO NO--that is a taboo product for me now, as well as 99.99% of ALL breads AND white potatoes AND white rice.
    My bread product now is JOseph's flax and oat bran wraps in the deli department of Wally world. WONDEFUL things and only 50 cals to wrap a smamie
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
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    I think it's like this: sugar is sugar, but sugar doesn't matter for most people (diabetics notwithstanding). The reason you should avoid foods with a lot of added sugar is more because they tend to have more calories and fewer nutrients, whereas fruits with naturally-occurring sugars are generally lower in calorie and higher in nutrients. Sugar itself isn't really a good indicator of whether a food is healthful or not.

    Or I could be completely wrong, I'm not a nutritionist.

    +1
  • starryvagabond
    starryvagabond Posts: 60 Member
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    This website actually showed me how much sugar I was eating a day. And it was amazing and blew me away. It's helped me make healthier choices. Though some of the other replies are right: sugar is sugar. It's in pretty much everything. Unfortunately.
  • Evilmuffin666
    Evilmuffin666 Posts: 132 Member
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    Thanks everyone for the replies and the Information. I feel SOOOOO much better now. I thought that I had to make the total amounts for everything and not go over in any of them. I was thinking that it would take me all day to figure out what to eat for each meal. I am retired so I have lots of time, but that idea was overwhelming. And yes, sugar is sugar... I will agree. But I will subtract any natural sugar totals from my intake. It is great to see how much sugar one eats over the day. Luckily I do not drink any Pop or Soda, diet or regular. My downfall is Coffee Mate French Vanilla Creamer in my coffee. Thanks for all the help!!!!!!! Everyone is the best on this site! I cant wait to be one of the "Success Stories"!
  • holly1283
    holly1283 Posts: 741 Member
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    I am almost always over on sugar. I ignore it also. I have my sugar levels checked every 6 months and am not diabeteic so I don't worry about it.

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