Sugar + Weight Loss Advice

knityoupants
knityoupants Posts: 76 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I get it: eating at a calorie deficit will make you lose weight, and I've lost some! I don't have a particularly ridiculous sweet tooth, but I do enjoy a little of this and that. It usually fits into my daily calories (although MFP's sugar macros seem to be set at a ridiculous standard).

I've heard that your body just stops burning fat when your insulin spikes, even in a small way. That sounds like a weight loss killer to me... is it true? Does anyone have any trustworthy resources on this topic?

Have any of you ever felt like your sugar intake is sabotaging your weight loss? How about the difference between fructose and the other sugars? I don't think I'm willing to quit fruit.

I'm in that pesky "<10 lbs to lose" zone at this point, and it feels like I have to address every little detail of my diet to make ANY progress. Thanks!

Replies

  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    Makes very little if any difference. I don't even bother tracking sugar, as it is just a carb, and I track carbs. Sugar is really only an issue if you are diabetic or pre-diabetic.
  • mperrott2205
    mperrott2205 Posts: 737 Member
    No.
  • DebbieLyn63
    DebbieLyn63 Posts: 2,654 Member
    My body is insulin resistant, so for me, I have to really watch the processed sugars and simple carbs, because if my carbs are too high, even if I am at a calorie deficit, it does affect my weight loss.
    But that is not the case for everyone. I have known people who live off sugar and junk food and are naturally skinny, even without being very active.
    And for those who are very active, they seem to be able to get away with a lot more sugar in their diet.
    You just have to know your own body.

    I can have like one serving of fruit a day without a problem, but if I go too much over that, there is a problem. Watermelon is killing me right now, because I love it in the summer and just can't stick to only one cup per day.
  • eversosquidly
    eversosquidly Posts: 59 Member
    Any sugar that you get naturally is not something you need to cut out of your diet. You need fruit to survive! The sugar you get from fruit is beneficial. :) Now, I'm not telling you to turn into a fruit basket and eat fruit all day, but fruit isn't something you should feel compelled to give up.

    I don't know about refined sugar. I'm not an expert. But there are people on here that have lost exponentially large amounts of weight and have continued to eat the same food they did when they were bigger. Ice cream and barbells was one of the threads I read when I first got on MFP. You don't have to give up what you love to lose. It's definitely about the deficit.

    But I did give up sugar, just the white refined stuff, and I lost a reasonable amount of weight in less than two months. So it's up to you. But if you only eat a little here and there, I see no reason to get rid of sugar. Especially if you're planning on only losing less than ten pounds. It seems like you'd give up a few things to get down there, and then start eating them again and teetertotter on the same numbers.

    Just a few thoughts! TL;DR, sorry! Good luck!
  • 1yoyoKAT
    1yoyoKAT Posts: 206 Member
    It's a very interesting topic, for sure. I got a lot out of the book: "Fat Chance" by Robert Lustig. I think he shares very compelling information on why not all calories are equal and impact us in different ways. Keeping processed sugar out of my diet as much as possible has really helped me in a lot of ways, including weight loss.
  • Steph4454
    Steph4454 Posts: 164 Member
    Hi there! I'm a Nursing student and we kind of learned about this last night in my Patho. Class so let me see if this helps!

    When you eat sugar, your pancreas releases Insulin to "unlock" the cell and allow the sugar into the cell to make energy. Sugar is the quickest source of energy your body can use. Fat is second. Amino acids third.

    Another thing insulin does is allow fat to go into the cell with the sugar for future use if needed and stored.

    The more sugar you have in your body, the more insulin is released and the more glucose and fat is brought into the cell.

    If you keep your sugars lower, the less insulin that has to be produced, the less fat that is being brought into the cell to be stored and the more fat that will be burned because the body turns to other sources of energy!

    I hope that helps and i wouldnt worry about fruit sugar as there is SO much less sugar in fruit than well...lets say a doughnut :)
  • knityoupants
    knityoupants Posts: 76 Member
    Thanks all! Yeah, my roommate made like three pans of pretty hearty, health-conscious cake yesterday (I listed it as coffee cake, but it has carrots and wheat flour and other stuff), and I couldn't gauge whether it was a good idea to partake a little.

    And that's a good point about everyone's bodies being different. I've only been tracking for a little over a month so I'm just starting to learn more about my own body.
  • DebbieLyn63
    DebbieLyn63 Posts: 2,654 Member
    Fruit is not essential for life. My hubby never eats any fruits, and when I first met him he never ate any veggies either. He is a competitive cyclist and is in amazing health. He does take a multi-vitamin to make sure he gets the vitamins he is missing. And he has added a few veggies over the years, but he still is mainly a meat and potatoes kinda guy.
    And he could never cut out sugar completely, but he does have to watch his sugar and cals more now that he is in his 40s.
    But he burns crazy amounts of calories on long training bike rides every week, and a couple of races, so he can have his Starbucks and bacon cheeseburgers!
  • knityoupants
    knityoupants Posts: 76 Member
    Hi there! I'm a Nursing student and we kind of learned about this last night in my Patho. Class so let me see if this helps!

    When you eat sugar, your pancreas releases Insulin to "unlock" the cell and allow the sugar into the cell to make energy. Sugar is the quickest source of energy your body can use. Fat is second. Amino acids third.

    Another thing insulin does is allow fat to go into the cell with the sugar for future use if needed and stored.

    The more sugar you have in your body, the more insulin is released and the more glucose and fat is brought into the cell.

    If you keep your sugars lower, the less insulin that has to be produced, the less fat that is being brought into the cell to be stored and the more fat that will be burned because the body turns to other sources of energy!

    I hope that helps and i wouldnt worry about fruit sugar as there is SO much less sugar in fruit than well...lets say a doughnut :)

    Thanks, that's exactly what I was wondering about! I'm a couple years out of any and all science classes, so my memory is beyond fuzzy hahaha.
  • DebbieLyn63
    DebbieLyn63 Posts: 2,654 Member
    Hi there! I'm a Nursing student and we kind of learned about this last night in my Patho. Class so let me see if this helps!

    When you eat sugar, your pancreas releases Insulin to "unlock" the cell and allow the sugar into the cell to make energy. Sugar is the quickest source of energy your body can use. Fat is second. Amino acids third.

    Another thing insulin does is allow fat to go into the cell with the sugar for future use if needed and stored.

    The more sugar you have in your body, the more insulin is released and the more glucose and fat is brought into the cell.

    If you keep your sugars lower, the less insulin that has to be produced, the less fat that is being brought into the cell to be stored and the more fat that will be burned because the body turns to other sources of energy!

    I hope that helps and i wouldnt worry about fruit sugar as there is SO much less sugar in fruit than well...lets say a doughnut :)

    Thanks for explaining the science of this in such a simple way!
  • MsipiGRITS
    MsipiGRITS Posts: 128 Member
    Have any of you ever felt like your sugar intake is sabotaging your weight loss?

    ^^This^^ is me too!!!!
  • 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, increased likelihood of gastrointestinal distress, and increase perception of exertion.

    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.

    For information on setting your macro target, read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/911011-calculating-calorie-macronutrient-needs?page=1#posts-13821336
  • MsipiGRITS
    MsipiGRITS Posts: 128 Member
    Have any of you ever felt like your sugar intake is sabotaging your weight loss?

    ^^This^^ is me too!!!!

    I really believe this is one of those areas where everyone's body is different and the impact to you will depend on how well YOUR body processes WHAT you are eating as well as how many calories. I have PCOS, which is pretty much under control, but I still do not effectively process refined sugars (fruit seems to be fine in moderation). So, when my macros are too refined/processed carb/sugar heavy, I gain weight, EVEN if the number of calories is the same. So, the great thing about using MFP to track everything you eat is that you really get to know what works with your body chemistry and what does not. Then, it is simply your choice whether to eat what your body needs OR eat things that don't work for you. Also, I have taken up running and have not noticed that this changes that equation for me... I personally have a HUGE sweet tooth so sometimes (esp when hormonal), I just have a sugar fest! Then I have to get up, dust off, carry on! Good luck!!!
  • magerum
    magerum Posts: 12,589 Member
    Unless you have a specific medical reason to worry about sugar, there's no need to.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    It's a very interesting topic, for sure. I got a lot out of the book: "Fat Chance" by Robert Lustig. I think he shares very compelling information on why not all calories are equal and impact us in different ways. Keeping processed sugar out of my diet as much as possible has really helped me in a lot of ways, including weight loss.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/988127-scientific-review-of-lolstig-s-fat-chance?hl=lolstig


    Also do people realize protein is insulinogenic as well? zomg limit the proteinz
  • mflinn84
    mflinn84 Posts: 35
    Sugar is tricky isn't it? People say "everything in moderation" but consuming sugar makes you crave sugar more. Likewise, (for me) not eating sugar for a while makes me not really want it as much. For example, on year for Lent I gave up sprinkly sugar. So I had to drink my coffee with just creamer. By the time Lent was over, I didn't want sugar in my coffee anymore and I haven't drank sugar in my coffee for the 12 years since!

    So, if you stop eating it for say, three weeks - it gets easier after that.

    That said, I will always love fruit pie. It is my kryptonite. I have learned to read the calories on the box BEFORE cutting myself a slice, not after. It makes me cut a smaller slice.

    I have also started blending frozen fruit, vanilla yogurt and honey in a blender and I swear it is better than ice cream.
  • RobynLB83
    RobynLB83 Posts: 626 Member
    Hi there! I'm a Nursing student and we kind of learned about this last night in my Patho. Class so let me see if this helps!

    When you eat sugar, your pancreas releases Insulin to "unlock" the cell and allow the sugar into the cell to make energy. Sugar is the quickest source of energy your body can use. Fat is second. Amino acids third.

    Another thing insulin does is allow fat to go into the cell with the sugar for future use if needed and stored.

    The more sugar you have in your body, the more insulin is released and the more glucose and fat is brought into the cell.

    If you keep your sugars lower, the less insulin that has to be produced, the less fat that is being brought into the cell to be stored and the more fat that will be burned because the body turns to other sources of energy!

    I hope that helps and i wouldnt worry about fruit sugar as there is SO much less sugar in fruit than well...lets say a doughnut :)

    This is pretty misinformed. Standard medical training is pretty lacking when it come to nutrition. Also, there is NOT less sugar in fruit than a doughnut. It's can be roughly the same.
  • Steph4454
    Steph4454 Posts: 164 Member
    So if I eat a doughnut and eat an apple, it doesnt matter?

    Also, that's straight from the text so maybe you should contact Porth the author. What is misinformed?

    What are your credentials? Just curious...
  • princessdartany
    princessdartany Posts: 28 Member
    Hi there! I'm a Nursing student and we kind of learned about this last night in my Patho. Class so let me see if this helps!

    When you eat sugar, your pancreas releases Insulin to "unlock" the cell and allow the sugar into the cell to make energy. Sugar is the quickest source of energy your body can use. Fat is second. Amino acids third.

    Another thing insulin does is allow fat to go into the cell with the sugar for future use if needed and stored.

    The more sugar you have in your body, the more insulin is released and the more glucose and fat is brought into the cell.

    If you keep your sugars lower, the less insulin that has to be produced, the less fat that is being brought into the cell to be stored and the more fat that will be burned because the body turns to other sources of energy!

    I hope that helps and i wouldnt worry about fruit sugar as there is SO much less sugar in fruit than well...lets say a doughnut :)

    Thanks, that's exactly what I was wondering about! I'm a couple years out of any and all science classes, so my memory is beyond fuzzy hahaha.

    This is exactly right! I have diabetes. I have found I can work out hard and create a caloric deficit. However, if my sugar is high (which means a large amount of insulin is circulating in my blood stream due to insulin resistance) I loose absolutely nothing. Some weeks I gain...especially in my belly area. I spoke with my doctor about this because its extremely frustating but she stated exactly what this nursing student is explaining. Insulin resistance (high levels in the blood stream) cause you to store fat. She said it will be three times as hard for me to loose weight! You can't deny the science of it just defy it and minimize sugar intake. It's difficult but I am progressing everyday....because after working out six days in a role and making healthy choices I want to see the scale going down...period!
  • Steph4454
    Steph4454 Posts: 164 Member
    [/quote]

    This is exactly right! I have diabetes. I have found I can work out hard and create a caloric deficit. However, if my sugar is high (which means a large amount of insulin is circulating in my blood stream due to insulin resistance) I loose absolutely nothing. Some weeks I gain...especially in my belly area. I spoke with my doctor about this because its extremely frustating but she stated exactly what this nursing student is explaining. Insulin resistance (high levels in the blood stream) cause you to store fat. She said it will be three times as hard for me to loose weight! You can't deny the science of it just defy it and minimize sugar intake. It's difficult but I am progressing everyday....because after working out six days in a role and making healthy choices I want to see the scale going down...period!
    [/quote]

    Congrats girl! And exercise is the best way to make those insulin receptors on the cell more sensitive so they pick up the insulin more readily and your diabetes will be much more controlled!

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