I am going over my Sugars--is that Bad?

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macgirl1906
macgirl1906 Posts: 18
in Health and Weight Loss
Everyday, no matter how hard I try to eat "healthy", I still always seem to go over my sugars "goal". I am on a 1330 Daily Calorie intake diet and my "goals" are:

Calories: 1330
Fat: 44
Sodium: 2500
Fiber: 15
Sugar: 27
Protein: 50

Is it bad that I am going over my sugars? I went grocery shopping last night and looked at every label for calorie counts and sugar grams... everything I bought--with exception to my cereal--was between 2-6g of sugar.

So far, for breakfast, I have had:

Kellog's Cereal - FiberPLUS Antioxidants Berry Yogurt Crunch - 1 Cup (yes, I measured it out)
-Calories: 170
-Fat: 1
-Sodium: 200
-Fiber: 10
-Sugar: 12
-Protein: 3

Plain Silk Soymilk - DHA, Omega-3, and Calcium - 1 Cup
-Calories: 110
-Fat: 5
-Sodium: 120
-Fiber: 1
-Sugar: 6
-Protein: 7

Pink Grapefruit - 1/2 raw
-Calories: 52
-Fat: 0
-Sodium: 2
-Fiber: 2
-Sugar: 8
-Protein: 1

If I add all the sugars up for you, I have had a total 26g Sugars today already! I am only "goaled" at 27g per day...

What should I do?

Replies

  • xxhollow
    xxhollow Posts: 26
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    I was also wondering the same thing. I consistently go over my sugar goal and usually my carb goal as well.
  • mmmpink
    mmmpink Posts: 25
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    Sugar from fruit is okay, I wouldn't worry about that too much, but you should look for a cereal with less sugar. I know, they don't taste as good, but it's added sugar that is bad for you, and 12 g of sugar in one cup of cereal is too much.
  • jrich1
    jrich1 Posts: 2,408 Member
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    May not be for everyone *my disclaimer

    I have really ever only looked at calories, and everything else falls into place...
  • LosingLizard
    LosingLizard Posts: 69
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    The sugars it really comes down to the source. I go over my sugar daily too, but I look at it this way - it's almost all fruit. Fruit is the good, natural sugar that doesn't cause insulin spikes, It's impossible not to eat the daily recommended fruit and not go over sugar, or at least that's what I've been seeing.

    The allowance should cause you to look at your food sources. Are they good, healthful sources? Are you going over in sugar because you ate fruit or because you ate a Snickers bar?

    The same with carbs - though I try to stay closer to this one, but I still maintain the same rules. Did I eat a ton of veggies or did I overdo it on the bread?

    It's all a guidance, not a set in stone rule IMHO.
  • FemininGuns
    FemininGuns Posts: 605 Member
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    Try Kashi Go Lean cereal. You can use Stevia (a natural sweetner) to sugar it up a bit. I love this cereal - very tasty! I NEVER go over my sugars... Take a peek at my diary for ideas if you'd like!
  • CJtex66
    CJtex66 Posts: 2 Member
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    Look at where your sugar is coming from. If it is a natural source such as milk do worry about it as much. But foods that have added sugar such as cereal stay away from. Use Stevia as a sweetner. Although Fruit is a natural sugar you should still watch how much you are eating of it. Fruit is not a free food. I go over my sugars every day but not by a lot. I have lost 91lbs in about a year and a half. ... Good Luck, God Bless and stick with it.
  • Moxie75
    Moxie75 Posts: 2
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    I'm over on sugar every single day. It's crazy! Some of it IS fruit, but some of it isn't. For now, I'm just going to watch calories and hope that it all works out. I am not sitting there eating candy bars or other obvious sweets, so I just try and focus on doing the best I can!
  • JackSpratt
    JackSpratt Posts: 2
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    I was told by a nutritionist that sugar from fruit is fine as long as it is pulpy fruit (containing fibre) such as apples & bananas.... Oranges also contain some fibre. The more of the solid is left after being squashed down means the greater the fibrous content. Melons and Berries, for example, would not be pulpy fruit as they disappear to practically nothing. The point being that these fruits, by being pulpy, ease sugar into your system rather than give a large 'hit'.

    Hope that helps. Good luck with your goals.
  • fitterpam
    fitterpam Posts: 3,086 Member
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    Sugars from fruit and dairy are a different kind of sugar than is found in your cereal. Fructose and lactose are generally absorbed by your body more easily than sucrose but they will still cause your blood sugar to spike (not so much of an energy crash though), which can lead to cravings and hunger. If you are sensitive to sugar - insulin resistant or diabetic - you should go easy on all kinds of sugars including fructose and lactose.

    I agree that 12g of sugar in a cereal is probably on the high side. Try and make sure that any time you eat any source of sugar that you have something high in protein with it. It controls hunger and cravings by "evening" out your blood sugar so you don't get that spike. The soy milk is probably giving you some protein so that's a good thing.
  • tairui2009
    tairui2009 Posts: 37 Member
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    Yes, going over your sugars is bad ~

    When sugar hits your blood, it turns to acid... when your blood becomes too acidic, the body responds by trying to buffer that acidity. Guess one of the things it uses to buffer acidity? Water and FAT.. and your body, not knowing when you're going to stop taking in all this sugar will keep a ready store available to ensure it can keep buffering that acid.

    The result is that your weight loss tends to plateau ~ even though you're under calories and exercising consistently, the scale may not move as much as it should because your body is trying to keep things in balance.

    Try an experiment.. give up sugar (that includes carbs) for 3 days.. and watch what happens..
  • macgirl1906
    macgirl1906 Posts: 18
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    Good Idea--Kashi Cereal. I forgot about that cereal! I will get that next time. I'm not looking for something "sweet" for breakfast, just healthy. I need more fiber to go along with all the water I'm chugging! It was 20% of your DV in 1 Cup... but yeah, looking at it in the way you mentioned--12g of Sugar in 1 Cup--it's a lot...

    Thanks!
  • johnthefatman
    johnthefatman Posts: 205
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    Don't believe any of the anti sugar propaganda - you only want/need to track sugar on here if you are diabetic. You can only track 5 things (see in settings) IMHO sodium is much more useful - or fibre. I just turned sugar off - I have lost 70 odd pounds and still take real sugar in my coffee and on my healthy cereals. I used to be over after breakfast!
  • Vans
    Vans Posts: 388 Member
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    I read in the book "Breaking the fat loss code" that if the food you are eating has fiber you deduct the amount of fiber from your total carbs
  • YourFriendBecky
    YourFriendBecky Posts: 229
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    I for one have removed everything except for calories from my food diary... not that anyone should deliberately overdo on any one nutrient, but if you eat a balanced diet and you monitor your calories, you'll lose weight and get healthier (unless, as John said, you've got something else going on).

    Becky

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