how important is sugar intake?

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agdeierl
agdeierl Posts: 378 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
When I first started, the, I think, "default" mode was to only track calories, carbs, fat, and protein. And I figured since sugar is a carb, I didn't need to worry about it separately. But then I noticed other peoples' food diaries have sugar tracked, too. I do have a belly, so I'm wondering if it's absolutely necessary that I track sugar as well. When I tried it on that setting, it only allowed me like 29 grams of sugar per day, and the plumsmart juice I'm drinking to calm my temperamental stomach is 26 grams per serving (I only have one serving of plumsmart per day)! Other than sugar, I'm having no problem staying under the limits. So do I need to start tracking sugar, or don't I?

Replies

  • turbojanem
    turbojanem Posts: 285
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    i don't count my sugars, but i do watch my intake. my suggestion to you is to find out what is causing your stomach to be temperamental and work on that. juice is high in calories, low in bulk and fiber, so not the best of foods when attempting to reduce weight/calories.
    most of my stomach issues disappeared when i realized what i was allergic to. my main allergy is mold. so... bread and other items with yeast are rather toxic to my system. if i limit my bread to one or two per couple of days i have no issues. yogurt will send my stomach into issues fast. as well as most fast foods and some chain restaurants due to their using MSG.
  • usernom
    usernom Posts: 8
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    i am tracking sugar, and it is also the only thing i go over every day. the limit that was automatically set is unrealistic for me, but can be changed via My Home > Goals > Change Goals > Custom

    for some people, sugar is a nightmare. for other people (like me), their bodies just know how to handle it and dont seem to be affected by high amounts. i would definitely monitor it regardless - while it doesnt tell you your current bloodsugar level, it could explain or warn you of a possible drop or rise !

    original plumsmart is awesome, lots of fiber :)
    plus you get that free 75 cent coupon under every label - my local krogers treats it like a $1 coupon
  • VardaElentari
    VardaElentari Posts: 55
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    For those like myself who have PCOS or diabetes (where basically your body cannot handle sugar), it is very important to track sugar intake levels to realize which foods are higher in sugar. I have such a hard time with limiting my sugar because I love juice and fresh fruit smoothies, but just one glass of juice will take over my allowed sugar for the entire day!
  • getfitforlife
    getfitforlife Posts: 8 Member
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    Just keep in mind that those limits shown are for "added sugars." Those found in fruits and vegetables are natural and therefore are not considered part of the sugar limit you see in myfitnesspal. Unfortunately, myfitnesspal does not make that distinction, and therefore it is probably just better to add non-added sugars manually and just record the calories. Having said that, if you make fresh fruit smoothies those sugars would not go against your daily limit of added sugars and therefore you are only restricted by your daily calorie count.
  • usernom
    usernom Posts: 8
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    @VardaElentari

    have you talked to your dr about stevia ? its a sweetener, but its not artificial. im not sure how it affects diabetics - if its allowable then you could buy unsweetened juice and add a little bit. so far i know that tropicana's trop50 juices, glaceau's vitamin water zero, and sobe's lifewater use it !
  • totalimageguy
    totalimageguy Posts: 62 Member
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    I keep my sugar intake to under 15 grams per day, and also no artificial sweeteners. I only use Stevia based sweeteners like Truvia. There is a really good soda called Zevia that uses Stevia.
  • Alchemiss11
    Alchemiss11 Posts: 15
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    I second ryanstone1's comment. Natural sugar is different from artificial, added sugars. According to the American Heart's Association, "limiting the amount of added sugars you consume to no more than half of your daily discretionary calories allowance. For most American women, that’s no more than 100 calories per day, or about 6 teaspoons of sugar. For men, it’s 150 calories per day, or about 9 teaspoons."

    If you're interested, check out the link below:

    http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4471
  • totalimageguy
    totalimageguy Posts: 62 Member
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    Here is what Dr Oz has to say about sugar and what it does to our body:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DTJltB8TzE&p=85A866CBF5F35E90&playnext=1&index=2
  • FireRox21
    FireRox21 Posts: 424 Member
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    I, too, am at my wits end with my sugar intake. I have upped my fresh fruit intake to try and stay away from the junk food when I'm feeling snacky, but two pieces of fruit will blow out my limit! I use everything I can that is sugar-free (coffee creamer, syrup, jams/jellies, etc.) and that helps, but I am always over on my sugar. I am on Metformin for PCOS and in the first two weeks I dropped 6 pounds, but then gained it all back plus a pound. I also had a very upset digestive system because of the medicine which is still an issue. Very depressing. It was then that I really made an effort with my sugar intake, but it is very frustrating.
  • agdeierl
    agdeierl Posts: 378 Member
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    Thanks for the clarification, guys. I hadn't realized it counts natural sugars and only means to count added. That made me feel a little better. Still, keeping it to no more than 29 grams of sugar a day seems a little unrealistic to me, but oh well...I guess that's how it will be from now on. Depressing.
  • juicydee
    juicydee Posts: 15 Member
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    I'm confused about the sugar thing too. on weight watchers some sugars count and some don't like you can eat all the veggie soup you want, but things like carrots and sugar snap peas should be counted. all i know is most of us are not here from eating too many fresh veggies and fruit.
  • agdeierl
    agdeierl Posts: 378 Member
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    I'm definitely not! lol. I love baked goods, (cookies, pieces of cake, etc.). But even if I omit adding any other sugar throughout the day and am careful about what contains sugar, the sugar from these foods make it so that I cannot even have one tiny fat-free brownie at the end of the day. I mean, one brownie has 22 grams of sugar. So it's frustrating.

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