cant keep my sugar totals down!

dsmock77
dsmock77 Posts: 8 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm having an issue with my sugar intake! I have been able to keep my calories below 1200 every day but my sugar total is ALWAYS over. My question is, as long as my calorie count is ok, could my sugar intake hinder me? Im allowed I think 30g but im alway way over that and I dont eat a lot of sweets. I kmow I dont take in enuff veggies but I do eat fruit. Could the fruit be whats bringing it up every day?? Thanks for any advice and good luck to everyone.

Replies

  • Joannesmith2818
    Joannesmith2818 Posts: 438 Member
    Hey!
    Looking at your diary....well that cereal (frosted wheats) is a high sugar cereal....I mean its coated in it. Maybe find an alternative. I have Muesli which is actually high in sugar, but when I can get the reduced sugar one I do!

    Also you eat a lot of sugary snacks....maybe try popping in some veggie stick in place of a few of them and see if that helps.

    I tend to ignore any sugar from fruit, but on the days I looked at in your diary....I don't think that's your problem.

    Also some of the days I saw weren't too bad :) and tbh i nearly always go over....its that darn banana ;)

    Good luck :)
  • feitian
    feitian Posts: 21 Member
    I have been able to lose weight (8.2 pounds during month 1 and subsequently around 1.5 pounds per week) at a 1200 calorie diet (before my net calories which I use sometimes gained from exercising). However, I, too, go over, around 15g-25g per day in the sugar category and like you I don't eat many sweets. I burn about 210-460 calories per day from working out to 30 Day Shred or other similar fitness videos and sometimes eat back the calories. My main culprit is my love for watermelon and I probably have about 10oz worth of watermelon about half of the week and a little bit of melon the rest of the week or half an apple per day. Everything else of mine is at or around or under the total allocation per day.

    However, I am wondering if I am optimizing my diet and could I have lost more if I cut the sugar way down and avoid eating the watermelon which I love a lot. I have opened my diary up for review!
  • suzannaf42
    suzannaf42 Posts: 1
    I have this problem too because i try to eat at least 2 pieces of fruit a day. I don't worry about it too much because the sugars in fruit are not refined sugar and the benefits of eating the fruit is great for weight loss. also the nutrients and fibre that we get is good for our bodies. If your weight loss is still happening i wouldn't be too concerned about it. you can always adjust the amount of sugars that is allowed in your goals if it is annoying you.hope this helps.
  • feitian
    feitian Posts: 21 Member
    What kind of fruit do you eat? Are there fruits you recommend over some for health content and optimizing weight loss?
  • benol1
    benol1 Posts: 867 Member
    I'm having an issue with my sugar intake! I have been able to keep my calories below 1200 every day but my sugar total is ALWAYS over. My question is, as long as my calorie count is ok, could my sugar intake hinder me? Im allowed I think 30g but im alway way over that and I dont eat a lot of sweets. I kmow I dont take in enuff veggies but I do eat fruit. Could the fruit be whats bringing it up every day?? Thanks for any advice and good luck to everyone.

    I would not worry about the sugar in whole fruit. Whole fruit have health-promoting properties that make it a must in any diet.
    If, however, there is added sugar in your diet - its probably a good idea to eradicate it from your diet. Likewise, if you are eating processed foods that contain corn syrup, fructose or glucose - then you might want to find a healthier alternative.

    If you are interested, feel free to join the "Sugar free September Challenge" group.
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/16239-sugar-free-september-challenge-group
    kind regards,

    Ben
  • dsmock77
    dsmock77 Posts: 8 Member
    Wow, you are completely right. Going over my diary I really am taking in too many sweets. I have really cut back a lot so I thought I was doing good...lol. I really need to change that. I havent had much fruit latley due to it being close to time for grocery shopping, i just have a hard time finding stuff thats fat free or sugar free that i like! Its so frustrating. I am losing weight and i stay below my calories so i thought i was killin it!! Lol time to sit down and come up with other options. I really thought frozen yogurt was a heathly choice. I never even paid attention to the sugar in it. I know myself and if i didnt thriw in a sweet every once in a while id fail...that was my downfall with the south beach diet. I used to be a big soda drinker too and ive quit those except on occasion. Probably need to do away with those completely too, water just gets old so i have to have something different every great once in a while. Glad I posted this.....its been an eye opener. I really should have taken a better look at exactly what I was eating and not just watching that number. THANK YOU!!!!
  • jovalleau
    jovalleau Posts: 127 Member
    MFP counts sugar from fresh fruit the same as sugar from candy bars (added, refined sugars), so if you're getting most of your sugar from natural sources, I wouldn't worry too much about it.
  • Momjogger
    Momjogger Posts: 750 Member
    I eat A LOT of fruit and that ups my sugar total, but I track only my nutrients and total calories. I say if you are staying in your calorie range, why worry? I found my nutrients were low in some area. Even though I thought I was eating healthy, I wasn't getting enough B 12, iron, calcium, or potassium. I added a couple vitamins and my energy level improved. The category totals I never worry about. I feel like I have to prioritize. You can't do everything, so I focus on what you think is important. If you were diabetic, the sugar category may be important to you, but otherwise, I wouldn't stress.
  • Momjogger
    Momjogger Posts: 750 Member
    Wow, you are completely right. Going over my diary I really am taking in too many sweets. I have really cut back a lot so I thought I was doing good...lol. I really need to change that. I havent had much fruit latley due to it being close to time for grocery shopping, i just have a hard time finding stuff thats fat free or sugar free that i like! Its so frustrating. I am losing weight and i stay below my calories so i thought i was killin it!! Lol time to sit down and come up with other options. I really thought frozen yogurt was a heathly choice. I never even paid attention to the sugar in it. I know myself and if i didnt thriw in a sweet every once in a while id fail...that was my downfall with the south beach diet. I used to be a big soda drinker too and ive quit those except on occasion. Probably need to do away with those completely too, water just gets old so i have to have something different every great once in a while. Glad I posted this.....its been an eye opener. I really should have taken a better look at exactly what I was eating and not just watching that number. THANK YOU!!!!
    I think a lot of low fat and diet foods are higher in sugar (such as salad dressings). I also found out recently that milk is higher in sugar than you realize. I just try my best to eat as many unprocessed foods as I can and I don't stress about the rest. My hubby stopped drinking soda and fruit juice and I am SO glad, because they are finding that the immediate flood of sugar into your system from soda freaks your pancreas out and makes you more susceptible over time to insulin resistance and type two diabetes.
  • dsmock77
    dsmock77 Posts: 8 Member
    What kind of fruit do you eat? Are there fruits you recommend over some for health content and optimizing weight loss?

    Strawberries, grapes, nectarines (my fav), watermelon and oranges. Im thinking the snacks im choosing are the main issue. I am so used to eating whatever I want that my cutting way back seemed like I was really eating right...I havent been. But the snacks are probably why ive been successful in losing what I have. When I try to cut out sweets altogether...I fail, and fast.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    I'm having an issue with my sugar intake! I have been able to keep my calories below 1200 every day but my sugar total is ALWAYS over. My question is, as long as my calorie count is ok, could my sugar intake hinder me? Im allowed I think 30g but im alway way over that and I dont eat a lot of sweets. I kmow I dont take in enuff veggies but I do eat fruit. Could the fruit be whats bringing it up every day?? Thanks for any advice and good luck to everyone.

    I would not worry about the sugar in whole fruit. Whole fruit have health-promoting properties that make it a must in any diet.
    If, however, there is added sugar in your diet - its probably a good idea to eradicate it from your diet. Likewise, if you are eating processed foods that contain corn syrup, fructose or glucose - then you might want to find a healthier alternative.

    If you are interested, feel free to join the "Sugar free September Challenge" group.
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/16239-sugar-free-september-challenge-group
    kind regards,

    Ben

    Cognitive dissonance
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Don't track it. It is a subset of carbs - track that.
  • 69camaross
    69camaross Posts: 1 Member
    I adjusted my goal to 75 g of sugar/day to account for fruit. A Piece of fruit is roughly 15g and a glass of fruit juice is roughly 25g. 75g covers a piece of fruit for every meal, and a little extra. The natural sugars are fine, but I keep a subconscious goal of not eating processed sugars at all. However, too much fruit can actually be a bad thing, as it can spike your blood sugar and lead to health issues. I never drink more than 8-10oz of fruit juice at a time to keep that from happening. Watch the huge fruit smoothies as well.
  • Factory_Reset
    Factory_Reset Posts: 1,651 Member
    Unless you have a medical reason, you don't need to track sugar

    :flowerforyou:
  • jamielynas
    jamielynas Posts: 366 Member
    150-230g a day everyday
  • cab010506
    cab010506 Posts: 45 Member
    Hi

    I so have the same problem all the sugar in the fruits I love! But what to do mine are over most days your not alone.
  • RosannaElizabethL
    RosannaElizabethL Posts: 25 Member
    Ugh, I have this problem. Quite often I eat 4 or 5 times the amount of sugar it tells me to. I eat a lot of fruit.
  • Momjogger
    Momjogger Posts: 750 Member
    I adjusted my goal to 75 g of sugar/day to account for fruit. A Piece of fruit is roughly 15g and a glass of fruit juice is roughly 25g. 75g covers a piece of fruit for every meal, and a little extra. The natural sugars are fine, but I keep a subconscious goal of not eating processed sugars at all. However, too much fruit can actually be a bad thing, as it can spike your blood sugar and lead to health issues. I never drink more than 8-10oz of fruit juice at a time to keep that from happening. Watch the huge fruit smoothies as well.
    Fresh fruit is a whole food with water, fiber, and vitamins. The sugar is processed differently by your body because the complex structure of the whole food slows down the body's processing of the sugar. Fruit juice on the other hand spikes your sugar, much like soda (at least it has vitamins, but still, not great for your body). Try lemonade with fresh squeezed lemon, water, and stevia. Stevia is natural, calorie free, and helps to stabilize blood sugar. I eat as much fruit as I want and don't worry about it.
  • feelin_gr_8
    feelin_gr_8 Posts: 308 Member
    I usually go over too. I figure as long as I keep in my calories I'm good. I'm not going to feel bad about eating fruit! Also, I changed my setting from showing daily sugars to daily iron since I'm personally more worried about anemia than I am sugar intake.
  • klinger6395
    klinger6395 Posts: 44 Member
    calories in vs calories out... sugar is only detrimental to health.. not weight loss
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    calories in vs calories out... sugar is only detrimental to health.. not weight loss

    How so?
  • benol1
    benol1 Posts: 867 Member
    I'm having an issue with my sugar intake! I have been able to keep my calories below 1200 every day but my sugar total is ALWAYS over. My question is, as long as my calorie count is ok, could my sugar intake hinder me? Im allowed I think 30g but im alway way over that and I dont eat a lot of sweets. I kmow I dont take in enuff veggies but I do eat fruit. Could the fruit be whats bringing it up every day?? Thanks for any advice and good luck to everyone.

    I would not worry about the sugar in whole fruit. Whole fruit have health-promoting properties that make it a must in any diet.
    If, however, there is added sugar in your diet - its probably a good idea to eradicate it from your diet. Likewise, if you are eating processed foods that contain corn syrup, fructose or glucose - then you might want to find a healthier alternative.

    If you are interested, feel free to join the "Sugar free September Challenge" group.
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/16239-sugar-free-september-challenge-group
    kind regards,

    Ben

    Cognitive dissonance

    I'm sorry about that. I hope you get over it soon.
  • janupshaw
    janupshaw Posts: 205 Member
    I got tired of seeing me go over on sugar, so I changed it to show fiber instead. If I eat yogurt or have a cup of vanilla almond milk, I'm over...I say don't worry about it.
  • Momjogger
    Momjogger Posts: 750 Member
    I got tired of seeing me go over on sugar, so I changed it to show fiber instead. If I eat yogurt or have a cup of vanilla almond milk, I'm over...I say don't worry about it.
    That is such a smart idea!

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