Daily sugar goal & other sugar related poblems

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njmoore88
njmoore88 Posts: 1
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi all,
I'm just getting in to the hang of logging everything on MFP and one thing I have noticed is I ALWAYS go over my daily sugar goal (58g) even if I am making a conscientious effort not to. I have cut out sugar from tea/coffee (which was hard) and try not to go for low-fat foods as they tend to have added sugar in them, like yoghurts. What are some low sugar foods that people eat?

Also I think partly why my sugar count is so high is because I eat a lot of fruit. Is high fructose as bad for you as glucose? I don't know much about it.

I also get really bad sugar cravings at night, as well as just wanting chocolate I get really emotional/angry if I don't have any. It sounds really silly but the need for some sweet just completely overpowers me and I end up giving in to it. I'm giving up unhealthy eating patterns like that for Lent so I need all the help I can get! How do people manage their sugar cravings?

Thanks :)

Replies

  • lamps1303
    lamps1303 Posts: 432 Member
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    I have the same problem practically everyday. I'm (nearly) always under my calories and macros but sugar is always sky high. I'm the same as you - I eat a lot of fruit. Just having raisins in my porridge and an apple in the afternoon shoots up my sugar. I generally ignore it though as it is all natural sugar. I have removed the sugar column on my diary - calories, carbs, protein and fat are more important to me as I know whatever sugar I have consumed has always come from fruit/natural foods.

    Interested to see what others say though...
  • williamsmufc
    williamsmufc Posts: 26
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    Im the same as you, I eat a lot of fruit each day which puts me over, but its natural sugar which I *think* is ok?

    I do at the weekend maybe treat myself to some chocolate though.

    All about portion control :)
  • GiveMeCoffee
    GiveMeCoffee Posts: 3,556 Member
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    Unless you have a medical condition that you need to track your sugar, don't worry about it. If you want a piece of chocolate nightly work it into your daily day. When you add in treats and things you enjoy it makes staying on plan much easier, when you start restricting is when this becomes difficult and increases the likelihood of giving up.
  • David_AUS
    David_AUS Posts: 298 Member
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    My advice is keep your fruit, sugars from this source do metabolise over a longer period and usually fruit (not juice) you get other vits and fiber - just watch the overall calories. Great that you have been able to reduce refined added sugar this is the real key.
  • williamsmufc
    williamsmufc Posts: 26
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    is there truth that if you drink say a can of cola your body cant burn fat for the next 2 days?
  • GiveMeCoffee
    GiveMeCoffee Posts: 3,556 Member
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    is there truth that if you drink say a can of cola your body cant burn fat for the next 2 days?

    Hmm how would a can of soda burn fat? I think you might want to do some research on nutrition and your body.
  • rrowdiness
    rrowdiness Posts: 119 Member
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    You're doing the right thing, reduce your added sugar intake for the moment. Eating whole fruit (not smoothies or juices) packages up a bunch of great nutrients, fibre etc which are peripherally helpful to overall wellbeing.

    You may want to reduce your fruit intake over time and move across into veges - I did this over 3 months and am now quite happy with carrot, celery, bean, snow pea and cucumber sticks for snacks during the day.

    Even milk contributes to sugar...my breakfast cereal (which is low sugar) + milk is like 35% of daily sugar gone.

    Also agree with the poster on adding in treats - my absolute must-have is a low fat mochachino every day. I can opt out of nearly any other temptation so long as I have my mocha.
  • lamps1303
    lamps1303 Posts: 432 Member
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    Just seen this. Read it...
    http://healthyurbankitchen.com/blog/25-things-you-should-know-about-sugar/
  • williamsmufc
    williamsmufc Posts: 26
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    is there truth that if you drink say a can of cola your body cant burn fat for the next 2 days?

    Hmm how would a can of soda burn fat? I think you might want to do some research on nutrition and your body.

    I think youve read it wrong.
    Im saying your body loses its ability to burn fat for the next 2 days after consuming coke
  • hmaddpear
    hmaddpear Posts: 610 Member
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    is there truth that if you drink say a can of cola your body cant burn fat for the next 2 days?

    No. Unless you drink so much you're not at a calorie deficit for the next two days.

    OP, unless you have a medical reason to track and/or minimise your sugar intake, I'd ditch it. MFP sets the sugar limit very low and a couple of pieces of fruit will throw you out (as you've seen) . Plus you're tracking carbs anyway, so it's almost redundant. Use that tracking slot to track your fibre (or another micro) instead.

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