Wanting to watch sugar, but how much do I need?

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MintyStarshine
MintyStarshine Posts: 91
in Health and Weight Loss
I went to the doctor recently and had some bloodwork done. They said my blood sugar level was six points over the highest for their normal range, so they want me to come back in three months to check it again. My dad is diabetic and I'm 26. I don't want to develop Type 2 diabetes at my age, so I want to watch my sugar intake.

But I'm unsure as to how to do this, because the website says I need 33g of sugar a day, but even with consuming fresh fruits and veggies (plus 5g from some bread) as my only sugar intake, I'm still over the mark. My journal is here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/fireflyastoria

I'm completely stumped as to what I should do to watch sugar and how much I should have. I mean, I have 500 calories to go (an entire MEAL!) and it can't have any sugar, no sodium, low in fat, and must be a source of good cholesterol. *falls over*

I've recently ditched soda and junk food from my diet, but according to the website it isn't enough.

Can anyone tell me anything about this? I'm not a diabetic, but I want to make sure my blood sugar levels are lowered a little, kept level, and don't go any higher.

Replies

  • sara_m83
    sara_m83 Posts: 545 Member
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    Don't worry too much about the natural sugars in fruits & veg. From your diary, I wouldn't say you're overdoing it in that department. I do have a question though - what's with the 16-18tsp of pure cane sugar for breakfast???
  • Kristyb1010
    Kristyb1010 Posts: 39
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    I have a similar situation with sugars, although I am not at risk for diabetes yet, my diet used to be nothing but sugar. Even though I've changed my eating habits drastically & cut out the soda, I still go over on sugars.

    I, too, have been wondering if I natural sugars can be ignored (or discounted slightly?) - I would love to see what others have to say on the topic!
  • taletreader
    taletreader Posts: 377 Member
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    Don't worry too much about the natural sugars in fruits & veg. From your diary, I wouldn't say you're overdoing it in that department. I do have a question though - what's with the 16-18tsp of pure cane sugar for breakfast???

    Most of the time this is correct, but diabetics/raised blood sugar *is* a situation where you need to take into account all sources of sugar.

    But not only those -- other carbs are at issue too. The OP doesn't say in which country she's in, but given the time she's posted I'll assume the UK (or Australia?): I'd suggest asking your GP for a referral to a dietitian to discuss diet and macronutrients. That could be very helpful.
  • MintyStarshine
    MintyStarshine Posts: 91
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    Don't worry too much about the natural sugars in fruits & veg. From your diary, I wouldn't say you're overdoing it in that department. I do have a question though - what's with the 16-18tsp of pure cane sugar for breakfast???

    I added it to 64 ounces of tea (so it's like 2tsp/8oz) and drank the tea throughout the day as a way of getting something sweet but also getting the water I needed. I'm stopping that though and I'm just going to do the tea unsweetened or just drink water instead because it feels like way too much sugar.

    The way I do my food journal sometimes is by the amount of ingredients. For instance, for today, the plan for dinner is a tuna salad with toasted wheat with carrots as a vegetable side. If I just enter in "tuna salad" it could have all kinds of variants that aren't actually what I'm eating. For some people, tuna salad is tuna and mayo. For me, tuna salad has onions and celery (sometimes tomato) in it. So I just measure things out and add up the ingredients. So, for the tea, I just did 64 ounces of unsweetened tea and then measured out the sugar that I poured into the pitcher for mixing.

    Edit: And I'm in midwestern America... I'm just up way too late, planning out my meals for the day.
  • taletreader
    taletreader Posts: 377 Member
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    Edit: And I'm in midwestern America... I'm just up way too late, planning out my meals for the day.

    Ah, the filled-in Monday diary confused me. I used to be a night owl, too.

    You guys tend to have a more commercial relationship to your doctors -- why not call him or her and ask what levels they were thinking of?

    The tracking of sugar on MFP is odd. Out of the box it doesn't seem to work for most. It's *not* meant as a guideline level for people who have clinical signs of metabolic anomalies (as you do) but seems to be based on US nutritional recommendations about *added* sugar. Which is why for most who use it, sugar contained in whole foods can be ignored. However, it can't in your case. So what you need to do is to get a good target value and plug it into the app. I hope someone with type 2 diabetes or similar can help!
  • anna0978
    anna0978 Posts: 2
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    I think natural sugars are fine. Its the refined sugars you have to watch which you already seem to be doing. I mean if you're really conearned take it up with your gp or whoevers doing the blood work :)

    On a related but slightly unrelated note. When you quit the junkfood etc did you (or anyone else) find yourself getting headaches? I'm getting chronic headaches which are only going away with a piece of chocolate or something? Maybe I'm not eating enough in natural sugars or something?
  • MintyStarshine
    MintyStarshine Posts: 91
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    Ah, the filled-in Monday diary confused me. I used to be a night owl, too.

    I actually follow a diet better if I create a meal plan ahead of time, rather than entering in the information after the fact and realize, with great sadness, that I've failed to control what I put in my mouth. If I enter it in, it's kinda like creating the rules. You realize that you're breaking the rules instead of doing something and then checking the rules later to see if you've broken any and realizing that you've already lost the game.

    I'm already set up for a check-up in another week, so I'll ask about seeing a dietitian or getting a number then. Thanks for the advice!
    I think natural sugars are fine. Its the refined sugars you have to watch which you already seem to be doing. I mean if you're really conearned take it up with your gp or whoevers doing the blood work :)

    On a related but slightly unrelated note. When you quit the junkfood etc did you (or anyone else) find yourself getting headaches? I'm getting chronic headaches which are only going away with a piece of chocolate or something? Maybe I'm not eating enough in natural sugars or something?

    Not really. My headaches actually decreased.

    From what I've heard about chocolate, it contains anti-inflammatory things that help with blood vessels as well as antioxidants. If I remember things correctly, headaches have to do with blood vessels and headache meds (at least the over the counter stuff) are anti-inflammatory meds as well, which is why they help with backache and fever. I would try a few experiments, like using other anti-inflammatory foods (like green tea) instead of the chocolate. Then try fruit instead of the chocolate.

    You might also be experiencing caffeine withdrawal. If your soda and junk food was loaded with caffeine, it might be the cause of your headaches. I never really drank anything with caffeine (my favorite sodas were root beer and orange soda). While there's a very small amount of caffeine in chocolate, it could be helping you get your fix.
  • waco01
    waco01 Posts: 2
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    some diabetes physcians are instructing patients to watch carbs instead, since it will turn into insulin. Carbs can be easier to control and track than sugars.

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