Does anyone stay under their sugar goal?

kngarber
kngarber Posts: 227
edited September 24 in Food and Nutrition
Myfitnesspal.com has my food tracker for 29 grams of sugar per day. I have yet to be able to do this. Most of the time it is because of breakfast and choosing to have a fruit with it. Today I didn't think I did anything badly and I still went 31 grams OVER. BOO! That is the best I have done all week though :) I stay under everything else but sugar and fiber??

So here is my question...how important is it to stay 29 grams and under and how do you do it? I don't want to cut fruits out, but that seems to be what I am eating that has sugar in it. I seem to remember way back when hearing something about fiber and sugar...like having so much fiber counteracts sugar. I could be way wrong ont his because when I say way back when I mean high school health class...10 years ago...lol...
«1

Replies

  • eellis2000
    eellis2000 Posts: 465 Member
    i'm curious to see the answer on this as well. i love coke and cut myself back to 1 a day on most days and replaced it with low cal g2 but even 1 sends me over the sugar goal!!!!!!!!!!
  • cdngirl71
    cdngirl71 Posts: 2,641 Member
    I am with you, I can't seem to get under 29 grams either. I am always over my sugar every day. I am interested to see what some people will answer to your question.
  • nikkih7869
    nikkih7869 Posts: 58
    I have no clue but am interested as well! I have never gone over but still interested! Try cutting out the Gatorade drink as thats taking 21 grams everytime! Can u not substitue this? xxx
  • aproc
    aproc Posts: 1,033 Member
    Almost never. Between the fruit I have at breakfast and lunch, most of its used up just with that. I don't pay attention to the sugar anymore. I just focus on the foods and what kind of food the sugars coming from. I haven't looked at the sugar in my diary in a long time.
  • Aeriel
    Aeriel Posts: 864 Member
    I don't worry about the sugar goal. Most of mine comes from fruit and veggies. As long as I keep the processed sugar low (soft drinks, baked goods, sweetened yogurts etc) low, I do not worry about it.

    Your body knows what to do with fruit/natural sugar. It is the chemical/processed stuff that messes you up.

    That being said, it might be important if you are diabetic, but I am not. :wink:
  • cdngirl71
    cdngirl71 Posts: 2,641 Member
    i'm curious to see the answer on this as well. i love coke and cut myself back to 1 a day on most days and replaced it with low cal g2 but even 1 sends me over the sugar goal!!!!!!!!!!

    Have your tried Coke Zero or diet Coke??
  • mynameisdumbnuts
    mynameisdumbnuts Posts: 111
    The site doesn't differentiate between natural sugars and processed ones. A glass of milk and a banana sent me over my sugar levels, so I got fed up and changed my settings to monitor cholesterol instead. Now I have another green number instead of a red one and everyone is happy.
  • tlp8rb
    tlp8rb Posts: 556 Member
    Remember - there are two types of sugar in our food, 1) natural sugar found in oranges, apples, and other vegetables and fruits and 2) ADDED sugar found in bread, cereal, cake, cookies, and the sugar jar.

    It is important to eat fruits and vegetables and My Fitness Pal doesn't track natural sugars and added sugars separately. If would be great if they did. So - after a long talk with my personal trainer I no longer log high sugar fruit in my food diary, and now have no problem staying below the 29 g of "added" sugar a day.

    If you're doing weight watchers, fruit is "free" as are most vegetables. As long as you're not eating a bushel of apples a week, the natural sugars shouldn't be an issue as far as fat loss/gain is concerned. It gets burned very quickly. And remember, what we're all trying to loose is FAT, not weight.
  • callipygianchronicle
    callipygianchronicle Posts: 811 Member
    Adding my voice to the over crowd. My ego kept me from posting about it, but I would love some perspective. 90% of my sugar comes from fruit each day. And each day I am over my allotment of 30 grams. Since I am battling a sodium issue, beating the sugar category feels daunting. I’d love to know how much attention should be paid to this category in terms of weight-loss goals and overall health.
  • floydg68
    floydg68 Posts: 28
    I don't eat a lot of "sweets" but fruit of any kind puts me over most days. Also, a few days a week I have 2-3 blocks of Hershey's Symphony bar, my chocolate indulgence. Anyway, I stay under my calorie goal 90% of the time so that's what matters to me and I've lost 10lbs since Jan. 1st.
  • Enigmatica
    Enigmatica Posts: 879 Member
    I was just at "heart health" forum at my doctor's today, and they said that if you're eating fruits and berries, especially strawberries and blueberries, then the sugar has much less of a glycemic impact than if you're eating processed sugar type of foods because of the fiber and other compounds in the berries. They'd far rather have their patients eating the berries and getting the benefit of the antioxidants and the fiber and not fret about the natural sugars in them. They also said if you eat bananas go for greener/less ripe ones because again, lower glycemic impact, which means less inflammation and other negative effects tied to sugar.
  • dericcarson
    dericcarson Posts: 78 Member
    Hi.....just took a look at your food diary and yes, I agree that you should try and sub the gatorade with something else. Also, banana is very high in sugar (I know its yummy) :)
    Try a low cal no sugar flavored water instead of the gatorade. Just a thought. Good luck! :)
  • That_Girl
    That_Girl Posts: 1,324 Member
    I don't track sugar. I don't eat sugary stuff...except fruit...and I need that fruit!
  • That_Girl
    That_Girl Posts: 1,324 Member
    I was just at "heart health" forum at my doctor's today, and they said that if you're eating fruits and berries, especially strawberries and blueberries, then the sugar has much less of a glycemic impact than if you're eating processed sugar type of foods because of the fiber and other compounds in the berries. They'd far rather have their patients eating the berries and getting the benefit of the antioxidants and the fiber and not fret about the natural sugars in them. They also said if you eat bananas go for greener/less ripe ones because again, lower glycemic impact, which means less inflammation and other negative effects tied to sugar.

    YAY! I CANNOT eat a ripe banana....so gross!

    This is good information and just confirms what I thought all along. Thank you!
  • catcrazy
    catcrazy Posts: 1,740 Member
    I'm at 41g for the day...12g came from (ooops) jaffa cakes but the rest came from carrots, tomatoes and prawns. Im not too worried as long as i'm not getting most of it from crud
  • pcmoore
    pcmoore Posts: 53 Member
    When I do eat fruit I am ALWAYS over! If I have grapes and a banana for breakfast that takes up ALL my sugar for the day. I agree, if it's natural sugars then I'm not as worried about it....I decided to cut out coke completely. I went from 6-8 per day to NONE. I hated drinking water so I traded the coke with Crystal Light. I know that's not good for you either and it's hard on your liver to process the chemicals and I was able to cut that out too and I guess the "step down" method I did worked cause I drink water 99% of the time now. I do have sweet tea a couple of times a week but it's water otherwise.

    I think as long as you are not Overeating the fruits then you are ok not to focus on the sugar...if you are overeating, even on the healthy food you can still get into trouble.
    Best of luck!
  • Lstrode
    Lstrode Posts: 51
    I can't stay under my sugar either, I also removed mine and replaced it with Fiber. If you are getting most of it from fruits and such, you shouldn't worry. That is what I was told when I had this problem. It is the sugar from junk that gets you. This may be different though, for diabetics. IDK. It was really driving me crazy.. orange juice for breakfast, and I was about over! Good luck! I'd like to know what happens if it says fiber or protein is over?... can that be bad? I thought we needed lots of fiber. lol
  • stephaniepill
    stephaniepill Posts: 19
    I think if you eat natural sugar, in the form of fruits (primarily berries or small apples, then it's not bad if you go over your limit. I tend to go over most of the time, but I also have been under or right at the limit. I choose protein bars or South Beach Snacks that are not too high in sugar - the same thing with the yogurts I choose. My goal is always to eat less (or none at all) "refined" sugar products, or empty caloric products that have high sugars (like alcohols & wines). And, although my profile states I've only lost six lbs, I've actually lost 12 lbs, I simply wasn't using myfitnesspal when I first changed my eating habits & exercise habits :)
  • fitterpam
    fitterpam Posts: 3,064 Member
    Sugar is sugar. What makes fruit different than processed sugars, is as you said, fibre. If you make sure to pair your dairy or fruit with a protein or fibre source when you eat it, I wouldn't worry too much. Fructose, the sugar in fruit, will still give you a blood sugar spike, if you're not careful. Spikes in blood sugar can lead to cravings and sugar crashes, which makes it harder to lose weight. Your body also starts raising your insulin levels to deal with it, which can hamper your weight loss efforts.

    Protein helps to stabilize blood sugars so to minimize the effects the fructose (or lactose) has on your body. Fibre slows the absorption of the sugar into your blood stream, again minimizing the effects of the sugar spike. This is especially critical if you are sugar sensitive (insulin resistant or diabetic). Make sure that most of your sugar intake is in the morning, so that your body has time to work it through. Exercise also helps keep blood sugar stable (and increases your daily limit of sugar allowed).

    I am insulin resistant and I try stay away from most processed sugars at this point, but I do go over, especially on the days, I don't exercise but I try and make sure I don't just have sugar on its own (no more plain yogurt, but I add sunflower seeds to it for the protein or eat an apple instead of bananas by themselves because of the added fibre). I also minimize the amount of juice I drink because although it's natural sugar, there is no fibre left from the fruit......

    When getting my 5-10 f&v a day, I limit it to 20% fruit or root vegetables (because of their higher sugar content) and try and get the rest in other vegetables (like leafy greens) that have less sugar.
  • ladybu6205
    ladybu6205 Posts: 165 Member
    Hi.....just took a look at your food diary and yes, I agree that you should try and sub the gatorade with something else. Also, banana is very high in sugar (I know its yummy) :)
    Try a low cal no sugar flavored water instead of the gatorade. Just a thought. Good luck! :)

    I was going to note the same thing. Gatorade is contributing to 21g of her sugar. Replace that with water, or as I have been doing because our Tap Water is terrible and I can't afford to spend the money on bottled water, I use Crystal Light Sugar Free mix... one tub to a gal. (Versus the half gallon that one tub makes). Also, scrolling through some of the older food diary, it looks like your Yoplait Smoothies also contribute to a high sugar count.

    Also, instead of a whole LARGE banana, maybe try half a large, or buy smaller bananas.
  • dkiles
    dkiles Posts: 45
    When I signed up the system gave me 165 grams of carbs a day which I look at as sugar. I am trying to keep net carbs 30 to 50 grams a day. You get net carbs from subtracting fiber grams from carbs.
  • KarleeMusick
    KarleeMusick Posts: 2
    I wouldn't worry about the fruit sugars too much. They are sugars that are natural and easier for the body to digest. As long as that is what the sugars are from, then you should be fine.
    If you're really that worried about it, maybe just cut down on How Much fruit you eat. And try not to get too much sugars from anything else.
    I think that as long as you're still eating healthy then you should be fine!
    Personally, I really just try to pay attention to my calorie and protein intake anyways.
  • eellis2000
    eellis2000 Posts: 465 Member
    i'm curious to see the answer on this as well. i love coke and cut myself back to 1 a day on most days and replaced it with low cal g2 but even 1 sends me over the sugar goal!!!!!!!!!!

    Have your tried Coke Zero or diet Coke??

    i've tried diet coke- it tasted kinda flat; but not coke zero. i have started substituting plain water for some of the g2 because of the salt content. i don't feel too bad cause i went from 3-4 cokes a day to 1 plus some g2 and upped my water intake from 1 bottle to 2-4 a day. i'm gonna try the coke zero to see how it tastes though. thank you for the suggestion!!!!!!
  • That_Girl
    That_Girl Posts: 1,324 Member
    Hi.....just took a look at your food diary and yes, I agree that you should try and sub the gatorade with something else. Also, banana is very high in sugar (I know its yummy) :)
    Try a low cal no sugar flavored water instead of the gatorade. Just a thought. Good luck! :)

    I was going to note the same thing. Gatorade is contributing to 21g of her sugar. Replace that with water, or as I have been doing because our Tap Water is terrible and I can't afford to spend the money on bottled water, I use Crystal Light Sugar Free mix... one tub to a gal. (Versus the half gallon that one tub makes). Also, scrolling through some of the older food diary, it looks like your Yoplait Smoothies also contribute to a high sugar count.

    Also, instead of a whole LARGE banana, maybe try half a large, or buy smaller bananas.

    We got a Brita water filter pitcher for our water. It's awesome. Maybe that will help? It's initially a cost, but saves money over time.
  • kacarter1017
    kacarter1017 Posts: 651 Member
    As long as the majority of my sugar is coming from fruit and unprocessed sources (which it is), I don't worry about going over my sugar for the day. I eat 3 servings of fruit a day and that puts me over.
  • kngarber
    kngarber Posts: 227
    Hi.....just took a look at your food diary and yes, I agree that you should try and sub the gatorade with something else. Also, banana is very high in sugar (I know its yummy) :)
    Try a low cal no sugar flavored water instead of the gatorade. Just a thought. Good luck! :)

    I was going to note the same thing. Gatorade is contributing to 21g of her sugar. Replace that with water, or as I have been doing because our Tap Water is terrible and I can't afford to spend the money on bottled water, I use Crystal Light Sugar Free mix... one tub to a gal. (Versus the half gallon that one tub makes). Also, scrolling through some of the older food diary, it looks like your Yoplait Smoothies also contribute to a high sugar count.

    Also, instead of a whole LARGE banana, maybe try half a large, or buy smaller bananas.

    I know about the Gatorade. I just started this week and went from having 4 pops a day and no water and basically shoved everything unhealthy in my face that I could find. So after cutting all pop and sweets...that was kind of my one little "sweet reward" per day. If you look I was over my sugars or right at them before the smoothies or gartorade. But yes I know I need to cut the gatorade for sure and probably the smoothies, but then I have 300 calories I am short...
  • kelligonzales
    kelligonzales Posts: 391
    I try as hard as i can to stay under, sugar makes you burn calories slower.... so now it's something i monitor.
  • dunztar
    dunztar Posts: 45
    At first it was hard but now I am actually a lot closer
  • monylove311
    monylove311 Posts: 251 Member
    KNGARBER - I say take it off your settings. Fruit is sugar and I have yet to be under as well. I took it off mine as it just made me anxious. Worry about one thing at a time. Stay under your calories... slowly the rest will develop, like an exercise plan, different foods, etc.. : )

    You have been staying on your plan so be happy and proud of yourself!! : )
  • kngarber
    kngarber Posts: 227
    KNGARBER - I say take it off your settings. Fruit is sugar and I have yet to be under as well. I took it off mine as it just made me anxious. Worry about one thing at a time. Stay under your calories... slowly the rest will develop, like an exercise plan, different foods, etc.. : )

    You have been staying on your plan so be happy and proud of yourself!! : )

    Thank you! :) I might take it off as long as I am losing weight and revisit it later...if I stop losing weight.
    Thank you to everyone else and all the info and advice!
This discussion has been closed.

Categories