sugar

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  • mangogirl272727
    mangogirl272727 Posts: 95 Member
    A deficit will cause you to lose. Period. The estimation may be off if you have some sort of medical problem like PCOS or hypothyroidism. If you weren't losing it was a) your calories were set too high (I doubt this since 1200 is very low again unless you have some medical problem) b) you were underestimating your consumption c) you didn't stick with it long enough to see results (weight loss is a slow process and often comes in bursts). Cutting out sugar (or any carbs) would lead to water loss, but not necessarily any more fat loss than if you were eating sugar at the same deficit level. At one point I was eating 2000 calories in FRUIT alone so maybe 500ish grams of sugar a day with 200 calories of fat. I was at a deficit, so I was losing weight like crazy. Not necessarily recommending that way of eating, but a deficit will cause weight loss regardless of how much sugar you are consuming unless you have some sort of medical problem like diabetes, etc.
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
    To establish maintenance you would eat at a set caloric amount as closely as possible for a period of time and see how your weight responds. If it is sticking around the same spot, you'd be in maintenance.

    For example, if you're consistently eating at 2,000 calories and maintaining a weight of 150 lbs (with obvious fluctuations +/- a few lbs) over the period of several weeks - maintenance.
  • heatherw_27
    heatherw_27 Posts: 23 Member
    Thanks MangoGirl. That is good to know about how many grams of sugar you had. There are so many articles out there about going too low and causing your body to hold onto weight if you go below 1200 calories that I thought maybe that was part of the problem :-/ I have a hard time accepting that I am logging wrong since I measure everything :( If I am measuring and still not logging correctly I just feel defeated. As in I should just give up because measuring isn't working I guess and there isn't another solution.
  • heatherw_27
    heatherw_27 Posts: 23 Member
    Thanks LolBro!
  • mangogirl272727
    mangogirl272727 Posts: 95 Member
    How long were you eating at that calorie level before?
  • heatherw_27
    heatherw_27 Posts: 23 Member
    I think about 3 months or so. It was about a year and a half ago. I only have 10 lbs that I want to lose.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    unless you have some kind of medical condition that makes you sensitive to sugar then it has nothing to do with weight loss. If you eat in a deficit, and are truly in a deficit, AND eat sugar then you will lose. I regularly eat ice cream, bread, etc, and have had no issues losing and/or maintaining weight.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    spingirl605 wrote: »
    Sugar is bad...It probably wasn't helping you in the past. I am pretty sure if you keep your sugar down to a minimum this time, you will notice a big difference! Good luck! I am also trying to keep my sugar levels very low, but love sugar so it's sometimes hard to do...

    lol...pray tell, why is "sugar bad"....
  • mangogirl272727
    mangogirl272727 Posts: 95 Member
    edited October 2014
    Hm. Maybe the Garmin is not calibrated correctly. I would try sticking to your calorie goal, logging everything exactly (food scale! not cups/tablespoons), and then only eating back half your exercise calories (to ensure they are not being overestimated) for a month. If you are still not losing you need to go see a doctor at that point as the only explanation for that would be medical issues like hypothyroidism, insulin resistance, etc.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    LolBroScience wrote: »
    You've only logged food on a handful of days... So I'm going to assume it's a consistency issue and you're more than likely not actually in a deficit.

    She's not saying she's not losing now, I don't think, but that she didn't when she did MFP before.

    But I agree, the reason wouldn't have been eating too much sugar if she was really eating 1200 net. Logging can be tricky when you first start, especially if you add in exercise.
  • heatherw_27
    heatherw_27 Posts: 23 Member
    good idea MangoGirl! I will try that with the exercise!. I do have a scale so I can use that for liquid measures as well. I was using a tablespoon for Almond butter, etc and the scale for meats
  • heatherw_27
    heatherw_27 Posts: 23 Member
    it is interesting how everyone views sugar differently. I do not have any health problems and was tested for thyroid, etc. When I was younger sugar content did not matter. I was hoping this was the problem with me because otherwise my log it good :)
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    LolBroScience wrote: »
    You've only logged food on a handful of days... So I'm going to assume it's a consistency issue and you're more than likely not actually in a deficit.

    She's not saying she's not losing now, I don't think, but that she didn't when she did MFP before.

    But I agree, the reason wouldn't have been eating too much sugar if she was really eating 1200 net. Logging can be tricky when you first start, especially if you add in exercise.

    I'm aware. The fact of the matter is that it still shows inconsistency which would be the most common culprit. If you don't have a baseline established it's difficult to make adjustments or recommendations.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    heatherw_27 wrote: »
    how would you correct that? I did the guided one

    You are probably fine, but just adjust it based on your results after, say, 4 weeks if they seem to be consistently below or (maybe) above what you are aiming for. If the first week or 2 are high losses, though, I wouldn't worry, since that's common due to water weight, as you probably know.

    Sugar shouldn't affect the results--I go over based on fruit off and on, or did before I decided to log fiber instead--so long as you are satiated and eating within your calories. Nutritionally, you said you were hitting your macros (MFP's macros are fine, although some do better adjusting them to their personal preferences), so if you were high in sugar it wasn't at the expense of protein or fat. It was probably more fruit and dairy less starchy carbs/grains. Can't see why anyone would think that would cause a lower loss rate, even if they (incorrectly) refuse to accept that it's calories that matter for weight loss.

    Sugar isn't bad; it's just that too much sugar from non nutrient dense sources is likely to make it harder to maintain a deficit.

    But at any rate, I think it makes sense to experiment to see what makes you most satisfied and feeling your best, so if you have a plan try it for a while and then adjust based on results. Before I started I was eating too many sweets (they were my stress release or compensation for a bad day), and I cut them out for a while to teach myself I didn't need them and found I felt much better. Then I added some in, in moderation, and found that if I didn't overindulge I continued to feel just as good as without them and lost at the precise same rate.
  • heatherw_27
    heatherw_27 Posts: 23 Member
    Thanks Lemurcat! That was so helpful! I did decide not to have a piece of fruit at lunch today because it put me over my sugar allowance for the day but I won't worry as much if it comes from healthy choices :) I appreciate your thoughful response. I think I need to be more aware of what happens at 4 weeks like you said and adjust from there.
  • heatherw_27
    heatherw_27 Posts: 23 Member
    Thanks Lemurcat. yes you are correct...it was before that I was not losing and I just started again a few days ago after learning how to eat clean (for the most part ;) )

    I started at 141.6 on Monday and this morning I was at 140.0. Probably just water weight or regular fluctuation but I'll take it!!! lol

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