Sugar

JAT74
JAT74 Posts: 1,081 Member
edited November 10 in Food and Nutrition
So, I've set myself some custom goals, and adjusted my macros as I am aiming to eat fairly high protein (80-100g per day) and I'm trying to keep my carbs around the same level. I also have goals for fibre, fat and sugar.

I don't generally add sugar to things and I've also cut out honey as I used to have it in drinks 1-2 times a day. I allow myself a couple of days when I'll have a dessert or something else sweet but other than that I don't eat sugar except for in fruit or vegetables like peppers etc.

I read somewhere that we should try not to eat more than 25g sugar per day, and I think I would be able to manage this but MFP includes things like fruit in the sugar count, whereas in the study I read it said we shouldn't have more than 25g of added sugar in our diet per day. that means from non natural sources.

Today I have pre-logged all my means as I've already eaten lunch and I know what I'm having for dinner but it's telling me that I've had 49 grams of sugar, which I know is down to the small banana I had at breakfast and also the apple I had as a snack. If it wasn't for them I would only have had 18g in total for the day.

Can someone give me a more realistic amount of grams of sugar I should be aiming for as a daily total as MFP doesn't separate sugar from natural sources and sugar which is added.

Replies

  • Phoenix_Down
    Phoenix_Down Posts: 530 Member
    I have never tracked sugar and never will, as I don't have a medical condition that requires me to monitor it.

  • Ainar
    Ainar Posts: 858 Member
    edited January 2015
    Do you exercise? The 25g a day limit was meant for people who are sedentary and don't exercise, as well as have rest of their diet very bad. Ya know, the general obese american. If you do exercise tho and/or eat healthy then you can safely consume way more than that. Could easy go up to 100g and even more without any health risks.

    It's just carbs. Carbas are carbs. The problem is not that sugar is bad for you. The problem is that your body does not process it as energy, as well as inefficiently, if you do not exercise and rest of your diet is crap. Hence the 25g a day suggested limit for general obese american. The studies were not meant for healthy eating and physically active people.

    I would say don't count it. Just ate healthy and exercise. :)
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    If 50 grams from fruit sources is your norm, I suggest a limit of 75 grams a day (25 grams of refined sugar, and 50 grams for the rest.)
  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,081 Member
    Hi Ainar, I guess that's what it's for. I read about this recommendation in the British press as I'm from the UK but generally people there are not too far behind the US in terms of having a terrible diet on the whole.

    To be honest I don't care what the figure is, I just want something to aim for but as I'm trying to keep my carbs fairly low maybe I should also aim to eat less sugar whether natural or otherwise, though at the moment I don't want to eliminate it altogether which I would have to do if I was going very low carb.

    Looking at a typical day I probably don't have more than 50g in total ever, even on a day when I have a little chocolate or sweets and that's including the sugar from other carbs like fruit.

    I do exercise and depending on how much each day it pushes up my total sugar allowance a little.

    75g would definitely be too high, looking back at the last week I've had between 30 & 50g sugar in total so probably an average of 20g maximum added sugar and 20g natural. Perhaps I'll set my total a little higher than it is at 40g without exercise.

    The main reason I set my own macros is that I've never been able to lose enough weight before even with a lot of exercise unless I reduce my carbs so I wanted to experiment with different numbers for a while and see how it affects my weight loss.



  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    Can you just mentally subtract the sugar naturally found in foods?
  • weird_me2
    weird_me2 Posts: 716 Member
    Well, I think the thing to remember is that it's 25 grams of ADDED sugar a day. Sugar found naturally occuring in fruits, vegetables and dairy products aren't going to be part of that total. Most days I get at least 25 grams of sugar from milk alone. I deleted sugar from my tracking options and I focus on eating plenty of fruits and veggies and protein and let the rest fall where it may. My fat and protein goals are higher than the MFP default and my carb goals are lower than the default and I still usually go under on carbs and over on fat, so I figure I'm fine.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    JAT, it sounds like you know where you want to set your sugar limits. Good plan.
  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,081 Member
    Maybe I will delete I'll see how I get on. I just want to try and be conscious of it which is why I put it in but most days I don't have a lot of added sugar as I've said. I generally get my daily sugar intake from milk, a little honey, some fruit/vegetables and other than that I have low carb meal replacement shakes or protein shakes and they contain a little but not more than 2-4g each. Also fat free yogurts have a little but again it's minimal.
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
    edited January 2015
    JAT74 some say sugar is sugar end of story. My research AND personal experience indicates personally eating whole food containing sugar is better than added sugar where it be refined, honey, etc. Typically eating whole foods as grown in a more natural state is healthier than processed food of any type.

    I weigh daily so I know the impact of my eating short and long term. As you stated it is about finding a starting point then monitoring.

    In my case to lose weight it seems to work best if my insulin level stays under 100 (USA) which I can not do eating over 50 grams of carbs. Last night I had 6 tangerines and 9 more this AM because they are starting to spoil and I love them. 30 minutes after eating them this morning my glucose reading was 190 which is about 100 points above normal when on a very low carb diet even after a meal. At the same time my blood ketone level was 0.2 meaning I am no longer in ketosis due the the sugar load.

    Best effort in your weight loss. I left Spain (Rota) in 1976 and hope to visit someday. That is a beautiful country.
  • jpaulie
    jpaulie Posts: 917 Member
    Phoenix_Down wrote: »
    I have never tracked sugar and never will, as I don't have a medical condition that requires me to monitor it.

    Then why is it turned on in your diary? :o
  • wkwebby
    wkwebby Posts: 807 Member
    If you weren't able to lose weight until you did low carb, you may have the beginnings of insulin resistance or pre-diabetes (or other medical condition). Check that out first, I was in the same boat and I had gotten blood work returned last year saying I'm prediabetic. Once I switched my macros to 35%/30%/35% (carb, fat, protein), I started to lose weight (last year). I try to eliminate added sugars and then keep the natural sugars within the 40-50g range.

    I don't track fiber, but some school of thought says that you can track net sugars (sugars minus fiber) instead.

    I like to eat the lower Glycemic index fruits and these usually correspond to lower natural sugars. Hope that helps.
  • Phoenix_Down
    Phoenix_Down Posts: 530 Member
    edited January 2015
    jpaulie wrote: »
    Phoenix_Down wrote: »
    I have never tracked sugar and never will, as I don't have a medical condition that requires me to monitor it.

    Then why is it turned on in your diary? :o

    Because I started a new account and I haven't messed with what I track/don't track. I use my phone app for tracking and I know what macros I need to adhere to. So I always use the "nutrition" tab to see the breakdown of my nutrition. But thanks, Scooby-Doo with your detective skills

    Fixed it for you, so it wouldn't confuse you anymore.
  • kevinmacpa
    kevinmacpa Posts: 84 Member
    If more than half of your sugar come from fruit sources, and you can stay within your macro, then I wouldn't worry about it one bit. Fruit contains lots of dietary fiber which somewhat counters the sugar content. It's the added sugar that is really bad for your fat loss effort, because almost no food that requires added sugar has any dietary fiber in them.
  • Phoenix_Down
    Phoenix_Down Posts: 530 Member
    kevinmacpa wrote: »
    If more than half of your sugar come from fruit sources, and you can stay within your macro, then I wouldn't worry about it one bit. Fruit contains lots of dietary fiber which somewhat counters the sugar content. It's the added sugar that is really bad for your fat loss effort, because almost no food that requires added sugar has any dietary fiber in them.


    This isn't true at all

    http://www.fitnessbaddies.com/your-problem-with-sugar-is-the-problem-with-sugar/
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
    Just as an update on retesting blood glucose again an hour after the first stab (1.5 hours after the carb load) the BG is now at 127 down from the 190 reading. Ketone level still at 0.2

    I just read being in ketosis for months as I have makes one more Insulin insensitive so you can take 10 off of the reading so my 190 was more like 180 for eval purpose I guess.

    Sugar impacts us in many different ways it seems.
  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,081 Member
    It's very interesting what you say about blood sugar. I've never been told I have a problem with my sugar levels by a doctor, however it occurs to me that when I have a blood test for any reason it's always at 8am in Spain, and you have to be fasted so you are not supposed to eat that morning. Maybe that can affect the reading and that's why it's never been particularly high or at least high enough for the doctor to comment.

    I wouldn't think it's likely I am pre-diabetic or diabetic as it isn't in my family and I don't think I eat badly enough to worry about type 2 diabetes, but having said that I have two male friends who are thinner than me and have been warned about their sugar levels.

    Plus that along with the problems I've had with my weight although I don't eat a high calorie diet does make me wonder from time to time. I have been on here tracking my calorie intake before and have experimented with different methods but have always found it hard to drop the weight, even with daily exercise, though I've not tried going low-carb for many years.

    I am going to see how it goes as things are, and if I am not getting very far with the weight loss then I might reduce my carbs, though ideally not to levels as low as 30-50g per day. Today I've had 80 grams and I think I'd find it fairly easy to go down to 60g but we will see.
  • wkwebby
    wkwebby Posts: 807 Member
    JAT74 wrote: »
    I am going to see how it goes as things are, and if I am not getting very far with the weight loss then I might reduce my carbs, though ideally not to levels as low as 30-50g per day. Today I've had 80 grams and I think I'd find it fairly easy to go down to 60g but we will see.

    You don't have to go ultra low carb. My 30% carb ratio now gives me 105g for a 1600 calorie daily goal (which increases if I get some exercise in). I think the key is to lower your carb intake but you don't have to go LOW carb (i.e. paleo or Atkins diets). Also, the whole idea of balancing every meal with a little bit of carb, but mostly protein, fat, and fiber is a good thing to shoot for. I am less upset at overshooting my protein and fat calories than my carb calories (sugar kind of falls in line with that too) even when I am under my daily calorie goal.
  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,081 Member
    Yes I think I've also set my carbs to 30% too. It hasn't been very long but I haven't seen a huge amount of weight loss and I am being really careful not to overshoot my macros at least for carbs as you've said. I've also been working out every day, I think I've only had 1 day off in 8 days so far. So far I've lost 2.5lbs in that time but was hoping to lose a bit more by now.
  • jpaulie
    jpaulie Posts: 917 Member
    edited January 2015
    Phoenix_Down wrote: »
    jpaulie wrote: »
    Phoenix_Down wrote: »
    I have never tracked sugar and never will, as I don't have a medical condition that requires me to monitor it.

    Then why is it turned on in your diary? :o

    Because I started a new account and I haven't messed with what I track/don't track. I use my phone app for tracking and I know what macros I need to adhere to. So I always use the "nutrition" tab to see the breakdown of my nutrition. But thanks, Scooby-Doo with your detective skills

    Fixed it for you, so it wouldn't confuse you anymore.

    :) I confuse easily.
  • wkwebby
    wkwebby Posts: 807 Member
    JAT74 wrote: »
    Yes I think I've also set my carbs to 30% too. It hasn't been very long but I haven't seen a huge amount of weight loss and I am being really careful not to overshoot my macros at least for carbs as you've said. I've also been working out every day, I think I've only had 1 day off in 8 days so far. So far I've lost 2.5lbs in that time but was hoping to lose a bit more by now.

    But 2.5 lbs is great for just about a week! That is great progress! More is great too, but 2 lbs in a week is awesome. Going too low will make you think you're restricting and you will be more likely to "cheat". At 30% carb, I still indulge occasionally, but I don't miss what I want to eat (because I still can). It is so much easier making little changes in the diet. If you feel this is still too slow (oh, how I wish I could go back to a 1lb./week weight loss), you can further decrease that, but my suggestion is to go to 25% until you get used to it. Slowly back down from there. I wouldn't jump to ultra-low carb, from 30%. That would be too drastic.
  • kevinmacpa
    kevinmacpa Posts: 84 Member
    Phoenix_Down wrote: »
    kevinmacpa wrote: »
    If more than half of your sugar come from fruit sources, and you can stay within your macro, then I wouldn't worry about it one bit. Fruit contains lots of dietary fiber which somewhat counters the sugar content. It's the added sugar that is really bad for your fat loss effort, because almost no food that requires added sugar has any dietary fiber in them.


    This isn't true at all

    http://www.fitnessbaddies.com/your-problem-with-sugar-is-the-problem-with-sugar/

    Actually, what you said and your article quote is what's not true.

    http://m.youtube.com/?v=ceFyF9px20Y
  • Lezavargas
    Lezavargas Posts: 223 Member
    edited January 2015
    I dont watch the sugar count as long as what im eating is sugar from fruit, not refined. If i eat something with refined then i pay attention
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