Help! So Confused!

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ldclepper
ldclepper Posts: 4
in Food and Nutrition
I am relatively new to this! I am logging every meal, but Im having trouble reaching my calorie goal but not exceeding sodium and sugar goals for the day. Is this really such a big deal? If not then if i go over how much is too much?

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  • ladygi19
    ladygi19 Posts: 36 Member
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    Might need to reevaluate the types of foods that your eating... I don't think it's a huge deal once or twice a week but if your constantly going over on your sugars and salts it does matter. I generally go over salt on days I eat a pickle lol. Sugar on the other hand I am very cautious of...
  • ladygi19
    ladygi19 Posts: 36 Member
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    How much depends on the type of diet you are aiming for and what your goals are... no one can really give you a number here except a doctor if it's health related. High blood pressure or diabetes ect...
  • wizzybeth
    wizzybeth Posts: 3,578 Member
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    It means you are probably eating too much processed foods - while any food that stays within your limits is ok for weight loss - if you are eating too many processed foods you will see higher sodium (it's amazing how much sodium is in basic store bought prepared foods! You may stay within your calorie and fat limit but sodium may go through the roof!) . Higher sugar also happens if you eat an abundance of fruits.

    Try to eat more fresh whole foods and see if that helps you stay within your limits.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    Sugar and sodium won't affect your weight loss. Sodium may affect water retention and both sugar and sodium could present health problems if you already have certain conditions. If you have a medical reason to avoid either then you'll need to reevaluate your diet. If you don't, then it's entirely up to you whether or not you track either.
  • LeslieB042812
    LeslieB042812 Posts: 1,799 Member
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    Since you say you're just starting out, maybe focus on calories first and don't worry about sugar or sodium (unless your doctor says you need to for a medical reason). Once you have the calories down, start paying attention to how carbs, fat and protein affect your hunger/satiety. That will help you find the eating habits that work best for you. If you have all that down and still want to focus on the sugar and sodium, it should be easier then. Good luck!
  • trifitkitty13
    trifitkitty13 Posts: 7
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    I'll echo a little of what was said, how much of your diet comes out of a bag, box or package? If so that's probably the culprit ;-). Sugar and salt are hiding in just about everything pre-made. Do you like to cook? You are completely in control of the ingredients that way (and you can skip all those hidden sugar calories!)
  • JossFit
    JossFit Posts: 588 Member
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    I don't even have the sodium and sugar displayed, just carbs, fat, protein and fiber. I eat almost entirely unprocessed foods while I'm preparing for competition (like now) and even with that sort of diet the sugars still end up being high just because of natural sugar in fruit and sweet potato.

    If you feel you are eating a lot of ADDED sugars, I would watch out for it and try to cut back, but don't let MFP and it's silly pre-fab settings scare you. The numbers the system spits out at you aren't realistic for most active adults. I recommend my clients use it to track only, and change their macros to the ones I provide for them.
  • ldclepper
    ldclepper Posts: 4
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    JossFit wrote: »
    I don't even have the sodium and sugar displayed, just carbs, fat, protein and fiber. I eat almost entirely unprocessed foods while I'm preparing for competition (like now) and even with that sort of diet the sugars still end up being high just because of natural sugar in fruit and sweet potato.

    If you feel you are eating a lot of ADDED sugars, I would watch out for it and try to cut back, but don't let MFP and it's silly pre-fab settings scare you. The numbers the system spits out at you aren't realistic for most active adults. I recommend my clients use it to track only, and change their macros to the ones I provide for them.

    This is my problem exactly my sugars are coming from fruits and things like that! Thanks for clearing that up!!!!
  • kalamitykate83
    kalamitykate83 Posts: 227 Member
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    I don't pay much attention to anything other than protein, fat, carb and cals as providing you're eating the right foods then the sugar should be good sugar and as long as you're not eating too much processed food or adding loads of salt, this should be at a normal level I'd say!

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