Sugar allowance

lealea25
lealea25 Posts: 12
edited September 27 in Health and Weight Loss
Every day I seem to go over on my sugar allowance. Sometimes by quite a lot.
Sometimes my sugar does come from cereals and occasionally some other treat but the bulk of it is from fruit and veg and from the 'healthier' types of sugar (like fructose and lactose)
I have read that you should not exceed 40g of refined sugar a day (sucrose that is added to a product) but you can have up to 100g of naturally occurring sugars.
I think MFP should allow for us to separate the two so we can track our sugar intake better.
I'm not sure if it is as big a deal for other people as it is for me but I hate logging fruit and seeing my sugar shoot up into the red and feeling like I'm in the wrong for eating it.
Does anyone else have a problem with this too?

Replies

  • SarahE12345
    SarahE12345 Posts: 55
    Yes, I had that today!!!! I put in 50 green grapes and it was like 40 g right there! :( I know that it is good sugar so I am not worried about it... I look at the other sugars for my "real" total!
  • HeatherYevette
    HeatherYevette Posts: 56 Member
    Yes, I have the same problem. I removed sugar altogether from my tracked elements. I know that I'm not eating a lot of junk but an apple and some carrots shouldn't put me over. I monitor my sugar just fine without the tracker the way it is. When I first started it was really getting me down.
  • kenlad64
    kenlad64 Posts: 377 Member
    You bring up a good point, I am relatively new here ...and to eating healthy, but I am sure some of my MFP friends can chime in with some great information!!
  • aneumany
    aneumany Posts: 165 Member
    sugar is sugar.. ur body processes it all the same way, granted fruit has other nutrients and benrficial factors but it all affects ur body the same.. so you either want to watch ur sugar or u dont, but u shouldnt eat more than 25-30g of sugar a day, yes fruit will make it sky rocket but all that excess sugar is going to affect ur body just like any other sugar would..except for sugar subsititutes...they dont spike blood sugar levels and cause insulin spikes..... i watch my sugar. so for me fruit it like a treat.. just like a peice of candy or anything else high in sugar...i dont eat it everyday! but everyone is different, just find wat works for u...i have a major sweet tooth!
  • JDMPWR
    JDMPWR Posts: 1,863 Member
    Sugar is sugar. it can still be converted and stored as fat. People assume cause it is fruit and it is natural that if isn't bad. This is not true. Too much sugar that does not get burned off or used will be stored as fat. Plain and simple. People may argue that this is crazy but I myself from my own personal experience have been able to keep my sugar at my limit(sometimes I break it) and when I cut my fruit into down to 1/3 of what it was before and supplements those calories gained back with protein I saw a quick drop in weight and more definition within just a week.

    Sugar's can cause an overtly long spike in insulin levels which can adversely affect protein synthesis.
  • ojell
    ojell Posts: 748 Member
    Yes..I have issues with it too, and it's sooooo frustrating. I'm about to remove mine from my diary again also.
  • anacsitham5
    anacsitham5 Posts: 810 Member
    I had the same problem. It would be better for you to cut out the boxed cereal almost entirely unless you are addicted. If that is the case, I would cut it down to a quarter of what you are eating now. It's not good for you and is only a filler. Try to find some snacks that aren't so high in sugar. Whatever you do, remember that you shouldn't be dieting, but changing your eating lifestyle. If you scrimp on what you enjoy and eat only veggies, cottage cheese and fruit, but skip the things you love you won't stay with it. You can basically eat anything, but in moderation. You don't eat 2 pieces of pizza. You have one with a salad. You still get the pizza you love, but with a salad as a filler. Much better for you. If you crave chocolate, you have one mini dark chocolate square, not a full size bar. You learn discipline, which is what everyone needs to succeed.

    It may help to plan your meals in advance and log them in early. Then you can see what you need to cut out before you eat. I usually do this the night before. If you log what you plan on eating and see that you are going to be over you can cut out something and replace it with something better.

    And make sure you are getting exercise every day so the excess isn't stored as fat. Even if it's only 15 minutes when your cramped for time, it is better than nothing.

    Remember....we didn't get to this point from eating too many salads!
  • hng2101
    hng2101 Posts: 54 Member
    I go over my sugar allowance every single day too. I have not had a problem because I eat really healthy too. For me the most sugar comes from fruit, my morning bowl of cereal, fiberone bars, and the occasional bite of chocolate. I RARELY go over my calorie goal for the day too. My fiance is a doctor and I asked him if there is a problem with my sugar intake and he said more for my teeth than anything else LOL. He also said that if I wasn't so healthy then it would be something to look into controlling more, but as long as you're healthy and you're not going overboard it's fine.
  • nicolerah
    nicolerah Posts: 440 Member
    I wondered about this too... and being new I even thought that maybe I was doing something wrong. But sugar from fruit and cereals can be too bad for me... I dont eat anything that would be considered junk so I dont pay it much attention.
  • themeggan
    themeggan Posts: 1
    You can also use other natural sweetners (Truvia/Stevia) and buy products that are lower in sugar. Something like Three Sister's plain oatmeal or Kashi 7 grain waffles.. Otherwise eggs are always a really good choice. I don't really ever eat cereal anymore.
  • ojell
    ojell Posts: 748 Member
    Sugar is sugar. it can still be converted and stored as fat. People assume cause it is fruit and it is natural that if isn't bad. This is not true. Too much sugar that does not get burned off or used will be stored as fat. Plain and simple. People may argue that this is crazy but I myself from my own personal experience have been able to keep my sugar at my limit(sometimes I break it) and when I cut my fruit into down to 1/3 of what it was before and supplements those calories gained back with protein I saw a quick drop in weight and more definition within just a week.

    Sugar's can cause an overtly long spike in insulin levels which can adversely affect protein synthesis.

    makes sense.
  • nicolerah
    nicolerah Posts: 440 Member
    Sugar is sugar. it can still be converted and stored as fat. People assume cause it is fruit and it is natural that if isn't bad. This is not true. Too much sugar that does not get burned off or used will be stored as fat. Plain and simple. People may argue that this is crazy but I myself from my own personal experience have been able to keep my sugar at my limit(sometimes I break it) and when I cut my fruit into down to 1/3 of what it was before and supplements those calories gained back with protein I saw a quick drop in weight and more definition within just a week.

    Sugar's can cause an overtly long spike in insulin levels which can adversely affect protein synthesis.



    Interesting post... thanks for sharing!
  • lealea25
    lealea25 Posts: 12
    I've been looking into sugar consumption a lot recently and watched this documentary which is really interesting and makes a lot of sense. It seems all calories are not created equal :)

    http://theorytopractice.wordpress.com/2009/08/05/sugar-the-bitter-truth/

    I have been trying to reduce every type of sugar in my diet starting off with the refined types. My diet now is so much better than it was before so I hate to think how much sugar I was consuming then.
    The thought of drinking coke again makes me shudder after watching that doc.
  • bbbbb33333
    bbbbb33333 Posts: 1,107 Member
    Love me some sugar. Always over... but under calories.
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