Sugar contents in grams help!

loyalluton
loyalluton Posts: 9 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all.. so I am on a 1200 calorie a day diet... my application tells me im allowed 56 grams of sugar a day.. when googling it says a male should have no more than 36 grams a day.. so how does this work and why does my app recommend 56 grams when on a diet if on average o should be consuming 36 grams can anyone help?

Replies

  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,658 Member
    One is probably added sugar and one is total sugar. That said, unless you have a medical reason to limit sugar, it's not really an issue. Also, 1200 for a male is very, very low. Almost certainly too low.
  • girlviernes
    girlviernes Posts: 2,402 Member
    Okay, as a male you should not be following a 1200 kcal diet unless you are being supervised by a team who specializes in these very low calorie diets and knows how to ensure your safety. What's your starting weight and height?
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    edited November 2015
    The 36 gram figure you are seeing is probably referring to added sugars. MFP doesn't distinguish between added sugar and sugar that can be found in foods like dairy and fruit. Do you have a medical reason to avoid sugar? Many of us without a medical reason to track sugar just disregard this number (I, for example, track fiber instead of sugar).

    Why is your calorie goal so low?
  • loyalluton
    loyalluton Posts: 9 Member
    Tbh I know it's low but i put in details on MFP and that's what it told me I'm 5 ft 6.. tbh I ate loads of junk before dieting and 1200 a day is what it says to lose 1 kg a week.. if that's the case with sugar being irrelevant or that's added sugar why does it not show an added separate sugar in grams on the nutrients part so you can see clearer? 1200 a day is low but i genuinely feel full after meals and feel great.. I'm mainly eating chicken, penne pasta, lots of veg and fruit .. I'm trying to cut carbs out and a low fat diet.. although I know pasta is carbs lol
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,658 Member
    loyalluton wrote: »
    Tbh I know it's low but i put in details on MFP and that's what it told me I'm 5 ft 6.. tbh I ate loads of junk before dieting and 1200 a day is what it says to lose 1 kg a week.. if that's the case with sugar being irrelevant or that's added sugar why does it not show an added separate sugar in grams on the nutrients part so you can see clearer? 1200 a day is low but i genuinely feel full after meals and feel great.. I'm mainly eating chicken, penne pasta, lots of veg and fruit .. I'm trying to cut carbs out and a low fat diet.. although I know pasta is carbs lol
    Because that information isn't always available.

    I was under the impression that MFP wouldn't give a goal of less than 1500 to a male.
  • loyalluton
    loyalluton Posts: 9 Member
    To be honest most days I'm barely hitting a 1000 because a lot of my diet is chicken veg and fruit low on sugars as snacks.. e.g raspberry plums... but when I have food on my plate it is still a big portion on the plate just not high on calories..
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    loyalluton wrote: »
    To be honest most days I'm barely hitting a 1000 because a lot of my diet is chicken veg and fruit low on sugars as snacks.. e.g raspberry plums... but when I have food on my plate it is still a big portion on the plate just not high on calories..

    Eating a very low calorie diet in the short team doesn't necessarily make you feel poorly, but it can lead to low energy, health problems (think gallbladder issues, hair loss), and possible binges over time. It also means that the weight you lose is much more likely to be muscle, rather than fat. A more moderate deficit allows you to target fat (which is probably what you want to lose) instead of muscle.

    Below 1,000 is way, way, way too low for a man.
  • girlviernes
    girlviernes Posts: 2,402 Member
    loyalluton wrote: »
    Tbh I know it's low but i put in details on MFP and that's what it told me I'm 5 ft 6.. tbh I ate loads of junk before dieting and 1200 a day is what it says to lose 1 kg a week.. if that's the case with sugar being irrelevant or that's added sugar why does it not show an added separate sugar in grams on the nutrients part so you can see clearer? 1200 a day is low but i genuinely feel full after meals and feel great.. I'm mainly eating chicken, penne pasta, lots of veg and fruit .. I'm trying to cut carbs out and a low fat diet.. although I know pasta is carbs lol

    How accurate are you with logging? Are you using a food scale for everything you eat?

    Anyways, if you are watching your carbs no need to watch your sugar. I replaced that column with the fiber column.
  • girlviernes
    girlviernes Posts: 2,402 Member
    Also, if you don't mind sharing, what is your starting and current weight?
  • loyalluton
    loyalluton Posts: 9 Member
    Well when I started i was 96 kg i got to 66 kg in around 4 months and have now gone up to 82 kg after holiday but I'm now back to 75 kg in a month of dieting.. I weigh everything and am logging mad... at the weekends I don't take it as serious and eat out have takeaway and a roast dinner etc it's more Mon - Fri it am really strict and put everything in. Ideally I want to be at around 70 kg....
  • CoffeeNCardio
    CoffeeNCardio Posts: 1,847 Member
    loyalluton wrote: »
    Well when I started i was 96 kg i got to 66 kg in around 4 months and have now gone up to 82 kg after holiday but I'm now back to 75 kg in a month of dieting.. I weigh everything and am logging mad... at the weekends I don't take it as serious and eat out have takeaway and a roast dinner etc it's more Mon - Fri it am really strict and put everything in. Ideally I want to be at around 70 kg....

    70 kg would put you at the absolute bottom of your BMI.... why is that your goal? I'm really asking, you could have good reasons, just curious
  • girlviernes
    girlviernes Posts: 2,402 Member
    Okay, that is very rapid weight loss. I would really suggest you get into doctor to have your labs checked and make sure things have stayed in balance. Start to gradually bump up your calories. Use a TDEE calculator to find your maintenance calories and start building up to that amount (gain muscle/lose fat option on http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/).
  • loyalluton
    loyalluton Posts: 9 Member
    70 kg is just where I feel comfortable and when I checked that was just about under the overweight mark for height and age... I'm 27 and 5 ft 6 at my current Weight im deemed as overweight which I think is crazy.. and u don't see why it would be out as im not eating lots of calories im still eating nutrients and a healthy balanced meals it's just low in carbs
  • girlviernes
    girlviernes Posts: 2,402 Member
    You are objectively eating too little for a man (as evidenced by rate of weight loss). The number one factor for health is getting enough food. The nutrients are not as important as eating enough.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    loyalluton wrote: »
    70 kg is just where I feel comfortable and when I checked that was just about under the overweight mark for height and age... I'm 27 and 5 ft 6 at my current Weight im deemed as overweight which I think is crazy.. and u don't see why it would be out as im not eating lots of calories im still eating nutrients and a healthy balanced meals it's just low in carbs

    If your calorie counts are accurate, you are eating way less than you need for health and energy. This isn't a balanced healthy diet.
  • Karen_can_do_this
    Karen_can_do_this Posts: 1,150 Member
    Do you weigh your food on a food scale? I was having trouble hitting offer 1000 until I started weighing my foods. I was majorly underestimating.
  • loyalluton
    loyalluton Posts: 9 Member
    Yea weigh everything in the week and what I'm eating fills me up i play a lot of sport so when I burn calories i obviously put them back in my body as well in a Saturday or Sunday I would say I'm on a 2000 to 2500 calories roughly
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 9,961 Member
    CoffeeNCardio wrote: »
    loyalluton wrote: »
    Well when I started i was 96 kg i got to 66 kg in around 4 months and have now gone up to 82 kg after holiday but I'm now back to 75 kg in a month of dieting.. I weigh everything and am logging mad... at the weekends I don't take it as serious and eat out have takeaway and a roast dinner etc it's more Mon - Fri it am really strict and put everything in. Ideally I want to be at around 70 kg....

    70 kg would put you at the absolute bottom of your BMI.... why is that your goal? I'm really asking, you could have good reasons, just curious

    ??I'm getting 24.9 for 5'6" and 70 kg. When you say "absolute bottom of your BMI," that sounds like you bottom of healthy BMI, but it's the top of the healthy BMI.

    But I definitely agree with girlviernes that 30 kg in 4 months was too fast, and OP's 1 kg a week goal seems awfully high for someone who's only overweight, not obese. OP, when you lose weight too fast, you unnecessarily increase the amount of muscle you lose along with the fat -- you can lose weight and actually have your body fat % increase, which I'm guessing is not your goal.

Categories