Fruit and veg

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tobykeohane
tobykeohane Posts: 24 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
hello, I am on a healthy balanced diet which includes eating lots of fruit and veg. Problem is I am going over my sugar for the day

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  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    Do you have a medical reason to limit sugar? Many of us just track fiber and disregard the sugar.
  • strong_curves
    strong_curves Posts: 2,229 Member
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    I don't even track my sugar. As long as you're under your calorie goal you should be ok, unless a dr told you to watch/track your sugar because of a medical issue.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    Are you eating other foods as well, like meat/fish/eggs, grains, dairy, fats, in that balanced diet? Adjust sugar goal or don't track sugar, problem solved.
  • SonyaCele
    SonyaCele Posts: 2,841 Member
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    i only eat two servings of fruit a day.
  • tobykeohane
    tobykeohane Posts: 24 Member
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    I thought we had to stay within all the percentages
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    tobykeohane wrote: »
    I thought we had to stay within all the percentages

    No. They're guides and many people go above or below them.

    The sugar one is based on the recommendation for "added sugars," since MPF can't tell the difference between added sugars and those naturally in foods.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    Embrace the sugar. It's wrapped in a nutritious fiber sandwich including vitamins and minerals. As long as you maintain a calorie deficit, you will still lose weight.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    tobykeohane wrote: »
    I thought we had to stay within all the percentages

    No, they are recommendations, but not needed to lose weight.

    With the sugar, there are recommendations from the WHO and US guidelines and NHS to keep added sugar to 5-10% of calories on the reasoning that added sugar often comes from low nutrient/high cal items, so best not to include them disproportionately in your diet. MFP can't track added sugar (labels don't distinguish) so picked a slightly higher number (15%) based on an assumption about how much intrinsic sugar (such as from fruit, veg, dairy) would be in people's diets. If you eat more than average of those (not high, in the US lots of people don't eat much produce) and are on low calories, you can go over easily.

    Lots of people track fiber instead. I've done that, and also just looked at the source of my sugar to be sure there was nothing surprising. I've never seen anything credible that indicates any bad effects of sugar from fruits and veg, so long as your diet is balanced and you are getting enough of the other things you need, like protein and healthy fats.
  • tobykeohane
    tobykeohane Posts: 24 Member
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    My carbs are also over because fruit has got loads of carbs
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    tobykeohane wrote: »
    My carbs are also over because fruit has got loads of carbs

    Sugar, starch and fiber are carbohydrates.
  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
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    If you are only concerned with calories I wouldn't worry about what the macros are. It is important to eat more fiber rich carbs and increase your protein and fat to prevent hunger so you don't go over your calories.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    tobykeohane wrote: »
    My carbs are also over because fruit has got loads of carbs

    Is it crowding out other things you need? Do you have a medical reason to limit carbohydrates?

    If not, I wouldn't worry about it.
  • tobykeohane
    tobykeohane Posts: 24 Member
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    No I don't have a reason to watch any of the macros, I just thought that to loose weight with the app we had to follow the guidelines. I.e 50percent carbs, 30 protein and 20 fat
  • jhard728
    jhard728 Posts: 52 Member
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    tobykeohane wrote: »
    No I don't have a reason to watch any of the macros, I just thought that to loose weight with the app we had to follow the guidelines. I.e 50percent carbs, 30 protein and 20 fat

    The great thing about MFP is that it allows you to track your foods and for me that keeps me accountable. The way I figure it is that if I go over sugars from apples and cherries I am so much better off than going over calories from fast food and junk food. If you keep your calories under you are doing awesome.

    Best of Luck :)

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    tobykeohane wrote: »
    No I don't have a reason to watch any of the macros, I just thought that to loose weight with the app we had to follow the guidelines. I.e 50percent carbs, 30 protein and 20 fat

    No. Your weight loss is created by being in a calorie deficit. Period. The macros are for health -- that is, you need a certain amount of protein and fat in order to stay healthy.

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