LOW SUGAR OR LOW CARB
jwash5472
Posts: 11 Member
Which is the best way to lose weight, follow a low sugar diet or a low carb diet?
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Replies
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The best way? Eat what you like, but stick to a calorie deficit.5
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Thank you for answering my question. 0
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sugar is a carb...if you low carb you will by default be low sugar...if go low sugar you will most likely decrease your carb intake.
Neither is necessary for weight loss. That said, carbs are an easy macro to flex...my protein and fat tend to be more or less the same whether I'm losing or maintaining...if I need to cut weight I typically drop my carbs because something has to give...I don't go super low carb or anything though...usually 130-150 per day on a cut.3 -
A calorie deficit is pretty much your answer but personally I found it beneficial to cut down on added sugars which in turn helps eliminate junky food in general. I don't bother tracking my sugar on MFP because it tracks added and natural and all's I watch is added so I really have to count on reading labels. for example if I eat fruit I don't count the sugar because as was stated before it is already counted in my carbs, but if I eat a baked good or something I know has very low natural sugar I track the added sugar. I personally try to keep it at 25g per day or less of added but some days that gets shot to *kitten* lol. I found when I cut down on added sugar I have more energy and lost a bit of belly fat as well. Good luck!
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It really varies from person to person. A calorie deficit is what you need to lose weight. Which is the easiest and most comfortable way to create that deficit is high individual.
My diet tends to be high carb but low sugar and high fiber. I tend to skip sugar foods in favor of wine when I can't fit in both but fiber really fills me up. I never gave up sugar foods, they were just a low priority for me. But that is just me and my preferences.1 -
honestly, the best foods to eat to loose weight are non-processed, real foods. And steer clear of too much sugar. Sugar is the only food i would tell people to cut way back on. If your gonna eat sugar (and it's ok to have snacks), don't eat it in your everyday meals. Processed foods are full of hidden sugars. It not only adds calories you don't want, but the fructose in the sugar can not be used for energy until it made into fat. So half of all the sugar you eat is turning into fat right away. So my advice is eat whole foods you make yourself. If you are curious as to how much hidden sugar is in your food, read the labels every 4g of sugar is one teaspoon. It's in breads and canned veggies and almost everything, you would be surprised. Don't fear carbs or fats or protiens so long as they are whole foods you made yourself. As long as you watch your calories and stay at a deficit you can loose weight even if you ate sugar, however, i personally would rather get my sugar from a cookie and not my bread. By cooking myself I have lowered my sugar content a lot and as a result i can eat more meaningful calories without going over and i feel fuller. Also, watch the truth about sugar on youtube. You might not want to eat it after seeing that. Also, lowering your carbs won't harm you so long as you increase your fat intake. You can't go low carb and low fat. Going low fat I don't recommend at all. But, in reality, you shouldn't fear them if you get your fats from good sources like avocados, butter, lard, and stay away from vegetable oils, and your carbs from veggies and fruits that aren't processed n soaked in sugar. You will be amazed at how processing foods makes them less nutritious and aides in weight gain and feeling sick and tired. Pay attention to your dairy labels, some cheeses are not cheese.26
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honestly, the best foods to eat to loose weight are non-processed, real foods. And steer clear of too much sugar. Sugar is the only food i would tell people to cut way back on. If your gonna eat sugar (and it's ok to have snacks), don't eat it in your everyday meals. Processed foods are full of hidden sugars. It not only adds calories you don't want, but the fructose in the sugar can not be used for energy until it made into fat. So half of all the sugar you eat is turning into fat right away. So my advice is eat whole foods you make yourself. If you are curious as to how much hidden sugar is in your food, read the labels every 4g of sugar is one teaspoon. It's in breads and canned veggies and almost everything, you would be surprised. Don't fear carbs or fats or protiens so long as they are whole foods you made yourself. As long as you watch your calories and stay at a deficit you can loose weight even if you ate sugar, however, i personally would rather get my sugar from a cookie and not my bread. By cooking myself I have lowered my sugar content a lot and as a result i can eat more meaningful calories without going over and i feel fuller. Also, watch the truth about sugar on youtube. You might not want to eat it after seeing that. Also, lowering your carbs won't harm you so long as you increase your fat intake. You can't go low carb and low fat. Going low fat I don't recommend at all. But, in reality, you shouldn't fear them if you get your fats from good sources like avocados, butter, lard, and stay away from vegetable oils, and your carbs from veggies and fruits that aren't processed n soaked in sugar. You will be amazed at how processing foods makes them less nutritious and aides in weight gain and feeling sick and tired. Pay attention to your dairy labels, some cheeses are not cheese.
^ None of this.16 -
honestly, the best foods to eat to loose weight are non-processed, real foods. And steer clear of too much sugar. Sugar is the only food i would tell people to cut way back on. If your gonna eat sugar (and it's ok to have snacks), don't eat it in your everyday meals. Processed foods are full of hidden sugars. It not only adds calories you don't want, but the fructose in the sugar can not be used for energy until it made into fat. So half of all the sugar you eat is turning into fat right away. So my advice is eat whole foods you make yourself. If you are curious as to how much hidden sugar is in your food, read the labels every 4g of sugar is one teaspoon. It's in breads and canned veggies and almost everything, you would be surprised. Don't fear carbs or fats or protiens so long as they are whole foods you made yourself. As long as you watch your calories and stay at a deficit you can loose weight even if you ate sugar, however, i personally would rather get my sugar from a cookie and not my bread. By cooking myself I have lowered my sugar content a lot and as a result i can eat more meaningful calories without going over and i feel fuller. Also, watch the truth about sugar on youtube. You might not want to eat it after seeing that. Also, lowering your carbs won't harm you so long as you increase your fat intake. You can't go low carb and low fat. Going low fat I don't recommend at all. But, in reality, you shouldn't fear them if you get your fats from good sources like avocados, butter, lard, and stay away from vegetable oils, and your carbs from veggies and fruits that aren't processed n soaked in sugar. You will be amazed at how processing foods makes them less nutritious and aides in weight gain and feeling sick and tired. Pay attention to your dairy labels, some cheeses are not cheese.
Nope.7 -
Watching added sugars is super easy for me.1
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A calorie deficit is all you need to lose weight. The trick is to find the right balance that works for you. Normally foods that fill you up without causing you to binge eat are the way to go. If having sweet foods with refined carbs leaves you hungry soon afterwards and causes you to eat more, resulting in overeating then avoiding those foods is the way to go. If you can stick with just a small amount and stay within your goals then include them. Many find foods high in protein, fat and fibre to be the most filling which is why these types of foods are favoured for weight loss.2
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Have you been logging for very long? What do your stats tell you about your current eating patterns?2
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honestly, the best foods to eat to loose weight are non-processed, real foods. And steer clear of too much sugar. Sugar is the only food i would tell people to cut way back on. If your gonna eat sugar (and it's ok to have snacks), don't eat it in your everyday meals. Processed foods are full of hidden sugars. It not only adds calories you don't want, but the fructose in the sugar can not be used for energy until it made into fat. So half of all the sugar you eat is turning into fat right away. So my advice is eat whole foods you make yourself. If you are curious as to how much hidden sugar is in your food, read the labels every 4g of sugar is one teaspoon. It's in breads and canned veggies and almost everything, you would be surprised. Don't fear carbs or fats or protiens so long as they are whole foods you made yourself. As long as you watch your calories and stay at a deficit you can loose weight even if you ate sugar, however, i personally would rather get my sugar from a cookie and not my bread. By cooking myself I have lowered my sugar content a lot and as a result i can eat more meaningful calories without going over and i feel fuller. Also, watch the truth about sugar on youtube. You might not want to eat it after seeing that. Also, lowering your carbs won't harm you so long as you increase your fat intake. You can't go low carb and low fat. Going low fat I don't recommend at all. But, in reality, you shouldn't fear them if you get your fats from good sources like avocados, butter, lard, and stay away from vegetable oils, and your carbs from veggies and fruits that aren't processed n soaked in sugar. You will be amazed at how processing foods makes them less nutritious and aides in weight gain and feeling sick and tired. Pay attention to your dairy labels, some cheeses are not cheese.
A lot of this is not true, and none of it is necessary.
Sugar is a type of carb. Calories determine your weight loss/gain. Some people find it is easier to stick to their calorie goal if they reduce the carbs in their diet. Others do not. Just stick to your calorie goal and play around with your macros until you find the right mix for you. Most MFPers look at their protein and fat goals as minimums, and let the carbs fall where they may. Good luck!5 -
honestly, the best foods to eat to loose weight are non-processed, real foods. And steer clear of too much sugar. Sugar is the only food i would tell people to cut way back on. If your gonna eat sugar (and it's ok to have snacks), don't eat it in your everyday meals. Processed foods are full of hidden sugars. It not only adds calories you don't want, but the fructose in the sugar can not be used for energy until it made into fat. So half of all the sugar you eat is turning into fat right away. So my advice is eat whole foods you make yourself. If you are curious as to how much hidden sugar is in your food, read the labels every 4g of sugar is one teaspoon. It's in breads and canned veggies and almost everything, you would be surprised. Don't fear carbs or fats or protiens so long as they are whole foods you made yourself. As long as you watch your calories and stay at a deficit you can loose weight even if you ate sugar, however, i personally would rather get my sugar from a cookie and not my bread. By cooking myself I have lowered my sugar content a lot and as a result i can eat more meaningful calories without going over and i feel fuller. Also, watch the truth about sugar on youtube. You might not want to eat it after seeing that. Also, lowering your carbs won't harm you so long as you increase your fat intake. You can't go low carb and low fat. Going low fat I don't recommend at all. But, in reality, you shouldn't fear them if you get your fats from good sources like avocados, butter, lard, and stay away from vegetable oils, and your carbs from veggies and fruits that aren't processed n soaked in sugar. You will be amazed at how processing foods makes them less nutritious and aides in weight gain and feeling sick and tired. Pay attention to your dairy labels, some cheeses are not cheese.
Big fat no6 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »sugar is a carb...if you low carb you will by default be low sugar...if go low sugar you will most likely decrease your carb intake.
Neither is necessary for weight loss. That said, carbs are an easy macro to flex...
All this.
When I first cut calories, however, I looked through my diet and found ways to cut calories from excess fat (I used too much oil, mostly, and would be careless about portions of nuts) and excess carbs (I mindlessly ate overly large servings of starchy sides that I wouldn't miss if consumed in lower amounts) and, to some extent, excess fat/carb combos (mindless or stress eating whatever snack food appeared at work).
I am kind of low carb (and thus low sugar) now, but for weight loss it was about the easiest way to cut calories.2 -
Sugar is a carb. If you go low carb, you're automatically low sugar. But the best way to lose weight is calorie reduction.2
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honestly, the best foods to eat to loose weight are non-processed, real foods.
When people write something like this, I wonder if they realize what "processed" means and how many foods are processed. If I make a fast pasta dinner based on whole wheat pasta (dried), and a homemade topping with lots of vegetables sauteed with some garlic in olive oil, plus some shrimp, and then maybe some pinenuts and fresh herbs, that's pretty healthy and that it's easy is a bonus. That the pasta is "processed" makes no difference. And no, it does not have added sugar, the sugar in that dish comes from the vegetables.Sugar is the only food i would tell people to cut way back on. If your gonna eat sugar (and it's ok to have snacks), don't eat it in your everyday meals.
It depends on how much sugar someone is eating (and where from) doesn't it? I mean, before you claim that they should cut back.
As for sugar in every day meals, one of current favorite meals is a salad with steak and a peach, with a slightly spicy homemade dressing. The only sugar is from the vegetables and the peach, of course, but peaches have a high sugar content (if I used sriracha in the dressing that would add a bit more).
Is this really a problem?
I really don't see how regular meals would be a significant source of sugar. Dessert foods, sure. Sugary cereal, sure. But even the scare stuff about sugar! in! bread! oh! no! ignores the fact that the amount is not all that much. The percentage of added sugar in the diet from savory items is generally low.
(And I checked when I first started logging because you hear about this SO ridiculously much, and discovered that essentially none of the "processed" products I buy had added sugar but for the ones that obviously do, like ice cream. It's possible my shopping patterns are just different from yours, but that's why this assumption that everyone not flipping out over added sugar is eating tons of it is so irritating.)Processed foods are full of hidden sugars.
Again, plenty of them are not, and none of them are hidden anyway.
I often think these anti processed food screeds are from people who consumed a huge amount of ultra processed foods and assume that's what everyone else is mostly eating. I know what's in the foods I eat.
I will let others deal with the other things, like fructose.5 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »honestly, the best foods to eat to loose weight are non-processed, real foods.
When people write something like this, I wonder if they realize what "processed" means and how many foods are processed. If I make a fast pasta dinner based on whole wheat pasta (dried), and a homemade topping with lots of vegetables sauteed with some garlic in olive oil, plus some shrimp, and then maybe some pinenuts and fresh herbs, that's pretty healthy and that it's easy is a bonus. That the pasta is "processed" makes no difference. And no, it does not have added sugar, the sugar in that dish comes from the vegetables.Sugar is the only food i would tell people to cut way back on. If your gonna eat sugar (and it's ok to have snacks), don't eat it in your everyday meals.
It depends on how much sugar someone is eating (and where from) doesn't it? I mean, before you claim that they should cut back.
As for sugar in every day meals, one of current favorite meals is a salad with steak and a peach, with a slightly spicy homemade dressing. The only sugar is from the vegetables and the peach, of course, but peaches have a high sugar content (if I used sriracha in the dressing that would add a bit more).
Is this really a problem?
I really don't see how regular meals would be a significant source of sugar. Dessert foods, sure. Sugary cereal, sure. But even the scare stuff about sugar! in! bread! oh! no! ignores the fact that the amount is not all that much. The percentage of added sugar in the diet from savory items is generally low.
(And I checked when I first started logging because you hear about this SO ridiculously much, and discovered that essentially none of the "processed" products I buy had added sugar but for the ones that obviously do, like ice cream. It's possible my shopping patterns are just different from yours, but that's why this assumption that everyone not flipping out over added sugar is eating tons of it is so irritating.)Processed foods are full of hidden sugars.
Again, plenty of them are not, and none of them are hidden anyway.
I often think these anti processed food screeds are from people who consumed a huge amount of ultra processed foods and assume that's what everyone else is mostly eating. I know what's in the foods I eat.
I will let others deal with the other things, like fructose.
Agreed. About 50% of my diet could be considered processed, and I hardly ever go over the MFP sugar number. And when I do, it's usually due to obviously sugary special occasion food, like birthday cake.2 -
Neither. And neither of those things are bad for you unless you are having huge amounts of them. 80:20 approach (80% healthy, 20% "treats") is a good, long term approach to weight loss. Move more than you eat and you'll lose weight.0
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Carbs turn into sugar in your body so it's the same thing. I got rid of almost all the sugar in my diet and all the corn syrup currently eating low carbs and I've lost 18 pounds in 2 months. I eat a lot of protein and during this period of time has also gained quite a bit of muscle mass. So my diet is basically no sugar, very low carbs, high protein. Getting the diet right has been the hardest part for me.11
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Carbs turn into sugar in your body so it's the same thing. I got rid of almost all the sugar in my diet and all the corn syrup currently eating low carbs and I've lost 18 pounds in 2 months. I eat a lot of protein and during this period of time has also gained quite a bit of muscle mass. So my diet is basically no sugar, very low carbs, high protein. Getting the diet right has been the hardest part for me.
You gained quite a bit of muscle while being on a big enough deficit to lose 18 lbs in 2 months?!?4 -
Carbs turn into sugar in your body so it's the same thing. I got rid of almost all the sugar in my diet and all the corn syrup currently eating low carbs and I've lost 18 pounds in 2 months. I eat a lot of protein and during this period of time has also gained quite a bit of muscle mass. So my diet is basically no sugar, very low carbs, high protein. Getting the diet right has been the hardest part for me.
Do you know what protein turns into?4 -
Carbs turn into sugar in your body so it's the same thing. I got rid of almost all the sugar in my diet and all the corn syrup currently eating low carbs and I've lost 18 pounds in 2 months. I eat a lot of protein and during this period of time has also gained quite a bit of muscle mass. So my diet is basically no sugar, very low carbs, high protein. Getting the diet right has been the hardest part for me.
The likelihood of losing a ton of weight (which is probably also a lot of glycogen/water from going low carb) and gaining muscle in that same period is very unlikely, especially considering low carb isn't even that optimal for gaining actual muscle.
OP, like others said, it's about calories. The healthiest places on this planet are mainly high carb. The bigger thing is finding a style of eating that can allow for adherence, compliance and that supports your goals.4 -
i am a Diabetic T2 on Insulin..for 63 years i was a carb junkie i grew up stationed overseas and fell in love with European bread, also a Polish Hungarian..we eat a lot of spatzel dumplings.. I worked retail 45 years and lunch was a can of coke and a candy bar to keep buzzed all day...bad bad choices... so if you dont want to use a BS meter and stick your fingers 8 times a day to see what your red flag foods are that spike your sugar.. if you dont want nerve damage and blurry vision... cut back on carbs..my Diabetes Dr told me if its white dont bite no white rice no white potatoes no pasta no bread no chips no cereal... i have already lost weight and my BS is going down..i eat half my salad plate with greens l/4 my plate with protein, 1/4 dairy i have l serving of fruit, i eat sauerkraut to restore my leaky gut, i do broth fast, i eat ginger for inflamation, and watch out if you read labels you will go nuts reading where all the hidden sugar is....for a snack i eat Italian pickled vegs or relish tray vegs...good luck do not become me the before picture...5
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rawfruitvegH20 wrote: »i am a Diabetic T2 on Insulin..for 63 years i was a carb junkie i grew up stationed overseas and fell in love with European bread, also a Polish Hungarian..we eat a lot of spatzel dumplings.. I worked retail 45 years and lunch was a can of coke and a candy bar to keep buzzed all day...bad bad choices... so if you dont want to use a BS meter and stick your fingers 8 times a day to see what your red flag foods are that spike your sugar.. if you dont want nerve damage and blurry vision... cut back on carbs..my Diabetes Dr told me if its white dont bite no white rice no white potatoes no pasta no bread no chips no cereal... i have already lost weight and my BS is going down..i eat half my salad plate with greens l/4 my plate with protein, 1/4 dairy i have l serving of fruit, i eat sauerkraut to restore my leaky gut, i do broth fast, i eat ginger for inflamation, and watch out if you read labels you will go nuts reading where all the hidden sugar is....for a snack i eat Italian pickled vegs or relish tray vegs...good luck do not become me the before picture...
Keep in mind, that your bodies inability to regulate BG/insulin, doesn't mean our cannot. Medical conditions need to be treated with specific courses of action... no different than a person with an allergy needs to stay away from specific foods, while others do not.
T2 diabetes is largely driven by weight, activity level and genetics... not by eating sugar.7 -
For me personally, I just tried to stay away from 'added sugar' items, because those were the foods that I binged on. I still eat fruit and 40+% of my diet is made up of carbs. Sugar is not my enemy, but eating a whole bag of Reese's peanut butter cups in bed is. I don't find myself waking up with strawberry tops on my pillow in the morning...4
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Carbs turn into sugar in your body so it's the same thing. I got rid of almost all the sugar in my diet and all the corn syrup currently eating low carbs and I've lost 18 pounds in 2 months. I eat a lot of protein and during this period of time has also gained quite a bit of muscle mass. So my diet is basically no sugar, very low carbs, high protein. Getting the diet right has been the hardest part for me.
When I first started losing I lost about 20 lbs in 2 months. I did not go low carb, and since I did not consume much corn syrup ever, getting rid of it wasn't an issue.
My diet certainly was not no sugar, as I think eating 8-10 servings of vegetables is desirable and also consume some fruit.
I'd love to know how you know you gained muscle mass when losing at that rate, since it's not very likely and most people have no clue how much muscle mass they gain or lose until they are pretty lean anyway (and losing at that rate when lean would make it far less likely).
If it's a scale or hand-held device, those aren't going to tell you anything meaningful and would be off due to the rapid weight loss.3 -
Today I learned how much sugar canned corn has. I love corn. I think I am learning to put some limit to sugar foods that I love. I am learning to read labels.4
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Eat foods that satisfy you and keep you full while maintaining a calorie deficit. For many people a low carb diet works well. Personally I don't feel full unless I get some carbs so low carb/sugar doesn't work.1
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Carbs turn into sugar in your body so it's the same thing. I got rid of almost all the sugar in my diet and all the corn syrup currently eating low carbs and I've lost 18 pounds in 2 months. I eat a lot of protein and during this period of time has also gained quite a bit of muscle mass. So my diet is basically no sugar, very low carbs, high protein. Getting the diet right has been the hardest part for me.
High protein and lifting is a good idea while you lose weight to help maintain your current muscle, but you're not putting on significant muscle mass if you lost 18 pounds in two months. You need a calorie surplus to gain/build or a deficit to lose. You can't really do both simultaneously.
You'll definitely see some new muscle definition due to your weight loss and probably some minimal gains due to being a new lifter and your muscles reacting to the extra work. But to actually add mass it takes a lot of work, and extra calories for your body to build with.
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