Under calories over on sugar and sodium

JayZ1488
JayZ1488 Posts: 258 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I’ve been doing really good with my calorie intake. I’ve been in a deficient for about three months now and lost a little over 15 pounds!

I’m really happy with my success so far but I just had a few questions about my macros, sugar, and sodium intake

I’m really happy with my success so far but I just had a few questions about my macros, sugar, and sodium intake

I’m always over in protein. I know it says you should have about 20% but I’m usually at 40+. Aside drinking one to possibly two protein shakes a day I guess I could zoom a lot from cottage cheese, milk, fish and meat. Is it OK if I consume double the amount of protein a day?

I’m always over in pro Tien. I know it says you should have about 20% but I’m usually at 40+. Aside drinking one to possibly two protein shakes a day I guess I consume a lot from cottage cheese, milk, fish and meat. Is it OK if I consume double the amount of protein a day?

Sodium I’m usually about 1500 to 3000 over my intake

Sugar is ridiculous. The American health association says we should consume about 40 g a day but I exceed well over 100.

Again I’ve lost about 15 pounds and I’m happy with my success so far but I just wanna make sure that I’m healthy and not causing any issues with the sodium and sugar intake.

Again I’ve lost about 15 pounds and I’m happy with my success so far but I just wanna make sure that I’m healthy and not causing any issues with the sodium and sugar intake.

Are usually have about two containers of cottage cheese with peaches and total about 90 grams of sugar.

Is it OK to consume between 100 and 200 g of sugar a day as well as go over about 2000 on my sodium a day

Replies

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,458 Member
    I'd say those numbers are something to work on but not panic about. I often hit those numbers. It's not optimal. Are the "sugars" mostly natural sugars and not added sugars?

    "Two containers of cottage cheese and peaches..." Can you cut that back to one? If you look at your FOOD page you can see where your overages occur and in which foods.


    I need to really watch my fruit and vegetable intake and be sure to get enough whole fruits and vegetables. If you are doing that and not adding a lot of salt it will help. I shoot for 800g of whole fresh fruit and vegetables a day (not canned, canned has added sugars and salt.)
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,458 Member
    If you log food BEFORE you eat it you will be more easily able to adjust portions etc.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    It's impossible to tell without more information. How many cals total are you eating (and is that your MFP goal)? What is your goal (how much weight do you want to lose)? Do you have issues with high blood pressure?

    I don't think sodium is that big a deal, but I'd look at where it is coming from and if you can switch out the sources for other foods (I love cottage cheese, but that's a lot of cottage cheese). However, unless you have a reason to worry about it (high blood pressure), I'd not worry about dramatically shaking up something that is working well, but approach it more gradually by looking at your highest sodium sources.

    Sugar -- it really depends on the source of the sugar. What percentage is it of your total cals? The 40 g recommendation is for ADDED sugar, not all sugar, so if a lot of your sugar is coming from fruit, it's probably not something to worry about as you are obviously getting plenty of protein. One question is how is your fat?

    Protein -- it's fine to go over so long as your diet as a whole is healthy. Are you eating plenty of veg and some healthy fats and sufficient fiber? Do you feel good? Do you enjoy your diet?
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    I have no reason to monitor sugar and sodium, so I swapped them out for nutrients that are helpful for me to monitor like fiber (I get fuller for less calories when I hit my fiber goal) and saturated fat (for a medical condition.)

    I can tell if my sugar is too high if my carbs are too high, and I have no medical reason to monitor this more closely.
  • tracybear86
    tracybear86 Posts: 163 Member
    Actually too much sodium can have negative effects on your health. If you are really eating up to 5000mg of sodium a day it might be a good idea to try to cut back at least somewhat.

    "But too much sodium in the diet can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. It can also cause calcium losses, some of which may be pulled from bone."

    https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/salt-and-sodium/
  • Theo166
    Theo166 Posts: 2,564 Member
    I urge you to open up your food diary, essential when you are asking for people to comment on your macros.
  • JayZ1488
    JayZ1488 Posts: 258 Member
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    It's impossible to tell without more information. How many cals total are you eating (and is that your MFP goal)? What is your goal (how much weight do you want to lose)? Do you have issues with high blood pressure?

    I don't think sodium is that big a deal, but I'd look at where it is coming from and if you can switch out the sources for other foods (I love cottage cheese, but that's a lot of cottage cheese). However, unless you have a reason to worry about it (high blood pressure), I'd not worry about dramatically shaking up something that is working well, but approach it more gradually by looking at your highest sodium sources.

    Sugar -- it really depends on the source of the sugar. What percentage is it of your total cals? The 40 g recommendation is for ADDED sugar, not all sugar, so if a lot of your sugar is coming from fruit, it's probably not something to worry about as you are obviously getting plenty of protein. One question is how is your fat?

    Protein -- it's fine to go over so long as your diet as a whole is healthy. Are you eating plenty of veg and some healthy fats and sufficient fiber? Do you feel good? Do you enjoy your diet?

    I do enjoy my diet and my fat is usually on point. Most days are as followed

    Breakfast - 2 Medium hard boiled eggs
    60 calories each - 120 calories

    Mid morning - isopure protein shake - one scoop plus one cup almond milk - 130 calories

    Lunch - one container of cottage cheese, that’s 4 servings at a total of 360 calories

    Dinner - either chicken / fish 3-4 nights a week
    400-600 calories
    Steamable frozen vegetables - 250 per package
    2 more hard boiled eggs or sometimes a small serving of brown rice or sweet potato - 120-200

    Night snack - another container of cottage cheese - 360 one serving of almonds - 170

    1900-2200 never going over my 2200 calories and never under 1900

  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,031 Member
    tracybear86 wrote: »
    Actually too much sodium can have negative effects on your health. If you are really eating up to 5000mg of sodium a day it might be a good idea to try to cut back at least somewhat.

    "But too much sodium in the diet can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. It can also cause calcium losses, some of which may be pulled from bone."

    https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/salt-and-sodium/
    That's IF the person ISN'T drinking enough water and has an imbalance in electrolytes.
    I (and many Asians) consume up to 5,000mg a day of sodium (love soy sauce). And we're some of the healthiest in the world.
    Genetics and family history will more dictate if sodium is an issue.


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    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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