calories and sugar

caroline1685
caroline1685 Posts: 80 Member
edited October 5 in Health and Weight Loss
hiya, got a question for you all,
How do you all stay within your sugar allowance but eat your full calories?, im reaching around 800 calories but then just staying in my sugar limit sometimes im over too.
i have been my doctor to to aim for 1000 calories a day. no less but no more for me. hope someone can help.

Replies

  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
    Make sure your doctor monitors you closely, 1000 calories isn't enough for most people to stay healthy, especially if they are exercising too. You should probably see a nutritionist as well to help you achieve a healthy, balanced diet while staying within your calorie limit.

    As far as sugar goes, you don't need to worry too much about the sugar that comes from milk and fruit, you just need to limit the amount of added sugar in your diet. The belief that "sugar is sugar" and that it's all the same isn't true.
  • twinmom01
    twinmom01 Posts: 854 Member
    What are you eating - if you are eating a lot of fruit that can be a culprit in making you go over your sugars...and I respectfully disagree with the previous poster that you don't have to worry about the sugar that comes from fruit or dairy as it all depends on what you are gunning for - even to much "natural" sugar can be a hinderance on a eating style to loose weight...

    I would suggest you talk with a nutrionist or dietitican rather than being told by a Dr. to eat 1000 calories -eating under calories can actually have a negative effect for some people - you want to make sure you are first and foremost getting proper nutrition from whole food sources - lots and lots of veggies, lean protien, high impact grains, good fats (Omega 3's) should make up the bulk of your diet - with things such as fruit and dairy coming in at the end.
  • Debbe2
    Debbe2 Posts: 2,071 Member
    So many foods have sugar especially ready made foods. Since I watch my sugar intake I read every label before buying a product looking at sugar first and calories second. MFP is a big tool that you can use. If you log your food several times daily you can see where you are going with your sugar and calorie intake, so far for that day. You will then know where you are heading for the remainder of the day. Take it a day at a time.
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
    What are you eating - if you are eating a lot of fruit that can be a culprit in making you go over your sugars...and I respectfully disagree with the previous poster that you don't have to worry about the sugar that comes from fruit or dairy as it all depends on what you are gunning for - even to much "natural" sugar can be a hinderance on a eating style to loose weight...

    I would suggest you talk with a nutrionist or dietitican rather than being told by a Dr. to eat 1000 calories -eating under calories can actually have a negative effect for some people - you want to make sure you are first and foremost getting proper nutrition from whole food sources - lots and lots of veggies, lean protien, high impact grains, good fats (Omega 3's) should make up the bulk of your diet - with things such as fruit and dairy coming in at the end.

    I said you don't have to worry too much, not that you can have a free for all on fruit. Obviously too much of anything is bad, but you don't have to stick to the MFP guideline for sugar if most of your sugar is from natural sources like fruit and milk. The MFP sugar guideline if for refined sugar that is added to food and drinks.
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
    The MFP sugar guideline if for refined sugar that is added to food and drinks.
    Sorry but I don't believe that is true.
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
    The MFP sugar guideline if for refined sugar that is added to food and drinks.
    Sorry but I don't believe that is true.

    So you honestly believe that the MFP system only allows us to have about one piece of fruit a day and absolutely no other sugar, natural or otherwise?
  • caroline1685
    caroline1685 Posts: 80 Member
    im eating lots of veg and a little less fruit that i used to. i eat meats, cheese, high protein foods, and try to aim for lower carbs.
  • asyouseefit
    asyouseefit Posts: 1,265 Member
    I don't track sugars! Easier that way!
  • jen2607
    jen2607 Posts: 148 Member
    I'm sure you may know this .. but a good sugar substitute is Stevia. I keep a pitcher of unsweet tea in the fridge so when I crave sweet tea or soda, I fix a big glass of unsweet tea and add a packet of Stevia in the raw. Also, I snack on low sugar items such as Trader Joe's lite individually wrapped cheese sticks or edamame. The only time I ever anything that is over 10 g of carbs is for a meal, and even then I try to keep it as low as possible. In my experience it just takes time to find things that you like that are low in sugar/carbs , high in protein, and moderate in calories. It helps a lot to plan your meals ahead of time.
  • twinmom01
    twinmom01 Posts: 854 Member
    The MFP sugar guideline if for refined sugar that is added to food and drinks.
    Sorry but I don't believe that is true.

    So you honestly believe that the MFP system only allows us to have about one piece of fruit a day and absolutely no other sugar, natural or otherwise?

    For weight loss - yes...you are right in the fact that there is a difference in added or refined sugars BUT overall sugar can be detrimental depending on what you are looking for from eating right.

    It can be very difficult - as too much sugar - even from natural sources can cause your blood sugars to spike which can create havoc in your body. Now not every body is the same - so one person could eat 2-3 servings of fruit per day and not have an issue - whereas someone else does the same thing and it causes a hinderance in thier body...Also you have to remember fruits have different levels of sugars + the fact you have to look at serving size - take for example an apple - a serving of an apple is about palm size - I don't know about you but when I go to the store the apples are huge - most apples you eat are probably 1 1/2 - 2 servings...Banana's are the same way - look at a bunch of banana's you can have small ones and ones that are quite large...so you simply can't eat a banana and say it is one serving...

    if you are eating a fairly clean diet with very, very little processed food you can easily have a serving or two of fruit a day and stay within sugar limits.

    I recently did a bunch of research on sugars in natural food as I have just come off of a 21 day whole food cleanse and I was quite amazed at what I found out after reading about natural sugars...especially about natural sugars that turn to fructose...Fructose itself is HORRIBLE, horrible, horrible - it is one of the leading causes of belly fat - think of children who have all this weight in their bellys - if you see people who have a lot of belly fat I would bet most are due to a diet with a lot of fructose (processed and otherwise) - so that being said if you are trying to loose body fat then the best thing to do would be to go light on all sugars for the time being...not to say if you go over it every day by 5-15 is a big deal but consistantly going over it in a large way can hinder body fat loss and eventually weight loss...
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
    The MFP sugar guideline if for refined sugar that is added to food and drinks.
    Sorry but I don't believe that is true.

    So you honestly believe that the MFP system only allows us to have about one piece of fruit a day and absolutely no other sugar, natural or otherwise?

    For weight loss - yes...you are right in the fact that there is a difference in added or refined sugars BUT overall sugar can be detrimental depending on what you are looking for from eating right.

    It can be very difficult - as too much sugar - even from natural sources can cause your blood sugars to spike which can create havoc in your body. Now not every body is the same - so one person could eat 2-3 servings of fruit per day and not have an issue - whereas someone else does the same thing and it causes a hinderance in thier body...Also you have to remember fruits have different levels of sugars + the fact you have to look at serving size - take for example an apple - a serving of an apple is about palm size - I don't know about you but when I go to the store the apples are huge - most apples you eat are probably 1 1/2 - 2 servings...Banana's are the same way - look at a bunch of banana's you can have small ones and ones that are quite large...so you simply can't eat a banana and say it is one serving...

    if you are eating a fairly clean diet with very, very little processed food you can easily have a serving or two of fruit a day and stay within sugar limits.

    I recently did a bunch of research on sugars in natural food as I have just come off of a 21 day whole food cleanse and I was quite amazed at what I found out after reading about natural sugars...especially about natural sugars that turn to fructose...Fructose itself is HORRIBLE, horrible, horrible - it is one of the leading causes of belly fat - think of children who have all this weight in their bellys - if you see people who have a lot of belly fat I would bet most are due to a diet with a lot of fructose (processed and otherwise) - so that being said if you are trying to loose body fat then the best thing to do would be to go light on all sugars for the time being...not to say if you go over it every day by 5-15 is a big deal but consistantly going over it in a large way can hinder body fat loss and eventually weight loss...

    Young, healthy children have bigger bellies because their organs and intestines are proportionally bigger than an adult's. this aides in processing all the food they have to eat in order to grow and stay healthy and they generally have short, compact torsos. It's the same for puppies, kittens, etc. My 18 month old son has an adorably big belly but it's not from eating too much sugar, my kids have an extremely healthy diet. Older kids shouldn't have big bellies because their body proportions become more adult like, but in kids 5 and under a belly isn't something that can automatically determine whether or not a child is overweight or is getting too much sugar.
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
    I don't track sugars! Easier that way!

    This. Assuming you have no medical conditions, it's really not necessary.
  • twinmom01
    twinmom01 Posts: 854 Member
    The MFP sugar guideline if for refined sugar that is added to food and drinks.
    Sorry but I don't believe that is true.

    So you honestly believe that the MFP system only allows us to have about one piece of fruit a day and absolutely no other sugar, natural or otherwise?

    For weight loss - yes...you are right in the fact that there is a difference in added or refined sugars BUT overall sugar can be detrimental depending on what you are looking for from eating right.

    It can be very difficult - as too much sugar - even from natural sources can cause your blood sugars to spike which can create havoc in your body. Now not every body is the same - so one person could eat 2-3 servings of fruit per day and not have an issue - whereas someone else does the same thing and it causes a hinderance in thier body...Also you have to remember fruits have different levels of sugars + the fact you have to look at serving size - take for example an apple - a serving of an apple is about palm size - I don't know about you but when I go to the store the apples are huge - most apples you eat are probably 1 1/2 - 2 servings...Banana's are the same way - look at a bunch of banana's you can have small ones and ones that are quite large...so you simply can't eat a banana and say it is one serving...

    if you are eating a fairly clean diet with very, very little processed food you can easily have a serving or two of fruit a day and stay within sugar limits.

    I recently did a bunch of research on sugars in natural food as I have just come off of a 21 day whole food cleanse and I was quite amazed at what I found out after reading about natural sugars...especially about natural sugars that turn to fructose...Fructose itself is HORRIBLE, horrible, horrible - it is one of the leading causes of belly fat - think of children who have all this weight in their bellys - if you see people who have a lot of belly fat I would bet most are due to a diet with a lot of fructose (processed and otherwise) - so that being said if you are trying to loose body fat then the best thing to do would be to go light on all sugars for the time being...not to say if you go over it every day by 5-15 is a big deal but consistantly going over it in a large way can hinder body fat loss and eventually weight loss...

    Young, healthy children have bigger bellies because their organs and intestines are proportionally bigger than an adult's. this aides in processing all the food they have to eat in order to grow and stay healthy and they generally have short, compact torsos. It's the same for puppies, kittens, etc. My 18 month old son has an adorably big belly but it's not from eating too much sugar, my kids have an extremely healthy diet. Older kids shouldn't have big bellies because their body proportions become more adult like, but in kids 5 and under a belly isn't something that can automatically determine whether or not a child is overweight or is getting too much sugar.

    I am not talking about kids that are 5 and under - but look around at kids who are over the age of about 8 up to teenagers - there is a difference between a belly that is "babyfat" vs a belly of belly fat - in most cases that belly fat is caused by a diet high in fructose - fructose is EVERYWHERE in processed foods and snacks that a lot of kids eat, soda they drink, candy they eat...it piles on top all day, week, month long....and now a days many kids aren't getting the exercise they need....which doesn't allow them to burn off othe sugar after eating it - which allows the excess sugar to turn to fat...

    There is a reason time and time again diets that are high in good fats, fiber and protien and low in carbs allow people to loose weight...cause you are cutting out sugars and your body is satiated with the fiber, fats and protien...the problem is people will use a diet such as that (think South Beach, Atkins) and loose a bunch of weight and then after they are off thier diet put it back on...because they go back to eating pasta and processed foods and lots of carbs....

    an excellent book that talks about sugars and simple carbs and the effect on body fat is Why we get Fat by Gary Taubes - excellent reading...
  • caroline1685
    caroline1685 Posts: 80 Member
    what foods would you suggest to eat that has low sugar and low calories, no fish i dont like it.
  • jen2607
    jen2607 Posts: 148 Member
    Breakfast

    I'm usually in a hurry for this .. but sometimes I make an easy egg white scramble (from the carton) with ham and drink a v8 or I throw turkey bacon on the George Foreman with a v8

    Lunch/Dinner

    Lean meats such as boneless skinless chicken breasts ( you can marinate in a lite Italian dressing or season on the grill) . I sometimes cook a "pasta " meal with 3 cheese marinara from Trader Joe's but I substitute the noodles with spaghetti squash. For vegetables I try to stick to green ones because they are lower in sugar. I really like zucchini on the George. I buy frozen vegetable blends and keep the freezer stocked because they are easy to steam with any dinner. I'm cooking for one so I've had to learn to adjust accordingly with a busy schedule.
  • twinmom01
    twinmom01 Posts: 854 Member
    what foods would you suggest to eat that has low sugar and low calories, no fish i dont like it.

    have you tried different types of fish - some are far better and flavorful than others. If you like shrimp - shrimp is a great way to get protien in...

    There are tons of great food - any lean protien - like chicken and turkey or egg whites are great - I keep a carton of boiled eggs on hand at all times - when I get a little munchy I grab and egg (I don't like egg yolks but they arent' bad for you and contain good nutrients)

    veggies - veggies - veggies -

    if you are going to eat Dairy - go for a low processed greek yogurt over another yogurt

    Do your best NOT to eat processed foods - even things like Lean Cusines or the porported 100 calorie diet foods - better to stick with as much whole foods as possible - i.e. if you can pick it or if it has a face you can eat it,,,

    DON'T play to much into calories if you are eating things that are good for you - really educate yourself on reading labels and knowing what your body needs...beause your body does need good fats - like olive oil or coconut oil (virgin cold pressed for both) - those are going to be high in calories and fat - BUT the good heart healthy fats your body needs....

    There are a lot of books out there that have proponents for this or that...If you get a chance take a look at the Jillian Micheals Master Your Metabolism..it does have a plan to follow if your would like - but it is a really good book to read and undertsand about fats, carbs and protiens and what your body needs in order to do a healthy form of eating,,,,there are a lot of books on the diet/eating lifestyles but this one is written quite well and has good explanations
  • llkilgore
    llkilgore Posts: 1,169 Member
    I don't track sugars! Easier that way!

    I don't either. I eat 2 or 3 servings of fruit a day but very, VERY little processed sugar. Why worry about the sugar in the nutrient dense fruit when the complex carbohydrates I eat (grain products, potatoes, etc.) start breaking down into sugar before I even swallow them?
This discussion has been closed.

Categories