How to hit my carb target without going over on my sugar tar

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  • jackieb79
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    I have noticed that I consistently go over my daily sugar target even though I usually hit or stay just under my carb target. Is anybody else finding the same thing? How can I get enough carbs without going over on sugar? Any food suggestions?

    MFP says my carb target is 190g and my sugar target is 28g. Eating just two fruits a day is enough to put me at 28g!!
    Why are you concerned with a sugar target? Carbs are carbs, They all get converted to glucose. Frutis are good for you. Eat them as long as you have the carbs available in your diet to do so.

    I figured the targets were there for a reason and to exceed the would be unhealthy so I am trying to stick to all targets and have been successful with all except sugar.

    Just read an interesting article that says the sugar intake target refers to added sugars and not those occuring naturally in foods such as fruit. So I think I will not worry about MFP saying I am going over on my sugar and just target to keep within my carb target.

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/474832-recommended-grams-of-sugar-per-day/
  • I can't seem to wrap my head around how I could stick to 28g of sugar per day without cutting out healthy fruits. I make my meals from scratch an dont add sugar to my cooking. But if I eat a banana for breakfast and have an apple later in the day, I am already at my limit without even including any grains in my diet yet and I am still way under my carb target. Is anybody out there actually hitting their carb target without going over on the sugar? And if so are you eating a balance of fruits veggies, grains and breads? Or are you getting your carbs from one source and is that healthy?

    I wouldn't ignore the sugar. Sugar is not something you should have a lot of regardless of its source. While it is important to maintain your caloric goal, eating the proper foods will get you to your goals quicker. Refine sugars and bad carbs will make you feel and look more bloated. They also affect your blood sugar levels, which even if you do not have diabetes it does matter because it affects your mood in a negative way (i.e., may make you more depressed, etc)

    Are you sure that your settings are right? That sounds a little weird to me? Regardless, I would not worry too much about the sugar coming from fruits, but limit the sugar from other areas. All I'm saying is that you should be aiming for A LOT more servings of vegetables than of fruits. Another good source of carbs is sweet potatoes...they're delicious. Definitely make sure you are meeting your carb requirements!
  • Sublog
    Sublog Posts: 1,296 Member
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    I have noticed that I consistently go over my daily sugar target even though I usually hit or stay just under my carb target. Is anybody else finding the same thing? How can I get enough carbs without going over on sugar? Any food suggestions?

    MFP says my carb target is 190g and my sugar target is 28g. Eating just two fruits a day is enough to put me at 28g!!
    Why are you concerned with a sugar target? Carbs are carbs, They all get converted to glucose. Frutis are good for you. Eat them as long as you have the carbs available in your diet to do so.

    I figured the targets were there for a reason and to exceed the would be unhealthy so I am trying to stick to all targets and have been successful with all except sugar.

    Just read an interesting article that says the sugar intake target refers to added sugars and not those occuring naturally in foods such as fruit. So I think I will not worry about MFP saying I am going over on my sugar and just target to keep within my carb target.

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/474832-recommended-grams-of-sugar-per-day/

    Yep, unless you have a specific reason for worrying about it. Don't. Just worry about filling your diet with whole, nutritious foods and hitting your macro-nutrient goals.
  • tinksmommy2006
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    VEGGIES!!!
  • Puddykat1026
    Puddykat1026 Posts: 164 Member
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    I have the same issue with fats. I sometimes go over on my fats because I eat avocado. I had the same issue with the sugars too because I eat lots of fruit. I stopped worrying about the sugar if it comes from a natural source. Now, if I'm over because I ate cereal or something with sugar, I know I need to limit that more often. Good luck :)
  • mszimmerman76
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    I don't track my sugar normally but I looked it up after I read your post. If I am good on a particular day I can meet my carb goal with out going over my sugar goal. But these guys are essentially right, carbs are carbs. As long as you're not going over your carb goal and you're meeting the fiber goal, I wouldn't worry about it. Just don't get your sugar from a soda can or a candy bar. 2 pieces of fruit a day is perfectly healthy, though I wouldn't make it much more than that. I really like Eggo waffles and frosted mini-wheats as snacks. They are pretty low on sugar, high on fiber, and take basically no preparation!
  • laurastrait21
    laurastrait21 Posts: 307 Member
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    Worry less about sugar itself, and just try to limit ADDED sugars - fruits, 100% juices, etc. are GOOD sugars, and you really only need to be concerned if you are prediabetic or diabetic - carbs ARE sugar. you won't find a carb that isn't a sugar.
  • gwark
    gwark Posts: 7 Member
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    The fruit you are choosing may also be user-entered. You can research the fruits you eat and then enter your own apple or banana into the database. I've done that with several items. Especially between American and Canadian food chains where the portion size is different.
  • ctroxell2011
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    You can add me if you like to look at my diary. I keep my sugar under 15 grams most days. (don't look during the holidays haha). I do watch my carb intake very closely as well, and it's the key to my success. Everyone loses weight differently though, so you are the only one who will really know if you need to cut out fruit, if you stall, immediately cut out carbs, that's my trainers advice. Fruit is notorious for making you go over on sugar which eventually causes weight gain. Everything you can get from fruit you can get from veggies with much less sugar.
  • jcstanton
    jcstanton Posts: 1,849 Member
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    I have noticed that I consistently go over my daily sugar target even though I usually hit or stay just under my carb target. Is anybody else finding the same thing? How can I get enough carbs without going over on sugar? Any food suggestions?

    MFP says my carb target is 190g and my sugar target is 28g. Eating just two fruits a day is enough to put me at 28g!!
    Why are you concerned with a sugar target? Carbs are carbs, They all get converted to glucose. Frutis are good for you. Eat them as long as you have the carbs available in your diet to do so.

    I figured the targets were there for a reason and to exceed the would be unhealthy so I am trying to stick to all targets and have been successful with all except sugar.

    Just read an interesting article that says the sugar intake target refers to added sugars and not those occuring naturally in foods such as fruit. So I think I will not worry about MFP saying I am going over on my sugar and just target to keep within my carb target.

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/474832-recommended-grams-of-sugar-per-day/

    Yep, unless you have a specific reason for worrying about it. Don't. Just worry about filling your diet with whole, nutritious foods and hitting your macro-nutrient goals.

    Good advice. Don't try to overthink it. When you try to track too many nutritional values, your diet plan can become overly complicated leading to frustration and a strong desire to throw up your hands and walk away from it....at least, that's been my personal experience. I have found that a good, common sense approach to eating works best. I think about food enough as it is, I don't need a diet plan to make my food obsession worse. Track your calories, certainly, but unless you have health problems (i.e. high cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes), the other nutritional values shouldn't be as big a concern. Just stay away from fast food and processed foods as much as possible, and learn portion control. These two basic guidelines and regular vigorous exercise should be sufficient for most people.