Worry about Sugars: Yes or No?

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  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
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    Stay in a caloric deficit and make reasonably smart food choices and just don't bother tracking sugar at all unless you're diabetic or have any other insulin related medical conditions.

    IMO.
  • agentscully514
    agentscully514 Posts: 616 Member
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    I am insulin resistant, so I count ALL sugars, including those in fruit.
  • yesthistime
    yesthistime Posts: 2,051 Member
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    I eat next to no refined sugar, but still exceed MFP's goals because I eat a lot of veggies and fruit. I don't like seeing punishing red numbers when I'm eating healthy, so I don't track sugar.

    Yup, I removed the "Sugar" category from my food diary.
  • XXXMinnieXXX
    XXXMinnieXXX Posts: 3,459 Member
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    I don't worry about it too much as long as its natural sugars and nothing naughty. That being said I do sway towards eating big portions of veg rather than fruit, which I think has less sugars. I was tracking and constantly went over. It depressed me so I took it of my diary. I've lost 55lbs so it hasn't hurt me. I do cook everything from scratch though too, very rarely eat anything processed! X
  • mickipedia
    mickipedia Posts: 889 Member
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    the way i see it is you have 2 types of sugar.. natural and processed.

    if its natural sugars (i.e. fruit and vegetables) then don't worry

    if its processed sugars (sweets and chocolate) then keep it under control

    If you're diabetic then keep an eye on all of your sugars :)
  • Alissa_RN
    Alissa_RN Posts: 14 Member
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    Sugar is Sugar, no matter where it is from.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM

    Speaking from experience the more I controlled it (from all sources) the better results i had.

    I've had this same experience and that video is eye opening...
  • DelilahFreeman
    DelilahFreeman Posts: 29 Member
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    I don't have a problem with "sweets" but I can hit my sugar target just by eating meals. I think I will just experiement with staying under my sugars versus going over w/ natural sugars only and see what works best for me and my weight loss goals. Thanks for all the advice. I am gaining a lot of perspective on weight loss & nutrition thanks to these forums!!
  • agentscully514
    agentscully514 Posts: 616 Member
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    You have to remember that many fruits contain high levels of SUCROSE, not just fructose. Some high sucrose fruits are:
    nectarines, mangoes, jackfruit, peaches, cantaloupe, apricots and bananas. These fruits will absolutely raise your blood sugar.

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/293125-sucrose-levels-in-fruit/#ixzz1lnuHBAYE


    Well, on MFP, sucrose (that comes from sugar :)), fructose (fruits), lactose (naturally occurring in milk) are all put under the same category i.e. sugar. Although all these are sugars and give the same amount of energy but I would not bother about fructose and lactose if I'm under my net calorie level.
  • Aperture_Science
    Aperture_Science Posts: 840 Member
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    I don't track it.
  • alyssaanagram
    alyssaanagram Posts: 73
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    I don't track it. My sugar is coming from HEALTHY sources. Sugar is a carb and is included in carb count. As long as my carbs are within limits, for me that's good enough.

    ^Agreed! I usually go over my daily sugar by 20-30g because I eat 3-4 servings of fruit a day (from apples, grapes, cantaloupe...) & at least 5 servings of vegetables. I only get about 5g a day from added sugars like cane sugar. Fruit is healthy and good for you - don't worry so much if you go over your limit because of an apple.
  • emergencytennis
    emergencytennis Posts: 864 Member
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    I am not sure if you have received the answer to your question.

    I don't know anything about anything, but if a single apple puts you into the red, with no other sugars in your diet, then it seems to me that the numbers are too restrictive with regards to sugar.
  • mrh1227
    mrh1227 Posts: 37
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    It all depends on what sources you are getting your sugar from. Of course stay away from additive sugars, or minimize them as best you can. But all natural sugars and those that come from complex carbs are necessary to fuel the body.
  • busyPK
    busyPK Posts: 3,788 Member
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    Don't track it and haven't had an issue with weight loss thus far.
  • emergencytennis
    emergencytennis Posts: 864 Member
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    It all depends on what sources you are getting your sugar from. Of course stay away from additive sugars, or minimize them as best you can. But all natural sugars and those that come from complex carbs are necessary to fuel the body.

    From what I have read from diabetic posters, I don't think that is true. Sugar is sugar, regardless of the source.
  • agentscully514
    agentscully514 Posts: 616 Member
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    It all depends on what sources you are getting your sugar from. Of course stay away from additive sugars, or minimize them as best you can. But all natural sugars and those that come from complex carbs are necessary to fuel the body.

    From what I have read from diabetic posters, I don't think that is true. Sugar is sugar, regardless of the source.

    For people insulin issues, you're right. I'm insulin resistant.
    The problem with fruit is that they usually contain MANY types of sugars, not just fructose. Rather than try to learn which fruits have high sucrose, I just avoid most fruit except for berries. Yes, the apples/oranges/bananas everyone loves will mess with your blood sugar if you have insulin issues.
  • Debbe2
    Debbe2 Posts: 2,071 Member
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    Stay in a caloric deficit and make reasonably smart food choices and just don't bother tracking sugar at all unless you're diabetic or have any other insulin related medical conditions.

    IMO.


    ^^This^^ however as sidesteal said, if you are diabetic or have any other insulin related medical conditions you will need to continue to monitor sugar. I recommend you do so very closely. Learn the foods that spike YOUR blood glucose #s. Everyone is slightly different but... sugar is sugar. No question that fruit is healthy but still is carb and still contains natural sugar. Doesn't mean you cannot have but it does mean that a diabetic is smart to have less in general and to know their target. I am diabetic, I love and eat fruit but I do so while closely and consciously monitoring the number daily, weekly, and even per meal. May sound horrible to someone else but I lead a healthy, active life with no complications from being diabetic and is worth the time and effort I put in. I also know that when I exercise it helps tremendously so I recommend this too :-)

    You can learn so much about the makeup of the food right here by utilizing the daily tracker.

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