Too much sugar

I’ve recently started really paying attention to my sugar intake, and it’s very hard to stay under the recommended amount for the day. Between yogurt, fruit, and my coffeemate, I’m over. Any suggestions? Should I not worry about it, or aim to keep it under a certain amount that’s higher than what I’m “supposed” to have?
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Replies

  • Meghan0116
    Meghan0116 Posts: 1,268 Member
    I ignore natural sugar, like fruit. And, I drink sugar free creamer. :)
  • alaska11
    alaska11 Posts: 151
    I'm looking forward to the responses on this thread. I was wondering the same thing myself.
  • gemiwing
    gemiwing Posts: 1,525 Member
    Sugar isn't inherently bad- sometimes we intake sugar where we can replace it with healthier carb choices though. Your diary isn't open so I don't know what amount you're trying to stay under, how far over you are going or what you are eating. It's important to find what works for your own body- opinions abound but the one that will matter most to you is what works for you.

    If you are worried- try a week or two of lowering your sugar intake. Instead of fruit with every meal, switch out some for more veg. Instead of processed snacks- eat natural. Most of the time just being mindful of how much sugar is in what we eat can help us regulate to a level we are more comfortable with.
  • stuffinmuffin
    stuffinmuffin Posts: 985 Member
    Personally I try to avoid sugar (the refined stuff) in anything and I'm fortunate to not have a sweet tooth. BUT I never worry about sugar from fruit...apparently it's combined with fibre molecules or something lah de dah...but basically it's fruit, it's not bad for me and I'm gonna eat it! ; ) x
  • alim10
    alim10 Posts: 66 Member
    According to MFP, my daily goal for sugar is 26, but that seems nearly impossible to stay under. Today I've already reached 27 - the breakdown for that is:
    8 - Coffeemate
    2 - granola
    3 - blueberries
    14 - yogurt

    So it's not terrible food, but just more sugar than I realized.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    According to MFP, my daily goal for sugar is 26, but that seems nearly impossible to stay under. Today I've already reached 27 - the breakdown for that is:
    8 - Coffeemate
    2 - granola
    3 - blueberries
    14 - yogurt

    So it's not terrible food, but just more sugar than I realized.

    Coffeemate - you can go sugar free here. OR use milk & "less" table sugar. You might ween yourself slowly, half Coffemate, half milk.

    Granola! This can be terribly high in sugar. Look for recipes, granola is easy to make. You control what goes in there. Also, can be changed gradually.

    Blueberries ...... GOOD for you! Leave this alone.

    Yogurt - Greek yogurt (even with fruit added) is WAAAY lower in sugar than "regular" yogurt AND double the protein. Greek is strained ...... the liquid drained form it is really tart! Not all Greek yogurt's are created equal. Look at the labels, find one you can live with.
  • jmpiano
    jmpiano Posts: 3 Member
    I just starting taking note of my sugar and it does seem near impossible to keep it under the recommended amount. For breakfast this morning I had a cup of red seedless grapes and 1/2 cup fat free cottage cheese and I am already over my sugar for the day! My daily goal is set to 27. I had planned on having an apple later for a snack, but that puts me up to 15 over the daily goal! Despite the fact that I am exceeding the daily sugar goal, it appears that I am still losing weight. I am just curious what this number is based on....?
  • tanniewannie
    tanniewannie Posts: 13 Member
    According to MFP, my daily goal for sugar is 26, but that seems nearly impossible to stay under. Today I've already reached 27 - the breakdown for that is:
    8 - Coffeemate
    2 - granola
    3 - blueberries
    14 - yogurt

    So it's not terrible food, but just more sugar than I realized.

    Coffeemate - you can go sugar free here. OR use milk & "less" table sugar. You might ween yourself slowly, half Coffemate, half milk.

    Granola! This can be terribly high in sugar. Look for recipes, granola is easy to make. You control what goes in there. Also, can be changed gradually.

    Blueberries ...... GOOD for you! Leave this alone.

    Yogurt - Greek yogurt (even with fruit added) is WAAAY lower in sugar than "regular" yogurt AND double the protein. Greek is strained ...... the liquid drained form it is really tart! Not all Greek yogurt's are created equal. Look at the labels, find one you can live with.
  • jillianlcurtiss
    jillianlcurtiss Posts: 21 Member
    According to MFP, my daily goal for sugar is 26, but that seems nearly impossible to stay under. Today I've already reached 27 - the breakdown for that is:
    8 - Coffeemate
    2 - granola
    3 - blueberries
    14 - yogurt

    So it's not terrible food, but just more sugar than I realized.

    I dont worry about sugars from fruit. each day I have strawberries and bananas!! However, I would choose a plain greek yogurt if im eating yogurt. Any yogurt with fruit will have a TON of sugars. I personally eat Fage 0% plain. I dont like the tast of it so I add 2 packets of splenda and some Bare Naked granola. Just be careful when choosing yogurt and watch the sugar grams in it.
  • jillianlcurtiss
    jillianlcurtiss Posts: 21 Member
    I just starting taking note of my sugar and it does seem near impossible to keep it under the recommended amount. For breakfast this morning I had a cup of red seedless grapes and 1/2 cup fat free cottage cheese and I am already over my sugar for the day! My daily goal is set to 27. I had planned on having an apple later for a snack, but that puts me up to 15 over the daily goal! Despite the fact that I am exceeding the daily sugar goal, it appears that I am still losing weight. I am just curious what this number is based on....?

    I have heard that minimal amount of sugar helps to take off excess belly fat. How much truth to this there is.....Im not sure but I do try to watch my sugar intake
  • WhitneyT586
    WhitneyT586 Posts: 279 Member
    Saw this thread and changed my tracker to keep up with sugar. I'm over too. I think I may have to just live with it for now. As long as I keep losing I am not going to worry about that yet.
  • bopper
    bopper Posts: 352 Member
    I try and keep sugar under 20 grams. It is hard, but I am usually around 20-22 grams a day. I eat Greek plain yogurt but not a whole cup, 1/2 cup and I put sugar free maple syrup on it for flavor, just a tad. I use whole wheat everything, sugar free coffee creamer. I do eat some fruit, apples, oranges, bananas sometimes which are higher in sugar but it isn't refined sugar. I don't think you should cut out all fruit because it is good for you but not to overload on it. I buy sugar free catsup also and I can my own tomatoes for sauces. Sugar is very hard to control and I understand your frustrations regarding it, I am in that boat also. I just do what I can
  • I was JUST thinking the same thing. I look at my diary and the only thing that I eat that contains a lot of sugar is fruit and that's what throws me over. It's been a 100g of grapes and a medium banana this week that's been throwning me off. I too would like some suggestions.
  • I was JUST thinking the same thing. I look at my diary and the only thing that I eat that contains a lot of sugar is fruit and that's what throws me over. It's been a 100g of grapes and a medium banana this week that's been throwning me off. I too would like some suggestions.

    I'm also over on fiber too. Is too much fiber bad? I wouldn't think so.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    I was JUST thinking the same thing. I look at my diary and the only thing that I eat that contains a lot of sugar is fruit and that's what throws me over. It's been a 100g of grapes and a medium banana this week that's been throwning me off. I too would like some suggestions.

    I'm also over on fiber too. Is too much fiber bad? I wouldn't think so.

    Fiber is GOOD - don't ever worry about too much fiber. Fiber helps keep you full.
  • Simple refined sugar is something to definitely try to avoid. Anything processed, i.e. corn syrup, maltose, dextrose, etc. Anything with -ose on the end is something to try to avoid--excluding fructose, which is a natural sugar in fruits. Also, foods labeled "sugar-free" do not come without consequence. Sugar-free means unnaturally sweetened with chemicals, in which your body reacts to the fake sugars just like real sugars, except you are putting something unnatural into your body. In my opinion, if you really want to have a treat, make it the real thing. Just watch portion size.

    You should watch how much fruit you eat a day, but in my opinion there are essential vitamins and nutrients you will lose if you exclude these from your diet completely(long-term anyway).

    Certain yogurts do have these processed sugar chemicals in them, but I say you have to weigh the effects of having a yogurt with processed sugar or having a whole doughnut, cake etc. If it keeps you on track and it's low calorie, eat it until you stop losing and you HAVE to change your diet.

    Lastly, in what I have read, the best time to have sugar is after a hard workout. The carbs along with protein and *I have even recently read caffeine (crazy !) wil help give your muscles the boost they need to recover more quickly. So if you can't cut down on the sugar, rearrange when you consume it.
  • cutethang1
    cutethang1 Posts: 239 Member
    hey everyone where do I find my daily sugar limit/goal? It doesn't show in my food diary.

    Thank you,
  • cutethang1
    cutethang1 Posts: 239 Member
    okay I see it in my report. How do i monitor it ongoing during the course of day rathar than after I have entered and completed for the day. How do I determine what my daily limit is? Thanks all.
  • cutethang1
    cutethang1 Posts: 239 Member
    oops got it....ummmm 1 have 1 g left and have only entered breakfast and lunch. No dinner. Would LOVE some advice on it.

    Thanks,
  • kmbhoya2000
    kmbhoya2000 Posts: 174 Member
    As someone said, try the sugar free coffeemate, also yogurt is one you have to watch super closely...you should look for one that has 7 grams of sugar or less, which is very hard to find, fiber one yogurt is one that is lower sugar...
  • EvaDS
    EvaDS Posts: 2 Member
    Me too I was just thinking this seems to be an issue to stay under the daily balance and not enough on the calories, etc.
  • hides89
    hides89 Posts: 6 Member
    MFP sets mine to 24g, and I go over mine every single day on fruit and healthy foods alone - forget any treats I might have!!

    Should we minus the fruit/natural sugar from the total to get an accurate reflection?
  • mimonde18
    mimonde18 Posts: 7 Member
    I'm very concerned about the sugar in my diet. Try to eat fruits that are low in sugar. Greek yogurt plain with berries are good. Try stevia raw. Good Luck!
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Simple refined sugar is something to definitely try to avoid. Anything processed, i.e. corn syrup, maltose, dextrose, etc. Anything with -ose on the end is something to try to avoid--excluding fructose, which is a natural sugar in fruits. Also, foods labeled "sugar-free" do not come without consequence. Sugar-free means unnaturally sweetened with chemicals, in which your body reacts to the fake sugars just like real sugars, except you are putting something unnatural into your body. In my opinion, if you really want to have a treat, make it the real thing. Just watch portion size.

    You should watch how much fruit you eat a day, but in my opinion there are essential vitamins and nutrients you will lose if you exclude these from your diet completely(long-term anyway).

    Certain yogurts do have these processed sugar chemicals in them, but I say you have to weigh the effects of having a yogurt with processed sugar or having a whole doughnut, cake etc. If it keeps you on track and it's low calorie, eat it until you stop losing and you HAVE to change your diet.

    Lastly, in what I have read, the best time to have sugar is after a hard workout. The carbs along with protein and *I have even recently read caffeine (crazy !) wil help give your muscles the boost they need to recover more quickly. So if you can't cut down on the sugar, rearrange when you consume it.

    I disagree with the "simple refined sugars" comment..... a little bit. All sugars DO end in the letters "OSE" Fructose is NOT the only natural sugar though. Do avoid foods with ADDED sugars, not everything that contains "ose."

    If you eat ANY dairy products you are eating MALTOSE .... this is a natural sugar too.
  • EvaDS
    EvaDS Posts: 2 Member
    I guess in alot ways it's a reference but perhaps it's not entirely necessary to focus when you are supposed to eat fresh fruit daily and just keep cutting out the unnecessary sugar then it's ok.
  • Saw my doctor last week and this is what he told me. I am borderline diabetic and was worried about too much sugar since I have 5 fruit every day, mostly in smoothies. He said eat all that natural sugar in the morning and burn them off during the day. Stay away from processed sugar as much as possible. I normally have 65-100 natural carbs every morning and my blood sugar has improved. I almost always have normal or slightly below normal blood sugar readings without any medication. He said it is all about moderation and eating healthy foods. I have lost 13 lbs over 7.5 weeks and I am very happy with this slow process.
  • Marlinedorcinvil
    Marlinedorcinvil Posts: 115 Member
    Sugar has been a serious issue for me because of my sweet tooth and has totally ruined my diet in the past. So i did some research and saw that too much sugar will increase your insulin levels for a longer period of time, causing your body to store the unused sugar as fat!! "More sugar doesnt make you sweeter it only makes you fatter", this is what a friend of mine told me before introducing me to atkins which helps me to lose weight because they focus on lowering your carbs. I dont believe in everything it says but i do follow a low carb diet (>50g per day) and only really increase on workout days. Think about it!
  • I did the same thing about six months ago, and was continuously frustrated...

    Now I just look at the total carbs for the day, your sugar intake is included because sugar is a carb. I try to stay with natural sugars such as fruit, and just make sure I'm under that carb limit.
  • bugtrain
    bugtrain Posts: 251 Member
    According to MFP, my daily goal for sugar is 26, but that seems nearly impossible to stay under. Today I've already reached 27 - the breakdown for that is:
    8 - Coffeemate
    2 - granola
    3 - blueberries
    14 - yogurt

    So it's not terrible food, but just more sugar than I realized.
    Try going with a different yogurt.....like a plain greek yogurt and flavor with sf preserves,fruit,etc.....might help a little with the numbers :)