SUGAR.

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jedibunny
jedibunny Posts: 321
in Health and Weight Loss
Wow. I started tracking my sugar (and sodium) intake last week... before that, I'd only been looking at cals, fat, protein, carbs. My recommended daily sugar intake is 32 grams. I'm over almost every day... and today (though I know I made one less-than-wonderful breakfast choice, a bagel with light cream cheese) I'm already 10 grams over my DAILY total! It's not even noon! I brought healthy snacks today, like clementine oranges and raisins, but I'm dreading what my sugar total will look like after eating them. Ugh.

I consciously cut out a lot of excess sugars I knew I'd been eating when I started here. I thought it would help - and it has, for the most part, even if I was tired and cranky for a couple of days. I can't even bear to think how many grams I'd been putting into my system every day with all that extra (sugar in my coffee, a donut here, a Red Bull there, maybe a bit of ice cream). 70 grams? 100? More?

How do you manage to stay within your daily recommended sugar limits?
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Replies

  • prettylittlechubby
    prettylittlechubby Posts: 125
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    I just realised this today too.. i thought i was doing well then my sugar is over by like 40!!!!! Couldnt believe it!!
  • butterflyliz32
    butterflyliz32 Posts: 124 Member
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    I just started tracking my sugar and sodium this week, as well. I am a Type 2 Diabetic, and thought monitoring my carb intake would be enough. My daily intake for sugar is 26g. I busted that wide open before 7 am! Now it makes much more sense as to why I am so tired all the time.

    I, too, would be interested in knowing what others are doing to keep this level down.
  • Tiff1124
    Tiff1124 Posts: 261 Member
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    I have the same problem. For some reason I am constantly over my sugar intake. I have been told though that you don't have to count the sugar from fruit, which is where most of mine comes from. Maybe that will help :)
  • IveLanded
    IveLanded Posts: 797 Member
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    I went cold turkey. Black coffee in the morning and nothing in my mouth during the day that has any sort of added sugar. You're doing really good, being aware of how much is out there. I eat a lot of veggies and protein so it's not too hard to do. Low carb diets generally lend themselves to low sugar as well so that's a starting point to keep in mind. :)
  • NNAhuja
    NNAhuja Posts: 669 Member
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    I'm RIGHT with you guys! When I stopped loosing weight, I started tracking my sugar. I'll eat a cup of pineapples and I'm over on sugar. Lately, I'm not even thinking about natural sugar. The processed sugar (honey and sugar added in tea was my killer) is what I really focus in on.
    I'll stay in my daily alottment by not using any spreads on bagels, no honey/sugar in my tea, no sodas, juices, or even fruit. Splenda and Equal have been helping my sweet tooth.
  • april522
    april522 Posts: 388 Member
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    I wouldn't worry about too much sugar if it is in natural form (like fruits). I'd worry more about processed sugars and added sugars in foods you eat (like brownies, etc). Just look on the ingredients to see if sugar has been added, versus it being naturally in the food.
  • eliz_in_pink
    eliz_in_pink Posts: 278 Member
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    I have the same problem. For some reason I am constantly over my sugar intake. I have been told though that you don't have to count the sugar from fruit, which is where most of mine comes from. Maybe that will help :)


    I've been told this by nutritionist and my doctor. Natural sugar from fruit is good for you. It's the 'other' sugars that you need to watch out for :)
  • SARgirl
    SARgirl Posts: 572 Member
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    I don't! I too am over on my sugar everyday. At this point I'm not so concerned about it as I'm still losing weight and doing a good job (for the most part) elsewhere. I may try to tame the sugar beast at some point, but I don't know if my sweet tooth will let me!!!
  • Laura_Ivy
    Laura_Ivy Posts: 555 Member
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    It's hard to do when nearly everything contains sugar! My plain yogurt alone had like 12 grams of sugar and in fruit,ugh! :o/ I've just been mindful of everything I stick in my mouth.If I am over in sugars I look to see what exactly put me over. It's a learning process to say the least.
  • tlcohn
    tlcohn Posts: 6 Member
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    I started tracking mine too.. and could not get over how much sugar I was consuming.. So I went out last night and bought a book on GI (Glycemic Index ) it helps me to see what foods are good for me & how fast and how high a particular food can raise our blood glucose (blood sugar) level.. Wish me luck! :smile:
  • TSTagain
    TSTagain Posts: 84 Member
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    I think you should make a distinction between naturally occuring sugar (in fruits and veggies) and added/refined sugar (in your coffee, etc). I blow through my sugar goal just eating a large apple - but at the same time we should be eating 2-4 servings of fruit daily. At the end of the day I back out my sugar from fruits and focus on controlling the quantity of foods with refined sugar.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,229 Member
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    It is impossible to meet MFP's sugar guideline. Sugar is the first thing your body burns off so it only hinders your weight loss by delaying the moment that it turns to stored fat for energy. It really isn't a problem to be over. Eating more than two fruits a day will automatically put you over the MFP daily allotment. Generally, it is just recommended to ignore the sugar limit and just avoid the processed sugars. Good luck!
  • QueenJayJay
    QueenJayJay Posts: 1,139
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    Generally, it is just recommended to ignore the sugar limit and just avoid the processed sugars. Good luck!

    This. If your sugar is coming from the "right" foods...don't worry about it!
  • bluebird321
    bluebird321 Posts: 733 Member
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    Cut out the processed foods and the sugar is not as big of an issue. It depends on your own situation and preference, but I track the sugar in fruit -- sugar is sugar as far as i'm concerned. Whatever works for you.
  • sweetbaker77
    sweetbaker77 Posts: 34
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    For sweet lovers try Zyla! Measures and tastes just like sugar but no carbs or sugar. It is all natural made from north american hardwood. I like it much better than Stevia. You can evan bake with it. Drawbacks are it's not at the regular grocery store, it's expensive and it is 10 calories per teaspoon (not bad)
  • candyben
    candyben Posts: 26
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    I started tracking my sugar as well, I am not overly concerned if it comes from natural sources like fruits. I think it is more the refined sugar or additives we need to be worried about. I mean I watch the sugar content in my coffee and the extras. I figure if I am having my 2 fruits daily and the contain sugar at least they are a heathy alternative to refined sugar.

    Just be mindful of the sugar you are adding - if it is natural I personally wouldn't worry to much about that.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    I have the same problem. For some reason I am constantly over my sugar intake. I have been told though that you don't have to count the sugar from fruit, which is where most of mine comes from. Maybe that will help :)


    I've been told this by nutritionist and my doctor. Natural sugar from fruit is good for you. It's the 'other' sugars that you need to watch out for :)

    No offense, but that's silly. It's the same sugar. It's sucrose, fructose, and glucose in fruit, and it's sucrose, fructose, and glucose in added sugars. From a chemical and digestive standpoint, there's no difference between sources, the body recognizes the sugars, it doesn't recognize the source of the sugars.

    As for the original question, if you aren't diabetic or insulin resistant, then sugar intake is irrelevant, as long as you are sticking to your calorie goals, it won't matter for weight loss. If you are diabetic or insulin resistant, then you are just gonna have to bite the bullet and cut out sugar, added sugar, fruit sugars, dairy sugars, again, the body doesn't care where the sugars come from, they are all treated the same way, so if you have a medical condition that requires you to cut back on sugar, that means you have to cut back from all sources. If you have no medical reason (and just being overweight isn't a valid medical reason,) then it will have no negative impact on your weight loss or health.
  • marie_2454
    marie_2454 Posts: 881 Member
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    I don't even track my sugar because I always go over. I tend to eat a few servings of fruit every day and usually have at least 1 container of yogurt. I just try to avoid extra added sugar from processed foods, like cookies, candy, etc. If you're getting most of your sugar from fruit I really wouldn't worry about it, unless you're diabetic or have some other health issue related to blood sugar.
  • kittyresq
    kittyresq Posts: 2 Member
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    This post is so reassuring! I just made myself a great protein shake with lowfat splenda yogurt, Unjury Protein poweder, half a banana, one cup of soy milk and 3/4 cup of frozen berries and I'm already over my sugar goal! The banana and yogurt alone would put me over. :/ It's full of yummy protein, Vit C, Calcium and Vit. A, though, and is VERY filling for the calories. I think I'm going to go ahead and not eat junk food and keep eating things like a protein smoothie every few days. As a vegetarian, I need to watch my nutrients as I lose weight!
  • jedibunny
    jedibunny Posts: 321
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    Thanks everyone for all of your input. I'm not diabetic, but do have low blood sugar at times which makes me pretty woozy - I've had to take glucose tablets in the past - so that's one reason my sugar intake concerns me. I cut out a LOT of excess, as before mentioned, and felt very tired at first. This makes me think that MFP's recommended daily intake levels are probably a little low for me, but I worry that the sugars will just turn into fat; I read a pretty in-depth post about someone who wasn't losing weight despite cutting back calories and he identified sugar as the culprit, so I got pretty worried.

    As of this moment, I've eliminated a good 70% of the "extra" sugar I was ingesting (even refused ice cream at a birthday party!) and have avoided baking, though I love to do it... no sugar in coffee, no sugary snacks, no granola bars with chocolate chips, no honey in herbal tea, etc. I still get a bunch from regular food. In thinking about it more since my first post I seriously believe that before consciously adjusting my eating habits I'd probably ingest over 160 grams without thinking. According to MFP's tracking system, I've been averaging 50. MFP wants me to ingest 32 and I don't believe I can do that.

    I really appreciate everyone's thoughts on this; I think I'm going to stop tracking and continue the conscious cutting-out of extras, and not worry about the orange or yogurt that puts me over the top.

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