The Truth About Sugar

I don't think you should let that number bother you. In fact, if you know you aren't eating a lot of "bad" sugar, I'd consider not tracking sugar at all. I don't, though my automatic set-up does track carbs.

I don't think you should do anything that discourages you from eating fruit or other healthy foods.

I only pay attention to calories. I don't worry about other macros, because I know I choose good healthy food most of the time. My choices are lean meats, lots of veggies, fruits, nuts, whole grains.

The only number I strive to keep out of the red is calories.

And, it's working. Don't overthink. :flowerforyou:

Unless you are diabetic or have some other medical condition, you need not worry about sugars in your diet, especially those from fruits.

Worry instead about hitting your carb targets and eating a calorie deficit.

Exactly this ^

PLEASE HELP! I get so hung up on this number, that I sometimes end up sabotaging the rest of my day.

Then stop tracking it.

I mean no offense... but that sounds like a rather unhealthy obsession. Stop tracking it. Stop worrying about it. Focus on a calorie deficit and eating as healthy as you can without being obsessed.

And as everyone else has said- unless you're diabetic or insulin resistant, you just don't need to worry about sugar so long as you're burning more calories than you eat.

That's not a license to eat cookies every day for breakfast, but there are more important things to worry about.

I track it just so I can see what happens when eat or drink something I shouldn't, but I LOVE fruit so I don't pay too much attention to it! especially when 1 medium apple has 16g in it... it's impossible to stay within MFP's goal AND eat lots of fruits and veggies.. i agree with comments above about watching the carb intake and most of all your calories.. good luck to you and don't stress

As PPs have said, no need to worry about sugar unless you have a medical condition that requires you restrict it. Of course, sugars in fruit are better than "empty" sugars, since fruit also contains essential nutrients and fiber.

Unless you are diabetic or have some other medical condition, you need not worry about sugars in your diet, especially those from fruits.

Worry instead about hitting your carb targets and eating a calorie deficit.

Sublog says it best.

Carbs = Sugar therefore if you're eating carbs you're also eating sugar once carbs enter the blood stream they're broken down into glucose (sugar) therefore sugar intake is meaningless so long as you have no preexisting conditions that would prevent you from consuming it. i.e. Diabetes

if you want to get into fitness model/body building shape you would really need to keep track of this. i read A LOT and if you're looking to drop below about 17% body fat then sugar (even from fruit) is a BIG NO NO! but if you're just dropping some weight and getting healthy it's something to keep an eye on, but not obsess over. i try to stay under 75 grams...and even that is really difficutl!

I religiously track my sugar. I am under a lot more often than over these days. If I do go over, I see what caused me to go over (Fruits and Veggies or was it cakes, etc). That being said I eat a TON of Veggies and a few fruits here and there. Just because the sugar in fruits is all natural that doesn't mean it is a brilliant idea to go overboard on them either. Go for lower sugar fruits or veggies to get your 5 a day.

The 24g limit here is based on the recommended daily allowance by the USDA for added/refined sugars. This does not include so-called "natural" sugars found in fruits and vegetables.

However, in terms of weight loss, it doesn't really matter, and there is debate of course over not only what the recommended intake should be limited to, but what is truly "healthy". We will likely never get to the bottom of that, and even the "experts" will likely not figure it out.

Hit your macros, eat fruits and vegetables, and stop tracking sugar. That's my advice.

People keep talking about only if you have a medical condition. Well last I checked, obesity was a medical condition. And not only that, many of the associated symptoms of obesity like insulin resistance aren't even diagnosed. So if someone is serious about improving their health, they would be smart to watch their sugar intake.

I agree completely. I lost 30 pounds no problem without tracking sugar and went over every single day, then BAMMO! 5 month long plateau. Started tracking sugar and the weight started coming off. I relapsed for 2 weeks and STALL.... Tracking sugar is a wise thing (at least for someone like me who seems to be especially sensitive to it.)


ETA: My God! I need a proofreader LOL

Just because the sugar in fruits is all natural that doesn't mean it is a brilliant idea to go overboard on them either. Go for lower sugar fruits or veggies to get your 5 a day.

I would tend to agree.

Part of the sugar in fruit is fructose, which is not processed the same by the body as other sugars. Rather than being taken up by insulin like some other forms of sugar (there is sucrose - which most people associate with "sugar", as well as fructose, lactose, glucose, galactose, and a few others I'm forgetting), fructose is processed in the liver first. And it *is* possible to be fructose intolerant, but you may not even know. It can cause NAFLD - non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, if you are fructose intolerant.

And if you want to take it a step further (assuming your body can process fructose normally), fructose is then converted into FAT:
"Indeed, studies in human subjects have shown that fructose ingestion results in markedly increased rates of de novo lipogenesis (29, 30), whereas de novo lipogenesis does not increase in response to eucaloric glucose ingestion (31). Thus, fructose is more lipogenic than is glucose, an effect that might be exacerbated in subjects with existing hyperlipidemia (32) or insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes (33). " (http://www.ajcn.org/content/76/5/911.full)

lipogenesis=The metabolic formation of fat.

So, not all sugars are the same, and fruit doesn't exactly contain "healthy" sugars. Just my 2 cents.

I'm diabetic. i don't track sugar, just carbs.