Sugars? What do you do?

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scorpiorlr
scorpiorlr Posts: 341 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So I am a bit curious what others do when they are watching their calories. I have as one of the things I watch is sugars. We all know too much sugar is a bad thing. My problem is now and the times before when I monitored my food sugars always busted. I could understand if it was me chowing down on a big bar of chocolate but my sugars bust from eating vegetables and fruit. Should I just ignore this as long as I know its coming form natural places?

For example today I have had and apple, strawberries, Salmon, a bit of cheddar, milk, green beans, squash and tomatoes. Everything natural (Save for the cheese and it was a small small amount) and yet my sugar is already saying I am over. I have not worked out today and my calorie intake is way under my max so I am good there. So what do you do? What should I do?

Like I said I am most likely to ignore it because at this rate I am only to eat water and dirt lol. I understand no candies and what not yada yada thats not an issue for me.

Replies

  • CollisionofNova
    CollisionofNova Posts: 98
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    Here's my view: If the sugars are natural (meaning fruit or vegetables), I don't worry about it. I also don't monitor my carbohydrate intake because I'm not trying to be the next Miss America. My only source of manufactured sugars or carbs is from Kashi cereal. I make everything else myself, so I am completely unconcerned.

    Like you, I always go over my limits. It's not the end of the world for me.
  • sapalee
    sapalee Posts: 409 Member
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    I ignore my fruit and veg sugars as well. I don't really have any processed sugars in my diet, if I do it's rare enough that I know exactly where it came from.

    I replaced the sugar column in my diary with potassium, something I'm trying to get MORE of, not be restrictive about.
  • tracileigh2
    tracileigh2 Posts: 8 Member
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    I'm SO GLAD to hear others' opinions on this! I too have been "over" on my sugar intake every day since I've been on MFP, even though it's almost ALL natural sugars. The only "added" sugars I get are in my light vanilla soymilk and light yogurt. I do eat up to 3 servings of fruit a day, including a "smoothie" with a medium banana, plain yogurt, 1/2 cup of orange juice and some (various) berries. It adds up to a lot of "sugar" but I can hardly see the danger. Anyone?
  • CollisionofNova
    CollisionofNova Posts: 98
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    I'm SO GLAD to hear others' opinions on this! I too have been "over" on my sugar intake every day since I've been on MFP, even though it's almost ALL natural sugars. The only "added" sugars I get are in my light vanilla soymilk and light yogurt. I do eat up to 3 servings of fruit a day, including a "smoothie" with a medium banana, plain yogurt, 1/2 cup of orange juice and some (various) berries. It adds up to a lot of "sugar" but I can hardly see the danger. Anyone?

    I consulted with my doctor at my last physical and she confirmed that as long as I was eating "real" sugars (as in fruits and vegetables, natural sources), then I don't need to worry about it. Especially because we're all exercising and generally leading healthier than average lives, I don't think it's an issue at all.

    Between my breakfast smoothie, my veggie stir fries and salads, and crudite platters, I've never been under. But I don't know a single doctor who would complain about me eating that stuff!
  • AeolianHarp
    AeolianHarp Posts: 463 Member
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    Sugar from fruit is really not different from sugar elsewhere. You know why? Because sugar is sugar. Your body recognizes things on a microscopic level. That means omega-3s from a pill is the same as fish to your body.

    Me, personally, I eat sugar from sources I enjoy, so chocolate and various desserts are fair game. I moderate my intake and I tend to eat a little amount. Additionally, I'm quite active. It's been proven that activity has protective benefits despite intake of refined foods. This is why athletes have very low level of certain diseases despite consuming large quantities of sugar and other refined foods. Since I love pastries, I exercise more often to allow me to eat more refined fOods.

    In the end, sugar is sugar.
  • tsh0ck
    tsh0ck Posts: 1,970 Member
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    yeah. I agree. sugar is sugar. and what do I do? I eat it. I don't necessarily seek it out, but if it's in something I want to eat, I don't much care either way.
  • CMmrsfloyd
    CMmrsfloyd Posts: 2,383 Member
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    I don't track sugar or sodium, both of them would just depress me. I have lost weight just fine not tracking them and I can guarantee if I'd been tracking I would have some crazy ridiculous insane numbers on a lot of days. If I had a health condition that necessitated monitoring them, it would be different. But for now it's not a concern for me personally. Might watch more carefully the next time I'm pregnant, but for now it's a free for all. LOL
  • olyrose
    olyrose Posts: 569 Member
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    I just started tracking sugar, and was amazed at how often and far over I was. I really had no idea I was getting so much sugar from unexpected places. Since I'm at a horrendous plateau, I decided to monitor my intake and not go over for a couple weeks and it is HARD. Generally though, I think it's more important to watch for other areas, and if you are generally eating healthy then it's not the end of the world to go over a bit on sugars.
  • MakingAChoice
    MakingAChoice Posts: 481 Member
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    I never worry about my sugars as long as they are from fruits and veggies. Processed sugar source are the only ones you need to be concerned with. The reason for that is that natural sugar source are also loaded with fiber that severely limits the bodies ability to process the sugar from those natural sources. So eat up and don't be concerned with natural sources.

    I tend to be more concerned about sodium intake (tough to keep low) and potassium intake (trying to keep it high).
  • scorpiorlr
    scorpiorlr Posts: 341 Member
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    Thanks all for the wonderful and helpful responses. I think for the most part I am on target with this compared to the average person here at MFP. I have removed it from my monitoring stuff with the knowledge that I don't drink sodas or eat sweets and am only getting it from my fruits, veggies and some meals. The fact that I am not munching down on ho hos and pop is proabably a good enough reason not worry.
  • weathergirl320
    weathergirl320 Posts: 331
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    you could try using a lower sugar fruit. like berries. and an unsweetened milk like coconut or almond milk. sugar is sugar. go for a few weeks without monitoring it, then see if you arent getting the results you expect. then try to cut out a little sugar or keep it under the goal and see if you get better results. if no change, then dont worry about it. but if you notice a change then you know that your sugar consumption (natural or otherwise because sugar is sugar) was holding back your weight loss.
  • lucentabella
    lucentabella Posts: 114 Member
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    I never worry about my sugars as long as they are from fruits and veggies. Processed sugar source are the only ones you need to be concerned with. The reason for that is that natural sugar source are also loaded with fiber that severely limits the bodies ability to process the sugar from those natural sources. So eat up and don't be concerned with natural sources.

    I tend to be more concerned about sodium intake (tough to keep low) and potassium intake (trying to keep it high).

    whew! I feel better if I think about my sugar consumption this way! 9 x's out of 10 my sugar comes from a fruit or veggie. I'll keep focusing on my sodium. Thanks!
  • thegeordielass
    thegeordielass Posts: 208 Member
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    I went over my sugars the other day by having a glass of milk and an apple for breakfast. I didn't even know milk had any sugar in it - it's just semi-skimmed milk!
    I don't worry about my sugars too much though as most of them come from fruits or other more natural sources. I used to be a major sugar fiend and live off chocolate but I can happily go without it now. As my Dad found out yesterday he's diabetic I'm wondering if I do need to cut down on my fruit based sugars too and pay more attention to them.
  • weathergirl320
    weathergirl320 Posts: 331
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    I went over my sugars the other day by having a glass of milk and an apple for breakfast. I didn't even know milk had any sugar in it - it's just semi-skimmed milk!
    I don't worry about my sugars too much though as most of them come from fruits or other more natural sources. I used to be a major sugar fiend and live off chocolate but I can happily go without it now. As my Dad found out yesterday he's diabetic I'm wondering if I do need to cut down on my fruit based sugars too and pay more attention to them.

    anything with "ose" at the end is a sugar. and skimme milk has more sugar than whole. read the label. glucose, fructose, sucrose, and lactose are all sugars. i was drinking a lot of milk for like 2 weeks and wondering why i was struggling those weeks. i since cut back and got my loss on track.

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