Sugar

jsapninz for the most part has it right. For most people, calories are in fact calories, and if one eats at a deficit one will lose weight... it can be as simple as that.

I did want to address the whole "good sugar, bad sugar" topic being talked about in this thread. The label "good sugar bad sugar" is way to simplistic. What this is referring to is the glycemic index of the carbohydrate in question. The glycemic index is a number that measures how quickly the carb is broken down and absorbed into the bloodstream as glucose. Every carb has a glycemic index, from table sugar to whole wheat bread. Sugar (glucose) has a glycemic index of 100 which is the highest possible value (actually some sources use white bread as the 100 value, which then makes sugar 140, I believe. Not sure why two different standards are used.... this is less common, however). Carbs with a high glycemic value are what people tend to label as "bad carbs," and carbs with a low glycemic value are what people tend to label as "good carbs."

Now to answer the question everyone reading this who doesn't understand the GI index is asking themselves.... How does this relate to me? When glucose is absorbed into the bloodstream (and some amino acids, to a lesser extent) it triggers the release of a protein called insulin. Most people have heard of insulin because they know a diabetic, but they don't really understand what it does. Insulin regulates the uptake of glucose into the body's cells - but it also plays an important role in fat metabolism.

Because insulin increases the secretion of lipoprotein lipase, an enzyme that increases the uptake of fat from your bloodstream into fat in your body’s cells, when your body produces more insulin, you are more likely to convert dietary calories into body fat.

When you try to lose weight by reducing the amount of food you eat instead of changing the type of food, your body responds not only by increasing the amount of insulin and lipoprotein lipase, but also by increasing your body’s sensitivity to the effects of these. A double-whammy. As a result, your body increases the uptake of fat from your bloodstream and you tend to regain the lost weight.

So what those of you who are "sugar sensitive" need to do is gain a better understanding of the glycemic index. Eat carbs that are low to moderate on the glycemic index. My savior has been the sweet potato - it gives me the sweet fix I crave while only rating about a 55 on the GI - plus its packed with nutrients such as carotein that we rarely get without supplementing.

Hope all this info helps. I would be glad to help share some diet tips if anyone needs some ideas.

- Cuervo

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consensus usually says, sugar doesn't matter as long as you're within your calorie limit.

And listen to GreasyGriddle. She's right.

It might be your body type that is effecting your weight. I had a friend that went on a diet and could not lose weight, but when she started to eat for her body type, the pounds came off. Type-A blood can not eat a lot of meat. They have to get their protein through vegetables like beans other green with protein. Type-O blood can eat meat but they should stay away from bread, potatoes and high carb foods like sugar, pasta, corn, chips & etc. It causes the insulin to right in their blood making it hard to lose.

You also need to be sure to eat something ever few hours to keep your metabolism up. Eat fruit between meals. Do not eat bananas, to much sugar. When you do not eat the body will slow down and go into survival mode. You don't want that.

Stay away from artificial sweeteners. The body can not brake them down right and will spends to much time trying to brake it down and not work on detoxing your system and burning fat.

You win the award for best post ever. Everyone should be required to read and memorize this before asking a question.

I'm type B blood type - what should I do???

Moderators - sticky this post.

It might be your body type that is effecting your weight. I had a friend that went on a diet and could not lose weight, but when she started to eat for her body type, the pounds came off. Type-A blood can not eat a lot of meat. They have to get their protein through vegetables like beans other green with protein. Type-O blood can eat meat but they should stay away from bread, potatoes and high carb foods like sugar, pasta, corn, chips & etc. It causes the insulin to right in their blood making it hard to lose.

You also need to be sure to eat something ever few hours to keep your metabolism up. Eat fruit between meals. Do not eat bananas, to much sugar. When you do not eat, the body will slow itself down and go into survival mode. You don't want that.

Stay away from artificial sweeteners. The body can not brake them down right and body will spends to much time trying to brake it down! Then that causes the body to not have enough energy to detoxing the body and burning fat off.

There is some good information in this post - such as your body type affecting your weight, however the notion that your bloodtype affects your metabolism is not backed by any scientific evidence. This theory was made popular by Dr. D'adamo's book "eat right for your type." He states that his information is backed up by decades of research - however there is no way to verify this claim. Believe me when I say health professionals cross-industry would never endorse this info. For example... Dr. D'adamo states that people of my blood type (B) should not eat chicken. I eat nearly a lb of chicken a day at times - I continue to lose weight and gain strength. Please don't be fooled by people out to make a buck.... follow sound nutrition practices that you can find in these forums.... don't waste your time on garbage. It's as simple as this, for ANY body type.... sugar causes a release of insulin, which causes fat to be stored in your body more easily.

It might be your body type that is effecting your weight. I had a friend that went on a diet and could not lose weight, but when she started to eat for her body type, the pounds came off. Type-A blood can not eat a lot of meat. They have to get their protein through vegetables like beans other green with protein. Type-O blood can eat meat but they should stay away from bread, potatoes and high carb foods like sugar, pasta, corn, chips & etc. It causes the insulin to right in their blood making it hard to lose.

You also need to be sure to eat something ever few hours to keep your metabolism up. Eat fruit between meals. Do not eat bananas, to much sugar. When you do not eat, the body will slow itself down and go into survival mode. You don't want that.

Stay away from artificial sweeteners. The body can not brake them down right and body will spends to much time trying to brake it down! Then that causes the body to not have enough energy to detoxing the body and burning fat off.

There is some good information in this post - such as your body type affecting your weight, however the notion that your bloodtype affects your metabolism is not backed by any scientific evidence. This theory was made popular by Dr. D'adamo's book "eat right for your type." He states that his information is backed up by decades of research - however there is no way to verify this claim. Believe me when I say health professionals cross-industry would never endorse this info. For example... Dr. D'adamo states that people of my blood type (B) should not eat chicken. I eat nearly a lb of chicken a day at times - I continue to lose weight and gain strength. Please don't be fooled by people out to make a buck.... follow sound nutrition practices that you can find in these forums.... don't waste your time on garbage. It's as simple as this, for ANY body type.... sugar causes a release of insulin, which causes fat to be stored in your body more easily.

There are different types of metabolisms. W ether there is a real test to tell what kind you are, there probably isnt. You just have to work it out yourself and see what works for you. For instance I LOVE carbs but carbs dont like me. I do well with a high protein diet so does my mother. She eats little to no bread and other starchy foods. Just green veggies and red meat. My dad on the other hand does well with whole grains and lean meats like chicken and potatoes and veggies. Not every person has the genetics to produce all the enzymes to digest ALL the foods that we consume today. It depends on your ancestry and by that I mean really far back. Anyways, I just realized I may sound like a crack pot but I believe it is true. And this is just from personal experience, watching NOVA on genetics and my own personal research for fun.

Ignore this post.

Ignore this post.

No.

Need to make your diary public so we can see what your eating, one thing I would encourage watching is the sodium intake cause it can cause you to retain water

I am going way over on sugar everyday. Yes, somedays I haven't made the best choices but even on days that I'm doing pretty well on eating fruits, veggies and protein I'm going over. I've also GAINED 3 pounds since I started trying to lose weight by exercising and watching what I eat. Any advice? Do you think it could be because I'm going over on sugar?

Well sugar is the main culprit behind weight loss, and you happen to be eating a lot of it . . . so yeah. You already know the problem. It's a tough one to fix b/c sugar is frickin addictive. Don't keep sugary treats around your house. Bring low sugar snacks to work if you have to (like almonds). If you really need a carb/sugar fix, go for fruits (which you should probably be eating anyway). Avoid any kind of soda, especially diet soda since the super sweet taste probably increases sugar cravings.

Thank you for this information. Some people ARE sugar sensitive and sugar of ANY kind can cause weight gain. If you have determined you ARE sugar sensitive. Track it, because it does matter to you.

Interesting, so while in a hypocaloric state some people will gain weight if they eat a little sugar? Have anything to back that up?

Personal experience. I AM sensitive to sugar. If you aren't good for you, but you can't claim that I am not because I am.

Sugar is sugar is sugar. If your weight loss has stalled switch up your diet a bit and lower your sugar. If that doesn't help then don't worry about sugar and try something else. If it helps and you start losing, then you know you were eating too much sugar.

Yes, it most likely is because you are going over on sugar. While dieting, you should only eat blackberries, blueberries, rasberries, and dewberries. NO other fruits, and only one serving of those a day. Try to stay under 30 grams of sugar a day. No fruit juice, and especially no dried fruit, as it has more sugar than fresh fruit, without the nutritional benefits. I weighed 180 after having my daughter, and I am now counting calories to maintain weight at 115 and possibly even put on weight, as I keep slipping under the healthy range. I can tell you from experience, that sugar will make you fat, and try consume 40%carbs 40%protein and 20%fat per day, customize your profile to that and you will see a change. Good luck!

^^^ NOT this!!! It scares me how careless people are with giving out blatantly incorrect advice! Bananas apples oranges are all good for you as well!