Sugar is in EVERYTHING, help!

Hi All, I am constantly over on my sugar and it is in EVERYTING! I haven't got the scale to budge in weeks and I have been doing everything I should, od at least I think so. I analyzed my breakfast choices (chobani with fresh fruit and granola) and am going to switch to eggs in the morning. i never drink any of my sugar rather, because I love to eat it so much, lol!

What other tips do you all have for regulating your sugar intake? I think If I can get it down I can get back on track to reaching my goal weight.

Help!

Sincerely,
Frustrated

Replies

  • EAH123
    EAH123 Posts: 40
    I found that chobani plain doesn't have that many sugars. I would try doing your fruit at a different meal/snack. Currently, I get about 37 grams of sugar daily.

    I usually eat egg whites topped with Pace and shredded cheese or a protein shake (no sugar, mixed with water) along with coffee. There is about .4g of sugar from milk but it doesn't add that much. Some mornings, I just have the coffee.

    For lunch and dinner, I try to do GF chicken nuggets,lean meats grilled or baked, as well as veggies and salad.

    Don't get me wrong, I love popsicles (Philly Swirl has 9g of sugar per pop) and chocolate but it's all in moderation. Are you drinking enough water? How much are you drinking? I've found it helps if I go over my sugar intake!
  • dls06
    dls06 Posts: 6,774 Member
    I stopped counting sugar a long time ago. I was told by a nutritionist, not to worry about sugar, count carbs ( Sugar is includes in carb count). If the sugar you are getting is coming from healthy sources and not processed or white sugar I would not worry.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    DLS has it. If you maintain moderate carbs, then sugar doesn't matter at all. The bigger question is, how much are you eating, how much do you weight, and how tall are you? Based on your picture, neither girl needs to lose weight. So the question comes down to, are you trying to lose fat and tone or just want to be some arbitrary weight? Cutting fat is where you will see the smaller waistline and overall fit look.
  • Destinie589
    Destinie589 Posts: 211
    I stopped counting sugar because a lot of times eating fruit would easily put me over and I know fruit is a good thing.
  • myak623
    myak623 Posts: 615 Member
    No need to make this anymore difficult than it should be. I agree with above posters. Drop the sugar tracking.
  • lchansen1
    lchansen1 Posts: 22
    This is all good advice and thanks! I do drink a lot of water and make a conscious effort to get 8 cups a day-- otherwise my endurance during workout sessions is off. I can def do the carb thing-- I believe I am pretty good about the quality in which i eat but maybe not so much the quality. I guess i didn;t know how much of a difference it made. I will def make an effort to have more complex carbs when I am eating them. Will that help? I am all ears for any suggestions.

    @psulemon I eat about 1200-1500 calories a day and try to make the right choice I am about 149 right now and 5'6. I would like to be 140 but ur right-- i care more about losing the fat and toning then the number I am seeing on the scale. What are ur suggestions for doing this? I just got back into strength conditioning/ weights or whatever and do cardio about 3x per week. But when I do cardio I am above my target heart rate...?


    I want to get a sexy body and I am willing to work for it!

    :) Thanks everybody!!
  • Sublog
    Sublog Posts: 1,296 Member
    Hi All, I am constantly over on my sugar and it is in EVERYTING! I haven't got the scale to budge in weeks and I have been doing everything I should, od at least I think so. I analyzed my breakfast choices (chobani with fresh fruit and granola) and am going to switch to eggs in the morning. i never drink any of my sugar rather, because I love to eat it so much, lol!

    What other tips do you all have for regulating your sugar intake? I think If I can get it down I can get back on track to reaching my goal weight.

    Help!

    Sincerely,
    Frustrated

    Are you diabetic? Do you have some medical condition that should limit your sugar intake?

    If the answer is no to the above questions, then don't worry about it. Worry about staying under your calorie goal, and achieving nutrient sufficiency (both macro and micro).
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    This is all good advice and thanks! I do drink a lot of water and make a conscious effort to get 8 cups a day-- otherwise my endurance during workout sessions is off. I can def do the carb thing-- I believe I am pretty good about the quality in which i eat but maybe not so much the quality. I guess i didn;t know how much of a difference it made. I will def make an effort to have more complex carbs when I am eating them. Will that help? I am all ears for any suggestions.

    @psulemon I eat about 1200-1500 calories a day and try to make the right choice I am about 149 right now and 5'6. I would like to be 140 but ur right-- i care more about losing the fat and toning then the number I am seeing on the scale. What are ur suggestions for doing this? I just got back into strength conditioning/ weights or whatever and do cardio about 3x per week. But when I do cardio I am above my target heart rate...?


    I want to get a sexy body and I am willing to work for it!

    :) Thanks everybody!!

    Based on your stats, your estimated BMR is 1491. BMR is your metabolic rate and that is what you would burn if you slept for 24 hours. And lets consider your sedentary other than your workouts (you work a desk job). And during your workouts, you burn 400 calories. The your total daily energy expended is:

    = 1491 * 1.2 + 400 = 2189 < --- This is how many calories you burn daily and where you form a deficit. A 20% deficit has been proven fairly effective at helping you cut fat.

    CN = 2189 * .8 = 1751

    So this means you would eat 1751 calories a day.

    Now another way to look at it is, if you workout 5 days a week for 45-60 minutes, you would be moderately active. So your TDEE would be:

    = 1491 * 1.55 = 2311

    CN = 2311 * .8 = 1848


    Both numbers are fairly close and in reality you could split the difference and eat 1800 calories which is less than your TDEE. Then you should set up your macro nutrients to 35% carbs, 40% protein and 25% fats.


    Exercise: What i generally suggest is 3 days of very heavy weight training so you fail at 8-12 reps for the first 30 days, then 6-8 reps the second 30 days and continuously flip back and forth. And then do 2 days of HIIT and 1 day of yoga or some flexibility training.
  • lchansen1
    lchansen1 Posts: 22
    Thanks Lemon Drop! All of this is excellent, I have some googling and reading to do now, but none the less terrific stuff. I love learning more about health and fitness and all that jazz. Thanks for taking the time to write all that up... sounds like I've gotta do a few things differently...

    Lauren
  • fattofit20
    fattofit20 Posts: 86
    I too am having this problem. My sugar intake is way over what it says I should have every single day. Also, I do not understand the BMR/BMI thing. According to this site my BMR is 1151. My BMI is 24.9. I don't have a clue what either of them mean. Can someone please explain this to me?
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    I too am having this problem. My sugar intake is way over what it says I should have every single day. Also, I do not understand the BMR/BMI thing. According to this site my BMR is 1151. My BMI is 24.9. I don't have a clue what either of them mean. Can someone please explain this to me?

    Your BMR of 1151 is quite low - it's the calories your body uses daily to keep ticking over. If you sit around all day you'll use another 20% on top digesting your food, fidgetting etc. So your energy "outgoings" are less than 1400.

    Your BMI of 24.9 means you're approaching the boundary between "normal" and overweight. 10% off your weight would put you towards the middle of the healthy zone, however if your BMR is that low I suspect you aren't very tall and the BMI formula doesn't do smaller people any favours.
  • CallieM15
    CallieM15 Posts: 910 Member
    I have to be quiet low on sugar/carb content for insulin issue reasons. My diet is high in veggies (not carrot/potatoes/corn) and meat.
  • Polly758
    Polly758 Posts: 623 Member
    How to regulate sugar content:

    1. Start preparing all your meals from scratch.
    2. Don't cook anything that calls for sugar.

    2b: Fruit is not sugar.

    I know it's not easy... but it is simple.
  • Lay821
    Lay821 Posts: 73 Member
    bump
  • fattofit20
    fattofit20 Posts: 86
    Thanks for the info. Yes, I am only 5 ft. 1 inch but I weigh 132 pounds. I sit at a desk all day, behind a computer. I do try to exercise (walking 4mph) for at least 30 minutes daily but haven't done it much in the past week. I'm not losing and am not sure what to do in order to lose. I want to get down to 115 as quick as possible. I just seem to be stuck at this weight. I'm counting calories but I have noticed I'm not eating as many carbs, fiber or protein as I am suppose to be eating every day. I do, however go over the sugar intake every single day. Could this be the reason I'm holding onto excess weight?
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    Thanks for the info. Yes, I am only 5 ft. 1 inch but I weigh 132 pounds. I sit at a desk all day, behind a computer. I do try to exercise (walking 4mph) for at least 30 minutes daily but haven't done it much in the past week. I'm not losing and am not sure what to do in order to lose. I want to get down to 115 as quick as possible. I just seem to be stuck at this weight. I'm counting calories but I have noticed I'm not eating as many carbs, fiber or protein as I am suppose to be eating every day. I do, however go over the sugar intake every single day. Could this be the reason I'm holding onto excess weight?

    Nope. The sugar number on mfp is arbitrary and doesn't change based on calories that change. There can be several reason you arent losing; under eating, your body is comfortable, hormones, or eating too much. Look at the pm i sent you though.
  • zombilishious
    zombilishious Posts: 1,250 Member
    Never worry about the sugar in natural foods, like fruits! We know we're not doing well if we eat a donut!!!!

    I deleted the sugar tracker from my diary a long time ago :)
  • HideNGeek
    HideNGeek Posts: 136 Member
    I'm always way over on my sugar, to the point where I stopped paying attention to it, the sugar I do have comes from fruit anyway, so i'm not that fussed about it, as fruit sugar is one of the healthier sugars after all. As long as i'm not putting on weight or getting rotten teeth I'm not worried.
  • twinmom01
    twinmom01 Posts: 854 Member
    I have to watch my carb intake and therefore my sugar intake is pretty much regulated by that...I don't eat processed foods so the bulk of my sugars comes from veggies/fruits and dairy sources...

    I will say at least for me it does depend on the carbs/sugars - so to that point I do sort fo regulate myself when it comes to fruits and veggies...I for the most part stick to lower sugar/carb berries for fruits - with an apple or an orange thrown in there every once in a while. I also have to watch my veggies as some of the ones I love like sweet potao and squashes pack quite a sugar/carb punch. So for me it is about planning out what I am going to eat for the day...if I know I am going to have a sweet potato then I stick with more veggie and nuts to snack on during the day...if I am not having a higher carb/sugar fruit or veggie I will pepper a few moderate ones during the day - an apple, some carrots with guacamole.

    FOR SOME PEOPLE Carb/sugars can impact your bodies ability to loose weight...so for some people it is important to monitior things...if you are monitoring your carb intake and your sugars are from natural sources I wouldn't sweat it too much...

    the thing is sugar is sugar is sugar - the only difference between sugars from in fruit vs sugars fround in a snickers bar is the fact the fruit/veggies has vitamins, minerals, fiber, etc...but the basic sugar component - your body is going to react the same way...

    One thing to remember is portion sizes - especially when it comes to things like Apples or say a sweet potato...a lot of apples in the stores are huge - you eat an apple and it could be 1 1/2 to 2 servings - not a serving. I switched to buying a bag of what they market as "lunchbox" apples - small ones that fit in the palm of your hand - that is a serving. Most of the sweet potatoes I buy (and I choose the smaller ones) wind up being 1 1/2 to almost 2 servings (weigh them on my food scale)
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    I have to watch my carb intake and therefore my sugar intake is pretty much regulated by that...I don't eat processed foods so the bulk of my sugars comes from veggies/fruits and dairy sources...

    I will say at least for me it does depend on the carbs/sugars - so to that point I do sort fo regulate myself when it comes to fruits and veggies...I for the most part stick to lower sugar/carb berries for fruits - with an apple or an orange thrown in there every once in a while. I also have to watch my veggies as some of the ones I love like sweet potao and squashes pack quite a sugar/carb punch. So for me it is about planning out what I am going to eat for the day...if I know I am going to have a sweet potato then I stick with more veggie and nuts to snack on during the day...if I am not having a higher carb/sugar fruit or veggie I will pepper a few moderate ones during the day - an apple, some carrots with guacamole.

    FOR SOME PEOPLE Carb/sugars can impact your bodies ability to loose weight...so for some people it is important to monitior things...if you are monitoring your carb intake and your sugars are from natural sources I wouldn't sweat it too much...

    the thing is sugar is sugar is sugar - the only difference between sugars from in fruit vs sugars fround in a snickers bar is the fact the fruit/veggies has vitamins, minerals, fiber, etc...but the basic sugar component - your body is going to react the same way...

    One thing to remember is portion sizes - especially when it comes to things like Apples or say a sweet potato...a lot of apples in the stores are huge - you eat an apple and it could be 1 1/2 to 2 servings - not a serving. I switched to buying a bag of what they market as "lunchbox" apples - small ones that fit in the palm of your hand - that is a serving. Most of the sweet potatoes I buy (and I choose the smaller ones) wind up being 1 1/2 to almost 2 servings (weigh them on my food scale)


    For women that have PCOS or people who have insulin issues, they have to watch their carbs, thence why we should do stuff in moderation. But not all sugars are equal. Complex sugars, found in fruits/veggies, burn slower and refined sugar. Simple sugar metabolize into energy quickly and the remainder is stored as fat for later. So getting 50g's of sugar from fruit is different than 50g's of sugar from candy, even if calories are the same.
  • could you help me understand what CN and TDEE are? I don't know the acronyms. . . thanks greendoggie1487
  • shaynak112
    shaynak112 Posts: 751 Member
    Make sure the sugar you're having is "good" sugar aka fruits. Fruit juice - no. Sugary snacks - only on occasion.
    I go over my limit for sugar every day because I eat 3 fruits a day. Nothing else that I eat gives me over 2 g of sugar sooooo it's obviously the fruits. But I'm not too worried anymore because that isn't important in weight loss ... I'm still eating under my calorie limit so all good :)
  • emma9797
    emma9797 Posts: 36
    If it's sugar out of fruits it's not so bad cause it's fructose.
    Oh, and try eating vegetables, eggs, rice, cottage cheese....they have no sugar or have a very low percentage :)
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    could you help me understand what CN and TDEE are? I don't know the acronyms. . . thanks greendoggie1487


    CN = Caloric needs, what a body should consume in order to lose weight/cut fat
    TDEE = Total Daily Energy Expended, that total amount of calories a person burns throughout the day from their metabolic rate, exercise and normal daily actives (making food, walking, bathroom, etc).
  • hazelovesfood
    hazelovesfood Posts: 454 Member
    You cant cut everything out of your diet, the brain and body needs levels from all sources. sugar in fruit in natural, why worry your eating healthy foods and thats all that matters.