Sugar Sugar!

I am counting sugar in everything I eat, per doctor's recommendation. I'm not diabetic, in fact my blood sugar is great but I knew eventually diabetes would catch up to me. After I got off sugar, I felt TONS better.

Here's what my doc recommends:

Carbs minus fiber divided by 5 = teaspoons of sugar

I shoot for no more than 10-15 teaspoons of sugar a day.

Trust me on my human nutritional knowledge, I'm a whale biologist.

Are you in the United States? If so, you're in luck! See, one of the largest contributors of sugar in the typical US diet is all of that hidden High Fructose Corn Syrup everywhere. You know it's bad for you, right? I know you do! But what is it? It's a mixture of glucose and fructose (both natural sugars found naturally in a natural human diet) which are derived from subsidized corn products!

The issue isn't the actual substance, it's how much is sneakily put into our foods. Just look at some random stuff you own. Bread, cereal, granola bars, yogurt, ice cream, pizza, etc. It's everywhere in almost every food that's been processed here in the US.

Here's the silly part. You can easily cut all of this away. It's not too difficult. Yes, YOU DO NEED SUGARS, BOTH COMPLEX AND SIMPLE. These sugars are best when coming from an apple or rice or whatever. Why, if it's all the same chemical(s)? Because of the added nutrients, fiber and minerals you get along with consuming that sugar.

Ramble! Yes, you need sugars. Yes, you should keep consuming them from more "raw" products, as I'd call them. You can still eat whole grain bread or yogurt, just make sure to keep track of the sugars. You get a lot of good sugars from fruit and veggies, and that bowl of oatmeal I know you love so much. Don't eliminate them entirely, especially if you're exercising. If your doctor said so.

Like I said, it isn't hard to put a more conscience effort to skip the white bread or the ice cream sandwich. Once you're aware and start REALLY looking at the foods that contain copious amounts, you're fine. Gratuitous amounts of sugar are terrible for periods, I'd know.

LET'S REALLY ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS.

Yes, I watch my sugar intake. I typically eat about 60~80 g's a day, which is doctor approved for me. Getting on birth control also helps to control P.O.S. Next time you see your doc, you should probably ask them all of these questions that you're asking a bunch of internet strangers who think they know everything.

I don't count sugar but do count carbs. I am insulin resistant which is along the line of PCOS. I stay under 75 net carbs (which is the 15 teaspoons of sugar mentioned already).

It has worked great and like others will say, you stop getting the cravings for the sugars when you stop eating them. I don't want cupcakes anymore (although Tootsie Rolls do still call my name sometimes).

Here is website for you to go to for lower carb fruit choices -- http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/whattoeat/a/whatfruit.htm.

You'd be surprised how much sugar you can cut out. I used to eat TONS of fruits and very little veggies. That switched when I started watching my sugar intake. Now it's lots of protein and leafy greens. I admit, the first two weeks was the hardest (sugar withdrawals) I had no idea I was so addicted to sugar. Good luck to you!

I also go over my sugar intake every single day, and I think I eat very healthy. It's a bummer. Maybe I should take sugar off of my tracker.

WHAT?!!?

I learned recently that I am 'Sugar Sensitive,' which means after eating a sugary snack I would get that initial sugar rush but then when my blood sugar dropped I would feel absolutely exhausted. About 2 months ago, I decided the only to stabilize my energy levels was to scale way back on sugar consumption.

I still eat fresh fruit and don't seem to have any problem with natural sugars. Counting sugar grams is a drag so I don't go that route but I pay really close attention to nutrition labels. For example, Fage Greek Yogurt has 10g of sugar per serving, as opposed to alternatives, which range from 18-26g per serving. 10g of sugar is pretty high for most foods but not for yogurt.

Occasionally, I'll have a glass of wine, a piece of cake or a little ice cream. It's my experience that it's easy to become obsessed with something if you completely deprive yourself of it. Balance is always the key.

Watch out for the 'artificial' sweeteners. They make you crave sugar even more sugar does. When you cut back on sugar, it takes about 5 days for your body to adjust and the sugar cravings to stop. It's well worth it. You will feel so much better!

Good luck!! I know you can do it!