Sugar

[missamerika]

What are your thoughts? Too much sugar can be bad for you, but how much should you be consuming in a day? From natural sources? From other foods and drinks?
The app I use to track my calories sets the sugar goal to 41g, and that seems really low to me. If you can fit a sugary food into your macros, but (obviously) go over on the sugars, do you still consume it?

[DaniGrrl]

I still eat it. I had a discussion with a friend about the sugar recommendation - it's crazy. If you have a banana and an apple and a yogurt, you go over that recommendation right there. I am just going by my macros. I'm also bulking so I need sometimes a higher calorie sometimes sugary food to get me where I need to be. I've had sometimes over 100g of sugar in a day but I'm still within my macros.

That being said, of course, once I start to cut, the sugary stuff will be the first to go. I think it's still good to try to work a treat into a cut somehow every so often so you don't get too crazy but it does become harder to stay in deficit if you're spending your calories on a high calorie sugary snack.

So go by your macros and don't worry about that 41g recommendation. I go over that by mid-morning.

[Freak17]

Personally. Sugar does not click with my body composition at all. The only sugar I get is greek yogurt and maybe milk. I don't worry too much about timing.

[MrB1g]

I eat 300-400g on training days.

[freebirdmac]

I never worried about it. The only sugar source I'd concern myself with would be what's in processed food or what you add yourself to whole foods. Keep that sugar intake to a moderate level.

[missamerika]

Thanks for the replies!
I'm mainly asking because I work at a coffee shop 5 days a week and I don't have a drink every day, but I'll work a mocha or latte into my calories 1-2x's a week and it works with my macros, but skyrockets my sugar. So I'm just not sure if I should just completely cut those out or if I can make it work with my macros, a mocha or latte 1-2x's a week is ok...
I don't drink milk so my only other source of sugar (besides fruits) comes from my almond milk.
Yah Danigrrl- I'm bulking too! but on my cut those are going to go. It helps that my boss and co-workers support my goals! ^.^

[freebirdmac]

Thanks for the replies!
I'm mainly asking because I work at a coffee shop 5 days a week and I don't have a drink every day, but I'll work a mocha or latte into my calories 1-2x's a week and it works with my macros, but skyrockets my sugar. So I'm just not sure if I should just completely cut those out or if I can make it work with my macros, a mocha or latte 1-2x's a week is ok...
I don't drink milk so my only other source of sugar (besides fruits) comes from my almond milk.
Yah Danigrrl- I'm bulking too! but on my cut those are going to go. It helps that my boss and co-workers support my goals! ^.^

If you can work it into your calories and it's only a couple of times a week, enjoy your drink! The only concern when dieting, besides your calorie count, is nutrition. That's why it's hard to work in daily cheats. They generally don't contribute much if anything nutritionally but can add a boatload to the calorie count. A coffee drink a couple of times a week is not going to make a huge difference.

If you're bulking, well then I'd have one every day! I love toffee nut soy lattes

[brotatorcuff]

I eat 300-400g on training days.

Real life? That must be total carbs?

[missamerika]

If you can work it into your calories and it's only a couple of times a week, enjoy your drink! The only concern when dieting, besides your calorie count, is nutrition. That's why it's hard to work in daily cheats. They generally don't contribute much if anything nutritionally but can add a boatload to the calorie count. A coffee drink a couple of times a week is not going to make a huge difference.

If you're bulking, well then I'd have one every day! I love toffee nut soy lattes

Thank you! I'm on my first bulk so I'm hoping I'm doing it right haha, does 2360 on training days and 3160 on non training days for my stats sound ok?
Love lattes! I'm in love with caramel so I'll usually have that haha but the other day I did a toffee and caramel one! deelish!

[geek23ka]

if you ever have an extra hour and a half, and want to sit through a biochem lecture, Dr. Lustig put a great diatribe against sugar on YouTube. I can't link yet. When he is discussing sugar, he means added sugar, not that which is found naturally (and not extracted!) in whole foods.

[Miranda]

Dr. Lustig put a great diatribe against sugar on YouTube. I can't link yet. When he is discussing sugar, he means added sugar, not that which is found naturally (and not extracted!) in whole foods.

mwa. here's the video (and rebuttal).

http://www.alanaragonblog.com/2010/0...tose-alarmism/

[freebirdmac]

Thank you! I'm on my first bulk so I'm hoping I'm doing it right haha, does 2360 on training days and 3160 on non training days for my stats sound ok?
Love lattes! I'm in love with caramel so I'll usually have that haha but the other day I did a toffee and caramel one! deelish!

I would think 2500 on average would be right for a 0.5 pound gain a week. You can do some higher/lower days based on your needs, that really comes down to listening to your body. You may find that the day before, of and after leg days are best at at least 2500. Even if leg day is bookended by rest days. A shoulder/arm day may not require as much fuel.

Besides listening to your body you should look for an average of 0.5 pounds a week. It may be more initially, or less, but over the months that's how it should average out. Have you joined the female>general bulking thread?

You remind me, I need to make some soy milk and fire up my espresso machine this weekend

[missamerika]

I would think 2500 on average would be right for a 0.5 pound gain a week. You can do some higher/lower days based on your needs, that really comes down to listening to your body. You may find that the day before, of and after leg days are best at at least 2500. Even if leg day is bookended by rest days. A shoulder/arm day may not require as much fuel.

Besides listening to your body you should look for an average of 0.5 pounds a week. It may be more initially, or less, but over the months that's how it should average out. Have you joined the female>general bulking thread?

You remind me, I need to make some soy milk and fire up my espresso machine this weekend

Ooh I will head on over there! Thank you soo much for your help freebirdmac!! ^.^

[malamujer]

I'm glad this thread was started. I had wanted to ask the same question. Thanks.

[MrB1g]

Real life? That must be total carbs?

Yeah pretty much.

if you ever have an extra hour and a half, and want to sit through a biochem lecture, Dr. Lustig put a great diatribe against sugar on YouTube. I can't link yet. When he is discussing sugar, he means added sugar, not that which is found naturally (and not extracted!) in whole foods.

'Added sugar' is still just sugar. You don't have one chemical structure for sugar found in source A. and one for sugar found in source B.

[geek23ka]

Yeah pretty much.



'Added sugar' is still just sugar. You don't have one chemical structure for sugar found in source A. and one for sugar found in source B.

While this is true, that fructose is fructose and sucrose is sucrose no matter if it's added, extracted or found in intact foods, he is hitting added sugar bc there is no nutritional value. I don't think he would ever agree that eliminating whole foods such as fruits is a good idea, despite there being fructose. He covers this in the lecture.

Aragon's rebuttal brings up a salient point, which is, "Why be so alarmist?" I can't speak for him and am pretty laid back about it myself, but I think dedicating your life to pediatric endocrinology would sharpen anyone's resolve to see this not just as an issue to discuss but as a matter of life and death.

I think even the most conservative nutritionists recommend max 20 grams added sugar a day. SAD goes far beyond that.

[Sarah97]

I have a ragging sweet tooth and I've noticed when I consume more sugary things than usual, my cravings skyrocket. The only sugars I consume when not having a cheat are naturally occurring, and I usually stay at/around 20g/day, unless I eat more fruit then it obviously it goes up.

[MrB1g]

While this is true, that fructose is fructose and sucrose is sucrose no matter if it's added, extracted or found in intact foods, he is hitting added sugar bc there is no nutritional value. I don't think he would ever agree that eliminating whole foods such as fruits is a good idea, despite there being fructose. He covers this in the lecture.

Aragon's rebuttal brings up a salient point, which is, "Why be so alarmist?" I can't speak for him and am pretty laid back about it myself, but I think dedicating your life to pediatric endocrinology would sharpen anyone's resolve to see this not just as an issue to discuss but as a matter of life and death.

I think even the most conservative nutritionists recommend max 20 grams added sugar a day. SAD goes far beyond that.

If the only difference (as you say) is a lack of specific micronutrients/vitamins, supplementing your diet with specific micronutrients/vitamins would mean there is no difference.

[freebirdmac]

While this is true, that fructose is fructose and sucrose is sucrose no matter if it's added, extracted or found in intact foods, he is hitting added sugar bc there is no nutritional value. I don't think he would ever agree that eliminating whole foods such as fruits is a good idea, despite there being fructose. He covers this in the lecture.

Aragon's rebuttal brings up a salient point, which is, "Why be so alarmist?" I can't speak for him and am pretty laid back about it myself, but I think dedicating your life to pediatric endocrinology would sharpen anyone's resolve to see this not just as an issue to discuss but as a matter of life and death.

I think even the most conservative nutritionists recommend max 20 grams added sugar a day. SAD goes far beyond that.

Of course anyone dealing with diabetes is going to be an alarmist. You can overdo any food. There is nothing inherently wrong with sugar. Obviously if your body cannot handle it you have to back off. The same is true for wheat, soy, dairy, etc for different reasons. The max intake is person dependent. You have to look at the health issues, weight, nutrition, goals, etc. There is no reason to put arbitrary limits on sugar because of others. All that matters is the individual. I easily have 20g per day in granulated sugar alone. I don't eat processed food so the rest comes from whole foods or my occasional baked goods or margarita (aside from tequila made from scratch). I have no idea how much total sugar that comes to. And it's unimportant. I have zero sugar related health issues and no risk factors. What matters is calories and nutrition. It's only life or death for some people. And they generally know who they are whether the face it or not.

Oh, I forgot, my organic dark chocolate and sun butter from Trader Joe's are processed