Amount of Sugar Per Day...
 

I only eat sugar when I have to add a little sweet to something. I am not a big fan of these fake sweeteners. I am curious when trying to lose weight, how much sugar can one afford to have each day?

I don't eat sugary treats, drinks, cereals, etc. However I do add 2-3 tsps. of sugar to my oatmeal each morning. Is this okay with trying to lose weight?

Thanks.

2-3 tsp sugar makes a dent in competitive bodybuilder's physiques on show day, not for reg'lar folks like us. Just for perspective, that sugar is going to be processed through your gut within about 15 minutes, gone where it needs to go in about 30 (in the morning, probably your brain), and the metabolites start clearing your body by the time you go to the bathroom right before you leave for school or work.

Unless you had a serious sweet tooth I wouldn't worry about a couple tsp early in the morning. Just keep in mind that oatmeal, even if it's not sweet, pretty much gets converted to pure sugar (aside from its fiber and protein constituent) in your gut; I eat mine plain with a little vanilla protein powder and a dash of cinnamon for flavor instead of adding sugar/honey to keep total carbs down.

Are you saying that if one is trying to lose weight, to stay away from oatmeal? It is bad because it converts to sugar? Aren't these complex carbs good for you? Isn't the fiber good for you also? Isn't old fashioned oats better than most breakfast choices out there?

I am a little mixed up now.

Any input would be appreciated.

For me, I only eat oatmeal after a morning workout since my body is more carb tolerant after I exercise. It is whole grain and good for you but it does turn to sugar and is processed quickly since it is a carb. After a workout, your body needs those carbs more. Have you tried sweetening it with a little unsweetened applesauce and cinnamon. Also, mixing protein powder in it is good too and helps balance out the meal.

Isn't oatmeal a relatively slow digesting carb? I mean we are talking oats here out of a box or can, with no other ingredients added to them by any factories.

Now, if we were talking white flour as in donuts, muffins, etc. I might be in agreement more so. All the websites I checked say oatmeal, oatmeal, oatmeal.

I drink my protein shake with my oatmeal. I am not a big fan of mixing protein powder in my oats.

Thanks.

Oatmeal is a slower-digesting carb than pure sugar, yes, but after it goes through your gut it's broken down into pure glucose, which inevitable ends up in the bloodstream. Fiber is good for you, yes, and I never said that oatmeal was bad in and of itself. However, I personally wouldn't add any sugar since all of the carb in it (aside from the fiber) will still get converted to sugar in the body eventually.

The only reason complex carbs are said to be good for you is because of all the vitamins and minerals and fiber they come along with in the foods in which they are found. If you extracted the complex carbs out of the oats, yams, beans, etc., and ate them alone, they would be no better for you than table sugar or potato starch.

Well, I know to meet my goals, I need to be pretty strict and clean as far as diet goes. I have been trying forever to get my carbs down and my protein way up. I think I will eat things like oatmeal, whole wheat/grain bread, etc. but just eat less of it. That will cut the carbs down a pretty good amount without depriving myself.

Thanks.

If you are measuring your macros, more specifically carbs, as long as your sugar intake keeps you within those numbers it's not going to be a problem. At the end of the days it's a carb, it's a calorie and if you stay within your defecit and meet that macro, it's not really going to matter too much.

Now obviously not eating it/replacing it with a lower GI carb is going to benefit you more, but the way I look at it, don't worry about that 2-3 tbsp.

Thanks heytred for your service to our country.

Thanks for the advice also. I am still interested in cutting carbs somewhat though. I know I had 4 pieces of whole wheat bread this morning with some eggs, ham, and cheese, but I have a big day of push mowing an acre of yard.

Thanks.

Visit this website: Mark's Daily Apple

and read this:

The Definitive Guide to Grains | Mark's Daily Apple

Why Grains Are Unhealthy | Mark's Daily Apple

How to Quit Grains | Mark's Daily Apple

Yes, you should steer clear of grains, if you MUST eat oatmeal in the morning, make sure it is steel cut only.

The food industry is very corrupt, misinformed and outdated. Conventional wisdom and 'they' say a lot of things, yet the nation is fat and laden with diet related diseases.

If you use fitday, how many carbs per gram are you consuming per day? 4 slices of whole wheat bread = 49 grams of carbs. I cup of oatmeal is 32 grams of carbs. If you want to lose weight (and be really strict) 50 grams per day is what you ought to strive for. Between 50-100 is more than manageable and will let you still lose weight at a nice healthy rate.

I am not sure of your current diet, but 5 lbs of weight loss in a month is a bit on the slow side. A guy of your size, if eating correctly should be able to drop 2-3 lbs per week.

A friend of mine who was was over 300 lbs has dropped 60 lbs since march 15th. Crossfit 3-4x per week no dietary changes. His weight loss of 3-4 lbs per week has been maintained through Primal eating (no grains or processed foods whatsoever) the last 8 weeks.

Nah. That's not really how it happened. I just started eating right and exercising three weeks ago. So, the 5 pounds came off then, and I just weighed again yesterday and I was down to 237 (lost 2 more pounds). This happened with eating oatmeal almost every morning for breakfast.

Also, I always thought more calories burned than taken in was the key to weight loss. Doesn't matter if it is carbs or not. If we don't eat whole grains, where does the great fiber come in in our diet? There are guys on here and elsewhere that have carbs making up 30%-50% of their daily diet and they have lost weight.

I can't go very low carb. And 8 pounds lost in 3-4 weeks ain't too bad.

You can get plenty of fiber from beans, fruits and vegetables. Bean do have a lot of carbs, but at least you get a ton of protein along with all that fiber. Grains just have a lot of starch and not too much protein, whole or not. Plus, you can get really creative with the numerous types of vegetables out there. And you can substitute cauliflower for most of the things grains are used for in other recipes. IMHO it's best to stay away from grains as much as possible. I save my grain "points" for the odd slice of cheesecake, but other than that I don't touch them much.

Now, I could be wrong here, but the fibre found in fruits & veggies and the fibre found in grains are completely different, and the way your body digests these kinds of fibre differs as well. I know, speaking from personal experience, if I cut out all types of high-fibre grains and relied solely on the fibre from my daily fresh produce intake, I would be constipated. I've tried this before and I felt terrible. I eat way less grains than I used to, but even when I was eating bread several times a day, I was still losing a tonne of weight. I guess my point here is, everybody's different and just because you have had to cut out most grains to achieve your goals, doesn't necessarily mean everyone else has to.

That's great, just think where you could be if you weren't eating nearly 70 grams of carbs for breakfast every day!

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/why-g...are-unhealthy/

Not all carbs are created equal and not all calories are created equal either.

Carbs from things like whole wheat bread, oatmeal get broken down into the same thing-sugar. This causes a spike in your insulin level and if your insulin has no place to put the sugar (the muscle stores are all occupied) it just goes straight to your fat cells.

I don't know what guys you are referring to, but you don't know what their diet consisted of before and how they have trimmed down--perhaps they used to eat boatloads of garbage, and now are eating less garbage and in a nicer package (ie. whole wheat bread instead of a bag of chips--ultimately not much difference here). Plus, they will likely get to a place where they can't seem to get past, and eating a calorie restricted diet will likely drive them to fall off the wagon over time.

Where will you get fiber from? All the wonderful vegetables that you eat. Why do you believe fiber is so important anyway? The little bit of fiber that you would get from eating whole grains/flour is far outweighed by the other issues grains bring with them.

Have a look at this:

Fun With Fiber: The Real Scoop | Mark's Daily Apple

Why can't you go low carb? Plus, eating between 50-100 grams of the right carbs isn't limiting at all. Eating that amount of carbs while continuing to eat grains, however, would be very difficult considering you eat 70 grams at breakfast.

I was/am a bread LOVER. I could eat 5 slices of rye bread with just olive oil and balsalmic vinegar while standing in the kitchen at the counter! I loved pizza and toast in the morning was heavenly. It was an effort to cut it out, but now that I don't eat any grains, sugars or processed food I feel 100x better and am finally starting to see some definition in my abs that I have NEVER seen before.

A man of your size should be able to drop 2-3 lbs per week. Also by cutting out grains you will have more consistent energy levels, you won't have the swings in your appetite--going from fine to suddenly a huge need to eat. Your moods will be more consistent. You won't have that tired, bloated feeling after dinner. The benefits are endless. Other than convenience and taste, there is no real health benefit to eating grains.

It seems like a daunting task and the world is not set up for non-grain eaters, but I have come to enjoy the challenge of it. As a result I am making more variety when I cook, I have learned about new yummy foods like cauliflower crust pizza and cauliflower rice. Lasagna with zucchini 'noodles'.

If you REALLY want to make a lasting change in your world and with your health and body, you ought to look into it. After the first two weeks, cutting out grains has been a snap. Sure, I still love the smell of bread, but the more you know about how awful the stuff is for you, the less you want to eat it.

Nope, you don't have to, but you ought to.

There is a detox that your body goes through when you don't eat grains. Essentially what you are addicted to is the sugar. It takes a few days, but it goes away. Endure that process and you will feel better than you ever thought possible.

Conventional wisdom has everyone convinced that we need them...but we don't. The food industry makes a LOT of money out of selling people grains and processed foods so they are going to do everything they can to convince you that you need them. You really don't. It is hard to not eat grains. They taste good and they are everywhere, but if you want something different, you have to do something different.

G7 Stories - Veronica Garza on Vimeo

For example, though, I used to eat bread, cereal, or oatmeal at every meal. No, I'm not joking. I still lost weight.

Now, I eat one serving of grains a day. Granted, I've already far surpassed my initial goal weight, but cutting down the grains didn't do a dang thing. I cut the grains down only very recently. If I were to add more in again, I wouldn't gain any weight.

Just saying.

What other things did you cut out? Oreos? Chips? Candies? Did you start moving more? You are only sharing a small fraction of the story that is supporting your stance. There is a difference between being a proper weight and healthy--the two don't go hand in hand.

Why did you cut down then? They are delicious and you used to eat about 100 grams of them for every meal and you still lost weight.

Just askin'.

Losing the first, say, twenty or thirty pounds, I was just walking and I didn't eat any junk food on a regular basis. I had to ease my way into exercise, a) because I was out of shape and overweight, and b) I've had chronic illnesses all of my life which cause severe pain in my legs. I wasn't sure how hard I'd be able to push myself. As far as dieting, though, the only major difference was switching from white bread to whole grain, and everything stayed the same for awhile.

After that, I had to up the intensity of my workouts, because not only were they too easy and I wasn't losing weight, but my legs were feeling much better and I felt like I could tackle more. I started doing circuit training with the help of an at-home program and some free weights, so I was then incorporating both weights and more intense cardio at the same time. At this particular time, I was having severe stomach problems (they've since stopped), and I was only eating around 600-800 calories a day. That's basically a starvation diet, I know, but I really couldn't help it. I relied a lot on the complex carbs to get me through, since they seemed to be the easiest for me to handle. Unfortunately, I lost a lot of muscle mass by not eating enough protein, and by just not eating enough calories period.

After the stomach problems ceased, I switched my workout program yet again, and I'm basically where I am now. I'm eating a lot, and eating a very balanced diet. I used to hate vegetables, but now I'm eating about 8 servings a day, as well as a couple servings of fruit. Cutting out most of the grains is both a conscious and unconscious decision. After I found out that I really, really love vegetables, my need for grains subsided, so I really didn't find myself wanting as many; also, I wanted to see what effect it would have on my body if I stuck to having just one serving in the morning a couple of hours before I work out. So far, it's going well. I have days when my body tells me I need more of this or more of that, and I always listen and try to accommodate.

If anything, my doctor doesn't want me losing any more weight, but it just keeps coming off. I have no idea where it's coming from, though, seeing as how certain muscles are getting bigger, but the only fatty area I have is staying the same.

Nah, I ain't trying to cause a fuss here. Believe me, I would love to eat way fewer carbs. The thing is how much more good, healthy proteins sources would cost. Processed sandwich meat is not a good source of protein. When we went to the grocery store today, I did purchase a lot of tuna and eggs. But I doubt I can take eating tuna for breakfast. I also eat cottage cheese, yogurt, etc. for protein.

By the way is there a good yogurt with plenty of protein and lower carbs for decent price?

Thanks.

Good for you. It sounds like you are mostly on your way to a healthy lifestyle. The low grade cardio (between 55-75% of max heart rate) is ideal. I know you felt like you needed/could handle more, but keep that level up and start lifting heavy things. If you can, chuck in some sprints once every two weeks or so.

If you really want to lose the excess fatty bits and lean out, cutting out grains will really help. When people get constipated after they cut out their grains it is because the homeostasis in their gut was always off, but cutting out the grains no longer masks that issue. It just takes time. I wasn't 'going' for awhile after I cut out grains, but now all is well.

You are eating more vegetables and getting good quality carbs from those micronutrient rich sources, you don't need/want the carbs from the grains. There is virtually no health benefit from eating them and you are nearly there so go for it!

There is a bit of a greater cost to the grass fed meats, but you can usually get a decent price at a local farmers market. In the end, your health is where you ought to be putting some investment into. Short term investment might add up to less expense later on potential Dr. bills or prescriptions. However, one of the sayings is that you 'just do the best you can with what you have'. I like to buy grass fed beef/meat but it isn't always available so I just do the best with what I have.

I find that sometimes I want to eat 'breakfast food' for breakfast and sometimes not. I will often eat last nights leftover chicken breast or hamburger patty for breakfast. Get yourself some good quality eggs (the ones that are free range with DHA omega 3's) or just find a farmer and by them straight from him (also farmers market). Whip yourself up a nice meaty omlette instead of the oatmeal and toast.

I go with full fat greek yogurt (plain) and my favorite brand is Fage.

FAGE Total Authentic Greek Yogurt

It tastes almost identical to sour cream which, at first was right gross to me. Now I use just about a teaspoon of it on top of blueberries and it is delicious. Regardless of brand, I always look for the one with the highest fat content. Anything like that that is 0% fat or low fat is loaded with sugar. Steer clear of anything fat free. 'No sugar added' typically means that there is enough damn sugar in it as it is and we don't need to add any more!

We are so conditioned to have a flavored yogurt that is basically desert--typically they are fat free (which means there is a boatload of sugar added in order to just make it edible-which then means lots of carbs) and have some sort of artificial flavor/look to it. Fage is thick and creamy and if you need to add a bit of honey (yes, sugar and carbs basically, but better than your oatmeal!) and some cinnamon for a different flavor.

I am not sure about price, but it is worth it.

That is the thing that is so annoying. The good quality foods are priced so that it makes it difficult for the average consumer to buy the right things, and the garbage is all highly affordable.

My grocery bill has gone up for sure and I don't know where you are at in that regard, but you will find that filling up on protein and the good fats will have you eating less food in general. One of the biggest things I noticed, however, after going Primal was how often I used to be putting food into my mouth. I eat way less now and hours go by before I even think about food. So, it is more money up front, but less down the road if that makes sense.

A chicken salad is pretty cheap to make and if you load it with farmers market fresh veggies (typically very cheap) you will find it very filling and satisfying.

Tonight dinner was bbq'ed chicken breast, spanish cauliflower rice (farmers market) and zucchini boats (farmers market). The meat was high quality chicken, but zucchini was $1 each and the cauliflower was not much more than that. It was tasty and filling and full on healthy.

It takes effort and a bit of creativity to cut out those carbs, but if you are loading up on vegetables and meat, you won't need to buy bread or oatmeal! Also, you cut out those carbs and your bit of sugar that you like in your coffee becomes a non-issue, although as my sister has found, she has slowly weaned herself off of that sugar as well and drinks it straight black.

Going back to the topic of the oats and stuff. Just looking at a few things on some nutrition labels. I was thinking of reducing my oats in the morning to 1/4 of a cup and have that with a 1 cup of 1% milk along with some fruit, etc.

Just noticed that the 1/4 oats has the same amount of carbs as 1 cup of milk. Around 13. So, I am getting just as many carbs from milk as I am oats.:rolleyes:

What gives? I can't give up milk and oats. I mean, damn I might as well eat fish 3 meals a day and snacks.

I personally would never live off 50 grams of carbs a day... That barely allows for 2 servings of fruit, never mind any other higher carb veggie, yogurt, or bread/cereal/rice of any kind....

Thank you. :) I feel the need to mention, though, that I am doing very intense interval cardio and I lift heavy weights before that (on non-consecutive days), so the exercise issue isn't real a big deal. I just feel like there are so many conflicting sources out there regarding whether to eat high carb before and/or after a workout, and I'm never certain which side I should believe.

For example, this morning I ate 1 cup of cereal and a small bit of skim milk about an hour and a half before my all-cardio workout. It gave me enough energy to get through the workout, but if I'm to believe what I hear certain people say, I shouldn't be eating at all before a workout if I want to lose the last of my fat. It can be kind of a confusing thing when everyone seems to say something different, you know? :P

Plus, I guess I'm just concerned that my body already seems more than capable of losing weight really quickly and easily without touching my diet, and I'm already at a low weight (115, and several people have already commented that I look 'too skinny', 'very slight', etc.), that if I cut calories anymore, I'm afraid of what could happen. I'm already eating well below my RDI for total calories as well as total carbs. Basically, if I cut out grains, I'd be on a low carb diet, am I right? That's not a very healthy territory, as far as I'm concerned. That's not a balanced diet.