How much damage are we doing to ourselves if we eat sweets as part of a balanced diet? (blood pressure, health issues)
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Count calories and stick to your setpoint and 90% of the time you can't go wrong.
The "problem" with sweet treats is not the sugar per se, it's the caloric density of the treat. You can eat a LOT of M&Ms before you finally begin to feel satiated 500 calories later. The more calories of your daily intake that are sugary treats, the less satiated you are going to feel. Therefore you will be driven to consume additional calories beyond your setpoint, in order to feel satiated.
As the previous poster said, if you diligently track every calorie you consume in a food diary, this pattern will become obvious after a while. The old axiom of eating a dessert or treat after a meal has some logic; yes, you will get to enjoy your treat but you are already satiated and will be less likely to over indulge in that treat. At least this is the way it works for me.
Location: As of 2022….back to SoCal. OC this time!
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Originally Posted by Diesel350z
Overconsumption of sugar goes hand in hand with excessive over consumption of calories. The vast majority of people that overconsume sugar are also overconsuming calories.
If sugar is the sole component that causes obesity why is it possible to lose 25lbs eating more than 140 grams of sugar per day in a caloric deficit?
Um....sugar is not the only “component” of overconsumption of empty calories...tho it’s super common to be part of a poor diet because you have to sacrifice healthy nutritional calories to regularly eat refined sugar without gaining weight. AND..lots of refined sugar damages your liver & can create insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome....even if you are a normal weight.
The AHA recommends no more than 25g of refined sugar a day for women. Natural sugar like fruit doesn’t count tho because it’s processed by our body differently...the fiber reduces blood sugar & it has other nutrients.
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Originally Posted by GearHeadDave
The old axiom of eating a dessert or treat after a meal has some logic; yes, you will get to enjoy your treat but you are already satiated and will be less likely to over indulge in that treat. At least this is the way it works for me.
If you are already satiated tho...why eat any? That’s how ppl become overweight IMO...they don’t listen to their bodies. Go a little lighter on the meal IMO if you plan to have a little dessert or you are celebrating a special occasion.
Um....sugar is not the only “component” of overconsumption of empty calories...tho it’s super common to be part of a poor diet because you have to sacrifice healthy nutritional calories to regularly eat refined sugar without gaining weight.
Agreed, excess sugar is not good but that is not what you said. You singled out sugar "that a lot of sugar contributes to weight gain". No, alot of calories in the form of highly processed fats and carbs is what causes weight gain, sugar is just a small component of it.
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AND..lots of refined sugar damages your liver & can create insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome....even if you are a normal weight.
Compared to saturated fats, there is no comparison. Saturated fats are way worse on your liver than sugar.
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The AHA recommends no more than 25g of refined sugar a day for women. Natural sugar like fruit doesn’t count tho because it’s processed by our body differently...the fiber reduces blood sugar & it has other nutrients.
The studies show no difference between 10g and 100g per day of sugar intake.
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Originally Posted by Diesel350z
Agreed, excess sugar is not good but that is not what you said. You singled out sugar "that a lot of sugar contributes to weight gain". No, alot of calories in the form of highly processed fats and carbs is what causes weight gain, sugar is just a small component of it.
Compared to saturated fats, there is no comparison. Saturated fats are way worse on your liver than sugar.
The studies show no difference between 10g and 100g per day of sugar intake.
The O.P. asked about sugar tho..I wasn’t comparing it to saturated fat & the recommendations are from the AHA. AND lots of refined sugar does put ppl at risk for weight gain & other illnesses because it’s empty calories & nutritional foods have to be sacrificed to not go over a healthy intake ofc...it’s common sense. A 100g of refined sugar is like 400 calories....that’s like 20% or 25% of a total daily calorie intake for a 125# woman that is moderately active!
edit: That causes weight gain if it’s more than occasional ofc & there are a lot of hidden added sugars that can be in stuff that some ppl think are healthy....like yogurts, cereals, dried fruits, processed oatmeal & granola. AND that’s only breakfast....before they have a daily soda or dessert.
Last edited by TashaPosh; 04-12-2021 at 12:42 PM..
The O.P. asked about sugar tho..I wasn’t comparing it to saturated fat & the recommendations are from the AHA. AND lots of refined sugar does put ppl at risk for weight gain & other illnesses because it’s empty calories & nutritional foods have to be sacrificed to not go over a healthy intake ofc...it’s common sense. A 100g of refined sugar is like 400 calories....that’s like 20% or 25% of a total daily calorie intake for a 125# woman that is moderately active!
Yes, excessive consumption of refined sugars does put people at risk for weight gain but that can be said for any nutrient in isolation. Some of the most consumed foods such as burgers, fries and pizza are very low in sugar compared to the highly processed fats, carbs and sodium yet you hardly hear anyone attacking those nutrients as the cause of obesity.
As I stated before you can be consuming 150 grams of sugar a day and still lose significant weight because you are in a caloric deficit. If sugar was the cause of obesity it would not be possible to lose such significant weight.
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Originally Posted by Diesel350z
As I stated before you can be consuming 150 grams of sugar a day and still lose significant weight because you are in a caloric deficit. If sugar was the cause of obesity it would not be possible to lose such significant weight.
Um...sugar is high calorie & is empty in nutritional value tho. 150 grams of sugar is 600 calories! The only way somebody can eat that many extra empty calories every day & not gain weight....is to not be meeting other nutritional requirements with their diet. That’s a diet that is 1/3 sugar for an average woman of 125#! Ofc that isn’t healthy.
edit: More calories than we need causes weight gain ofc....so eat for nutrition & exercise AND a healthy weight is natural so it’s not necessary to lose weight in the 1st place. The extra calories add up fast with sweets & refined sugars.
Um...sugar is high calorie & is empty in nutritional value tho. 150 grams of sugar is 600 calories! The only way somebody can eat that many extra empty calories every day & not gain weight....is to not be meeting other nutritional requirements with their diet. That’s a diet that is 1/3 sugar for an average woman of 125#! Ofc that isn’t healthy.
edit: More calories than we need causes weight gain ofc....so eat for nutrition & exercise AND a healthy weight is natural so it’s not necessary to lose weight in the 1st place. The extra calories add up fast with sweets & refined sugars.
If someone only ate twinkies and they were in a caloric deficit would they not lose weight?
Calories are not simply calories, and weight is not the only measure in good health. The body does not process all macronutrients the same way, even calorie for calorie.
A person whose diet had been composed solely of 1200 daily calories of Twinkies and high-fructose-sweetened soft drinks for the last five years is likely to be underweight, but that person will also be exceeding unhealthy. Their blood sugar will probably be chronically high, they will likely be insulin resistant--and likely type-2 diabetic. Their vascular system will be inflamed. Their livers will be heavily fatty and probably beginning cirrhosis. They will be under-muscled and over-fat. They will be mineral deficient and likely suffering from a number of other deficiencies.
A person whose diet had been composed of 1200 daily calories nearly any combination of farm-fresh vegetables and meats...or even excluding grain products or meats (vegan, keto, carnivore, it would hardly matter) for five years is likely to be very healthy, although perhaps somewhat underweight.
Those are two extremes just to prove the point that calories are not just calories, and weight is not the only consideration. The body does have specific macro-nutrient needs that must be met for good health.
Calories are not simply calories, and weight is not the only measure in good health. The body does not process all macronutrients the same way, even calorie for calorie.
A person whose diet had been composed solely of 1200 daily calories of Twinkies and high-fructose-sweetened soft drinks for the last five years is likely to be underweight, but that person will also be exceeding unhealthy. Their blood sugar will probably be chronically high, they will likely be insulin resistant--and likely type-2 diabetic. Their vascular system will be inflamed. Their livers will be heavily fatty and probably beginning cirrhosis. They will be under-muscled and over-fat. They will be mineral deficient and likely suffering from a number of other deficiencies.
A person whose diet had been composed of 1200 daily calories nearly any combination of farm-fresh vegetables and meats...or even excluding grain products or meats (vegan, keto, carnivore, it would hardly matter) for five years is likely to be very healthy, although perhaps somewhat underweight.
Those are two extremes just to prove the point that calories are not just calories, and weight is not the only consideration. The body does have specific macro-nutrient needs that must be met for good health.
Yes this is true, All SOURCES of calories aren’t the same on energy expenditure. All calories are the same in the sense that it is simply a measure of energy content. You can lose weight eating anything as long as you are in a caloric deficit.
The issue that many people fail to grasp that they believe that certain foods automatically cause weight gain ie: carbs/sugar when it is simply being in a caloric surplus that causes weight gain. you can gain weight eating all healthy foods or being on a keto diet. It doesn't matter what you eat, you will gain weight on a caloric surplus.
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Um...sugar is high calorie & is empty in nutritional value tho. 150 grams of sugar is 600 calories! The only way somebody can eat that many extra empty calories every day & not gain weight....is to not be meeting other nutritional requirements with their diet. That’s a diet that is 1/3 sugar for an average woman of 125#!
Ofc that isn’t healthy.
