Let's say for example I want to consume 200 grams of carbohydrates a day. I have read plenty of places that too much sugar is bad as it digests very quickly and turns to fat, which is why most sweets is to be avoided.

Well what should be my objective regarding sugar? Should I just try to have as little sugar as possible and therefore the ideal amount would be 0 grams of sugar?

This is hard to do as protien bars and milk have sugar in them.

My suspicion is that at least some sugar is okay, so how much of the 200 grams should I make sugar. Should I try to keep it under a certain amount, like say less that 10%. So for the above example that would be less than 20 grams of sugar.

Anyone have any thoughts?

I would just try to keep it at a bare minimum. Find Protein bars you like with low carbs and with very low or no sugar carbs in them. They are out there and they taste good. Use things like Splenda whereever you can and as you eat better your sweet tooth will start to go away. I try to keep dairy at a minimum and only use skimmed milk or a new Carb Countdown milk that I have been getting lately.

Ultimately, your body will let you know if what you are eating is working for you or not. If you can sneak in a few sugar carbs and still lose weight then go for it.

The reason why protein bars etc have Simple Carbohydrates (sugars) in them is that when you eat them after a workout the sugar quickly replaces the glycogen in the muscles leading to quicker recovery.

So its ok to have some simple carbs after a workout but for the rest of the time your carb intake should consist of mainly Complex Carbs.

Marcus :tucool:

it seems the consensus is, sugar as part of milk in the morning is acceptable, sugar after a work out for the insulin spike is acceptable, but it should be avoided at all other times.

I was on 100grams of sugar a day from 200g of carbs, mainly due to milk and a couple of bars a day, i cut they right back to 30g a day and i've seen much better results, a real improvement. I have milk in the morning with my cereal and i have 100g of milk in my shakes for taste, that's all the sugar i have now except for dextrose with my post work out shake.

Thanks all! This info was very helpful. Keeping it to right in the morning or right after my workout is what I pretty much do now anyway. What spurred this post was when I tried a Metrx Big 100 bar and noticed that it had 26 grams of sugar. A crazy high amount. I don't think I will be eating them anymore. Sure they have 27 grams of protein but I'd much rather have a shake.

So I have another question about sugar. Don't we need a certain amount for health reasons. Don't we need a certain amount in our blood or something? Thanks.

So I have another question about sugar. Don't we need a certain amount for health reasons. Don't we need a certain amount in our blood or something? Thanks.

Yeah we need to maintain a certain BLOOD GLUCOSE level for optimal functioning. The way your body does this is by breaking down foods into glucose. Complex and Simple Carbohydrates can both be easily broken down into glucose. Its also important to maintain STABLE blood glucose levels. This is where the Glycemic Index comes in. Eating sugar or simple carbs (usually high GI) cause a blood glucose level spike whereas Complex Carbs (usually low GI) release glucose slowly into the blood stream keeping the levels stable.

You probably didnt want this much info but check out the text below which is an exert from my nutrition guide. It goes into why keeping stable blood glucose levels are important for fat loss. Researchers also think that stable BGL levels also prevent heart diesease and a range of other diseases.

"The Glycemic Index (GI) is a means of assessing and clarifying the blood glucose response to carbohydrate foods. It compares the blood glucose levels and the rate of carbohydrate digestion into the system. Foods are given a rating of 1 (lowest) to 100 (highest). The lower the GI of the food, the slower but more sustained is the blood sugar response. Because of this slow release of energy Low GI foods keep you feeling full longer and you get fewer cravings. Foods that are digested rapidly (causing a rapid but short term release of energy) have a high GI rating which causes the dreaded insulin response (explained below).

The following info isn’t really that essential but it explains why low GI foods are good for fat loss. If you want you can skip over this part.

When you consume high GI foods you experience a sudden increase in your blood glucose levels, which trigger the insulin response. The pancreas releases heaps of insulin with the aim of reducing the blood glucose levels. Before I go on there are two enzymes and their functions you must understand.

Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) is an enzyme that takes free fatty acids from the blood and stores it in the fat cells as triglycerides. This is called lipogenesis, the making of fat. It expands the size of fat cells by filling them up.

Hormone Sensitive Lipase (HSL) is an enzyme responsible for the release of fat from the fat cells and back into the blood stream making it available to the body for energy. This process is known as lipolysis. It reduces the size of the fat cells as the fat is being released.

Now, when insulin is released into the blood stream it increases the action of LPL (lipogenesis) in the fat cells and suppresses the action of HSL (lipolysis). So when you eat foods high in sugar, your blood glucose levels rise and the pancreas releases insulin. The insulin increases the process of lipogenesis, which means more fat is being stored in fat cells instead of being used for energy. Its even worse eating high sugar and high fat foods at the same time because the sugar increases the insulin response and the fat in the blood stream goes straight to the fat cells.

So to lose fat we must increase the use of HSL (lipolysis), which will speed up the breakdown of fat in the cells and cause it to be used as energy. Adrenaline and Cortisol enhance HSL production and are produced in response to stress. Physical stress in the form of exercise increases the rate of fat breakdown and uses the resultant free fatty acids to power muscles. Emotional stress also increases the rate of fat breakdown, however, fat stays in the bloodstream putting you at risk for artery disease. Stimulant drugs like caffeine and amphetamines also increase the above hormone production.

So, successful fat loss is dependant on maintaining blood sugar levels during the day, thereby reducing the negative effects of the insulin response. This state is produced by eating Low GI foods, preventing peaks and troughs in blood glucose levels and therefore insulin levels. "

Marcus :tucool:

You know, I've read a lot of that info separately, but to see it all layed out like that is a real nice job. :bow: Thanks Marcus!! I think I finally understand the whole low, high GI, which I've been meaning to read about but haven't had the time. You really are a wealth of knowledge, thanks again!

Avoid it as best as possible except PW.

Real food is always better than protein bars, shakes, supps..

horray for clean foods...

... Metrx Big 100 bar and noticed that it had 26 grams of sugar. A crazy high amount... Indeed. Today being a lifting day I'll be having a whopping 39g of sugar, total. ~ 1/2 of that is in the morning (mmmm, dried apricots) and ~ 1/2 is post-workout (a banana with my shake).

On cardio days I have ~ 28g of sugar total. I've had good results so far: 1.5 - 2lbs per week for the last 5 weeks.

If you're looking for harder numbers than "avoid as much as possible", there ya go.

:gl:

I sure don't want to start another fad diet discussion but Marcus, your post is the exactly what the South Beach diet is all about. I've been living on low GI carbohdrates and lean protein for the past 5 months and it's worked wonders for me.