Maximum Sugar Intake For Weight Loss

Last Updated on November 7, 2022 by

We live in the day of healthy eating. If it’s not organic and raw, then we don’t eat it. Sugar has been a recent subject of many articles, blogs and advertisements about how harmful it is for our health. It all started when The World Health Organization announced that the recommended daily sugar intake should be reduced from 10% to 5% .

Sugar is not good for weight loss, that’s why I’ve created a list of the maximum sugar intake for weight loss. There’s a lot of saturated fat and sugary goodness in the food we eat these days. It’s important to know what your limit is when you are watching what you’re eating. After all, if you want to take control of your weight, then this is the way to go. Here is why: I’m going to talk about Maximum Sugar Intake For Weight Loss, make sure you read this article.

Maximum Sugar Intake For Weight Loss

Woman having a relax time eating a slice of cake and having coffee in cafe

You’ve no doubt heard that sugar has been the number one culprit behind weight gain. In fact, over the last few years, sugar has all but been demonized as the terrible-for-you ingredient that is as addictive as cocaine and will lead to heart disease and diabetes. And while that’s all a bit of an exaggeration, there’s no denying that sugar, especially added sugar found in packaged food and sweets, isn’t great for your health.

The American Heart Association recommends no more than six teaspoons (25 grams) of added sugar a day for women and nine teaspoons (36) grams for men. “Added sugars contribute zero nutrients but many added calories that can lead to extra pounds or even obesity, thereby reducing heart health,” the AHA wrote on its website. And the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends only 10 percent of your diet come from added sugar, noting that “a further reduction to below five percent or roughly 25 grams (6 teaspoons) per day would provide additional health benefits.”

OK, got it: keep the sugar down for overall health. But what’s the sugar threshold for weight loss? Turns out, there’s not a one-size-fits-all number. “There isn’t a specific value for how many grams of sugar you should eat for weight loss,” Ysabel Montemayor, RD, lead dietitian at Fresh n’ Lean, told POPSUGAR “Many foods contain sugar, such as breads, grains, beverages, sweets, dairy products, fruits, and even vegetables.” She added that the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend, like the WHO, no more than 10 percent of calories come from added sugar. So for a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet, this would be around 50 grams of added sugar. Plus carbs, which contain sugar, should constitute 45-65 percent of your diet, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (about 225-325 grams of total carbs).

To make matters more confusing, Ana Reisdorf, MS, RD, said there is no recommendation for sugar grams separate from total carb grams; while there is a recommendation for added sugar, total sugar gets a lot more confusing since foods like fruit and whole-grain carbs also contain sugar. And while the FDA revealed that new food packaging will distinguish between grams of total sugar and added sugar on the nutrition label, that feature is currently not on the market.

Instead of focusing on a specific gram amount, Ysabel recommends choosing sugar-containing foods that are fiber-rich, such as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, which can help you lose weight because “they are absorbed more slowly into the body and can keep you fuller longer.” Refined sugar and sweets, on the other hand, are digested quickly and cause a spike in blood sugar, leading to an inevitable crash, which can mess with your insulin levels and cause weight gain. While Ysabel recommended to limit added sugars and refined carbs, Ana said she tells her clients to choose packaged foods that have less than 10 grams of sugar on the label.

Overall, the amount of total sugar you should eat in a day should be determined by your doctor or registered dietitian, especially if you’re looking to lose weight. Ysabel added that certain people, such as those with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, may have more specific needs, which should be determined by their healthcare provider.

Added sugars vs. natural sugars — Big difference

It’s very important to make the distinction between added sugars and sugars that occur naturally in foods like fruits and vegetables.

These foods contain water, fiber, and various micronutrients. Naturally occurring sugars are absolutely fine, but the same does not apply to added sugar.

Added sugar is the main ingredient in candy and abundant in many processed foods, such as soft drinks and baked products.

The most common added sugars are regular table sugar (sucrose) and high fructose corn syrup.

To optimize your health, do your best to avoid foods that contain added sugars. Even the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends limiting calories from added sugars to less than 10 percent of total calories per day (2Trusted Source).

Also, remember that added sugars can also include natural sugars. For instance, if you add honey to your oatmeal, your oatmeal contains added sugar from a natural source.

SUMMARY

Sugar that’s added to processed foods is much more harmful to your health than the natural sugar in whole foods like fruits and vegetables.

Sugar consumption is extremely high

In 2008, people in the United States were consuming over 60 pounds (28 kg) of added sugar per year — and this does not include fruit juices (3Trusted Source).

The average intake was 76.7 grams per day, which equals 19 teaspoons or 306 calories.

According to this study, sugar consumption decreased by 23% between the years 2000 and 2008, mainly because people drank fewer sugar-sweetened beverages.

However, current intake levels are still way too high and likely haven’t changed much since then. In 2012, the average adult intake was 77 grams per day (4Trusted Source).

Excess sugar consumption has been associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, certain cancers, tooth decay, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and more (5, 6Trusted Source, 7Trusted Source, 8Trusted Source).

SUMMARY

Excessive sugar intake is common. It has been linked to various lifestyle diseases, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.

What is a safe amount of sugar to eat per day?

Unfortunately, there’s no simple answer to this question. Some people can eat a lot of sugar without harm, while others should avoid it as much as possible.

According to the American Heart Association (AHA), the maximum amount of added sugars you should eat in a day are (9Trusted Source):

  • Men: 150 calories per day (37.5 grams or 9 teaspoons)
  • Women: 100 calories per day (25 grams or 6 teaspoons)

To put that into perspective, one 12-ounce (355-mL) can of Coke contains 140 calories from sugar, while a regular-sized Snickers bar contains 120 calories from sugar.

In contrast, the US dietary guidelines advise people to limit their intake to less than 10% of their daily calorie intake. For a person eating 2,000 calories per day, this would equal 50 grams of sugar, or about 12.5 teaspoons (10Trusted Source).

If you’re healthy and active, these are reasonable recommendations. You’ll probably burn off these small amounts of sugar without them causing you any harm.

Still, it’s important to note that there’s no need for added sugars in the diet.

SUMMARY

The American Heart Association advises men to get no more than 150 calories from added sugar per day and women to get no more than 100 calories.

If you’re addicted to sugar, perhaps you may want to consider avoiding it completely

  • Sugary, highly processed foods stimulate the same areas in the brain as illegal drugs (11Trusted Source).
  • For this reason, sugar can cause people to lose control over their consumption.
  • That said, sugar is not nearly as addictive as illegal drugs, and “sugar addiction” should be comparatively easy to overcome.
  • If you have a history of binge eating, failing to adhere to set rules about your eating (like cheat meals or days), and repeated failures with the “everything in moderation” approach, perhaps you’re addicted.

In the same way that a smoker needs to avoid cigarettes completely, someone addicted to sugar may need to avoid sugar completely.

SUMMARY

If you feel like you’re addicted to added sugar, consider avoiding it completely.

How to minimize sugars in your diet

Limit these foods, in order of importance:

  1. Soft drinks. A single 12-ounce (355-mL) can of soda contains as much as 8 teaspoons of sugar (12Trusted Source).
  2. Fruit juices. Fruit juices contain the same amount of sugar as soft drinks. Choose whole fruit or canned fruit with no additional sweetening instead.
  3. Candies and sweets. Try to limit your consumption of sweets.
  4. Baked goods. These include cookies, cakes, and pies, among other pastries. They tend to be very high in sugar and refined carbohydrates.
  5. Low fat or diet foods. Foods that have had the fat removed from them are often very high in sugar.

Drink water instead of soda or juices and don’t add sugar to your coffee or tea.

Instead of sugar in recipes, you can try things like cinnamon, nutmeg, almond extract, vanilla, ginger, or lemon.

Try to be creative and find recipes online. You can eat an endless variety of amazing foods even if you eliminate all sugar from your diet.

Natural, zero-calorie alternatives to sugar include stevia and monk fruit.

SUMMARY

Reduce your sugar intake by limiting soft drinks, fruit juice, candy, and baked goods.

What about sugar in processed foods?

The best way to cut back on sugar is to limit your intake of highly processed foods.

This approach doesn’t require math, calorie counting, or reading food labels all the time.

However, if you’re simply unable to stick to unprocessed foods for financial reasons, here are some tips on how to make healthier choices:

  • Know that sugar has many names. These names include sugar, sucrose, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), dehydrated cane juice, fructose, glucose, dextrose, syrup, cane sugar, raw sugar, corn syrup, and more.
  • Check the ingredient list. If the ingredient list of a packaged food contains sugar in the first 3 ingredients or more than one type of sugar, consider avoiding it.
  • Be aware of “healthy” high sugar foods. Know that other high sugar foods often labeled healthy fall into the same category. These include agave, honey, organic cane sugar, and coconut sugar.

You should consider reading nutrition labels. Even foods disguised as “health foods” can be loaded with added sugars.

SUMMARY

If you eat highly processed, packaged foods, avoiding all added sugar can be difficult. Make sure to read labels and be aware that food producers often disguise added sugar using alternative names.

At the end of the day, it’s important to figure out the sugar intake that’s right for you.

Some people can handle a little bit of sugar in their diet, while for others it causes cravings, binge eating, rapid weight gain, and disease.

Every individual is unique, and you need to figure out what works for you.

Leave a Comment