Jennifer,

In the bottom part of the calorie summary on the diary page you will see carbs listed. A sub part to carbs is sugars. That is where you would see your sugar totals.

1. Weight loss can be hard because it’s an emotionally charged issue. It can be _easy_ if it is thought of objectively, as just an engineering problem to solve. Guilt and pain => failure. Positive and fun => success. “The Hacker’s Diet” is a free book, written by a computer geek, with lots of good no-nonsense practical advice for tackling the problem in an honest matter-of-fact way.

2. Track your progress. You don’t need to do hours and hours of data input and analysis, but you do need to know where you are and how you’re doing. For me, recording the morning weigh-in is essential, providing positive feedback when progress is being made, or reminding me when it isn’t. Plotting the improvement over six months is a visual way of showing that skipping those doughnuts really does matter, over time.

3. Super-detailed tracking isn’t critical, but a tool like CRON-o-meter is very valuable for learning the facts about foods. I don’t count every single calorie, but it *is* important to be _aware_ of everything you eat. Eat whatever you *decide* to eat, but break the habit of eating without deliberate intention. For example, i allow myself unlimited amounts of raw veggies and other water-rich foods, because they’re such an incredible bargain in terms of nutrition / calorie ratio. But dry carbs are restricted to a bare minimum (which makes a lot of sense, once you’ve learned some basic food science).

4. Protein is key. You want to reduce calories, but not protein, because you want to avoid muscle loss. Protein also reduces feelings of hunger (not fat, as previously believed). I eat most of my (complex) carbs early in the day, for fuel, and usually have a light proteinaceous meal or snack in the evening. If you’re feeling a bit hungry when you go to bed, make that into a positive association with improving your health, and enjoy the feeling. No, seriously, enjoy it! (BTW, thirst is often confused with hunger, so maybe you’re more thirsty than hungry anyway).

5. Exercise helps a lot. Strictly by the numbers, food intake counts for a lot more than any energy expenditure from exercise, but there’s more to it than just the calories. Exercise is very worthwhile in its own right, even if you aren’t trying to lose weight. It has some minor benefits of its own — like living longer and being healthier as you age.

I can’t figure it out either. I’m going to switch to a different forum solution soon….I’ll let you know when it’s working.