Carb crisis! Heellppp!!

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JayLeitao
JayLeitao Posts: 13 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So I work in a very active job for many, many hours, every single day. I get one free meal a day at work which is a must for me as I have no time to eat anywhere else, but it's always full of CARBSSS! And I have to argue with my boss to give me some greens, which he may or may not do, so most of our meals are: Burgers with fries, Country sausage with fries, chili con carne with rice.....
You see where I'm going with this? Lots of meat and LOTS of carbs. And okay, it does provide me with a good deal of energy to keep going, but the problem is that I'm getting a gut I can't seem to get rid of!

I'm currently on day 25 of the 30 day ab challenge and while I can feel an improvement on my core strength, there's no visible change! I don't have the time to sit and do exercises beyond this.

Does anyone have ANY suggestions at all? Thank you!
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Replies

  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
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    If I had to worry about soemthing in these meals, it would the frying, and the saturated fats. I cannot see carbs as the problem here. The calories e.g. in a boiled potato would be nowhere close to the calories of the fries.
    If you cannot stand the food, wy not bring your own? it would not be free of course, but it should be an option, no?
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
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    Ab workouts are for strenghtening abs, not melting fat. You can have awesome abs, under a layer of fat
  • cityruss
    cityruss Posts: 2,493 Member
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    JayLeitao wrote: »
    So I work in a very active job for many, many hours, every single day. I get one free meal a day at work which is a must for me as I have no time to eat anywhere else, but it's always full of CARBSSS! And I have to argue with my boss to give me some greens, which he may or may not do, so most of our meals are: Burgers with fries, Country sausage with fries, chili con carne with rice.....
    You see where I'm going with this? Lots of meat and LOTS of carbs. And okay, it does provide me with a good deal of energy to keep going, but the problem is that I'm getting a gut I can't seem to get rid of!

    I'm currently on day 25 of the 30 day ab challenge and while I can feel an improvement on my core strength, there's no visible change! I don't have the time to sit and do exercises beyond this.

    Does anyone have ANY suggestions at all? Thank you!

    Why are you worrying about consuming carbohydrates?
  • gaelicstorm26
    gaelicstorm26 Posts: 589 Member
    edited September 2015
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    Pack your meal instead of eating it at work.

    Take the burger off of the bun, skip the fries, bring a small side salad to supplement part of the meal, and I don't see a problem at all with the chili (not that I see a problem with any of the rest of it either). Rice and beans together are an energy powerhouse.

    I think there are a lot of solutions to this if you want to cut carbs but you'll have to provide some of your own food.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
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    If you're getting a gut, you're probably eating too much, period. It sounds like you need to worry more about eating too many calories than carbs.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
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    You could take a lunch with you.....

    carbs aren't the enemy by the way, you just have to make sure you aren't eating too many calories overall, its not what you eat, its how much.
  • Yi5hedr3
    Yi5hedr3 Posts: 2,696 Member
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    Throw away the bun! It's just a lump of sugar. ;)
  • ki4eld
    ki4eld Posts: 1,215 Member
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    If the carbs aren't giving you a problem other than excess calories, cut the calories and eat a little less. Personally, I'd bring my own food and supplement with the free stuff as I had available macros.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    RunRutheeRun wrote: »
    You could take a lunch with you.....

    carbs aren't the enemy by the way, you just have to make sure you aren't eating too many calories overall, its not what you eat, its how much.

    +1
  • kwtilbury
    kwtilbury Posts: 1,234 Member
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    DeguelloTex wrote: »
    If you're getting a gut, you're probably eating too much, period. It sounds like you need to worry more about eating too many calories than carbs.

    This. Ditch the fries. They're often the biggest culprit when it comes to calories.

  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
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    Agree with everything said. Prepared meals are hard to estimate the calories for, so if you can, pack a lunch in a cooler. Or, if you are gaining, you are likely underestimating the calories in the lunches, so try to picking more accurate entries in the database. Or you could shave 50 calories off our calorie goal the rest of the week to account for the inconsistencies of your lunch.

    I really have no clue what any of this has to do with carbs.
  • andrikosDE
    andrikosDE Posts: 383 Member
    edited September 2015
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    Bring your own greens in a baggie and a jar of your own dressing.
    Eat whatever else offered for free that you deem "ok".
    Problem solved.
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
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    andrikosDE wrote: »
    Bring your own greens in a baggie and a jar of your own dressing.
    Eat whatever else offered for free that you deem "ok".
    Problem solved.
    Yes, google "salad in a jar"; it's apparently a huge thing and an easy way to pack salads for eating while out and about.
  • Florida_Superstar
    Florida_Superstar Posts: 194 Member
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    Unless you have a metabolic condition where carbs DO matter, you're probably just consuming too many calories and it has nothing to do with carbs. As many others said, bring your own food so you know what you're eating--that is #1 most important thing. I know you said you have no other time to eat, but honestly it would help if you could spread out the calories you eat through the day. This won't make you lose weight, it will just keep you satisfied and less likely to overeat when you have time for a meal.
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
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    Unless you have a medical condition, carbs aren't a problem . you seem misunderstood.
    If your gaining, that means your eating at a surplus.
    To lose weight you must eat at a deficit. Carbs are just a macro and won't cause weight gain. Eating too much of anything ( surplus) causes weight gain.
    You could bring your own food in lunch box if your unhappy with the foods your given at work. Its really that simple. If you want veggies, bring them from your house and eat them at work. Not a crisis by any means.
  • rhyolite_
    rhyolite_ Posts: 188 Member
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    If you want to take advantage of the free meal, just eat less of it.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    edited September 2015
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    I'm on the bring your own lunch bandwagon. i do every day. There is a ton of delicious high calorie food around me but i try to bring my own food so i don't waste my calories at lunch when i would much rather waste them on a good dinner.-my personal preference

    burgers and fries aren't bad for you. calorie surplus is
  • JayLeitao
    JayLeitao Posts: 13 Member
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    Okay thanks for the suggestions, unfortunately with my current lifestyle I live at work. I don't actually even have time to go to the supermarket. I know that sounds ridiculous and is mostly unfathomable but I start work before supermarkets open and don't finish early enough before they close. Besides the fact that there is too much time wasted in preparing even a sandwich because I literally live on a minute to minute schedule, it's why I only have time to ham one meal down. If I cut out the fries and bun I'm literally eating a burger patty to sustain me for 13 hours of unbearable active work, I'll starve. And I'm not gaining weight, I just have a bit of stubborn fat I can't seem to shred, the rest of me is tiny. I see "you are likely not eating enough" every single day...I don't sit down for 13 hours and I bike 4 times a day, for a total of two hours of biking, to and fro work. I've lost ridiculous amounts of weight since starting this job but it's just that bit of stomach!! Seems that I'm hating on carbs for no reason so let's change the angle - best way to get rid of that tiny bit with virtually no time to spare??
  • sixxpoint
    sixxpoint Posts: 3,529 Member
    edited September 2015
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    RunRutheeRun wrote: »
    You could take a lunch with you.....

    carbs aren't the enemy by the way, you just have to make sure you aren't eating too many calories overall, its not what you eat, its how much.
    andrikosDE wrote: »
    Bring your own greens in a baggie and a jar of your own dressing.
    Eat whatever else offered for free that you deem "ok".
    Problem solved.

    ^ Basically this.

    I work in a restaurant, so staff meal is always like 80% carbs, very rice and pasta heavy, because they are cheap ingredients. If that's all I ate, while snacking on fries here and there, and ignoring my protein and dietary fat minimums from whole foods, then I'd be in trouble.

    You have to think of your path toward fitness & nutrition as a lifestyle change. No excuses like the ones you just gave or you won't ever be happy with where you are. Try to get be better at time management and organization. Prepare food in advance when you do have the time so you have stuff to grab on the go for the next few days.
  • gaelicstorm26
    gaelicstorm26 Posts: 589 Member
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    What kind of job is this? I thought it was illegal in the US to make a person work for 13 hours with just one break.

    I'm guessing you live in a rural area? I don't think I would survive in an area without 24-hour grocery stores!

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