For those on the higher end of low carb - question
Deena_Bean
Posts: 906 Member
Do you still eat any breads/pastas or is your carb allotment to allow for fruits/veggies that are higher in carbs? I stay under 100 carbs (total, not net) per day. I've had a few occasions where I've chosen pasta or bread (in the form of pizza only) as my carbs for the day - or a breakfast bar (usually Atkins). For example, last night I had homemade lasagna that was around 45 or so carbs (noodles/sauce/cottage cheese,etc). I'm just curious if many people fall in the "no bread, no pasta, no rice" or just sort of go with whatever they want that fits in. I haven't suffered any cravings or weird hunger from going this route, so I plan to stick to it - just wondering how others handle it.
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I eat in the higher end, for a while I was keto then off low carb for November and December, back at it now. I've been sticking around 100g this week, I have eaten bread and cookies and stayed in that range. I have been trying to add veggies in too, but I'm not a huge fan of them this time of year. I say if you aren't getting cravings from having those things then I wouldn't worry about adding them in. Some do struggle with cravings even from having just a small piece of something, but if that is not the case with you then don't worry about it. Make sure you are hitting your other macros though, protein is especially important for me and I struggle to reach that when I add too many cookies or breads in.0
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I haven't had any bread in a few months and I honestly don't miss it. I've had pizza crust, though, and it has been fine. I've also used low carb wraps to have tuna salad or shrimp wraps and they've been fine, too. Pasta only 2 or 3 times...no big deal. None of the flour based carbs frequent my diet, but they do come around sometimes. I am not a cookie/cake fan - so I don't miss that at all. Thankfully. I do miss crackers some, though. I love to eat them with cheese.0
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Based on my IIFYM profile, I am 125 grams carbs per day...I split it up as I seem fit. I definitely do not eat anywhere near the carbs I use to eat, but I still feel great and actually satiated with eating more nutrient dense food just less of it. Back in the day I would have blow all of my carbs by breakfast with what I ate.
For my lasagna, I use half the noodles (top / bottom) then used peeled strips of zucchini in the middle. Other catering tip is to soak you noodles in hot water instead of boiling them so they turn out perfect when you cook it off in the oven. Lastly love my three channel lasagna pan, makes it not be a hot mess when you try to get a piece.
Also lots of open face sandwiches / burgers as they use half the bread then use large romaine lettuce / collards / swiss chard to wrap the other side.0 -
I keep my carbs under 100g, tonight I'm having pizza but I can only have 2 pieces to keep me under that number. I don't have any medical issues to worry about, so going over or higher every now and then doesn't affect me in a negative way.
So to answer your question, I go with whatever fits in. Even having a higher carb count than most low carbers/ketoers has drastically reduced my cravings.
I did do keto for a little over a week which I really enjoyed, but the keto breath stopped me from continuing
I'm still so pissed off about that!!! My husband wouldn't come within 10 feet of me. 0 -
I tend to save my carbs for fruits and veggies or things like sweet potatoes. I also have some protein breakfast foods that have some oatmeal in them like protein crepes I don't eat wheat flour things cause they give me indigestion, and pasta just isn't filling for me. Sometimes I sprinkle rice or quinoa over a salad like it was nuts so I get some carbs that way. But I find it easiest to stick to my calorie macro and feel full and without cravings if I get most of my carbs from fruits or veggies. My carbs are 75 or so a day total not net0
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i hope this isn't a dumb question but what do you mean by day total and net?0
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angellakh150 wrote: »i hope this isn't a dumb question but what do you mean by day total and net?
Some people will subtract the fiber content from the total carbs. However, some countries have it like that on labeling already, so there would be nothing to subtract.
Also, some people subtract sugar alcohols as well. But this is generally less common since many of them actually affect blood sugar. Though, some fiber can effect blood sugar too.0 -
@angellakh, If you want to use net carbs, there is an add-on script for MFP that does the subtracting for you. Read about it here: http://cavemanketo.com/configuring-mfp/
Also, look in our Launchpad for more resources about this way of eating. Lots of books and recipe sites!
I am trying to get back down from around 100 carbs a day over the holidays, but people keep tempting me with goodies...
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I try to stay under a hundred as well. Generally I am closer to 50g but I find that I can't eat bread or pasta or anything like that as it seems to trigger sugar cravings. I like to use most of my carbs on fruit and veg anyway. Love my fruit!
If you don't have any issues with those foods and enjoy them then I don't see an issue with it.0 -
I never know whether I count as low carb, but here goes. Yesterday I had 108 grams of carbs yesterday (45 grams of fiber). That included lots of vegetables (snap peas, broccoli), legumes, (1/3 cup in my burrito), a persimmon, and two low carb tortillas. I'm not aiming for ketosis or anything like that, and included low carb wraps, the occasional bread, and the very occasional whole grain pizza crust (mostly I do zucchini pizza crusts). I try to have my carbs be as high in fiber as possible. Wednesday I had 57 grams of carbs, with 29 grams of fiber. Black beans, fave beans, snap peas, and one low carb tortilla.0
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I'm more likely to eat starches like legumes, roots vegetables, and occasionally rice than I am to eat pasta or bread. I feel like these options give me more "bang for my buck", nutritionally speaking. On special occasions I may have pizza or tacos (there's an amazing, authentic taco joint in Toronto that I go to once a year and I definitely make the most of it!), but I don't make a habit of it.0
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I aim to be under 100 total grams/day. I try to save regular bread, pizza, pasta, rice only for special occasions. I'm pre-T2D, and I find these foods spike my blood glucose. To make matters worse, these foods (as well as cookies, cake, etc) are trigger foods for me and its hard for me to regulate portions. I'm able to eat some oatmeal or black beans without problems. Just discovered Ezekiel 4:9 bread this week, which does not spike my glucose - that's going to be a game changer for me.0
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It's honestly kind of a relief to hear that there are at least a handful of people who sort of wing it and just stay under their goal with whatever they want. I tend to lean to fruit and sweet potatoes for the most part if I go over. Pizza and pasta do happen, though, and I am going to go with "it's fine if it's under" to keep myself a little more sane. I prefer not to eat bread/pasta for the most part, though.
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I try to stay under 75, some days I barely hit 30, other days I may go over and be closer to 100. For the most part, I have pretty much eliminated pastas, bread, rice and your typical starches. I also have cracked WAY down on sugary sweets (my kryptonite).
One thing I have started to learn is that, personally, I try not to worry about carbs from foods that once had a face, grows in nature (aside from potatoes) and is minimally processed. I will never eliminate fruit for example. (But, I was never a big fruit person to begin with.....except for summer strawberries!). So, the occasional apple has little to no impact on my progress. I still do allow myself to have the things I have eliminated occasionally, because that is just how life goes. I could never live a life without pasta, but I can live a life where pasta is an occasional splurge.
At the end of the day, it is all about balancing reality with the knowledge you can gain from reducing carbs/sugar. I know without a doubt that moderate to low carb has to be a WOE for me for the remainder of my life. I have (finally) accepted that, so now I am learning to balance my "real" life with new eating habits wihtout feeling deprived. So, maybe I can't have pasta 3-4 times a week now, but I can make it work twice a month. Once you have been doing it a while, you will start to learn what derails you, what you can fit without ruining progress and still be content with your meals.0 -
Yep, like most of the others I avoid pasta, rice and bread for the most part. A special occasion last night, so we had pizza. Once in a while wont hurt, I just don't do it every night or most days of the week0
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I avoid sugar, so that means no bread, pasta, rice, grains, cereals, fruit nor startchy veg (potato, beetroot, pumpkin, carrots etc). When very low carb/sugar I eat leafy greens (ie spinach and kale), broccoli, meat, fish, olive oil, coconut oil, avocado, seaweed nori, chia seeds, coconut cream, unsweetened almond milk, cream cheese and occasional nuts.
I also add cauliflower and 6 other slightly higher in sugar veg plus for a treat 1-2 berries or tomatoes but try to keep sugar less than 10 grams a day. Max out at 20g
Still can result in carbs on the higher end but all through veggies. Great thing is I don't need will power to say No, I just say Dr has me on a low sugar diet so I can't. Easy.0 -
I aim for 45 gross - no rice, potatoes, pasta, pulses, bread or sugar/honey.
NEVER thought I'd hear myself say that!
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I'm in about 50g any less and I end up with crippling 24x7 leg cramps that despite trying everything I was told worked.....fact was it didn't and I couldn't stand the pain anymore....50g seems to be my sweet spot...0
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pootle1972 wrote: »I'm in about 50g any less and I end up with crippling 24x7 leg cramps that despite trying everything I was told worked.
(I suppose you already tried magnesium?)0 -
I am VLCHF now, but at first I was at 100 gm a day. I was able to achieve the decreased hunger, and food control, very well at that level. My carb sources were from fruit, and some vegetables. The weight loss was a steady (albeit, a rollercoaster) decline. I found that the lower I went with carbs, the better I felt! Which is the main reason I am at less than 20 gm a day. Relief of fibromyalgia pain will do that for you (for me anyway
) Also, the weight loss didn't seem to differ with each level. I have found that I am sensitive (pain wise) to ALL carbs, no matter the source.
My recommendations to newbies is 100-150 gm a day, for a minimum of thirty days. Then evaluate your results (ie. weight, inches, how you feel...). And adjust as needed!
@pootle1972, have you tried 5000mg of sodium a day with Magnesium and potassium supplements, at the same time, in attempt to rid yourself of the leg cramps? I have learned that if I don't maintain all three, every day, I will cramp up something terrible! Good luck!0 -
I am trying to stay under the 100, with an end goal of <50. I eat whatever fits my hunger, trying to stay in range.
Instead of pasta for my Bolognese / Lasagna I have been either spiralling or thinly slicing Courgette to act as the "pasta" - hubby didn't notice until he had eaten it twice!0 -
For those of you that eat more carbs are you in maintenance or trying to loose? I'm trying to find a game plan for my maintenance life after keto for the last 4 months.0
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I was trying maintenance and upping carbs over the holidays, that was a disaster. I'm now back trying to lose but I don't have a lot left to lose so I'm not really worried about it. Mostly I want to not feel like crap so I have to be around 100 or else I'll go nuts on carbs.0
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I am thinking about doing this but on a much lower scale, maybe 60 carb range. The thing is I used to do induction with ease and I just can't handle it the way I used to0
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Looked back over my carb stats and have been averaging under 100, but I'm maintaining and possibly goofing off more than I should. I can do without the crummy white bread, rice, potatoes, pasta...but not without slow cooking oatmeal, beans, ezekial bread and wasa crisps! I'm going to see how I do within a range of 75-90. Ready for more loss.0
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Question for those who are doing a higher level of carbs, what is a good calorie target for someone that burns about 400 a day average in cardio0
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I'm currently doing the low end of moderate carb but when I'm at the high end of low carb I can have one portion of rice, potato, pasta, bread without suffering any cravings. Jelly beans, gumdrops and similar candies - I eat one portion then I wind up finishing the bag before the end of the day...which is how I regain weight I've lost. The longest I ever gave up those candies was two years - was easier for me to permanently quit smoking.0
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MilllieMoo wrote: »pootle1972 wrote: »I'm in about 50g any less and I end up with crippling 24x7 leg cramps that despite trying everything I was told worked.
(I suppose you already tried magnesium?)
Magnesium, orally, gel, spray, foot baths, b12, b3, vitamin d, more pink salt, more water,less water, tonic water (quinine).....you name it i tried it....increased carbs GONE...decrease back down pacing the floor at 2am and even as drastic as husband has to force my foot up as it will not move at all and I'm crying with pain.
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@pootle1972, have you tried 5000mg of sodium a day with Magnesium and potassium supplements, at the same time, in attempt to rid yourself of the leg cramps? I have learned that if I don't maintain all three, every day, I will cramp up something terrible! Good luck![/quote]
Not tried potassium as I read counter indications of taking it.
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I eat anywhere from 50-150ish carbs a day....Majority of my diet is veg, protein, fat, 2-3 fruit a day. 2-3x a week I'll have some form of 'other' carb but keep it as clean as possible--and ONLY a few a week. One (normal) serving size. Whole grain brown rice, quinoa pasta, low carb naan or pita/wrap etc. It works for me. Will probably have to adjust my carbs (even "natural" ones) as I get closer to my goal weight but for now I have a lot to lose and it's working for my body and keeping me feeling energized, healthy and satisfied.0
