Is it necessary to cut out bread when wanting to lose weight?

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  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
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    If you like bread and if fits your calorie goal then have some. Some bread is lower calorie than others.

    I don't eat a lot of bread in a day because it doesn't help me reach my protein goal so much. Protein foods fill me up more than bread. One sandwich is fine. Bread at every meal is less fine.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
    edited October 2017
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    I’m having bagels for breakfast so no
  • Spiderpug
    Spiderpug Posts: 159 Member
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    I love rye bread 100cals for a tiny slice but to me it's worth it!
    If you love it, count it & eat it. You may change how/what you choose as calories allow.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    malibu927 wrote: »
    I’m having bagels for breakfast so no

    I'm having donuts!
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
    edited October 2017
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    elizabethdzenitis wrote: »
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    Why would you think eating bread would prevent you from losing weight?


    Maybe I'm losing it but I swear I've heard a million times that bread just goes to people's legs and crap. And when I go to Jimmy Johns they have the "healthier option" of a sandwich wrapped in lettuce. I've never heard anyone tell me that it's healthy.

    What they all said. Jimmy John's is trying to sell sandwiches, and if keto people want to avoid bread then Jimmy John's is happy to sell a sandwich to them with lettuce instead of bread.

    If suddenly Jimmy John's discovered that Americans had become vegan, they'd offer meatless sandwiches on lettuce for vegan keto people. I don't right now doubt that I could find a meatless sandwich on the Jimmy John's web site. Jimmy John's is no more a source for valid health data than is any other retail food establishment.

    And I did. https://www.jimmyjohns.com/menu/#/subs/vegetarian/ I'm highly confident they'd sell it to you with no bread.

    Indeed, all sandwiches have the "unwich" option with lettuce for all. It knocks a couple hundred calories off the total.

    I might have to go get one for lunch.
  • LiftHeavyThings27105
    LiftHeavyThings27105 Posts: 2,086 Member
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    Like so many people have said, "no'!

    But, there is a whole lot behind that "no"! I am going to be really basic here - and, to be clear, not being disrespectful or speaking in a disparaging way....not to you, not to anyone.

    So, you want to loose weight. Okay...cool! You need to find your maintenance TDEE. SIDENOTE: this is not the way mfp does things...I will address that in a moment as well. No idea how to figure that out? No worries. Just search for a "TDEE Calculator" on-line. There have been several different tools mentioned in the forums here. Pick one. I like the one at http://tdeecalculator.net. Put in your details and look at the results.

    It will break things down for you. Now, here is the important part: THIS IS SIMPLY A STARTING POINT! So, whatever the on-line calculator tells you....DO NOT CONSIDER THAT YOUR NUMBER. Use it as a starting point and play...give it a week or two and see how your body responds.

    So, if you are - based on this tool - supposed to be at 1,750 Calories then eat 1,750 Calories for a week. Weigh yourself everyday, at the same time, on the same scale and note that weight. Over the course of the week you will get your average weight....and you will see a trend (either up a little, down a little or no change). Also, since you are a woman....doing this while you are on your period is not likely a good idea. So, if you have a regular cycle wait until after this month's cycle is gone.

    So, let's just say that over the next two or three weeks you are eating that 1,750 Calories every day and you are weighing yourself every morning on the same scale and you see that your weight does not really change (of course there will be daily fluctuation.....we are human beings...that happens). So, hawt dang! You are the one person in the world for whom the on-line calculator was spot-on! :wink:

    So, now we know your maintenance caloric intake. At this point we are not going to change anything on your menu. So, whatever you were eating, keep on eating.

    If you want to loose one pound of body fat in a week then you need to be 500 Calories/day less than your maintenance. In terms of one week (and that should be - I would suggest anyway - the 'measurable unit' when talking about nutrition and weight.....generally speaking) that would be 3,500 Calories below maintenance.

    So, let's just say that is what you want to do. So, you drop down to 1,250 calories a day (I would not suggest really doing this....just to be clear.....as this is getting really low....it is not sustainable, anyway....so, could you do this? Yes, for a few weeks or so. But you would be HANGRY soon!)

    So, you continue weighing yourself every day for four weeks. You notice that you have - on average - actually lost four pounds over those four weeks. Just like we thought.

    This is a legit scenario - generally speaking. All we did was find out your maintenance caloric intake for one day (using a tool.....as a starting point.....and then playing with numbers for a few weeks to pinpoint your specific and unique numbers) and reduce that number by 500.

    We did not change Physical Activity, N.E.A.T or anything. Just "Calories In" in the "Calories In/Calories Out" formula.

    For most people, that works. Generally speaking.

    Now, if you have some food intolerance then you would likely need to address each one appropriately. A food intolerance - one that is very common is a problem with milk (aka, lactose intolerance) - will lead to inflammation and that is a bad bad bad thing - well, if it is a chronic thing - for the human body.

    See how no where in there did I mention anything specifically about bread? Or anything other kind of food? Nothing about "healthy" food....nothing about "clean" food. Just mentioned calories. There is a reason for that.

    So, we could hypothesize about the intent of the "just cut bread out of your diet and you will be okay" comment. I mean, let's have some fun, right? Let's get creative and come up with 25 fun and crazy reasons for that statement. Maybe that person was sharing his/her experience and for him/her that worked. But, he/she left out some important details.....like he/she has a gluten intolerance and he/she was eating only wheat bread (because that is what he/she REALLY likes) and, of course, wheat bread is very likely not gluten-free! So, maybe an innocent oversight.......maybe not, though.

    Who knows?

    There is truly no "bad" food - assuming no food intolerance. I follow IF (well, mostly....so not really a true Intermittent Fasting regime) and I like Flexible Dieting. Essentially, as long as I have room in my 'nutritional budget' for something - and there is no 'lactose' in it (I do not respond well to lactose any longer) - then there is no need to make it disappear from my meal plan.

    So, as many have said.....if you enjoy bread (I lived in Germany for a few years after graduating University here in the States and bread is a HUGE part of their meals....so, I really enjoy good bread) then by all means continue to enjoy bread.

    In other words.....and, yes, I used 10,000 words when I could have stated this: there is no magic food, per se, that is going to make of break your weight loss plan.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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    no. i love bread.

    i dont eat a TON of it, but i certainly eat it and dont avoid it.
  • cairnsmom
    cairnsmom Posts: 93 Member
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    I limit them because they do not satisfy me, so I overeat, which then makes me sluggish and bloated. It's a personal choice.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited October 2017
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    I don't find that bread improves a meal, so for me it's an easy thing to do and not remotely difficult (same with rice). Saves calories, no loss in pleasure (for me).

    But if you love bread, then eat bread. Cut out calories that you won't miss much. (For the same reason I also cut down on added oil and butter, although did not cut it out. I just found I could use less and not notice the difference. I also consume smaller portions of pasta and potatoes when I eat them.)
  • whosshe
    whosshe Posts: 597 Member
    edited October 2017
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    elizabethdzenitis wrote: »
    I love bread. I'm basically the pinnacle of Opera in that one commercial. I just can't help myself with bread. And im wondering if by eating it, if it's hindering my weight loss? Are there any other foods that I could eat that would replace bread and still make food taste good? (And don't hit me with using lettuce as bread cause we all know lettuce is plain and sad. At least I think so. I've tried it and it makes me sad)

    Nahhhh. I cut out a lot of carbs at the beginning of my weight-loss but added them back because they're delicious. Count your calories, lose the weight. Bread is good and sandwiches are so easy.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    eliciaobrien1 wrote: »
    elizabethdzenitis wrote: »
    I love bread. I'm basically the pinnacle of Opera in that one commercial. I just can't help myself with bread. And im wondering if by eating it, if it's hindering my weight loss? Are there any other foods that I could eat that would replace bread and still make food taste good? (And don't hit me with using lettuce as bread cause we all know lettuce is plain and sad. At least I think so. I've tried it and it makes me sad)

    Nahhhh. I cut out a lot of carbs at the beginning of my weight-loss but added them back because they're delicious. Count your calories, lose the weight. Bread is good and sandwiches are so easy.

    One of the many reasons I find bread helps me stay on track. Can't be bothered to cook today? A delicious filling sandwich will do it.
  • Pepsab
    Pepsab Posts: 168 Member
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    I eat a fair bit of bread too but try to limit it to one meal a day and i tend to avoid pasta etc. My weight loss is slow and steady around 1.3lbs a week. When i cut the bread and carbs out i was losing 2lbs a week but to me that wasnt achievable long term.
  • dwilliamca
    dwilliamca Posts: 325 Member
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    Nothing wrong with bread. Most of the time I choose breads that are whole wheat, high in fiber, high in protein, and 60-80 calories per slice. Usually, even on sandwiches, I only eat one piece of bread so that it doesn't become a calorie hog (but I only get 1200 calories). However, if I went to a restaurant that had fresh baked white bread, I'd probably eat at least 2 pieces with butter and make up for it somewhere else.
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
    edited October 2017
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    Um... your body runs on glucose. It turns bread to sugar so it can use it. Bread may not be necessary for survival, but when you say we don't need carbs of any kind, you're also eliminating fruits and vegetables. Which makes it much harder to get adequate nutrition.

    And even if we don't 'need' bread, well... I didn't 'need' a new cardigan the other day, but it looked darned good on me and the price was right, so I got it anyway. I may not need bread, but it tastes darned good and if I have enough calories to enjoy a moderate amount, I'm eating it anyway.
  • theabsentmindednurse
    theabsentmindednurse Posts: 405 Member
    edited October 2017
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    I adore bread, but eat it occasionally.
    Only because I have a medical condition that makes digestion difficult. But there are times I still have a splurge.

    The truth is-There is no Bad food!
    Unless you have a medical condition, than you can enjoy bread.
    Log it and stay within your. Daily caloric intake.
    It's time we stopped demonising certain food!!
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
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    I love the freshly baked fruit and nut breads they sell at a Uk store called M & S but other than that, I do not really bother with it much. I just occasionally buy one of these walnut or fig and hazelnut batons from aforementioned store and have some of that, by itself, because it doesn't need anything added. It tastes great by itself.
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
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    flmerrin wrote: »
    My health improves substantially when I stop eating grains. My A1C drops to 4.7 from about 6.0 and overall my blood chemistry improves.
    Why? Bread turns to sugar.
    The truth is we don't need bread or carbs of any kind, what you can't live without is protein and fats.
    Don't take my word for it, research it...

    The amount of protein and fats you need to live comes up at ~500 calories. You wouldn't survive on that though because you need more calories.
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
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    estherdragonbat wrote: »
    Um... your body runs on glucose. It turns bread to sugar so it can use it. Bread may not be necessary for survival, but when you say we don't need carbs of any kind, you're also eliminating fruits and vegetables. Which makes it much harder to get adequate nutrition.

    And even if we don't 'need' bread, well... I didn't 'need' a new cardigan the other day, but it looked darned good on me and the price was right, so I got it anyway. I may not need bread, but it tastes darned good and if I have enough calories to enjoy a moderate amount, I'm eating it anyway.

    And here I thought it was the shoes you didn't need :)

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