How to Eat Less Carbs??

How can I sway my craving for carbs during every meal? I enjoy pancakes, muffins, candy, cakes, cookies etc
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  • kariii24
    kariii24 Posts: 7 Member
    Tell yourself you are not going to eat carbs at all three meals. I also love pancakes, muffins, candy, cakes, cookies etc. I will not lose weight eating those types of carbs at every meal. I do not keep those carbs in my house; if I did I would eat them at a low moment when I get a craving or more accurately the need/urge. All week I was offered cheesecake, chocolate kisses, pastries, box of cookies and ice cream. I said no to them all. I did great by saying no to them all.

    I wish I had your willpower. ❤️
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,846 Member
    kariii24 wrote: »
    How can I sway my craving for carbs during every meal? I enjoy pancakes, muffins, candy, cakes, cookies etc

    I enjoy those foods too, but don't find them filling at all, so they are basically empty calories for me - as far as satiety is concerned, I may as well have eaten nothing. So I have to plan very carefully for them, and fit them in as a treat, not a staple.

    Also, I can't eat them in the beginning of the day. On the rare occasion that I have pancakes, I have them for dinner, on a night when I have nothing planned for the rest of the evening, as they make me sluggish.

    All the of the foods you mentioned except for candy have flour, sugar, and fat. I feel very different after a high carb meal such as rice and beans than when eating foods that were mostly flour, sugar, and fat. Try playing around with the composition of your meals.

    Also, try having fruit as a dessert. We are coming into strawberry season where I am and local strawberries are just amazing. I grow my own. When they are not in season, I buy frozen strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries. I like some Greek yogurt with berries for a dessert - it satisfies my sweet tooth for way less calories than cake, and there is a bonus of protein.

    Speaking of protein, when mine is low, I get cravings for carbs. Try focusing on hitting your protein goal and see what that does for your carb cravings.

    Also, since you have medical conditions, do look into getting a referral to a dietitian who can help you with this.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    I have seen many people claim that going super low carb quelled their craving. However people often report results after only a few weeks so it could be a placebo effect that is not lasting and you have to remain skeptical of anecdotal evidence. With that said I see no harm in conducting an experiment but I do suggest that if you try very low carb that you taper off over a week or so instead of going in cold because it can diminish your electrolytes. This is commonly called the keto flu. There are ways to avoid it like increasing salt consumption but I don't think it is wise to risk it. Electrolytes help regulate some very vital internal systems.

    If the experiment seems successful you should try to raise your carbs back up to 75-80 and see if it is still holding then raise it again to 110-125. There is no reason to remain ultra low carb if it is not necessary.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,846 Member
    kgeyser wrote: »
    kariii24 wrote: »
    How can I sway my craving for carbs during every meal? I enjoy pancakes, muffins, candy, cakes, cookies etc

    I find that carbs make me tired and hungrier, and then I end up overeating. So what I have found helpful is:
    • Not eating carbs alone - I make sure I have more protein and/or fat with my carbs. For example, I generally have a bagel for breakfast, but since it is a high protein bagel with cream cheese, it doesn't seem to kick off cravings. My macros for that end up being 29p/27c/12f, with 4g of fiber.
    • Having a low carb meal in the middle of a day - I seem to have an easier time when my lunch is just protein and veggies, no bread, pasta, etc. The protein helps keep me full, and the carbs from veggies don't seem to kick off the cravings, probably because of the fiber/taking longer to digest.
    • Limiting access to stupid carbs - I try not to keep foods that I know are just going to cause problems in the house.
    • Timing my carbs for the end of the day - Dinner tends to be my most "carb heavy" meal, and if I have a dessert, it's usually something with a lot of carbs compared to other macros. But by that point in the day, I've had enough food volume to feel full (and mentally know I've eaten enough), and I'm usually so tired from the rest of the day that if the carbs make me feel tired, I can just go to sleep.

    A good place to start is just to track your normal eating pattern for a while and how you feel after meals, then start playing around with your food combinations and macros to see if you can find your sweet spot.

    Yes, I am hungry again in less than an hour after eating a whole bagel with butter, but am slightly more satisfied after having a whole bagel with cream cheese, and a half bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon is a good smallish meal for me.