Tortillas

Cecyyaya
Cecyyaya Posts: 8 Member
edited July 2022 in Food and Nutrition
Today I return to myfitnesspal. I was 230 pounds at one time and then went down to 127pounds. I am at 155. I have a hard time eating healthy because of my love of tortillas. I am not sure how I will lose the weight without completely getting ready of my love for mexican high carb food but I will lose 30 lbs. My pandemic lifestyle was work, eat and repeat. Today I start to count my calories and micro/macro stuff and will gently ease into exercise. Ooof this is alot for a Latino that is over 50... One step at a time..

Replies

  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 1,751 Member
    There are lower calorie tortillas out there. I would suggest trying some. Go on amazon and search low calorie tortillas. See if there are any that pique your interest.
  • BuellerFerrisBueller
    BuellerFerrisBueller Posts: 35 Member
    Can't you eat tortillas made out of whole grains? (The higher the fiber, the better.) Can't you use more vegetables and beans and less meat and cheese in your tacos?
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    ceciliaalvarado13 wrote: »
    Today I return to myfitnesspal. I was 230 pounds at one time and then went down to 127pounds. I am at 155. I have a hard time eating healthy because of my love of tortillas. I am not sure how I will lose the weight without completely getting ready of my love for mexican high carb food but I will lose 30 lbs. My pandemic lifestyle was work, eat and repeat. Today I start to count my calories and micro/macro stuff and will gently ease into exercise. Ooof this is alot for a Latino that is over 50... One step at a time..

    I live in New Mexico and tortillas are a big part of our traditional food. I don't really see anything inherently unhealthy about tortillas. I eat both corn and flour tortillas on a pretty regular basis. As nutrition goes, I look at my diet overall and don't really get into the minutia of individual food items in isolation. Right now I'm actually eating a bean and cheese burrito in a flour tortilla...I consider it to be a fairly nutritious lunch myself.

    Carbs don't really have anything to do with weight management...weight management is about calories (energy) consumed vs calories (energy) going out
  • LilBitofAugust
    LilBitofAugust Posts: 7 Member
    I too, love tortillas..! From a New Mexican abuelita, they are the best.

    I say, don't give them up. Just manage them better. Mexican food, aka, the food of the gods is carb heavy like you said. Just need to manage those other calories and stay madly in love with your tortillas. Just hands of mine.! :)

    Mmm bean and cheese burrito, someone is speaking my language.
  • LilBitofAugust
    LilBitofAugust Posts: 7 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    ceciliaalvarado13 wrote: »
    Right now I'm actually eating a bean and cheese burrito in a flour tortilla...

    Speaking my language, wolfman.....


  • Xellercin
    Xellercin Posts: 924 Member
    I'm not quite understanding how tortillas are a major problem unless you eat whole piles of them on their own.

    You have to look at your overall diet and make adjustments there. If you love tortillas, then why would you focus on that as the thing to reduce? Are there other areas where you could lower your intake? Cheese perhaps? Maybe fatty meat?

    I eat a lot of tortillas, but I fill them with lower calorie, plant-based fillings, like white bean and spinach, or black bean and tomatoes.

    Tortillas are wonderful, you can absolutely have plenty as part of a weight-loss or weight-maintenance diet.
  • siberiantarragon
    siberiantarragon Posts: 265 Member
    I don't know if you make tortillas or buy them, but if it's the latter, I recommend the Mission Carb Balance tortillas. My partner likes to binge on tortillas sometimes and now he gets those instead because they're lower calorie.
  • Cecyyaya
    Cecyyaya Posts: 8 Member
    OMG, tortillas is a love language. Yes, I have too many and with each meal. I am learning to readjust my life again. I really had to go back in time and remember how I lost the weight but this time I don't want to give up my favorite foods. Its still hard, because I love beans with bacon fat and then place it on a tortilla with some mexican cheese, i am drooling. I love traditional enchiladas where the tortilla is fried first. I realize there is a healthier way to eat everything but the reality is that its a hard change. I make and buy the tortillas. I also have to work on eating less because I think I stretched my stomach so one tortilla is not enough. Thank you for the support. I will keep working on everything to help me get healthier and lighter. Today is the first day that I am logging in everything. La tortillera :)
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,131 Member
    Cecyyaya wrote: »
    OMG, tortillas is a love language. Yes, I have too many and with each meal. I am learning to readjust my life again. I really had to go back in time and remember how I lost the weight but this time I don't want to give up my favorite foods. Its still hard, because I love beans with bacon fat and then place it on a tortilla with some mexican cheese, i am drooling. I love traditional enchiladas where the tortilla is fried first. I realize there is a healthier way to eat everything but the reality is that its a hard change. I make and buy the tortillas. I also have to work on eating less because I think I stretched my stomach so one tortilla is not enough. Thank you for the support. I will keep working on everything to help me get healthier and lighter. Today is the first day that I am logging in everything. La tortillera :)

    Maybe just start by logging what you eat now, honestly and fully, for a few days - not even trying to reduce it. Then, review and decide which foods you find not as much "worth their calories" to you personally, considering how filling the food is, how nutritious it is in terms of your overall needs, how tasty it is or otherwise important to your happiness. From there, you can reduce (or eliminate) the "higher calorie cost" things that are less important to you.

    Tortillas are not some kind of special evil. In a sense, the calories are a price tag, and if you want to manage your weight long term, you'll need to figure out how to live within a somewhat reduced calorie budget. That doesn't mean you need to follow some set of arbitrary rules about carbs, or bread, or tortillas, or whatever.

    It's just like a money budget, in that sense: Some people want to live in a tiny studio apartment that's cheaper, but be able to spend more money on wardrobe. Other people are willing to thrift-shop for their clothes, but want a house with a yard where they can grow flowers so spend more on that. Neither one is wrong, as long as they somehow can cover the basic necessities of food, clothing, shelter. (The eating analogies are adequate overall nutrition, feeling full, enjoying one's way of eating. Find the foods that fit your calorie budget, and get you there.)

    You can find the trade-offs in your eating budget that work best to keep you happy and healthy. You don't need to follow someone else's rules. It will take a little experimentation, thought, and attention - sure.

    To the bolded: I think "stretched stomach" is not exactly how it works. IMU, bigger factors are (1) hunger/appetite hormones, and (2) habits.

    It's normal to feel a bit hungry or crave-y in the first couple/few weeks of reduced calories (especially while still trying to figure out what our personal most-filling foods and best-satisfying eating schedule are). That's at least partly about habits. If you have pets, you know how they remind you that it's their usual treat or meal time, by fussing a bit? Our bodies are like that. After an adjustment period, where our body is a little bit "WTF?!", it's likely that some of that habit-triggered craving/appetite will moderate.

    That will be helped by not trying for some super-aggressive fast weight loss. It's even OK to ease into it. Set yourself up for slow weight loss, pound a week, even half a pound a week if your can tolerate a lack of reward on the scale at first. Know what your (estimated) calories to maintain your current weight would be. Try to eat to your goal, but if you have an unusually hungry day, anything less than that maintenance calorie level should result in long-term fat loss - just slower, so it'll take a bit longer for that scale-reward to show up.

    The slow loss starting strategy will also tend to minimize the impact of hunger/appetite hormones: The harder you cut calories, the more those hormone levels are likely to push back.

    Slow weight loss we can stick with, long enough to lose a meaningful amount of total weight, can take less calendar time to reach goal, vs. aggressive cuts that result in a sense of deprivation, binges, or even giving up altogether. Think about how to make the process as easy and sustainable as possible, rather than trying to make it as fast as possible.

    That's just one idea, may not work for everyone, but I'm just putting it out there for you to consider.
  • Cecyyaya
    Cecyyaya Posts: 8 Member
    Thank you everyone for the support and tips. Yes, I am trying to be more mindful of my food intake. It's challenging but I will do it. The tortilla is part of my keep list within moderation. Yesterday I prepped for the week, broiled chicken breasts all cut up in a container for me munch on or add to a salad. I also prepped a yummy Mediterranean salad for the week. One apple a day, honey crisp are my fave, and some cheese for snacks. Coffee stays of course with Stevia and some oatmilk. I am need to readjust and keep the lifestyle without giving up completely the Mexican food I love. :)
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,131 Member
    Cecyyaya wrote: »
    Thank you everyone for the support and tips. Yes, I am trying to be more mindful of my food intake. It's challenging but I will do it. The tortilla is part of my keep list within moderation. Yesterday I prepped for the week, broiled chicken breasts all cut up in a container for me munch on or add to a salad. I also prepped a yummy Mediterranean salad for the week. One apple a day, honey crisp are my fave, and some cheese for snacks. Coffee stays of course with Stevia and some oatmilk. I am need to readjust and keep the lifestyle without giving up completely the Mexican food I love. :)

    There ya go: That sounds like a plan. Yay!
  • Cecyyaya
    Cecyyaya Posts: 8 Member
    How many ways can you reinvent the tortillas? Its endless...the following require a version of tortilla:
    enchilada, gordita, sope, chilaquile, taco, taquito, tostada, chimigana and I can probably go on. Its amazing how versatile the tortilla is and that is why its tough to cut out. I can proudly say that I am eating one tortilla a day, its not easy to cut down but I am doing it. I savor it...Some day when I can handle a longer work out I might be able to eat more but my sedentary lifestyle requires me to have a low calorie. Yesterday I started to do some cardio and in a month I will begin the weights.
  • COGypsy
    COGypsy Posts: 1,346 Member
    Cecyyaya wrote: »
    How many ways can you reinvent the tortillas? Its endless...the following require a version of tortilla:
    enchilada, gordita, sope, chilaquile, taco, taquito, tostada, chimigana and I can probably go on. Its amazing how versatile the tortilla is and that is why its tough to cut out. I can proudly say that I am eating one tortilla a day, its not easy to cut down but I am doing it. I savor it...Some day when I can handle a longer work out I might be able to eat more but my sedentary lifestyle requires me to have a low calorie. Yesterday I started to do some cardio and in a month I will begin the weights.

    Do you only eat fried tortillas? I don't find tortillas at all hard to fit into my diet, but I also would never on the planet of Earth and the surrounding galaxy spend the time and energy to shop, prep, cook AND clean up the mess from frying. But yeah, enchiladas are pretty much weekly, huevos rancheros, chilequiles, breakfast tacos, street tacos are all regular parts of the rotation. I used to do tostadas in the air fryer, but the line between crispy and burnt is too fine now that I can't smell very much. Honestly, it's the cheese that's harder to fit in than the tortillas.
  • tumbleweed7834
    tumbleweed7834 Posts: 42 Member
    What Latin person doesn’t love tortillas? I use olè Mexican food keto tortillas daily (only 50 calories each) and flour or corn tortillas as a guest where ever. This way I won’t binge and eat just one.
  • Cecyyaya
    Cecyyaya Posts: 8 Member
    I am trying to eat tortillas that are just heated up on the comal (griddle). I will keep an eye ou for Ole...
    Cheese is great on a tortilla and it's staying in my life but just one quesadilla at a time.

    Last week I prepped with grilled chicken as lunch main protein. My family came over and I did not have time to prep this weekend but I will be mindful of what I will eat at work. I work ten hour days so I pack my snacks and lunch and i am logging in everything. This week protein will be boiled egg and homemade turkey patty wrapped in lettuce with tomato. It sounds weak but the patty is really good, I just season it well. I don't miss the bun.

    My tortillas are like dessert, its only for dinner and I only have one.

    I also took my butt to the gym. I started off by power walking on the treadmill. I thought I could handle it but I could barely move the next day. Its a new lifestyle, work, eat well, pray and be positive! Thanks for the support everyone.

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