I’ve been eating too many carbs. I need a change and loads of suggestions.
Why do you say that?
Weight loss is directly about calories. Macronutrients are important for nutrition, so if you're eating so many carbs you can't get enough protein or fats (which contain essential nutrients), then yeah, eating fewer carbs might be a good plan.
But carbs aren't evil. Some people have health conditions (diabetes, insulin resistance, etc.) that mean they need to manage their carb intake, but even they can have carbs if they choose.
Try to get a well-rounded overall balanced diet eating foods you like. If you need recipes, look in the Recipes topic area of the Community, or in the MFP blog. There are lots of meal planning and recipe ideas there.
Best wishes!
Carbs aren't evil, they are just fuel. And, a gram of carbs actually has less calories than a gram of fat! So, I wouldn't worry about eating too many carbs, but the quality of those carbs.
Are you eating a lot of sugary, processed stuff? THAT would be an issue. The ultraprocessed and sugary foods don't fill you up well, and you can easily overeat. Also, they don't have the nutrition your body needs.
Try going for more whole foods instead. Try grabbing veggies instead of chips, fruit instead of cookies/cake,etc. Try switching breads to whole grain (NOT wheat, that usually is colored white bread - gotta see the seeds). You can also try lentil pasta instead of regular.
Protein is the macro that we should be looking at with losing weight, since maintaining muscle is important. You can look at protein enriched foods - nonfat Greek yogurt, meats, soy, beans, etc.
Carbs aren't evil, but I did find as I lost weight that I was happiest and felt best if I ate fewer of them and ate more fat and protein.
An easy place to start might be changing proportions - I bulk up pasta and rice dishes with lots of veggies, which are also carbs but significantly lower in calories while being big on volume. Or I began serving sauces, stir fries, etc over roasted veggies instead of pasta and rice.
I agree with the assessment that going for less processed carbs overall is a good strategy. I do eat bread, but I'm unapologetically snobbish about it. I'm not wasting calories on bread that isn't amazing. If that means an open faced sandwich or only one slice of toast to make it fit my calorie budget, that's worth it to me. I also found I could do without buns a lot of the time for various sandwiches. Pulled pork or chicken with a less sweet BBQ sauce topped with vinegary coleslaw and pickles is excellent with a fork.
Other examples are fajitas or tacos as a salad rather than in tortillas.
I think most people losing weight "for good" do eventually decide that many foods just aren't worth it most of the time, but the process of changing diet is a gradual thing rather than an abrupt 180 and may involve fewer "big" changes than expected at the beginning.
A few suggestions I like and find easy enough to make-
Egg roll in a bowl- to start, go easy and google it. Buy the pre shredded cabbage and ground turkey.
Substitute all bread- look into lavish bread, sola protein bagels, use rice paper for wraps.
Fish, cottage cheese and chicken are staples for high protein- low carb items that can satisfy those numbers.
Carbs are NOT the enemy.
How many carbs are you eating? Try cutting it in half. Eat open face sandwiches or use lettuce instead of bread. Change rice to quinoa. Try eating more protein - it might help your carb cravings.
SOME carbs are the enemy. One needs to look at their diet as to how much added sugar one is consuming. The added sugar information is on the product nutrition label. This most likely won't solve the whole problem, but it will go a long way for most.
He didn't say that. He just said he knows he feels better when eating less.
I will say that if I am trying to get a decent amount of protein in a day, I don't eat as many carbs. I do still eat them. but I don't over do it.
