No carbs at dinner?

jensiegel39

Well, I am pre-diabetic, so my doc said to reduce my sugar and carbs. I think I am. But I'm not sure what limit. On MFP, it says 160 g a day, but my trainer said no more than 100 g a day. The Diabetic Association website said between 145 and 160 g a day. I'm just not sure what to do with it...

jonnythan

I have to get a scale.

Yes, you do.

This is the single most important thing you can do for weight loss.

Period, end of story.

It should be your absolute #1 priority. Go out and get one right now if you can.

Adw7677

In general, with the chicken breasts: The whole big piece - when it's like 2 of them stuck together, attached with a muscle or something - that is a pound. If it's just the one solid piece without the attachment, 8 ounces. I buy the tenderloins by the case from Costco and those have all weighed in at about 2 ounces each.

And when you buy a food scale, make sure it has an off button! Mine actually has a second battery slot where I have to move the battery EVERYTIME I'm done, otherwise it drains it. I wish I had known before I bought it!

Good luck, and welcome to MFP!

jensiegel39

First thing in the morning. I promise! I will get thee scale...

SherryTeach

I eat carbs all day long. . . several different varieties of fruit and veggie, small amounts of rice, potato, and bread. I try to hit all of my nutritional goals: fiber, vitamins, minerals, and stay within a few percentage points of my macros. Carbs are probably 55-60% of my diet. . . and I've been at my goal weight for a year. Carbs are not evil. They are part of a balanced food plan.

Sarauk2sf

I think he said because I would go to sleep shortly after dinner and not burn them off. He said if it was too hard, I could eat carbs with dinner like every fourth night. I still think that's too much of a stretch for me. I mean, I'm trying to make a lifestyle change, not change everything so completely that I'm miserable! Since I'm so limited in what I like, cutting carbs completely from dinner just seems outlandish to me! Maybe I'll get there eventually, with some more experimentation. Right now, I'm just trying to find enough foods to eat each day to have enough of each thing but not overdo each thing and have enough calories. Yesterday, I was almost 800 calories too low! And I felt I ate a lot. I think while I have this time off, I'll have to research some easy no carb/low carb recipes of stuff I will actually eat so that when I return to work, it's doable and I don't give up. Right now, the food aspect (especially dinner) feels like such a struggle. Not with me being hungry - I actually don't feel hungry and feel like I'm eating a lot more than usual - but with having things I actually like to eat that aren't bad for me!

The whole 'not burn them off while you sleep' is a complete misnomer. You have to look at net fat oxidation for the whole day. In any event, you still burn calories when you sleep. A large percentage of your TDEE (the amount of calories you burn in a day) is actually from your BMR (what you burn if you were in a coma - keeping your body alive...breathing, repairing itself etc).

One of the best things you can do for health markers, is be active and lose weight. Doing something like making adherence harder with things that are basically meaningless in the scheme of things, is not a good approach. Having a sensible and sustainable plan is the best thing you can do imo.

Unless your doctor tells you otherwise, there is no reason to go below 100g of carbs a day. Your trainer is misinformed and I honestly would not take any nutrition advice from them.

Dieting can be hard, and misinformation like your trainer is giving you makes it harder.

Sarauk2sf

I think I miscalculated. And no, I didn't weight it. I had a half breast, cut into two "sandwiches". I try to eat more protein, but I just don't like meat that much. Perhaps it was 4 oz. I have to get a scale. I've been measuring things with measuring cups, but for meat, I've just been eating one or half a chicken breast a day. I got a steak and had it for three meals. But I guess I should weigh this stuff...

A scale one of the best tools for successful weight loss for many people.

lynn_glenmont

I'm not sure of that brand of pasta, but I found this Dreamfields stuff that's really good and low carb.

If you're referring to the post that said courgette pasta, I don't think it's a brand. Courgette is the term for summer squash (a.k.a. zucchini) in the U.K. and some other parts of the English-speaking world. People shred it and use it as a low-calorie substitute for pasta (e.g., as a base for marinara sauce, etc.).

PrettyPearl88

Would you go to a dietician to get advice on how to lift weights?

THIS.

The whole low-carb thing is overrated in my opinion. I don't think it makes a difference as long as you're not eating a ridiculous amount of carbs (as in, inhaling entire loaves of bread and buckets of rice and pasta). Just watch your total calorie intake, eat a healthy and balanced diet, exercise regularly and you'll lose weight. I lost 50 lbs while enjoying my yummy carbs. So there! :laugh:

Also...NO carbs at dinner? Good luck with that, as it's impossible to consume a balanced, healthy meal with ZERO carbs. Even vegetables have carbs.

jensiegel39

Thanks again, everyone! I really feel such encouragement and support on this board! It's really nice. And I find it so inspirational to see all of you who have lost weight. That's really great. And now I shall eat carbs (healthy ones) and not feel badly about it. As many of you said, I have to eat what works for me or I'll never last. And I feel so determined (like never before) to take off this weight. I'm so glad I found MFP! I'm learning so much from everyone!

Jen

maffff

Unless you have specific medical conditions then IIFYM, hard work and patience. Sorted.

jensiegel39

Sorry, I'm new. What is IIFYM?

jensiegel39

K, I looked it up! I got it! This is only my third day...

erialcelyob

I do this too a few nights a week, I find it helps with the weight loss but of course I shall never cut it out completely. I have some flavoured chicken (with spices) and veg or a meat and veg only stirfry which is quite nice

erialcelyob

Also when I do have carbs with dinner I tend to have brown rice and I stick to 45g with it. Suits me fine with my 1200 cal goal but then everything depends

Stage14

If you're pre-diabetic, then you need to get with a nutritionist or dietician who has your medical information and figure out how many carbs, what kind, and when to eat them. Your trainer is NOT the person to be getting medical advice from, and as a pre-diabetic advice on your diet IS medical advice.

vampirequeen1959

I try to keep my carbs below 50 so my evening meal is meat and above ground veg ( cabbage, caultflower etc). I limit legumes and below ground veg but I still eat them sometimes because I like them. If you deny yourself completely then you'll end up craving things....well I do lol. I'm not certain about all vegetables but the one's I eat regularly definitely have carbs in albeit low amounts.

justggrif

Fire your Trainer as fast as you can you need the carbs...I eat more carbs at night than any time during the day it doesn't matter what time of the day you eat them.

Sabine_Stroehm

Vegetables and fruits are carbs, so yes I eat carbs at dinner. My goal is to make sure I have protein with every carb and also at least some healthy fat.

Bingo. Veggies are carbs. Don't eliminate them.

jonnythan

Vegetables and fruits are carbs, so yes I eat carbs at dinner. My goal is to make sure I have protein with every carb and also at least some healthy fat.

Bingo. Veggies are carbs. Don't eliminate them.

Veggies are not carbs. Veggies contain carbs. They also contain fat and protein.