how do you stick to low carb?!

randa_behnam

I just seem to always be over my allowance!! i set my goals to 40% carbs and 40% protein and this is the absolute maximum carbs i want to eat but im always over.

iv just been tested for allergies so i cant have wheat, rye or yeast anymore so iv cut out bread and iv substituted for rice or potatoes or gluten free varieties but what does everyone else eat for their meals to fill them up instead of carbs?!

i feel that this is where i go wrong with my weight loss. i can quite happily cut out carbs but i have no idea what to substitute them with that wont cost me a fortune.

circusmom

rice and pasta are high in carbs. Try brown rice, and dreamfields pasta, they are a little lower.
You can look at my diary, it is set at 40% carb.

Fattack

bump

dittiepe

I remove rice, breads and potatoes all together. I also stay away from the high carb veggies like corn. I'll stick with mostly green veggies and sometimes carrots. I'm not gluten intolerant like you are, but I find that if I eat a lot of carbs, I feel just horrible. So I limit my carbs to about 30-40 a day.
It takes some getting used to, especially if you love rice and pasta and such, but once it's out of your system it's pretty easy to follow.

KittMahan

It can be very difficult if you don't cook your own food Randa. I eat as many veggies (non-starch) and fruits as I can. Make sure breads are whole wheat and sparing, no pasta, no rice other than small amounts of brown.

A good filling (and healthy) dinner is roasted veggies on top of a broiled, baked or poached chicken breast. For a real treat I'll make a ragout out of tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, onions, and spinach or some other greens.

Mostly it's training your body and palate, which takes time and commitment. You can do it, I'm sure of that. The fact that you're even trying says alot positive about you

KittMahan

Oh, and I just discovered "Wow" cookies at Tully's coffee. Dam tasty and gluten free

circusmom

spaghetti squash is a great alternative to pasta!! I can eat as much as I want with no guilt!

glypta

I'm doing low carb - carbs from veg only at the mo, later I'll have more fruit. Check out my diary/add me if you want a peek! :O) It is hard - I'm a carb lover, and that's why I've cut 'em out, as I can binge so easily on them :O(

glypta

Oh, and protein, for me, is SO much more filling, it's actually a struggle to eat all my kcals - and I'm a greedy cow!

Larius

I'm doing 25% carbs. You can check my diary.

Meglm1117

You don't have to completely cut your carbs to lose weight, just limit them. If you like having a carb at dinner, maybe try to keep your breakfast and lunch more protein based, veggie with your lunch, eat 2 fruits a day, and have 1 whole grain carb at dinner with a protein and veggie...or vice versa, if you would rather carbs for breakfast than dinner, cut the carb out at dinner and just eat the protein and veggies...that tends to help me since I have to cook for my husband and 2 kids...but that's me trying to stay within 100-150 carb range.

mir7x

try to cycle your carbs ie on days when you are more active and go to the gym allow yourself more carbs ie 50% carbs, which you'll burn off while working out, on your days off from gym reduce the amount of your carbs, there are plans incorporating high, medium , and low carb diets this will make it easier for you to stick to your diet and carb intake

Thriceshy

Yes, Dreamfield's Pasta is great, and the effective carbs are very low. I eat Sara Lee Delightful Whole Grain bread because it's got less than half the carbs of most regular breads and tastes great. Instead of rices, try steamed veggies. I had a marvelous veggie concoction on vacation--it was carrots, zucchini, and some other veggie jullienned so fine that it resembled pasta, cooked and tossed with a light buttery, peppery sauce. It was SO good, and it certainly kept me off the pasta.

I'm diabetic, so I have to count carbs. Because it is serious business for me, it's not hard at all--I have a certain allowance per meal, and if it looks like I'm going to be above that with my planned meal, I change the meal. If BLTs with potato is going to put me over, I'll decide which I want more, then mix it up, with maybe fish and potatoes tonight and BLTs and steamed veggies the next night. It has become purely about the numbers for me. Once I hit that point, counting carbs became a breeze.

I do have to say, that if I were trying to keep to a drastically low number, it wouldn't be easy.

Kris

randa_behnam

thanks guys, lots of great advice. I tend to only eat loads of carbs when i have nothing left in my cupboards and payday hasnt arrived yet, then once i get paid i stock up on all the lovey veg. oh and im also allergic to cabbage, brocolli and cauliflower which were my best veggies.

I cook all of my meals from scratch so i think im just going to start substituting rice and pastas with veggies. i dont want to cut out carbs all together. i just want to learn to eat them in moderation.

sometimes carbs are just easier to prepare......so maybe thats a rut i need to get out of!

bunchesonothing

try to cycle your carbs ie on days when you are more active and go to the gym allow yourself more carbs ie 50% carbs, which you'll burn off while working out, on your days off from gym reduce the amount of your carbs, there are plans incorporating high, medium , and low carb diets this will make it easier for you to stick to your diet and carb intake

This makes sense because if you don't get enough carbs on days you workout and do some sort of cardio, you can start to smell like ammonia from the proteins being broken down instead of carbs, if it gets to that level.

kklindsey

Oh, and protein, for me, is SO much more filling, it's actually a struggle to eat all my kcals - and I'm a greedy cow!

That is exactly the way it works for me. If I eat simple carbs I eat EVERYTHING that isn't nailed down. If I skip them and push protein I am full and don't even struggle or think about food.

For the original poster, it takes some getting used to. We live in a world that is carb heavy, A sandwich(bread) and chips or a steak and a potatoe and corn. Toast at breakfast or cereal, yikes. I don't worry about fruit or veggie carbs but only because I don't eat a lot of fruits or veggies. No chips, crackers, etc. Any carbs I can get rid of I do. If you don't have a sensitivity to carbs then I wouldn't worry about super low carbs, just try to get your balance in. You can do an open face sandwich, skip the chips etc. It just takes a lot of attention to detail.

freerange

It’s not really that hard, if you remember a couple things, don’t eat grains, high starch veggies, high sugar fruits, and processed foods. In other words, eat real food like lean meats, veggies, nuts, berries, and low GI fruits.