Is it okay to eat pasta while trying to lose weight? (whole

Options
Healthy_Hannah483
Healthy_Hannah483 Posts: 151 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I want to be on a diet that is going to give me the best results, but of course you have to eat everything in moderation! What exactly is so bad with eating pasta? I hear everyone say that you should stay away from pasta at all costs, but if you eat it in moderation, whats so wrong?

EDIT: the topic was suppose to say "whole wheat"
«1

Replies

  • hajjcomb
    hajjcomb Posts: 118 Member
    Options
    Yes, it is ok. Whole wheat is best, in general.
  • randylevy
    randylevy Posts: 67 Member
    Options
    I think it's ok to eat pasta. Pasta takes up a huge amount of carbs so if you pre-plan and factor it into your day, there is no reason why you can't eat pasta.
  • fridayjustleft04
    fridayjustleft04 Posts: 851 Member
    Options
    I'm a vegetarian and a carb lover in general. I eat tons of pasta and have still managed to lose 65 pounds.
  • ShannonMpls
    ShannonMpls Posts: 1,936 Member
    Options
    I eat whole wheat pasta once a week or so, and I plan it into my day (fewer carbs at other meals) and always eat it with protein. I've lost an average of more than 2 pounds per week, so it hasn't hindered my loss. Each body seems to handle carbs differently, though.
  • cownancy
    cownancy Posts: 291
    Options
    I try to avoid pasta because your body best processes carbs when you eat them in portions of less than 23 grams per meal/serving. This is for WEIGHT LOSS purposes, not for body building or sports nutrition. Whole wheat pasta is healthier, but it still provides large amounts of carbs for the size of the serving and once you add the sauces, it's even worse. Since I have made this change, I find that I do not crave bread and pasta nearly as much as I did at one time. I never thought I would shake the cravings, but I'm amazed that I haven't had pasta in months now and am now averaging almost a pound a week in weight loss.
  • juliapurpletoes
    juliapurpletoes Posts: 951 Member
    Options
    i agree with the above positive comments. there are many great pastas out there! whole wheat, brown rice pasta, whole grain pastas, high fiber pastas even have garbonzo beans in the mix.

    find one with a decent fiber content and it is a great compex carb that your body will love.

    I think it gets the bad rap cause we all tend to eat way too much (1cup cooked - loosely packed is approx 200 cals)......

    and I guess my last choice would be plain ole regular cheap pasta cause that's just semolina flour.....but ya know, different strokes!!! Just build it into your calorie total!

    Best of Luck! Ciao!
  • AnnaPixie
    AnnaPixie Posts: 7,439 Member
    Options
    Its one of those white carbs that spikes your insulin which in turn makes you feel hungry.

    whole wheat doesnt spike insulin as much.

    I totally advocate eating everything as long as you're within your calorie count. HOWEVER, simple carbs DO make you feel hungrier sooner! However, if eaten with protein, to cut the GI, its not so bad :bigsmile:
  • zumba89
    zumba89 Posts: 82
    Options
    I don't like whole wheat pasta. To me it just doesn't cook right. I it the white pasta and just eat a little.
  • ADTeachTX
    ADTeachTX Posts: 204 Member
    Options
    I love pasta but I try to limit it to once a week and only 1 cup at a time.
  • Healthy_Hannah483
    Healthy_Hannah483 Posts: 151 Member
    Options
    Thanks everyone for your advice!
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
    Options
    Sure, eat it and enjoy it. Just make sure you have a sauce with lots if good nutrition ( for me that means lots if veggies) and watch your portion size.
  • Vegan_Chick
    Vegan_Chick Posts: 474 Member
    Options
    Have you ever tried sprouted wheat pasta? Reasons to try it: Sprouting activates food enzymes; sprouting increases vitamin content, and sprouting neutralizes antinutrients like phytic acid which bind up minerals preventing your ability to fully absorb them. It contains four times the amount of niacin and nearly twice the amount of vitamin B6 and folate as unsprouted wheat. It contains more protein and fewer starches than non-sprouted grain and it is lower on the glycemic index if you are suffering from blood sugar issues. That is my health rant for the day!
  • rdmchugh
    rdmchugh Posts: 76
    Options
    I eat brown rice pasta about once a week and am still losing weight. I get to live gluten free and gained a lot of my weight when I "discovered" all the gluten free pastas and baked goods around now that did not exist unless I made them years ago. My husband likes the flavor of corn pasta so we have that about once a month and I limit how much I eat.
  • maillemaker
    maillemaker Posts: 1,253 Member
    Options
    It's OK to eat anything at all.

    Some things are more healthy for you than others, but in the end, it all comes down to calories.

    What you may find, as I do, is that eating carbohydrates will make you hungry soon after eating them. I think this is because the carbs are quickly converted to sugar, so your blood sugar level spikes, and then quickly crashes. When it crashes, you feel hungry again.

    A low-carb diet doesn't do anything for you calorie wise that any other kind of diet won't do for you. But it stabilizes your blood sugar levels, curbing intense feelings of hunger, making it easier to maintain the discipline of controlling what you eat.

    Steve
  • LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo
    LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo Posts: 3,634 Member
    Options
    No food is the culprit here so you can still eat pastas while losing weight. In fact there's not much difference in number of calories between whole wheat & refined pasta however the big differences are the fiber content & the GI. Since whole wheat foods are packed with fiber, it makes you feel fuller easier & for longer than eating a refined white pasta so this prevents you from getting a second or third servings of pasta.
  • sixxx
    sixxx Posts: 39 Member
    Options
    I eat maybe a cup of pasta twice a week. But I buy the tri-colored vegetable fusilli pasta with a light but healthy pasta sauce.
  • TK421NotAtPost
    TK421NotAtPost Posts: 512 Member
    Options
    Yes, pasta (with red sauce...not white sauce) is the ultimate leptin normalizer! That and sherbert ice-cream!
  • medoria
    medoria Posts: 673 Member
    Options
    Pasta is very high in calories. Compared with potatoes its three times as much calories. That means that if you eat 100 g of pasta, for the same amount of calories you can eat almost 350 grams of potatoes.

    It totally depends of how much youve been used to eating. Me myself have to still eat a lot or ill go crazy, I rather eat more potates then little pasta, if you get what im trying to say.
  • TK266
    TK266 Posts: 3,689 Member
    Options
    Yes. I believe it is less about what you eat and more about eating less and moving more. But this is just an opinion and worth what you have paid for it. :smile:
  • UpEarly
    UpEarly Posts: 2,555 Member
    Options
    My healthy diet has had plenty of room for pasta! I probably eat pasta 3-4 nights a week (sometimes more) and I haven't had any trouble losing weight. I don't eat whole wheat pasta either - I either eat regular semolina pasta or if I'm feeling extra healthy, I'll eat Barilla Plus.

    A two ounce serving of pasta has about 200 calories. I find that very easy to fit into my daily goals.

Categories