lower carb suggestions?

staceyw37

i'm always over on my carbs--b/c they're my favorite food group. i don't want to give up apples and oatmeal and raisins, which i know are high carbs.

but i am willing to change out things like pasta for something else with lower carb #s. any suggestions??
i'm still new to this--actually paying attention to what i eat and focusing on more healthful foods.
so any ideas would be much appreciated! thanks!

staceyw37

i'm always over on my carbs--b/c they're my favorite food group. i don't want to give up apples and oatmeal and raisins, which i know are high carbs.

but i am willing to change out things like pasta for something else with lower carb #s. any suggestions??
i'm still new to this--actually paying attention to what i eat and focusing on more healthful foods.
so any ideas would be much appreciated! thanks!

angelinaz

I would like to know good carb choices, too. Mine is the opposite. I always end up way short on the carb end. I eat a lot of veggies. Probably have to double up on beans, brown rice, oatmeal, I imagine. My carbs are always in a deficit mode.

kerrilucko

non-starchy veggies are a good sub. Try supersizing your stir fry and omiting the rice/pasta. Or, I've never had it, but you could give spaghetti squash a try. You could even stick with the high carb foods, just make your portions smaller. Instead of 2 cups or pasta, just have one, and add a side salad to bulk up your meal. :flowerforyou:

Dave198lbs

i'm always over on my carbs--b/c they're my favorite food group. i don't want to give up apples and oatmeal and raisins, which i know are high carbs.

but i am willing to change out things like pasta for something else with lower carb #s. any suggestions??
i'm still new to this--actually paying attention to what i eat and focusing on more healthful foods.
so any ideas would be much appreciated! thanks!

in my no resemblence to humble opinion pasta is only for those who are either trying to gain weight or are doing extended cardio like distance runners or swimmers...if trying to lose weight I would cut all pasta..all bread (except whole grains) omit as much flour and processed foods...

the amount of carb grams suggested by MFP may not be ideal for your situation,,,,I never come close to the carb grams and am always over on protein...just get your cals whatever they are from non processed foods
good luck, Dave

kerrilucko

i'm always over on my carbs--b/c they're my favorite food group. i don't want to give up apples and oatmeal and raisins, which i know are high carbs.

but i am willing to change out things like pasta for something else with lower carb #s. any suggestions??
i'm still new to this--actually paying attention to what i eat and focusing on more healthful foods.
so any ideas would be much appreciated! thanks!

in my no resemblence to humble opinion pasta is only for those who are either trying to gain weight or are doing extended cardio like distance runners or swimmers...if trying to lose weight I would cut all pasta..all bread (except whole grains) omit as much flour and processed foods...

the amount of carb grams suggested by MFP may not be ideal for your situation,,,,I never come close to the carb grams and am always over on protein...just get your cals whatever they are from non processed foods
good luck, Dave

have to disagree on the pasta topic there. I'm talking whole grain pasta of course, and in regular portion sizes. Carbs are very important actually, they are your body's main energy source so you need to be eating them, especially if you are into cardio, which most of us are. Now, if pasta isn't your thing that 's fine, there are tons of other ways to get your carbs, but let's not ruin pasta's good name :laugh:

Keep in mind if you're going to limit or even eliminate your carb supply, you'll need to up your fat intake, not simply your protein. If you lack the energy provided by carbs, your body can use fat as it's energy supply. And I'm not talking about fat from double bacon cheeseburgers :laugh: I'm talking eggs, nuts, avocado, poultry, fish, and dairy. :flowerforyou:

Dave198lbs

i'm always over on my carbs--b/c they're my favorite food group. i don't want to give up apples and oatmeal and raisins, which i know are high carbs.

but i am willing to change out things like pasta for something else with lower carb #s. any suggestions??
i'm still new to this--actually paying attention to what i eat and focusing on more healthful foods.
so any ideas would be much appreciated! thanks!

in my no resemblence to humble opinion pasta is only for those who are either trying to gain weight or are doing extended cardio like distance runners or swimmers...if trying to lose weight I would cut all pasta..all bread (except whole grains) omit as much flour and processed foods...

the amount of carb grams suggested by MFP may not be ideal for your situation,,,,I never come close to the carb grams and am always over on protein...just get your cals whatever they are from non processed foods
good luck, Dave

have to disagree on the pasta topic there. I'm talking whole grain pasta of course, and in regular portion sizes. Carbs are very important actually, they are your body's main energy source so you need to be eating them, especially if you are into cardio, which most of us are. Now, if pasta isn't your thing that 's fine, there are tons of other ways to get your carbs, but let's not ruin pasta's good name :laugh:

Keep in mind if you're going to limit or even eliminate your carb supply, you'll need to up your fat intake, not simply your protein. If you lack the energy provided by carbs, your body can use fat as it's energy supply. And I'm not talking about fat from double bacon cheeseburgers :laugh: I'm talking eggs, nuts, avocado, poultry, fish, and dairy. :flowerforyou:

oh geeez...dont get me wrong..I love pasta and think it is a great carb choice....ah forget it...

gone2gym2befit

Oatmeal, apples are actually excellent carbs to keep in your diet. As for the pasta, you can eat the new multigrain and wheat pastas available. Basically a good way to start decreasing carbs is to get away from all white "starches" (white sugar, potato, rice, bread). So that means eat very little of processed foods. Switch from white potato to sweet potato, brown rice instead of white, and multigrain and wheat breads instead of white. Try to make sure the carbs you are eating are also a good source of fiber and also offer a bit of protein (read the label on your oatmeal canister~ you will see that each serving also provides about 5 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber. This is what makes it a good carb choice. Read food labels and go for the carb foods that also have a few grams of protein and fiber as well and that will give you a pretty good indication that you're choosing wisely.

staceyw37

for 2 oz pasta as serving size on box, how does that translate into cups cooked? i probably only have 1/4 to 1/3 cup cooked with one meal. i don't have a scale (and not interested in getting one); i just prefer to use measuring cups, etc.

dave, i hear ya on pasta altogether--it can be a people thickener. i've used the barilla protein pasta a lot to add more oomph to it.
and clean eating--i don't know if i'll ever be in that club! i like non-clean food too too much.

and kerri--i'm also a believer that all food groups are necessary.

so thanks for quick input.

stillkristi

Hi stacey, I hear you, only I LOVE pasta, potatos, breads. I haven't had any since the day I started here, which is the 17th of Feb. Starting to miss it, too. :sad: However, here are some ideas. Instead of potatos, try cauliflower. You need to cook it longer than you would so you can mash it up. You can also put it through a ricer and pretend it is rice. Also, cabbage can be cut in ribbons steamed and used as a base for sauces and things where you would use say linguini or fettacini. In the summer when there is an abundance of fresh, small zuccini, I like to use a peeler to cut ribbons of zuccini. I like to saute it in a little butter or olive oil and use it as a base for sauce. I make a dish with a mariana sauce that has a cut up spicy sausage in it and put that over sauted zuccini. Get a sausage made from turkey or chicken and you don't really have a lot of fat. Finally, I just discovered a product called Miracle Noodle. there is a website www.miraclenoodle.com where you can buy this stuff. It is an Asian product made from soluible plant fiber. It has ZERO calories, ZERO carbs, ZERO flavor :ohwell: The lack of flavor isn't so bad, because it doesn't compete with what ever you are using it with. It looks like rice noodles, kind of clear, and has the consistency of pasta cooked just past the aldente stage. Not bad. I tried it for the first time today. Good luck!

stillkristi

I forgot spaghetti squash. I like it best baked. Cut the squash in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and bake it. You probably should cover the open side to prevent it from drying out. When cooled, scrape out the inside and use like pasta. It comes out in sort of short fiberous strands. Actually, pretty much any vegitable can be used as a base for foods you would normally eat over pasta or potatos or rice.

staceyw37

thanks, kristi! other than spag squash, i never thought of using veges as a base.

MyaPapaya75

i'm always over on my carbs--b/c they're my favorite food group. i don't want to give up apples and oatmeal and raisins, which i know are high carbs.

but i am willing to change out things like pasta for something else with lower carb #s. any suggestions??
i'm still new to this--actually paying attention to what i eat and focusing on more healthful foods.
so any ideas would be much appreciated! thanks!

in my no resemblence to humble opinion pasta is only for those who are either trying to gain weight or are doing extended cardio like distance runners or swimmers...if trying to lose weight I would cut all pasta..all bread (except whole grains) omit as much flour and processed foods...

the amount of carb grams suggested by MFP may not be ideal for your situation,,,,I never come close to the carb grams and am always over on protein...just get your cals whatever they are from non processed foods
good luck, Dave

I agree with dave..I have cut pasta myself and it has helped :drinker:

AmyNVegas

Kristi you beat me to all of the suggestions! :flowerforyou: Means you are doing well with your own substitutions.:drinker: Dave I agree on the pasta too. Definitely a have in moderation thing for me. Even whole grain is packed with carbs. I would rather have a sweet potato with a little butter and brown sugar for the carbs than pasta.:flowerforyou:

Dave198lbs

Kristi you beat me to all of the suggestions! :flowerforyou: Means you are doing well with your own substitutions.:drinker: Dave I agree on the pasta too. Definitely a have in moderation thing for me. Even whole grain is packed with carbs. I would rather have a sweet potato with a little butter and brown sugar for the carbs than pasta.:flowerforyou:

ya! I love sweet potatoes...when I was stupid (yesterday?) I used to think sweet potatoes were sugar filled idaho missles of you know what

yams and sweet potatoes are a favorite of most nutritionists and I like em several ways....cut into strips. spray with some EVO and bake hot hot oven...nice snack

stillkristi

Thanks Amy! gone2gym makes a good point, if your carbs are also a good source of fiber, then the carbs are muc less problematic. My understanding is that since fiber is not easily digestible, those carbs move through your system without being broken down into sugars for storage.

stillkristi

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Dave, you kill me. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

But seriously, we can't even grow sweet potatos in Idaho, wrong climate. I lkie the spray and bake idea, sounds good. There is a resturant near me that does a sweet potato french fry. They are quite good.

Georg

For low carbing, just cut the starches as everyone has already advised, & fill up on veggies. Go ahead & keep your favorites, just cut out the other sweets - even cut down the natural sugars.
good luck!

mgullette

Yep, cut the pasta. Devoid of any nutrients really, and pretty calorically dense as well.

Good luck!

Mmm sweet potatoes.

sassyredgirl

Def agree i have cut out pasta too and rare if i have bread and oh i miss potatoes lol But i am diabetic cuz of my weight so they are a no no in my book and not worth it.

mgullette

I read that turnips are a good alternative to potatoes if you like that texture....