Cutting all flour based products for 2012

FierceFitBeautiful

I actually HAVE to cut out those things, as I have a gluten allergy. And let me tell you... it is TOUGH. But I have learned to love other foods instead of bread and pasta and cookies...

- Grapefruits! I hated them, but I added a little sugar-free syrup to the top and fell in love! They also fill you up without weighing you down
- Oatmeal! It's so filling and kind of gives me the same "sensation", I guess, as eating something like a cookie or cereal.
- Raw veggies & low-fat dip! I know I know... doesn't sound so great... but I've learned to love! Get a nice dip
- Celery w/ blueberry cream cheese! SUPER filling and nice and sweet
- Luna Bars! Definitely a cheat as it does contain some flour.. but they are protein and nutrient packed, filling, and delicious -- perfect post workout!

Cutting out flour is definitely a challenge.. especially when it comes to eating out! I wish you the best, good luck! xx

NiciS72

No metabolic disorder. I had a conversation with a gentleman who has one, and according to him, weight literally fell off. To me, there is nothing wrong with substituting a hamburger bun with a leaf of lettuce, or just fighting to let go of the delicious carbs in mac and cheese. I like to try new things, and I feel like this is something I can do.

You need some grains, even people with gluten intollerances need grains. Cut out refined grains (white rice, white bread, etc). If you want to go gluten free then just make sure you eat a lot of brown rice & quinoa. Quinoa is amazing, lots of protein too!

I'm interested in why you think we absolutely NEED grains? I rarely eat any in my diet as I'm GF and Celiac. The grains I can eat are typically higher in calories like rice and quinoa and I'd rather eat a ton of veggies. I am doing just fine without those grains. So other than for the obvious "roughage" factor why do you say this?

agthorn

Just to enlighten you, low carb diets have no metabolic advantage, any greater weightloss seen in low carb diets is water weight

I don't think I have managed to lose 67 pounds of water, dude.

He wasn't suggesting you lost 67 pounds of water. He was saying that long term, low carb diets have the same success in total pounds lost as just counting calories. The greater INITIAL (i.e. short term) loss seen with low carb diets is due to water weight loss. So someone on a low carb diet might lose 10 lbs in their first month while someone on a low cal diet might only lose 6lbs, but at the one year mark there's no difference.

daterminedfatburnerX

why dont you just go paleo..you dont eat wheat, rice, corn, certain beans...and other things when i first tried it i lost 5lb in 2 weeks and you dont even have to exercise im still doing it most of my days but i have bread and such now and then

aneisiena

Oh, and for anyone wanting to argue, check the nutritional info at any popular restaurant. Olive gardens pastas weigh in at 1200-1500 calories a dish. Being mostly flour based, its safe to say you dont' want all your calories to come from one meal.

Their rolls and breadsticks start off around 150 calories each, eat 2 or 3 of them and its nearly a third of what most of you on here should be eating.

Again, its pretty easy to avoid that stuff.

Or eat it every day, and workout for an extra 2 hours................................................................

you're using extremes, what about if it's a slice of toast with breakfast or a cookie that's likely under 150cals? Seeing as the more restrictive a diet is, the worse adherence to said diet is, it's likely better to not cut out entire food groups/products and instead consume them in moderation

I agree. I did Slow Carb/4 Hr Body diet for a little while and it mostly taught me to open my eyes to new foods aka more veggies haha. Sadly, this diet made me focus more on how much closer I am to my cheat day and I actually felt more obsessed with what I ate (not a good feeling). Moderation--and an active lifestyle--has been my best method...ftw!

nyprdiva

Things like bread, pasta, rices, cake, cinnamon rolls- all the good stuff.
What are some good things I can eat to fill the hole in my heart? :]

Flour or gluten? Because rice isn't a flour product.

I am gluten sensitive and have cut out almost all the wheat/gluten based foods in my diet. Why don't you try switching from white flour to whole wheat or maybe brown rice based products first.

CashierCantin

No metabolic disorder. I had a conversation with a gentleman who has one, and according to him, weight literally fell off. To me, there is nothing wrong with substituting a hamburger bun with a leaf of lettuce, or just fighting to let go of the delicious carbs in mac and cheese. I like to try new things, and I feel like this is something I can do.

Just to enlighten you, low carb diets have no metabolic advantage, any greater weightloss seen in low carb diets is water weight

Wow! Thanks so much for this information.
The 90 pounds I lost and kept off for 8 years was WATER!!!! Phew......no wonder why I was SO thirsty ALL those years. /eye roll

<grumbles...wishes people would do research before spouting off such nonsense>

Acg67

Just to enlighten you, low carb diets have no metabolic advantage, any greater weightloss seen in low carb diets is water weight

Wow! Thanks so much for this information.
The 90 pounds I lost and kept off for 8 years was WATER!!!! Phew......no wonder why I was SO thirsty ALL those years. /eye roll

<grumbles...wishes people would do research before spouting off such nonsense>

^ "grumbles...wishes people would do research before spouting off such nonsense" Exactly, your lack of understanding of my comment would indicate that you should do some more research

but if you want to start

No metabolic advantage to low carb diets as have been repeatedly shown in controlled metabolic ward studies

http://www.ajcn.org/content/20/10/1104.full.pdf

http://www.ajcn.org/content/21/11/1291.full.pdf

http://jcem.endojournals.org/content/92/11/4480.full

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8968851

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8561057

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2319073

Initial weight loss in low carb diets is water weight

Bell JD, et al. Ketosis, weight loss, uric acid, and nitrogen balance in obese women fed single nutrients at low calorie levels. Metabolism. 18:193-208.

Van Itallie, T..B et al. Dietary Approaches to obesity: metabolic and appetitive considerations. In: Recent Advances in Obesity Research. London: Newman Publishing pp.256-69.

grassette

There is a gluten-free group on MFP that you might find useful to join. There have also been postings in recent months on how wheat is not really good for you. I plan to cut down on wheat too.

Good luck on your challenge!

agthorn

Just to enlighten you, low carb diets have no metabolic advantage, any greater weightloss seen in low carb diets is water weight

Wow! Thanks so much for this information.
The 90 pounds I lost and kept off for 8 years was WATER!!!! Phew......no wonder why I was SO thirsty ALL those years. /eye roll

<grumbles...wishes people would do research before spouting off such nonsense>

Wow, reading comprehension! No one said you lost 90 pounds of water...that's not what "no metabolic advantage" means. It means that someone who had the same starting weight as you, ate the same calories as you but ate more carbs, would have lost the same amount of weight in the long run. As I said about 4 posts above you. /eye roll

<grumbles...wishes people would read the threads before spouting off such nonsense>

mckshowie

good grief. who knew that trying something new and not really all that weird would illicit such a negative response.

gluten intolerance, no gluten intolerance... she said she wants to cut this stuff out - no harm, no foul. she didn't say she was no-carbing it or starving herself. and i see nothing wrong with attempting to limit or cut out something that seems to be your tried and true downfall.

that being said, rice and potatoes are great substitutes in almost any recipe that calls for noodles. i make casseroles all the time with rice as my starch. or quinoa! quinoa is a delicious and healthy subsitute. to satisfy sweet tooths i rely heavily on greek yogurt with some flavoring... jam, vanilla, cinnamon all work wonders.

good luck.

2Bgoddess

Just to enlighten you, low carb diets have no metabolic advantage, any greater weightloss seen in low carb diets is water weight

I don't think I have managed to lose 67 pounds of water, dude.

He wasn't suggesting you lost 67 pounds of water. He was saying that long term, low carb diets have the same success in total pounds lost as just counting calories. The greater INITIAL (i.e. short term) loss seen with low carb diets is due to water weight loss. So someone on a low carb diet might lose 10 lbs in their first month while someone on a low cal diet might only lose 6lbs, but at the one year mark there's no difference.

There is a difference. On a 'regular diet', at the one year mark, I may be at a healthy weight. On my low Carb diet, at the one year mark, I will have been at a healthy weight for say, 4-6 months. Those months, and greater weight loss may make the difference between living, or having a heart attack.

I get your point, and his point, but what is the point of knocking someone's technique for getting there, if you agree it is the same thing at the one year mark?

There is not just one, right way to do something. Weight loss success depends on many things, and what works for one, doesn't work for everyone. The OP wants to try something that she's seen work for someone else. Might work, might not. Check in with the OP in a year, and see!

CUT3ANDS3XIAN0R3X1

I feel as though I've opened up a can of worms ):

spacedebris

Let's get things straight:

Life without a crusty piece of French bread and a glass of wine is just not worth living,

Cut out all the crap such as mayo, sweet deserts, sausage rolls, hamburgers, fries, pies, etc etc etc.
Stuff you don't even miss anymore after a while.

agthorn

I get your point, and his point, but what is the point of knocking someone's technique for getting there, if you agree it is the same thing at the one year mark?

There is not just one, right way to do something. Weight loss success depends on many things, and what works for one, doesn't work for everyone. The OP wants to try something that she's seen work for someone else. Might work, might not. Check in with the OP in a year, and see!

OP's own words: "...all the good stuff. What are some good things I can eat to fill the hole in my heart?"

Doesn't sound like someone who WANTS to cut out carbs. And if there's no medical reason for doing so, and no long term benefit to doing so, why do it? Life's too short to be miserable. That, ultimately, is my point.

shawnaln

I do it for the simple reason that most things that contain that are high-calorie and are huge portion-wise.

Check the weight on pasta you get in a restaurant and try tellin me it's actually one portion.

Same goes with bread and, baked goods. Volume-wise you're getting very little for the amount you're actually eating.

Compare a dinner roll around 100-150 calories to a cup of fresh berries at 50 calories.

You could go on and on.

'everything in moderation' i guess. But for me, its easier to cut that junk out and save 300-400 fairly empty calories a day.

Finally somebody who gets it!

chubbybunnee

No metabolic disorder. I had a conversation with a gentleman who has one, and according to him, weight literally fell off. To me, there is nothing wrong with substituting a hamburger bun with a leaf of lettuce, or just fighting to let go of the delicious carbs in mac and cheese. I like to try new things, and I feel like this is something I can do.

I don't think you have to give up all of them completely, but you can definetely swap! Eat brown rice instead of white, and look for Gluten Free bread products with no white flour and limit your intake. As soon as I did this, I broke through my plateau! And I am a CABOLHOLIC! If I can do it, anyone can! lol. My USUAL foods before MFP were pizza, pasta, chips, and loaded baked potatoes!
It is a good thing to try even if you cheat every once in a while!

I filled my gap with proteins like deli roast beef with a small side of brown rice, or veggies! I HATE vegetables but if I use the right seasoning, I find that I can eat mushrooms and zucchini and I started to love it! I'm still working on beans....and thank goodness, I can still eat potatoes! Only, they aren't loaded with bacon I replaced all my dairy with almond milk or almond cheese and that has helped tremendously too!

Try to find meats and veggies you love and try to eat those instead of the bread products. When you do buy those products, try the organic gluten free options. They are healthier for you. White bread is the worst, so if you can make little changes at first, you will eventually not even think twice when your snacking and you will grab the healthier options!

It takes time to discover what you like and what you can tolerate. If you can find foods that you love that are in the protein or veggie category, that will help you get over the carb category a lot quicker. Especially since you can eat more quantity of veggies over carbs and you can get full faster with veggies and not feel the crash when your insulin levels spike and drop.

It's not for everyone, but if you are serious about cutting back on breads, take it at your own pace and do what you think is right. It took my body about a week to adjust from the low sugar and carb intake from the change in my lifestyle, but after that first week went by, I started to feel amazing and I have more energy more consistently throughout the day and it feels great! I still have cheat days....(yesterday I started the New Year off with a Quesadilla).whoops.......but you have to indulge once in a while or else you will get angry with the change and possibly one day go carb crazy and eat a bunch of brownies and pizza! lol.

Thats all just my opinion. Do whatever you think is best for your body It's all trial and error and different lifestyles work better for different people. In my experience though, I think this is a good thing to try and see how your body responds! Just make sure you are eating more of the veggies and protein to get you through those lowly nights when you are trying hard not to have popcorn! lol

Acg67

There is a difference. On a 'regular diet', at the one year mark, I may be at a healthy weight. On my low Carb diet, at the one year mark, I will have been at a healthy weight for say, 4-6 months. Those months, and greater weight loss may make the difference between living, or having a heart attack.

You are too focused on scale weight instead of overall body composition.

Yang MU, Van Itallie TB. Composition of weight loss during short term weight reduction. Metabolic responses of obese subjects to starvation and low-calorie ketogenic and nonketogenic diets. J Clin Invest. 58:722-30.

Composition of weight lost (percentage) during the ketogenic diet was water 61.2, fat 35.0, protein 3.8. During the mixed diet, composition of loss was water 37.1, fat 59.5, protein 3.4

So really losing a tad more water weight but potentially less fat could mean the difference between life and death?

CashierCantin

Just to enlighten you, low carb diets have no metabolic advantage, any greater weightloss seen in low carb diets is water weight

Wow! Thanks so much for this information.
The 90 pounds I lost and kept off for 8 years was WATER!!!! Phew......no wonder why I was SO thirsty ALL those years. /eye roll

<grumbles...wishes people would do research before spouting off such nonsense>

Wow, reading comprehension! No one said you lost 90 pounds of water...that's not what "no metabolic advantage" means. It means that someone who had the same starting weight as you, ate the same calories as you but ate more carbs, would have lost the same amount of weight in the long run. As I said about 4 posts above you. /eye roll

<grumbles...wishes people would read the threads before spouting off such nonsense>

I know what metabolic advantage means. I just don't get the negativity that goes on here about low carb, I really don't. Its just ONE more way to get healthy but yet it gets pooh poohed so much when there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with going low carb. NOT NO CARB.

Plus I was able to eat MORE calories on Atkins and lost the weight FASTER.....not sure how to explain that but oh well....if thats not metabolic advantage, then its something.....because it happened and it was great. While I am loving the trade off of eating carbs again, its the losing so slowly that is really disheartening.

JennieAL

I do it for the simple reason that most things that contain that are high-calorie and are huge portion-wise.

Check the weight on pasta you get in a restaurant and try tellin me it's actually one portion.

Same goes with bread and, baked goods. Volume-wise you're getting very little for the amount you're actually eating.

Compare a dinner roll around 100-150 calories to a cup of fresh berries at 50 calories.

You could go on and on.

'everything in moderation' i guess. But for me, its easier to cut that junk out and save 300-400 fairly empty calories a day.

Finally somebody who gets it!

Yes! Agreed... this is pretty much how I feel about it. Not to mention the moodiness and bloating that seems to go along with eating simple carbs.

jjf2905

Maybe instead of cutting it all out, try gluten free. My nephew just started a gluten free diet due to medical reasons but he has seen a change in his weight from it. They have bread, pasta, cereal, sweets ect. lots of stuff that you can eat

agthorn

Plus I was able to eat MORE calories on Atkins and lost the weight FASTER

Unless physics and biology have changed, 3500 calories still equals 1 pound of fat loss. You might have FELT like you were eating more calories because protein and fat tend to offer more satiety than carbs (especially simple carbs) but I guarantee you weren't. That is what "no metabolic advantage" means. And you lost weight more rapidly because you lost more water weight due to the restricted carbs, which store water molecules. Now that you have introduced a higher level of carbs, you are also storing more water molecules. It has nothing to do with fat loss or health.

It's not rocket science, it's just science.

queennahs

Life without a crusty piece of French bread and a glass of wine is just not worth living.

THIS

...although I indulge in crusty French bread maybe twice a year as a 'treat'. For the rest, it's all wholegrains, brown rice etc.

I went 'no bread/cakes/cookies/noodles/pasta/rice' etc for a while and I did feel a lot better... and who wouldn't, when cutting out highly processed grains and refined sugar?! Then my doctor told me I need to include wholegrains, including wholegrain breads, back into my diet to help naturally deal with my inherited high cholesterol. So, I agree with the posters who are encouraging you to still include small servings of low GI, complex carbohydrates in your diet while cutting down on / out the "white stuff". I think this approach will also help you manage those cravings for mac & cheese.

rico1923

Unless physics and biology have changed, 3500 calories still equals 1 pound of fat loss. You might have FELT like you were eating more calories because protein and fat tend to offer more satiety than carbs (especially simple carbs) but I guarantee you weren't. That is what "no metabolic advantage" means. And you lost weight more rapidly because you lost more water weight due to the restricted carbs, which store water molecules. Now that you have introduced a higher level of carbs, you are also storing more water molecules. It has nothing to do with fat loss or health.

It's not rocket science, it's just science.

Speaking of science I believe that some people like the Atkins/South Beach diet systems because losing the water weight/seeing a difference in inches earlier in your dietary change is a greater motivating factor to stick to the diet long term than just increasing activity and decreasing calories; it is also easier to reach a reasonable daily caloric goal if you eliminate the more calorie ridden but less nutritionally dense foods that contain simple carbs in abundance. Since Atkins has been greatly revised to lessen the level of ketosis it creates and South Beach has always had some amount of carbs (even during the initial 2 week adjustment period) both have not really been shown to be damaging to one's health conclusively. In fact both have been shown to lessen the risk of type 2 diabetes(a dietary illness in most, not genetic), cholesterol reduction and heart disease. A metabolic advantage of simple carb reduction is that your blood glucose levels do not spike nor crash as frequently due to carb energy being introduced into your system more slowly as your body works harder to release the food's energy.

If someone on this site prefers to eat fast food every day or enjoy Olive Garder/Red Lobster meals with bread, butter, sauces containing sugar/fat, etc. that is their right; if someone wishes to try and reduce their calories by trying a low carb approach that is their right. Not rocket science, just science. And common courtesy.

Barneystinson

Cutting this stuff out all day all the time, NO. (Helloooo birthday cake and Thanksgiving!)

Cutting it out to fill in your day with better options? Yep, that's me most days of the week. Breads, pastries, sweets, cookies, pasta, etc. (personally) do not leave me feeling full and make me crave more and more carbs. So I can get behind the sentiment of wanting to avoid them most days.

Gluten also makes me feel crappy. I still eat it sometimes, but then I end up sick afterward. Sometimes it's just not worth it, but in some cases it is (see the birthday cake comment).

I like rice, sunflower bread, quinoa, and corn-based breads/tortillas as alternatives.

beancurdie

I'm on day three of a 28 day detox diet. This week I'm not eating processed food or beverages, added sugar, dairy, gluten, caffeine, or alcohol. I am focusing on eating fruits, vegetables, and plant-based fats (nuts, seeds, and oils). Week 2, I'll add back in beans/legumes and seafood. Week 3, I'll add back in gluten-free grains and eggs. Week 4, I will add back in gluten products and meats.

I like this approach, because it's a doable plan for a short duration. I'm hoping that by the end of the month, I won't feel the need to add back in gluten and meats. Whatever you decide, good luck!

JennieAL

Cutting this stuff out all day all the time, NO. (Helloooo birthday cake and Thanksgiving!)

Cutting it out to fill in your day with better options? Yep, that's me most days of the week. Breads, pastries, sweets, cookies, pasta, etc. (personally) do not leave me feeling full and make me crave more and more carbs. So I can get behind the sentiment of wanting to avoid them most days.

I feel exactly the same as this.

hellokittyhorror

I am trying to cut out refined flour for 2012 as well. It is not easy! I started yesterday and broke down with moo shoo vegetable pancakes . Here's a good article on refined flour vs. whole grain flour:

http://www.naturallyintense.net/blog/weight-loss/can-bread-make-you-gain-weight/

I thought about cutting out refined sugar (ie. in my coffee) but I don't think I can handle that now. So I'll just stick to avoiding refined flour.

Good luck with cutting out the flours and Happy 2012!