How do you cut your carbs?

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2

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  • gatecityradio
    gatecityradio Posts: 401
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    I don't eat near as much bread and if I do it's in much smaller portions, and I even cut back on banana's and yogurt. I rarely have pasta, unless it's in soup and that is a rare occasion. Like a few others have said, try to limit it to 40-60 carbs a meal over your three big meals a day and eliminate carbs in smaller in between snacks.
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
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    go to a Brazilian steak house and skip the "salad" bar and definitely the apps.
  • gem1028
    gem1028 Posts: 1
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    I was cutting out most carbs suggested by my nutritionist. I have a hard-boiled egg for breakfast but sometimes eat cream of wheat.(about 1-2times a week). I also went with wheat bread and hamburgers without the bun. If I eat potatoes, rice(brown or yellow) or noodles, I cut my serving half of what I was used to eating. I also eat on occasion wheat pasta which doesn't really taste any different. I eat granola bars(90 calorie) for snacks. If you limit yourself Mon-Fri. then splurge a little on the weekend. It won't hurt too much as long as you watch your servings.
  • jennilovesryan
    jennilovesryan Posts: 124
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    i've lost by just avoiding potatoes. that junk is carboriffic!
  • ReverendJim
    ReverendJim Posts: 260 Member
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    bump
  • essicajt
    essicajt Posts: 2 Member
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    hahaha, what about an ax?
  • time2bhealthy
    time2bhealthy Posts: 211 Member
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    Bump
  • MissFit0101
    MissFit0101 Posts: 2,382
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    Sometimes with a butter knife, sometimes with a sharper knife.. depends on what I'm eating :bigsmile:
  • ARDuBaie
    ARDuBaie Posts: 379 Member
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    You may want to pick up a book about glycemic index. This is what most diabetics and prediabetics are being taught these days. The glycemic index is all about what foods raise your blood sugar faster than other foods. If you switch to complex carbs that are high in fiber, your glycemic index will not rise quite so fast.

    What raised blood sugars do is cause the pancreas to release insulin. If you have over-indulged in high-glycemic foods in the past, the pancreas will release more insulin than needed, which causes you to crave carbs to use up the excess insulin. Trouble is that when you eat those carbs, you may need more insulin. So the pancreas releases more insulin, usually in excess, and the cycle repeats itself with you craving more and more carbs.

    What you need to do is break the cycle by eating low glycemic foods. This does not mean that you can't eat carbs; it just means that you need to be wiser about what carbs you can eat. You will want to pick up a book to learn about glycemic index. One book that covers it is the South Beach Diet, which is based upon the glycemic index. He explans this cycle very well in his book.

    As a nurse, I know that this is what most diabetics are being taught when it comes to controlling blood sugars, but it makes for a very sensible diet.

    Good luck!
  • sleepytexan
    sleepytexan Posts: 3,138 Member
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    usually with a knife and fork. or just my teeth.
  • Matneybrian
    Matneybrian Posts: 1
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    Go Paleo or Primal, it's hard at first but well worth it in the long run!
  • rdzilla
    rdzilla Posts: 113 Member
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    Try adding more color to your meals: fresh greens, yams, carrots, etc. Reducing carbs sucks at first but later on you feel amazing.
  • BA19430
    BA19430 Posts: 10 Member
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    thank you everyone for your advice. I am working out a plan of attack. I really appreciate your help since I am really just starting and need all the help I can get.

    BTW, maybe a stupid question but what the heck is all this 'bump' stuff. sorry but I'm new.
  • Elizabeth_C34
    Elizabeth_C34 Posts: 6,376 Member
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    thank you everyone for your advice. I am working out a plan of attack. I really appreciate your help since I am really just starting and need all the help I can get.

    BTW, maybe a stupid question but what the heck is all this 'bump' stuff. sorry but I'm new.

    People use "bump" to either move a thread to the top of the "recent topics" page or to save it in their "my topics" page for easy reference.

    Good luck.

    Right now you are not diabetic, so do everything you can to avoid it. It's a dangerous and scary disease. If you have a chance to reverse it, do it, even if you really want more noodles. Remember: eat to live, don't live to eat. :smile:
  • queen_bea
    queen_bea Posts: 118
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    look up Low GI Carbs.... High GI (anything with a rating of 50-100) - eg white breads etc. gives you a quick spike of energy and then you have a low again and want more... Low GI Foods (whole wheat breads, brown rice etc.) will keep you fuller for longer so you're not eating as much... i hope that makes sense. im trying to write this at work. lol
  • BA19430
    BA19430 Posts: 10 Member
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    People use "bump" to either move a thread to the top of the "recent topics" page or to save it in their "my topics" page for easy reference.

    Good luck.

    Right now you are not diabetic, so do everything you can to avoid it. It's a dangerous and scary disease. If you have a chance to reverse it, do it, even if you really want more noodles. Remember: eat to live, don't live to eat. :smile:

    Got it. Thanks.

    It runs in my family so I have always been conscious of it but after I had my son in September my Triglicerides went through the roof. Freaked me out so I went to the nutritionist. Working on getting past it.

    "Remember: eat to live, don't live to eat" - love this!
  • issyfit
    issyfit Posts: 1,077 Member
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    If you do Phase One of South Beach for two weeks you will lose your craving for sweets and starches, it works.
    Edited to add the South Beach was developed to help avoid diabetes and heart disease and weight loss was a nice consequence.
  • Melroxsox
    Melroxsox Posts: 1,040 Member
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    love spaghetti squash as my pasta substitute! nature is good;)
  • Elizabeth_C34
    Elizabeth_C34 Posts: 6,376 Member
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    People use "bump" to either move a thread to the top of the "recent topics" page or to save it in their "my topics" page for easy reference.

    Good luck.

    Right now you are not diabetic, so do everything you can to avoid it. It's a dangerous and scary disease. If you have a chance to reverse it, do it, even if you really want more noodles. Remember: eat to live, don't live to eat. :smile:

    Got it. Thanks.

    It runs in my family so I have always been conscious of it but after I had my son in September my Triglicerides went through the roof. Freaked me out so I went to the nutritionist. Working on getting past it.

    "Remember: eat to live, don't live to eat" - love this!

    I have faith. You CAN do this. Just stick to it.

    It's a long hard road, but so worth it.
  • AdAstra47
    AdAstra47 Posts: 823 Member
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    I'm not a low-carber, but if you're headed that way, ease yourself into it. Don't go from eating white bread, pasta, rice, etc. to only having 30-40g of carbs per day.

    Gotta disagree with this advice. No "easing"! If your dietician is recommending low-carb, and you're at risk for diabetes, you probably have some level of insulin resistance and will go through withdrawal when you start low-carb. So going cold turkey is best. I was in the same boat, my doc told me to go down to 25-30 carbs per day and start eating my body weight in protein per day. The first two weeks were really hard (drink lots of water!) but after that it's gotten easier and easier.

    Clean out your cupboards & fridge, get rid of anything that's 10 or more carbs per serving. That includes grains, sweet fruits & starchy veggies. Get rid of all your sauces & salad dressings that contain sugar or molasses or have more than 1 or 2 carbs. Invest in a couple of jars of 0-carb protein powder. Eat mostly proteins: eggs, beef, chicken, pork, fish, shrimp, almonds, walnuts, cheeses, cottage cheese, plain Greek yogurt.

    When choosing veggies, go with those that give you more bang for your buck: the ones higher in protein and lower in carbs. Spinach, mushrooms, leafy greens, broccoli, sprouts, cauliflower. Cauliflower is a wonderful thing: if you chop it up and steam it 'til it's soft, you can use it as a substitute for rice or for potatoes.

    Lots of websites (and many forums here in MFP) have good ideas like this to help you get the flavors & textures you love, without all the carbs. Check out Atkins "muffin in a minute" recipes, Mark's Daily Apple, and other low-carb sites. As you go along, you'll learn more & more tricks to make it easier.

    Good luck to you!

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