Trying to shake the carbs

jldaley09

I need some tips on shaking the carbs. I think they are holding me back. I stay within calories but when I look at my diary I see what the problems are. Too many crackers, chips and bread. I believe that you dont have to deprive yourself of things but I also realize that I eat too much of this stuff. In all reality Paleo seems so logical to me, and more clean eating. I am just finding it so hard to transition. Money is an issue at times and I think that is part of the problem.I still feel so sluggish and the belly fat just won't go away.

jenn26point2

Ditch the grains and replace them with veggies and you'll have it kicked.

Grains = wheat, wheat flour and other such items, corn, barley, oats, etc. Get rid of it all and you'll drop your carbs.

I went from 300 a day to 50-75 a day without missing a beat. I don't even miss that heaping plate of pasta. Now when I can eat a second bowl of veggies for 1/3 of the carbs and 1/8 of the calories!

jenn26point2

Read Wheat Belly.

JayByrd107

You don't need to go Paleo and completely cut out something that you love if you have no complications regarding grains. I tried eating Paleo for a month specifically to target my belly fat and i was rather unimpressed. The good: I was eating more vegetables (I went from eating a lot to eating TONS) and more protein. The bad: no shift in energy or weight loss as promised - in fact my workout intensity went down (but that may have been because I got sick within a week of starting Paleo). No feeling awesome because I was avoiding grains and legumes.

So now I have decided to retain what I like about Paleo (more clean eating, more protein, avoiding simple carbs) but reincorporating whole grains and legumes like peanut butter and beans. Eating this way has allowed me to hit my macros dead on and maintain a pretty sizeable calorie deficit without feeling hungry. In fact, I usually hit my marcos well before my calories. I can exercise hard and I'm seeing progress with my midsection as well that I wasn't with Paleo.

twinmom01

You don't need to go Paleo and completely cut out something that you love if you have no complications regarding grains. I tried eating Paleo for a month specifically to target my belly fat and i was rather unimpressed. The good: I was eating more vegetables (I went from eating a lot to eating TONS) and more protein. The bad: no shift in energy or weight loss as promised - in fact my workout intensity went down (but that may have been because I got sick within a week of starting Paleo). No feeling awesome because I was avoiding grains and legumes.

So now I have decided to retain what I like about Paleo (more clean eating, more protein, avoiding simple carbs) but reincorporating whole grains and legumes like peanut butter and beans. Eating this way has allowed me to hit my macros dead on and maintain a pretty sizeable calorie deficit without feeling hungry. In fact, I usually hit my marcos well before my calories. I can exercise hard and I'm seeing progress with my midsection as well that I wasn't with Paleo.

^^^^^ this to an extent....

if you don't have an adversion to grains you don't need to cut them out - but you can substitute lots of veggies and some lower carb fruits (berries) instead of breads, cookies and crackers you may munch on...

to clear up some of the above though...

you can't target belly fat...you simply can't - what you can do is if you have an irritation to foods that could be causing your belly to bloat - so when you remove those foods the bloat goes away leading to a slimmer looking midsection...not actually looking belly fat...

Paleo doesn't promise weight loss - Paleo is form of eating - like Vegetarism - you can watch what you eat within the Paleo realm in order to loose weight...just like you would eating other things...

If you are used to a high daily intake of carbs and suddently cut them down you could have what is referred to as the "Carb flu" - where your body is readjusting and getting itself on track with lower carbs...you just have to push through that first week...IF you are drastically cutting your carbs....to avoid that take a month and slowly step your carbs down over time...make small changes

JayByrd107

Oh, I suppose I did say that, but it's not what I meant/believe. At 12% bodyfat, that's all I have left to lose and as it seems to be rather stubborn. There's quite a number of Paleos that claim that it's a surefire way to get that last bit off, so I gave it a try. ::shrug::

"Paleo" may not promise weight loss but 99% of its advocates do! Ergo...

This is not the carb flu. This is whatever is going around my office. My symptoms have not receded since reintroducing grains. You'd think that since my body was no longer fighting the horrors of lectins and stuff that Paleo would put me in great shape to handle a cold, but alas - no dice.

jldaley09

Thanks for the ideas and information. I was interested in Paleo not for weight loss but for overall health. I don't know enough about it really. I just want to limit my processed foods altogether and it is so difficult. I know you can't target certain areas I just feel bloated in my belly.

bcattoes

Have you tried substituting the processed carbs for whole carbs? Instead of bread and crackers and chips, eating brown rice, barley, quinoa, oats, etc.?

When you do eat bread, crackers and chips, are they whole grain or white/processed?

Eating clean and eating paleo can overlap, but are not the same things. You can eat clean and eat grains, you just need to stick to less processed grains.

cecilialee71

I have been able to lose weight, but I always had a nice round belly no matter what. I knew deep down I had to cut out the bread, crackers, etc. (even though they were whole grain!)...I read Wheat Belly, tried it for a week and MY BELLY FLATTENED OUT!

So worth it...fast visible results = more motivation to stick with it.

cecilialee71

And, I did cut way down on brown rice and quinoa, to a 1/2 cup per serving and only about 3 times a week.

hojoni84

I started small. instead of having 2 pieces of bread for a sandwhich i switched to an open face sandwhich.

beckajw

You don't need to go Paleo and completely cut out something that you love if you have no complications regarding grains. I tried eating Paleo for a month specifically to target my belly fat and i was rather unimpressed. The good: I was eating more vegetables (I went from eating a lot to eating TONS) and more protein. The bad: no shift in energy or weight loss as promised - in fact my workout intensity went down (but that may have been because I got sick within a week of starting Paleo). No feeling awesome because I was avoiding grains and legumes.

So now I have decided to retain what I like about Paleo (more clean eating, more protein, avoiding simple carbs) but reincorporating whole grains and legumes like peanut butter and beans. Eating this way has allowed me to hit my macros dead on and maintain a pretty sizeable calorie deficit without feeling hungry. In fact, I usually hit my marcos well before my calories. I can exercise hard and I'm seeing progress with my midsection as well that I wasn't with Paleo.

^^ I agree.

taso42

Blender Bottle works in a pinch. Or a regular blender does a great job for things like frozen berries or various fruits.

amandamickey

Personally, I broke my "carb habit" by reading/doing the first cycle of the 17 Day Diet. I don't follow it "by the book" anymore, per se, but it most definitely helped me kick start healthier eating! The 17 Day Diet is not be for everyone, but I suggest checking it out to see if it's something you might be interested in.

anubis609

Blender Bottle works in a pinch. Or a regular blender does a great job for things like frozen berries or various fruits.

I like my berries shaken once in a while. Over time it kind of hurts.

Will_Lift_4_Shoes

I have been trying to stick to 30-15-30-15-30-15 carbs per meal/snack. I get three meals and three snacks. Read the labels. I am a total sugar carbo junkie. I love the stuff. Since working to stay within these ratios I have had less cravings for sugar and garbage food. I have found bread taht works well in the limits, knowing your fruits and veggies is important (some contain lots of carbs and I find they can be a trigger for me). Also, I try to start out the day with protein. It just seems like the cravings for the garbage foods are less when I focus on getting in my protein early in the day. Its not an overnight fix. You have to allow yourself some time off for good behavior too (if you go out to eat and really want that pasta or movie theater popcorn then have it). When my husband and I have gone out to eat we are looking on the websites and MFP to see what will fit in our new way of thinking. It has forced us to try new things, choose different restaurants, and find new favorites. At first this seems extreme to go to so few a meal but we have found there is more out there we can use. We like the website dlife.com and use it for recipes. They have all the carb counts on there. If you want you can add me as a friend. I would be happy to have someone to cheer on with this journey.

Andi1422

I too was a breadAholic!! On January 20th of this year I started my lo-carb diet. For the first week I tried to totally give up all carbs but I found that I was tired and felt like I wasn't eating anything.. So I started with limiting myself to 100 carbs a day, tried that then when I signed up for MFP, I lowered it to 80 a day. If I feel a need for bread/chips etc I pick the ones that are lowest in carbs & try to stay with whole grains & eat only the serving size!! Thanks for the post, I have got some useful information from other replys. :happy:

jldaley09

Thanks for all the wonderful tips! I think I need to make a more conscious effort to cut them back and eat more whole grains. I do eat whole grain bread as I hate white bread. My problems are sugar in my coffee.. I have tried every substitute and I only like sugar crackers... chips. I find if I have just one I crave even more. I did so well losing 25 lbs over the last year I am just stuck with no loss for so long now even with increasing my exercise and adding resistance training. I feel there is so much I need to learn about macros, and other nutrients and ratios.

JayByrd107

For all you ever wanted to know about macros but were afraid to ask: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/

Careful, it's not for everyone: he bases his articles on scientific/medically backed studies which not everyone appreciates.