I have a carb problem :(

lilRicki

ok people, not that I want to cut ALL carbs, but i definitely have a problem with them...what are your tips and tricks to keep on track with carbs?

melsinct

I am not understanding. What does it mean that you "have a problem" with them? Does that mean you are eating too many?

Picola1984

If you were to cut all carbs, you would be very very bored. Not to say grumpy, tired and feeling like a bag of crap

AliciaNorris81

As in "problem". Are we talking a whole bag of potato chips followed with a Macaroni and Cheese chaser?

mickandmin

I love my carbs, especially pasta and I really had to weigh them to cut down. I weigh pasta, rice, potatoes, vegetables, cereal, porridge, basically everything. I changed to wholemeal pasta and brown rice, bought smaller bananas, ate more vegetables and cut out chips. I also bought smaller sliced bread and cut back on the amount of slices I had. To me weighing everything and really cutting my portion size was the key and filling up on more vegetables and fruit and changing things to wholemeal varieties Hope that helps. Good luck.

diemodemdie

Carbs are hard to cut out, for sure. I think what you might suffer from is the addictive quality they have and the crappy feeling you have after you cut them out. For the first week of severe carb cutting, you'll likely feel really bad... lethargic, cranky, and easily annoyed. It's been referred to as "carb flu" for just that reason, because a lot of symptoms actually mimic that.

However, I am here to tell you something simple: IT GETS BETTER.

The other thing is that carbs are found in lots of foods we enjoy. Breads, pastas, candy, fruit... all of it is hard to resist. And all of it is SUGAR.

They make plenty of sugar alternatives for stuff like coffee and baking, but still, it's just not the same.

So what I would do is set yourself a carb goal per day. Maybe something simple and attainable. I did it very cold turkey and it smacked me hard. So maybe set it at 100 a day. Or 75 a meal. Something simple.

Each week, cut back 5 carbs. I know it's slow going that way, but your body will adapt VERY quickly.

I am doing a special diet that requires <20 carbs a day. It's hard, yes, but it is satisfying. You get used to it, and soon, those cravings go away. In the past 2 months, I've lost about 25 lbs, and though I like to cycle, it's been too rainy for it around here. So what I'm saying, I lost that just by pure diet. I find that pretty crazy!

Cyclical carb dieting also adheres to the fact that you give yourself a cheat day. Your cheat day, go nuts. Eat whatever you want in whatever amount. Keeps your body's metabolism in check, and pushes it further.

Once you get past the flu stage, you'll notice an increase in energy, decrease in appetite, and (at least I found) a tremendous upswing in motivation.

Hope this helps. If you have any questions, or just need some more motivation or suggestions, message me.

iamMaLisa

Bump... i too am an addict!

lilRicki

I am way over my carb count...on a regular basis...and I love carbs. Thanx for the advice diemodemdie, and I do measure everything. I just want to know some alternatives to breads, pastas, rice, candy (candy is my weakness but it only happens once a month)

lilRicki

Bump... i too am an addict!

haha glad you're a part of my support group! No i'm not cutting all carbs, i know that's stupid, but i need to cut back on them. especially when i'm bored and tired at work

NancyNiles

bump ... I have this problem, too. As in bag of chips with mac n cheese chaser (or rather mac n cheese with brownie chaser). Anywho, looking forward to reading later and picking some very fine brains!!

PANZERIA

I am way over my carb count...on a regular basis...and I love carbs. Thanx for the advice diemodemdie, and I do measure everything. I just want to know some alternatives to breads, pastas, rice, candy (candy is my weakness but it only happens once a month)

Alternatives for all of the above:

Quinoa, Couscous, Butternut Squash (mashed - instead of potatoes), and yams.

What you should also do is look at the Canada Food Guide. It was the best thing for me!!!! I learned that I was WAY over-doing it on the breads and the protein, and it stated that one serving of bread is approx. 35g. I get 5 servings of bread per day, so I adjust my meals and snacks accordingly. (this is because I work out enough that the doctor told me to have 3 servings of meat and alternatives a day instead of just 2, so we cut down the breads from 6 to 5 to accomplish this). Seriously, just following the food guide has made it so much easier to enjoy my carbs, but not overload on them.

diemodemdie

I am way over my carb count...on a regular basis...and I love carbs. Thanx for the advice diemodemdie, and I do measure everything. I just want to know some alternatives to breads, pastas, rice, candy (candy is my weakness but it only happens once a month)

Ah, I understand where that comes from. I feel your pain!

One of my favorite pasta alternatives (though I hardly eat it anymore) is spaghetti squash. You boil the hell out of it, and then scrape the inside of it with a fork. Causes long, spaghetti-like tendrils, hence the name. It's actually surprisingly good once you get past the initial "holy jeez, this is squash!" If you haven't tried it, honestly, give it a shot.

As for rice, white rice isn't terrible, but most other rices are. Couscous is a good alternative, and I personally like its texture and flavor with a variety of dishes.

Breads are a hard one to replace. I have a few recipes that I use to make my own low carb bread at home, as most of the ones in store are pretty gross. The recipes work pretty well, and may not be as tasty as that white, sugary bread, but at least it's something!

Candy, well, that's hard to replace. Very dark chocolate (certain brands) is usually very low carb. I also have a few things you can make on your own that are hard to believe their low carb nature. For example... cauliflower brownies. I KNOW it sounds horrendously disgusting, but I gave some to my dad and brother, and they had NO idea. Only 1.5 carbs per serving!

The unfortunate thing is that you may have to cook a lot a home to maintain the carb cut. It's rewarding, though... I find it better to cook at home because I feel more satisfied when I eat my meals. Plus, you can control your serving sizes!

Message me if you want any of those recipies, or if you have any other questions.

Tree72

I can definitely understand your pain. I used to be a total sugar addict. Now that I'm following a 40/30/30 macro ratio, I've really had to switch up my foods to stay in that 40% of calories from carbs ratio. Personally I find it more satisfying to increase my vegetables, have a moderate amount of fruit (2 to 3 servings a day), and have less breads and pastas. (I do still eat breads and pastas, but not for every meal anymore.) For example, a lovely meat and veggie stir-fry does not require rice. Just add a few more veggies. And I don't do sandwiches very often anymore. Instead I'll have a large salad with chicken or tuna for lunch. Or I'll make a homemade soup with leftover roast or chicken. That way I can control what goes in, lots of veggies and mushrooms, and smaller portions of potatoes or other starches.

Feel free to add or PM me if you want to talk specific meal ideas or recipes for those of us who love our carbs but want to eat more moderate amounts of them.