Pasta...it makes me mad!!

determined_01
determined_01 Posts: 147
in Food and Nutrition
Before I started MFP I was never really a huge pasta eater to begin with. I like to have it as a meal every now and again but prior to logging never paid a bit of attention to what I was consuming. Now since joining every time I log it in I seriously want to throw the computer...3.5 oz at 380 calories....really? That is a portion (a double portion I might add) the size of my fist while my husband eats a dinner plate full and I sit and cry inside because I dont even remember consuming my meal because it was so damn small. Does anyone know of any brands or alternatives to pasta that are a little more forgiving in the calorie department?
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Replies

  • nene01pop
    nene01pop Posts: 80 Member
    why not eat something light before, for instance... steamed broccoli or a salad before spaghetti, then it won't be so discouraging. I am very finicky about changing all my foods so to speak... Saturday night... I wanted a Grilled Ribeye steak, so I cked the cal count, so I made a big salad and cut up the ribeye and had it on top... this way I get my steak, obtw- it was 6oz ribeye... just weighed and logged and went on.

    There are wheat noodles, but I can't suggest them... hubby won't let them in the house. :(
  • verptwerp
    verptwerp Posts: 3,659 Member
    do what the "Hungry Girl" does ...... have your serving of pasta, but bulk it up with all kinds of veggies :drinker:
  • Silverkittycat
    Silverkittycat Posts: 1,997 Member
    ooohhhh pasta makes me happy. Cut the portion you're eating down?
  • territhefrog
    territhefrog Posts: 1,134 Member
    You are not alone. My husband can eat almost anything without gaining weight. And here I am with a butt (______(______) like this and have to watch all my calories.
    The wheat pasta is supposed to be better for you in all ways. At least that's what I was told by a trainer 2 years ago...but he just might have been trying to make a sale. He was not very good. I didn't lose any weight when I went to him.
  • iKapuniai
    iKapuniai Posts: 594 Member
    Here are some alternatives:

    -Peeled Zucchini
    -"Spaghetti" Squash
    -Shirataki Noodles/"Miracle Noodles"
    -Tofu noodles

    My all time favorite: Fiber Gourmet light pasta. It's REAL pasta, but it has more fiber added in so the fiber count is up while the calorie count goes down. It's 40% lower in calories than standard pastas, so you can have two servings for the calories of one. I like to use the penne pasta, it's like 260 calories for 4oz (compared to 260+ for 2oz), I like to add light alfredo sauce (70 cals) and a TON of broccoli - it comes out to be a HUGE serving of alfredo pasta for about 400 calories. Can't go wrong with that!
  • territhefrog
    territhefrog Posts: 1,134 Member
    do what the "Hungry Girl" does ...... have your serving of pasta, but bulk it up with all kinds of veggies :drinker:

    Oh that's what I do. I love chunky veggies in sauce on my spaghetti! I don't even need meat if the veggies are chunky!
  • OTchic
    OTchic Posts: 205 Member
    i would go ahead and add a salad and veggies on the side eat that first then ur pasta and ull be bloated full. i know i used to eat not just one plate but two plates before so i KNOW i was eating over 1000 calories plus my soda! OMG. and now well honestly ive had pasta once in 5 mths!!!! but i rather be more healthy than eat like u said one fist size and be like wheres my meal? and then id be all upset too.
  • mcaffreyg
    mcaffreyg Posts: 69 Member
    barilla mini wheels! tiny pieces so it feels like so much!!!
    1.5 cups = 300 cals. so really not to bad. and it is a big ol' bowl of food
  • Sharonks
    Sharonks Posts: 884 Member
    Make zucchini strips, boil them lightly, toss with your noodles and sauce. I've done it with cabbage too. Miracle noodles are low cal and low carb but don't taste the same.
  • ToughTulip
    ToughTulip Posts: 1,118 Member
    Spaghetti squash is the BEST alternative imo
  • MonicaT1972
    MonicaT1972 Posts: 512
    I personally avoid pasta all together. To me it's just a waste of calories when I can have more proteing that will be more satisfying and keep me feeling fuller way longer! If I have to have a carb with a meal I look to whole grains due to their complexity and how they release slower in your system.
  • Celliott411
    Celliott411 Posts: 49 Member
    Shiritaki Miracle Noodles! No calories and so good!
  • lauragoat
    lauragoat Posts: 197 Member
    While we are talking about pasta....weigh it before cooking or after???? I have always wondered .....
  • mushroomcup
    mushroomcup Posts: 145 Member
    I don't have any advice (sorry!), but let me tell you: I feel your pain. I am a pasta addict. Pasta is one of my favorite things... in the world. I can eat an entire pot of the stuff with just a little evoo and parm and be content with life (and even content with my lil post-pasta-munching-belly protruding above my pants). When I'm calorie counting, I just account for my gargantuan pasta portions ahead of time and eat light during my other meals. You could try shirataki noodles if you want a low cal option for a noodle-based dish, however the stuff tastes like dung in comparison to heavenly pasta... or maybe I'm just biased? ^_^ Good luck with your pasta woes!
  • vbrent07
    vbrent07 Posts: 115
    Whole wheat spaghetti or veggie spaghetti. It is still high in calories though and the serving size is small but it is a little more filling. I think that the serving size is a little bigger though. I also make a huge salad with any pasta dish.
  • ToughTulip
    ToughTulip Posts: 1,118 Member
    While we are talking about pasta....weigh it before cooking or after???? I have always wondered .....

    Before :)
  • MonicaT1972
    MonicaT1972 Posts: 512
    Another great option is spaghetti sqaush in it's place. Even my fussy teenagers will eat it and not complain!
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    While we are talking about pasta....weigh it before cooking or after???? I have always wondered .....

    Before :)

    It doesn't matter - just make sure you look for an entry in the database that matches - you'll find both cooked and raw in there.
    (Because most of the entries in the database are user entered, you have no way to know what they intended if they didn't specify cooked or raw).

    The pasta I eat is around 200 cals for a cup. This is a moderate sized serve for me, and I usually add plenty of veggies to my sauces so I don't feel deprived eating 1 cup of pasta. Are you sure you're logging it accurately?
  • Cait_Sidhe
    Cait_Sidhe Posts: 3,150 Member
    Pasta makes me happy. Are you measuring it dry or cooked? 2oz of dry spaghetti is plenty for me. 3.5oz of dry pasta seems like a lot. 3.5 oz of cooked pasta is hardly anything. Most of the nutritional info on pasta is dry/uncooked as it expands and weighs more when cooked because it absorbs water.
  • caraiselite
    caraiselite Posts: 2,631 Member
    i use dreamfields. less carbs =]
  • TheVimFuego
    TheVimFuego Posts: 2,412 Member
    i use dreamfields. less carbs =]

    I know you are keen low carber so just letting you know that I've read that the Dreamfields stuff will spike insulin in pretty much the same way as regular.

    http://www.dietdoctor.com/the-dreamfields-pasta-fraud
  • RunMyOregonBunsOff
    RunMyOregonBunsOff Posts: 862 Member
    I like the brown rice or whole grain pasta and have about 2 oz (dry) but I start off with a salad that is at least the size of my pasta and then I feel full and I'm not done before my husband has even put a dent in his.
  • devil_in_a_blue_dress
    devil_in_a_blue_dress Posts: 5,214 Member
    I grew up in a house where my mom made way too much food at every meal -- overeating was the norm, food was there -- you could never eat too much because there was always more. So I am committed to making single servings for meals - unless I am batch cooking, and I pack away food pretty much immediately.

    Here is what happens in my house on pasta nights (it is me, my husband, and our 3 year old). First, I make my own sauce in huge batches and keep it in the freezer. I like my own sauce because I can add a TON of veggies. Next, I weigh out 4 servings of pasta -- (we favor fettuccine noodles at 200 calories a serving) and when serving it, it is divided out into 3 equal portions (our daughter's portion is then divided in 2 for her lunch the next day). I make a pound of ground turkey meatballs (I end up with 10 or so). I eat 2, husbands eats more -- I don't love meatballs as much as I love pasta, so I don't have envy. I also make a salad and broccoli with pasta night -- both, always.

    Sure, you may think 1.33 servings of pasta won't be enough for your husband, but guess what? Meatballs. Veggies. Or! He can have a snack when dinner is over. Which my hubby sometimes does -- that's not the end of the world.
  • Cristofori44
    Cristofori44 Posts: 201
    So first off, I think either you have a big appetite or you're overestimating a little bit the pasta calories. I have a food scale at home and a cup of mostacciolli comes out to around 2.85 ounces or about 285 calories. And that's a cup, and for me, even being of Italian-American heritage--which has distorted the way food is eaten in Italy--it was more than enough with a meal that also came with some sauce and cheese on the pasta (80 cals) and 5.oz. of salmon and some veggies. I would have been happy at 3/4 a cup or in the range of 200-240 cals.

    The cup certainly did fill my bowl, almost a bit too much.

    The other poster is right that different kinds of pasta could have different calorie counts, though both on my Barilla fettucine and mostaccioli Iist 100 calories per ounce. Maybe different counts for other brands.

    Typically in Italy a small amount of pasta with a little bit of sauce is had with a small portion of protein and a side of veggies. And a glass of wine. Fruit for dessert, usually, sometimes a small portion of gelato. No one portion of the meal is huge but in the end it all adds up and makes a satisfying and balanced meal.

    Finally, it's not like you can't never have 350 calories of pasta with a meal--if people are really hungry they should eat; I could have eaten a horse after a 900-calorie burn the other day, I was very under my net cals and low on carbs so I had that cup of pasta instead of the half or 3/4 cup. But as a routine matter, you do want to balance out the meal so you don't go overboard on any one thing.

    Enjoy your pasta like all things--with moderation and balance. Have a little of this, a little of that. Mangia bene, vivi felice!
  • gramacanada
    gramacanada Posts: 557 Member
    While we are talking about pasta....weigh it before cooking or after???? I have always wondered .....

    Weight is before cooking.
  • stuffinmuffin
    stuffinmuffin Posts: 985 Member
    I have 100g servings of pasta and they seem fine to me (come in at about 350cals). I had 150g the other night and it was vast!!! Portion sizes can be shocking at first when you realise the calorie amounts but you really do get used them.
  • zophiel67
    zophiel67 Posts: 181
    Before. Most containers say dry weight when you look at the nutrition facts.

    I agree with what others have said. Switch to whole grain pasta and add lots of veggies to bulk up a serving size. I'm not a huge fan of using veggies as the noodles, but that's totally personal preference. And I haven't tried the miracle noodles. Anything claiming to be a "miracle" makes me a little leery.
  • Rilke
    Rilke Posts: 1,201 Member
    3.5 oz is the size of your fist? Are you weighing it after it's cooked? Because 3.5 oz of *cooked* spaghetti is only about 150 calories.
  • skinnyminni1985
    skinnyminni1985 Posts: 24
    I used to love pasta, I would eat it almost every day, but always felt sluggish and bloated. I havent eaten any pasta for about 6 weeks now, and the difference is amazing, mainly not feeling bloated all the time! I just substitute it for lots of veggies or a small portion of cous cous made with a vegetable stock cube (yum) - i crave it occasionally, but the thought of eating it now just reminds me of how full I felt all the time! I am talking about wholewheat pasta by the way, I havent eaten white pasta for over 4 years!
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    Before I started MFP I was never really a huge pasta eater to begin with. I like to have it as a meal every now and again but prior to logging never paid a bit of attention to what I was consuming. Now since joining every time I log it in I seriously want to throw the computer...3.5 oz at 380 calories....really? That is a portion (a double portion I might add) the size of my fist while my husband eats a dinner plate full and I sit and cry inside because I dont even remember consuming my meal because it was so damn small. Does anyone know of any brands or alternatives to pasta that are a little more forgiving in the calorie department?

    You must have a very large fist. I weigh out 2 oz dry (a portion) and it takes up almost an entire large dinner plate.

    But if you don't feel like you're getting enough bang for your calorie with pasta, don't eat it.

    I eat Ronzoni Smart Taste. It's 180 calories per serving and the lowest I've found, which is also high in protein and fiber.

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