Carboholic

keshiabug1

Is there really such a thing as a carboholic? I love most carb rich foods, and I seriously can't seem to find the right balance for them. I haven't even finished eating today and I am over my carb macro.

Tips on how to balance it out?

Warchortle

more water fiber and protein and switch from simple carbs to complex carbs

keshiabug1

more water fiber and protein and switch from simple carbs to complex carbs

I eat mainly potatoes, ceral, and pasta that make up my carb macros... are those complex or simple? I am clueless.

Becca_Reb

Is there really such a thing as a carboholic? I love most carb rich foods, and I seriously can't seem to find the right balance for them. I haven't even finished eating today and I am over my carb macro.

Tips on how to balance it out?

There must e such a thing as a carboholic - I could easily cut everything else out and live on pasta, pizza and bread! But carbs are te one thing I really really really need to cut down on :-/

MightyDomo

Less breads and more grains, have oatmeal, rice, cream of wheat when it comes to grains (they last longer and have better fibre content, at least from what I notice).

When it comes to fruit you sometimes don't have a choice but good options are melons (watermelon, canteloupe, etc.) and grapes, strawberries, raspberries (with raspberries have a small amount of fat in them, who knew! but it's still good).

Veggies, peas and other legumes, they do have fairly high carb content but they also have good fibre and protein at the same time. Having salads are another good way to add a filler and they can have tomatoes, lettuce, shredded cheese, cucumber and many other veggies and be fairly low cal and low carb at the same time

Try to be creative with your choices, planning ahead before grocery shopping will make you be more adventurous with your carbs and figure out some great ways to bypass them even When I eat Steak + Shredded Rainbow Salad + Mushrooms it was super low carb and high protein, was so delicious (cooked all in the same pan without any oil, the juices from the veggies and meat helped to keep everything moist)

Good luck!

Noor13

I always pre log my meals in the morning and always make sure to hit my protein requirements first. The rest usually falls in line.

jbalge

I work at a coffee shop and I used to eat nothing but carbs because I was surrounded by them! Bread, cookies, you name it. I eventually just had to stop eating pasta, bread, and cookies regularly because I knew I couldn't control my carb intake. Now I buy whole wheat pasta once a month or so as a treat and I'll share a cookie with a friend from time to time. The call of the carb is hard to resist, but once you find other options it becomes less of a big deal.

Some ways you could cut down... instead of eating pasta as a meal, eat some pasta salad as a side or on top of some spinach (because of the fiber, it burns calories to digest and a cup of it is about 10 calories). Sharing is always great too, splitting a piece of cake or a cookie is a good way to get your fix without overindulging.

BBeccaJean

It's hard in a society that has an abundance of processed foods with central ingredients being sugar and refined carbs! Eating these substances releases dopamine, which can ultimately be addicting! I read this article--it might interest you:

http://www.oprah.com/health/Dr-Oz-Kick-Your-Carbohydrate-Addiction

I'm in the same boat...need to focus more on eating better, but the refined stuff just tastes good!

Warchortle

more water fiber and protein and switch from simple carbs to complex carbs

I eat mainly potatoes, ceral, and pasta that make up my carb macros... are those complex or simple? I am clueless.

Anything that is a white and starch is basically a simple carb. I wouldn't worry about fruit or vegetable carbs as much as processed carbs. They're refined so when you eat them it spikes your blood sugar as fast as a candy bar.

Slower digesting carbs: sweet potatoes, oatmeal, beans, brown rice. multigrain, carbs derived from dairy like cottage cheese..

keshiabug1

Thanks yall! This is a big help.

Also, I forgot fruit... its another huge one! I could probably live off of fruit. lol

Shadowcasting

Its hard to say without knowing what you're eating them as...

For me, it would be much easier to drop potatoes than pasta!!

ehsan517

those are mainly simple. complex are oats, sweet potatoes...brown rice..wholewheat pasta etc. depends what kind of cereals and stuff you have. avoid sugary stuff in general thou since those lack in micronutrients.

BUT, being a carboholic doesnt really matter if weight gain is your concern..its all about ur calories. if you eat 400g of carbs but are under ur daily requirements, then ur alllll good. no weight gain. BUT, for weight loss, a low carb diet can do wonders...only in the short run. carbs are your bodys primary source of energy..so if ur burning them up, keep having em!! nothing wrong with that.
keep in mind that a healthy balance of carbs, fats and proteins is key to being healthy.

so basically all this will depend on your goals and so on. a low carb diet is **** in my opinion. leaves me tired...dizzy and lacking energy. i aim to hit around 200g carbs a day and that keeps me happy. dont fear carbs. dont try extreme diets. find a healthy balance...and on some occasions, live a little, enjoy and go grab a snickers bar or whatever

xscarletXbegoniasx

i always eat peanut butter and apples when i have carb or sugar cravings, works every time.

greenfrog277

I am similar in that I love me some carbs. Good carbs that you don't have to worry about as much are things like vegetables and also sweet potatoes are supposed to be pretty good (and they are sweet, so they help with my sugar tooth!)

My advice would be to substitute in some (good) fats and some (good) proteins for some of the carbs where possible. You can google a list of healthy proteins and healthy fats and then go buy some that you like and eat those as snacks and as parts of meals.

Then try to make your remaining carbs a bit healthier. If it is pasta, lessen the portion size, go easy on the sauces, and add in a side of veggies and something that gives protein (soy milk, dairy things, fish, chicken, etc.)

Once you get a good balance where you are getting enough proteins and fats and fewer carbs (but more of the good ones), then you can make room for occasional treats or cheat nights where you have a slice of cake or a bread/pasta/potato/beer pigout (in moderation.)

jessvaughn74

I was the same way until I started this journey. My body is VERY carb sensitive. If my carbs are just from fruit/vegetables/oatmeal and some sort of bread ONCE a day then I will be ok. If I eat toast with breafast and a wrap (even the low carb ones I eat) for lunch a few times a week then I will not lose. So I just save it for an occasional treat. I find if I do not deprive myself during special occassions then I do not harbor as much resentment towards my healthy eating lifestyle. This weekend we had a birthday so I treated myself to a piece of cake. I just build the calories into my plan and it all worked out.

abbyrae1

my suggestion would to be to cut out/down simple carbs (i.e. white breads, pastas, sugars, heavy starch/low nutrient veggies) and replace them with veggies and fruits.

Recently I cut out processed carbs and started eating only veggies and some sprouted grain breads (Food for Life brand....fantastic). This really helped me start to feel better and I also started to not crave those foods as much.

x_cinder_x

I also suffer from a love of rice and pasta carbi over packed feasts. My tip is google substitute "__insert food_"

Basically there are a ton of great recipes and ideas out there that take your favorite carb and have you use some type of vegetable in its place. Many of these ideas are healthy, low on calories, and totally stop the attack of the carb desire in its tracks.

http://www.hungry-girl.com/ has a ton of these at her site.

Two favorites:
Spaghetti squash and marinara (yum- tastes better then spaghetti!)
Cauliflower Stir fry (steam your cauliflower, grate it, grill it up with some cooking spray and favorite veggies. Add a bit of light soy sauce-win!)