Re-introducing carbs

snowbab
snowbab Posts: 192 Member
edited December 2024 in Food and Nutrition
I have been on the paleo/primal diet since the beginning of this year and I have loved it. I still love it, and it really helped me in my weight loss (bonus!)

However, I'm starting uiniversity later this month, and I'm going to be catered. This means that following this diet will not be easy. Perhaps impossible really, especially if i want to not go hungry! Plus, in the years after that, I won't be able to afford a diet without cheap carbs such as potatoes/rice/pasta/cereals etc...

So basically I need to start eating carbs again. However, I want to to this in a way that won't make me gain back loads of weight or shock my body too much. How would i go about doing this?

I'm actually not a huge fan of carbs anyway and don't miss them much atall. yesterday i had my first portion of non-veggie/fruit based carbs in a long time (a jacket potatoe) because it was ikpossible to have a meal where i was yesterday without some form of carbs, as they wouldn't replace it with veggies like usual( though not going to lie i did enjoy it) . Again, practicality!

I will only re-introduce healthy complex carbs such as wholemeal products etc...and I still don't really want to overdo the carbs (although i might have to change this), as I'm not bothered about them really. I really do love the paleo/primal way of eating, but unfortunately it's not going to be very possible to maintain in the foreseeable fuiure :( Bye bye sppons of peanut butter!

Replies

  • Need2bfit918
    Need2bfit918 Posts: 133 Member
    i eat mainly a primal diet but on occasion i eat potatoes, or rice and they don't seem to effect me like wheat, and sugar does.
  • CantarellaMiyani
    CantarellaMiyani Posts: 91 Member
    Mark Sisson has advocated, if you need to do something carby, white rice or sweet potatoes. White rice over brown, yes. So that's what I'd go for. As much as possible, I'd avoid anything laden with gluten, which does still mean no bread, but sometimes you just can't help it.
  • snowbab
    snowbab Posts: 192 Member
    I've read everywhere that brown rice is much better than white rice though?

    And sweet potatoes are great, but I think they're more expensive than regular potatoes which defeats the purpose of me having carbs again really :/
  • snowbab
    snowbab Posts: 192 Member
    I really just want to know how i should increase my carbs? I know suddenly eating loads is a bad idea. I eat around 25% carbs at the moment with fruit and vegetables. How much should I go up by as i add, and how often? Sorry for the bumping!
  • healthymission92
    healthymission92 Posts: 157
    You could try carb cycling. 2days no carbs, 1 day carbs. Then go to 1 day carb, 1 day not and see how you feel. Also have smaller portions of the carbs where possible. BUT you won't actually gain weight if you are still in your calorie range. (Only water weight initally that will go back down)
  • TheVimFuego
    TheVimFuego Posts: 2,412 Member
    I've read everywhere that brown rice is much better than white rice though?

    And sweet potatoes are great, but I think they're more expensive than regular potatoes which defeats the purpose of me having carbs again really :/

    There is a line of thought that prefers white rice over brown because it contains less potentially harmful ingredients, as they have been processed out.

    Personally I can live without rice generally. And wheat/bread/grains/whatever.

    Sweet potatoes are more expensive but what price health?
  • TheVimFuego
    TheVimFuego Posts: 2,412 Member
    And 'healthy wholemeal' ... Sorry, but wholemeal or wholewheat or wholegrain anything just isn't healthy.

    It goes counter to what has been shoved down our throats but it just isn't healthy.

    But hey, don't just take the word of this random on the 'net ;)
  • healthymission92
    healthymission92 Posts: 157
    I've read everywhere that brown rice is much better than white rice though?

    And sweet potatoes are great, but I think they're more expensive than regular potatoes which defeats the purpose of me having carbs again really :/

    There is a line of thought that prefers white rice over brown because it contains less potentially harmful ingredients, as they have been processed out.

    Personally I can live without rice generally. And wheat/bread/grains/whatever.

    Sweet potatoes are more expensive but what price health?

    Sweet potato's are good for you but so are white ones. Both for diff reasons. Sweet contain more vitamin C and Vitamin A. White ones contain more potassium and folate. Also theres nt much difference in carbs/cals in them.
  • healthymission92
    healthymission92 Posts: 157
    I've read everywhere that brown rice is much better than white rice though?

    And sweet potatoes are great, but I think they're more expensive than regular potatoes which defeats the purpose of me having carbs again really :/

    There is a line of thought that prefers white rice over brown because it contains less potentially harmful ingredients, as they have been processed out.

    Personally I can live without rice generally. And wheat/bread/grains/whatever.

    Sweet potatoes are more expensive but what price health?

    Sweet potato's are good for you but so are white ones. Both for diff reasons. Sweet contain more vitamin C and Vitamin A. White ones contain more potassium and folate. Also theres nt much difference in carbs/cals in them.
  • Chief_Rocka
    Chief_Rocka Posts: 4,710 Member
    White bread is a good complex carb
  • snowbab
    snowbab Posts: 192 Member
    And 'healthy wholemeal' ... Sorry, but wholemeal or wholewheat or wholegrain anything just isn't healthy.

    It goes counter to what has been shoved down our throats but it just isn't healthy.

    But hey, don't just take the word of this random on the 'net ;)

    What's the fact behind this? Not that I don't trust you, I'm just curious...
  • snowbab
    snowbab Posts: 192 Member
    You could try carb cycling. 2days no carbs, 1 day carbs. Then go to 1 day carb, 1 day not and see how you feel. Also have smaller portions of the carbs where possible. BUT you won't actually gain weight if you are still in your calorie range. (Only water weight initally that will go back down)

    Thanks for the tip, just what I needed! :)
  • sleepytexan
    sleepytexan Posts: 3,138 Member
    I tried primal for 1 month and it seems to have really caused a problem for me.

    After losing 15 lbs and staying at goal for more than a year (by counting calories alone), I decided to try primal as an experiment for the month of June. I aimed for fewer than 100 gr carbs a day, instead of my usual 250+.

    Good things: I felt good, not tired, learned that I am in fact NOT lactose intolerant, but instead sensitive to wheat.

    Interesting things: my weight hardly fluctuated at all; I would stay the same for 5 or 6 days at a time, and fluctuations were usually only .2 or so, instead of 1-3 lbs. I did not lose any weight at all during the month.

    Bad thing: I missed my sweets, so I decided to go back to eating normally (with the exception of no longer avoiding dairy and instead, avoiding wheat) on July 1. HOWEVER, as soon as I went back to my higher carbs, I immediately gained 8 lbs. within 2 weeks. That was more than 1/2 of my total weight loss, and as I had said previously, I had been at goal for more than a year.

    It has really frustrated me, and now we are into September and I have only come back down by 2 lbs. Although I know that 2 lbs. in 6 weeks is not bad for someone so close to goal, I am disappointed that the 1-month experiment caused such a large and rapid gain.

    I hope this does not happen to you, but this is what happened to me.

    EDIT: the only other thing I can think of is that dairy is causing me to gain weight? I hadn't eaten much dairy in over 7 years, and since I learned that I can in fact tolerate it as long as I avoid wheat, maybe that is a factor?
  • healthymission92
    healthymission92 Posts: 157
    To the comment above. It's as your body was not used to carbs after you cut them out. Happened to me too, unless you stick to low carb for life it's not worth it. It will come back off though just give it time :)
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