Those who dont eat CARBS...

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Hanni
Hanni Posts: 158 Member
in Food and Nutrition
... could you please tell me if it had a positive effect on your health?

It is always the carbs that ruin my diet and make me put on weight - trust me, the pattern is obvious.
These carbs are Bread and Pasta. I want to completely take them out of my diet for good.
I tried a diet before where I dont eat carbs for 2 weeks and then slowly introduce the so called "good ones" again. The minute I allow myself those "good ones" I immediately slip back into my old habits and just cant resist bread and pasta and the problem with that is, I eat them too often then too. If I eat no carbs for a whole day, i dont feel anything is missing, i could go on like that forever. but if I compare it to the days when I eat carbs at breakfast or lunch, I cant stop.

So I would like to read from those of you who have decided to exclude carbs from their diet and how it has helped you with losing weight and getting more healthy?

Thank you!

:flowerforyou:

Replies

  • kwardklinck
    kwardklinck Posts: 1,601
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    My sister doesn't eat carbs at all right now. She lost 20 pounds in a month. She had 2 glasses of wine last week and got sick. I really don't think this is the way to go because how long can you exist on just salad, meat, and cheese? I personally plan to eat carbs for the rest of my life. Granted they should be healthy ones but I'm not giving up milk, fruit, beans and the like.
  • krissybohaczyk
    krissybohaczyk Posts: 48 Member
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    I agree with kward. I've tried those kind of diets many times. Yes, they make you lose weight fast but I don't think they're good in the long run. There's so many things that are good, healthy and full of fiber to keep you full that you can't have on a diet like that. Eat your fruit, bread, beans, bread, pasta, in healthy portions and watch your calories. It's the calories that really matter. Try eating all whole wheat or other flours in your bread and pasta.
  • sparklepants
    sparklepants Posts: 149 Member
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    Maybe you need to look at the balance of where you're calories come from ie your carb, protein & fat split
  • kellygirl5538
    kellygirl5538 Posts: 597 Member
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    Right now i set my carbs at 30% of my diet, so basically around 100 g per day. I could never get my carbs down to 35 for that long of time. Now I am trying to only eat carbs one meal per day.
  • Ashia1317
    Ashia1317 Posts: 415
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    There's the good carbs and there's the bad carbs.

    I was on South Beach and had done very well. It taught me more of what I SHOULD BE eating rather than just "cutting" things out completely. I don't follow it to an exact science anymore, but I do my best to live that lifestyle. Most of the time I don't eat bread and pasta because I can't control myself. But if I do bring it home from the store or my mom makes it, we both use whole grain breads and pastas.

    Moderation, moderation, moderation!! That's pretty much the key to ANY weight loss and health success. It's not always WHAT you eat, but HOW MUCH you eat. I do my best to stay away from the refined stuff - white bread, starchy carbs, but sometimes they're out there . . . . it's just a matter of control.
  • Pinksapphire74
    Pinksapphire74 Posts: 35
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    There is a new noodle out called the maricale noodle, you should look it up online. It is kind of spendy, but worth it! It has no carbs, no glutin, kosher, and just all around wonderful, a firend is using it because her son is allergic to glutin and they love it! Good luck and maybe this would help you feel like you are getting carbs because it is pasta, when you really aren't:)
  • theluckduck
    theluckduck Posts: 6
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    I think its important to eat good carbs - whole wheat items and the like; and to stay away (mostly) from the others (white flour). I think its a good idea to restrict carbs, but not to take them out of your diet, especially if you enjoy them. I think truly, its about balance in your diet - being smart about the carbs you take in. Also, without exercise, its crazy to diet. I think many people turn to restricting types of foods and numbers of calories. My feeling is that, its important to eat the right kinds of food, but to exercise as well. Find a fitness programme that you enjoy, or try walking. I believe that when you exercise and eat right, then you can expect realistic results.
  • cmo115
    cmo115 Posts: 73 Member
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    In high school I basically took carbs completely out of my diet...except for fruits and such because at that point my life I didn't even know there were carbs in fruit......anyway I lost a ton of weight but I also was fainting/blacking out/tunnel vision and I had some really weird cramp things happen with my legs...It was terrible and not worth it because I now still have problems with my left leg and even though no Dr. has ever told me this....I really think it has to do with how extreme I took my dieting back then.
  • kellykat
    kellykat Posts: 180 Member
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    If you deprive yourself of something you love, you are setting yourself up to binge or lose control on the rare occasions you have it. There is no reason why you can't have the food you enjoy if you can teach yourself moderation. It can be a tough process to teach yourself limits, but it will be worth it in the long run.
  • Hanni
    Hanni Posts: 158 Member
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    thank you for all your responses.

    I dont intend to cut out fruit and milk and beans etc. But I dont want to eat bread and pasta anymore. I have set my carbs at 81g per day to allow for carbs in fruit and dairy and vegetables. I do excercise 4 times a week and in addition to that I have a horse which currently needs a lot of training so I am quite active and not just sitting on the sofa stuffing my face with cake :laugh:

    I think I will try cutting out pasta and bread for now and see how i feel with it.
  • mzmoonlight
    mzmoonlight Posts: 160
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    ... could you please tell me if it had a positive effect on your health?

    It is always the carbs that ruin my diet and make me put on weight - trust me, the pattern is obvious.
    These carbs are Bread and Pasta. I want to completely take them out of my diet for good.
    I tried a diet before where I dont eat carbs for 2 weeks and then slowly introduce the so called "good ones" again. The minute I allow myself those "good ones" I immediately slip back into my old habits and just cant resist bread and pasta and the problem with that is, I eat them too often then too. If I eat no carbs for a whole day, i dont feel anything is missing, i could go on like that forever. but if I compare it to the days when I eat carbs at breakfast or lunch, I cant stop.

    So I would like to read from those of you who have decided to exclude carbs from their diet and how it has helped you with losing weight and getting more healthy?

    Thank you!

    :flowerforyou:

    I wouldnt advise for against a carb free diet, besides which I think it would be incredibly difficult to have no carbs at all. If bread and pasta are triggers for you then cut out those two things but replace with other carbs. I havent eaten bread for about 4 months and only have wholewheat pasta about once every couple of weeks, yet my diet is faily carb loaded. Instead I eat quinoa, couscous, sweet potato... I also have a diet high in protein so it balances out the carbs I do have.

    Honestly, if certain foods are trigger foods then just remove them from your diet but I would seriously advise against removing a whole food group.
  • sparklepants
    sparklepants Posts: 149 Member
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    Have you tried wholemeal pasta? And brown rice?
  • KateDonnelly
    KateDonnelly Posts: 53
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    It may take time to develop new habits. I had a thing for unhealthy carbs too and I just worked really hard on one unhealthy item at a time. Now, I am in control of it. A healthy diet includes good carbs but you don't have to eat ALL good carbs to be healthy. Cutting out bread and pasta is fine. Just be patient with yourself as you learn how.
  • kwardklinck
    kwardklinck Posts: 1,601
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    That's the smart way to do it. Cut out the bad carbs but make sure you're getting the right balance of good carbs.
  • nicolina823
    nicolina823 Posts: 450 Member
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    Like PP said this is what I try to do to take care of carb urges:
    1-instead of chips I've baked josephs whole wheat wraps or won ton wrappers
    2-instead of white bread I use sandwhich thins or josephs wraps always whole wheat
    3-instead of pasta I use Shiritaki Noodles the knock off of the Miricle Noodle. I like both but Miricle Noodle has a slightly better texture IMO. But hard to find. The Shiritaki can be found in Shaws, Hannafords and most health food stores.
    4-when Shiritakis arent going to cut it I use GF pasta or whole wheat pasta

    Good Luck!
  • mrsdv
    mrsdv Posts: 13
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    I agree totally with mzmoonlight. There are plenty of other healthy carbs around and for me it is best to avoid certain trigger foods. I love natural peanut butter but I don't keep it in the house very often because I eat way too much. Cut out the bread and pasta and eat fruit, brown rice, quinoa etc and you will still be getting lots of healthy carbs. Have you tried spaghetti squash? This is one of my new favourite foods. I eat it with salsa on it.
  • FeatherStone13
    FeatherStone13 Posts: 16
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    You can't escape carbs for the rest of your life. What I find is just to keep them to a minimum. If you do eat bread, make it a healthy choice like whole grain or multi grain. Everything in moderation.
  • FeatherStone13
    FeatherStone13 Posts: 16
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    I agree, I cant give up pasta or bread. Just keeping the portion size down.
  • Hanni
    Hanni Posts: 158 Member
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    I agree totally with mzmoonlight. There are plenty of other healthy carbs around and for me it is best to avoid certain trigger foods. I love natural peanut butter but I don't keep it in the house very often because I eat way too much. Cut out the bread and pasta and eat fruit, brown rice, quinoa etc and you will still be getting lots of healthy carbs. Have you tried spaghetti squash? This is one of my new favourite foods. I eat it with salsa on it.

    Thanks mzmoonlight and mrsdv for your advise, and every one else of course!
    Yes basically, that is my plan. As I said in the original post, I want to cut out the bread and pasta. "trigger foods" is probably the perfect word for them in my case. As I said, I still intend to eat beans, lentils, milk, and so on even potatoes dont worry me. It is bread and pasta that ruin it everytime for me and I guess until i can handle them, I better dont include them (this also counts for the wholemeal versions btw...)

    I do eat quite a bit of protein as well (chicken and fish) which MFP automatically upped when I lowered my carb goal.

    As for the butternut squash: I wish i could find it, I have been searching everywhere it just seems it hasnt caught on yet in the UK. :-(

    Thanks everyone!
  • lab_goddess
    lab_goddess Posts: 170 Member
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    I try to limit my carbs, but I still eat them. However, I try to be really careful about portion control--i measure out one serving of pasta before I cook it, etc. Not the most practical approach to cooking if you're cooking for others, but in terms of keeping them in check, it works for me. I don't think it is good to completely omit a food category, but I try to stick to minimally processed carbs, and I really watch the portion control.
    good luck!

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