No carbs at dinner?

jensiegel39
jensiegel39 Posts: 163 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hey all! My trainer today said I should not eat any carbs at dinner and that I should limit my carb intake to 100 g a day instead of the 160 g that MFP says. I can't imagine eating dinner without any carbs. What would I even make? I'm struggling with reducing carbs. I'm eating low carb breads and pastas and such, and I'm eating fruit instead of drinking juice, but I'm not sure what the heck to eat for dinner if I can't have ANY carbs. Just meat and veggies?

What do you all think? Do you eat carbs at dinner?

Thanks!

Jen :)
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Replies

  • mortuseon
    mortuseon Posts: 579 Member
    courgette pasta?
  • fitmiss581
    fitmiss581 Posts: 4 Member
    I eat a lot of salads for dinner Jen or chicken and veggies - I keep my carbs under a 100... not easy, like you said, most every thing has carbs.
  • ckncj
    ckncj Posts: 183 Member
    Veggies!!!
    Eggs
    Chicken
    Fish
    Turkey
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    I eat carbs all day.

    Well, not at lunch time. Usually.
  • jensiegel39
    jensiegel39 Posts: 163 Member
    I'm not sure of that brand of pasta, but I found this Dreamfields stuff that's really good and low carb. I wish I liked more veggies and fish and stuff. There's only so much chicken I can eat. I think I'll have to do mostly salads and put chicken or beef on it or something. So boring. Or maybe I can research some other recipes. My other thing is according to this site, I'm not eating enough calories all day. I guess I have to reevaluate what I can eat.
  • andrewj87
    andrewj87 Posts: 74
    Grilled chicken breast (6oz) and 3 cups steamed broccoli is my quick go to for dinner. Around 18g of carbs all from the broccolli.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Would you go to a dietician to get advice on how to lift weights?
  • WonStepAtaTime
    WonStepAtaTime Posts: 101 Member
    ^^^ not really how I would have put it but, I agree. You should talk to a Registered Dietitian. They are the pros and will be able to help you tailor your dietetic interests with your needs. Wish you the best.
  • Bobbie8786
    Bobbie8786 Posts: 202 Member
    I eat carbs all day and am losing weight just fine. I don't really get the whole low carb thing, but to each his own.

    p.s. - when did trainers become qualified to dish out nutrition advice?
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    There's no reason not to eat carbs at dinner, or to limit carbs to 100 grams. As is typical with most personal trainers, yours has absolutely no clue about nutrition.
  • jensiegel39
    jensiegel39 Posts: 163 Member
    Oh, I didn't mention my trainer is also a registered dietician! That was by accident that I found him, but that's why he's advising me on nutrition and exercise.
  • gk03ub
    gk03ub Posts: 99 Member
    Carbs all day every day!
    Not having carbs at dinner just leaves me hungry and unsatisfied, leading to binges. I keep my fats low though, usually less than 30g.
    However, some people thrive off low-carb and higher-fat. Find what works for YOU.
  • Keep_The_Laughter
    Keep_The_Laughter Posts: 183 Member
    Have you tried any of the following..

    shirataki noodles (filling with no carbs)
    steamed cabbage and wide leaf lettuce for creating wraps
    eggplant rolls, used like manicotti pasta
    egg batter crepes
    cauliflower/veggie pulses
    alternating slices of tomato and cucumber to make stacks with seasoned chicken and fish
    bean cakes (beans are classified as both carb and protein)
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    Also check this out-- studies attached:

    http://iifym.com/carbs-at-night/
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,965 Member
    I restrict carbs because I am diabetic and it can spike my blood glucose. It's not hard staying around 100g most days. My dinner is typically meat and veg, but I let myself have starchy veg like peas and parsnips.
  • Binkie1955
    Binkie1955 Posts: 329 Member
    yes he's right. nicknamed nocturnal ketosis. helps reduce insulin in your bloodstream during the night and encourages body to enter ketosis (fat burning) at night. I restrict my carbs to breakfast only.
  • coocakes
    coocakes Posts: 1
    When I aim for no/low carb dinners, a few go to dishes:
    - Zucchini sliced and sauteed in a little olive oil and served a red tomato pasta sauce
    - Okra cooked with onions, green peppers, and canned tomatoes
    - Spaghetti squash (some carbs though... 1 cup 7g)
    - Grilled eggplant (also some carbs.. 1 cup 5 g)
    - Grilled portobello mushrooms
    - Egg scrambled with sautéed mushrooms
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    yes he's right. nicknamed nocturnal ketosis. helps reduce insulin in your bloodstream during the night and encourages body to enter ketosis (fat burning) at night. I restrict my carbs to breakfast only.
    Your body enters ketosis anytime it needs to. You don't have to eat carbs at specific times to "encourage" it. The body is perfectly capable of doing it all by itself. If you eat 150 grams of carbs at breakfast, or you eat 50 grams of carbs each at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, your body will be in and out of ketosis for the exact same amount of time in a 24 hour period.

    As for low insulin at night, that's actually the opposite of what you want. You want higher insulin, which induces higher levels of hgh and igf-1, which helps prevent muscle catabolization, and encourages anabolism and repair of muscle tissue.
  • jensiegel39
    jensiegel39 Posts: 163 Member
    Also check this out-- studies attached:

    http://iifym.com/carbs-at-night/

    Thanks. Very enlightening! I think I will try to eat most carbs earlier, but I cannot conceive of having no carbs at dinner! I just don't like enough other things to have not a single carb! I will keep it the lowest of my meals though, if possible.

    Thanks all!
  • CallMeCupcakeDammit
    CallMeCupcakeDammit Posts: 9,377 Member
    I had a link to a study that was done showing a group that actually lost more weight eating carbs at night, but I lost the link when I got my new computer. If I can find it, I'll post it.
  • alyssa1593
    alyssa1593 Posts: 2
    If God made it, its good!
  • ngressman
    ngressman Posts: 229 Member
    Vegetables and fruits are carbs, so yes I eat carbs at dinner. My goal is to make sure I have protein with every carb and also at least some healthy fat.
  • CallMeCupcakeDammit
    CallMeCupcakeDammit Posts: 9,377 Member
    Also check this out-- studies attached:

    http://iifym.com/carbs-at-night/

    I think this is the study I was talking about. I remember the part about more satiety.
    While it is great to talk about mechanisms and nitpick every intricate detail about metabolism, at the end of the day, we have to examine whether or not any of this stuff makes any difference. Fortunately for us, a recent study published in the Journal of Obesity examined this very question (7). These researchers from Israel put people on a calorically restricted diet for 6 months and split them into two groups, a control group and an experimental group. Each group consumed the same amount of calories, protein, carbohydrates, and fat but they distributed their carbohydrate intake very differently. One group (control) ate carbs throughout the day, whereas the experimental group consumed the majority of their carbohydrate intake (approximately 80% of the total) at the night. What they found after 6 months may shock you. Not only did the experimental group consuming the majority of their carbs at night lose significantly more weight and bodyfat than the control group, they also were better satiety and less hunger!
  • BajaDreamin333
    BajaDreamin333 Posts: 267 Member
    In my opinion, when the "C" word is brought up on a bad light, it is almost always referring to refinded and processed carbs. Bread. Pasta. White Rice. If I keep my carb intake to unprocessed carbs like veggies (and in some cases whole grains) I don't feel like I have broken the cardinal carb rule. Refined carbs turn into sugar almost immediatly. You should avoid them at all times, not just dinner time. Try something like sweet potatoes. Yummy, unprocessed, and really good.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    8b2703c348922f3de6c3bb799ffd27bf.jpg

    Even though they are the devil of course...mama says so...

    carbs_are_of_the_devil.jpg

    BobbyBoucher.jpg
  • mamma_nee
    mamma_nee Posts: 809 Member
    I have not had carbs at dinner time for years now - Its easy to just have grilled steak , chicken, burger, or any other meat you may like add a nice salad to the side and a cooked vegetable or veggie homemade soup :) U wake up with such a nice feeling in the morning.
  • Mcgrawhaha
    Mcgrawhaha Posts: 1,596 Member
    i eat carbs, morning noon and night... and also in between... had no problem losing weight...
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Hey all! My trainer today said I should not eat any carbs at dinner and that I should limit my carb intake to 100 g a day instead of the 160 g that MFP says. I can't imagine eating dinner without any carbs. What would I even make? I'm struggling with reducing carbs. I'm eating low carb breads and pastas and such, and I'm eating fruit instead of drinking juice, but I'm not sure what the heck to eat for dinner if I can't have ANY carbs. Just meat and veggies?

    What do you all think? Do you eat carbs at dinner?

    Thanks!

    Jen :)

    You can eat anything anytime you want as long as you stay within your calorie allowance.

    Some people think you will gain weight if you eat carbs at night, or eat more at night, or whatever. None of this is true.

    Personally, I would balk any trainer who told me not to eat carbs at night and to limit anything in my diet. It's about calories in, calories out.

    I eat plenty of carbs, often some at night, and I work out everyday, and I have been losing weight.

    Did you trainer give you reasoning for his/her advice?
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,149 Member
    Vegetables and fruits are carbs, so yes I eat carbs at dinner. My goal is to make sure I have protein with every carb and also at least some healthy fat.

    People need to stop with the carbs=bread, pasta, and rice only. As she said, fruits and veggies have carbs, so if OP is having those at night, she's eating carbs (oh noes teh fatz!). Not bashing OP, more so her trainer who doesn't seem to understand carbs include a lot more than breads, pasta, and rice.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    In my opinion, when the "C" word is brought up on a bad light, it is almost always referring to refinded and processed carbs. Bread. Pasta. White Rice. If I keep my carb intake to unprocessed carbs like veggies (and in some cases whole grains) I don't feel like I have broken the cardinal carb rule. Refined carbs turn into sugar almost immediatly. You should avoid them at all times, not just dinner time. Try something like sweet potatoes. Yummy, unprocessed, and really good.
    False. ALL carbs are converted to sugar, not just refined carbs. As for how long the process takes, that depends a lot more on the rest of the meal, as rate of digestion varies with the types and amounts of food eaten.

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