Pasta/Rice (Portion Control)

adammo2121
adammo2121 Posts: 22 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all,

I've been dieting since January 1st and have had some success. Where we struggle a bit at home is that we've adjusted our eating habits quite considerably to avoid too many carbs (breads, pastas, rice, etc). We still have carbs but haven't had a pasta meal in quite a while. I was just wondering if anyone here still ate pastas? I was kind of wondering if I had smaller portions that I used to if i'd be ok? I don't really want to deviate from what I am doing now as its been working, but we also have many more meal ideas that involve the use of pasta/rice/etc.

Thanks all!
«1

Replies

  • curlytoes79
    curlytoes79 Posts: 95 Member
    I still eat pasta and rice but have cut way back on the portions. I used to eat an entire bowl of pasta, or a whole cup of rice with a meal. Now, I treat pasta as a side dish, with BIG helpings of veggies taking up the rest of my plate. With rice, I'll take one heaping tablespoon full of it to eat with my Chinese food or veggies or whatever. If I'm at home, I'll measure out a quarter cup of cooked rice.

    I also stick with whole-wheat pasta and brown rice as much as possible.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    This stuff is the BEST for pasta lovers looking to cut carbs or calories.

    https://www.fibergourmet.com/

    I can't find it locally so I order it from Amazon. No gray color or gritty texture like whole wheat pasta, it tastes just like regular white pasta, but has half the calories.
  • BlueBombers
    BlueBombers Posts: 4,064 Member
    Same here, still eat pasta and rice, just not as much as I used to.
  • Kenazwa
    Kenazwa Posts: 278 Member
    When we have pasta or rice (or most anything else), I find an entry in the database for the cooked portion (like 1/2 cup cooked rice) and log it. Since I don't do all the cooking plus cook for 4 when I do, I need the cooked portion size.
  • mamma_nee
    mamma_nee Posts: 809 Member
    I still eat it but never for dinner - I have it as a side for lunch ( I try to have just 1/2 to 1 cup cooked)
  • knra_grl
    knra_grl Posts: 1,566 Member
    yes you can as others previously stated and I stick to whole wheat pasta as well - I don't mind brown rice but I like white better so I mix it half and half (I figure half the effort is better than no effort lol)

    Now when I make pasta I mix in about a cup of spaghetti sauce with my smaller proper portion and I also have a side of steamed veg to keep my from going back for seconds. Or you can just make a proper portion when cooking it but I like extra for leftovers.
  • indianarunner76
    indianarunner76 Posts: 108 Member
    I absolutely love pasta. I eat it at least every other day. I just don't eat as much as I use to. I lost 54 pounds in four months so I would say moderation is key. I honestly hate whole wheat pasta, I eat the regular white kind and hasn't hurt my weight loss at all.
  • jessilyn76
    jessilyn76 Posts: 532 Member
    Smaller portions, brown (if you can get used to it)........for me, adding lots of grilled/fresh veggies to beef it up and make it seem like a bigger portion works well!!!

    Cutting any one thing that you love completely out of your diet is a recipe for disaster, in my opinion!!!

    Good luck!
  • curlytoes79
    curlytoes79 Posts: 95 Member
    For those of you who don't like whole wheat pasta, it might be worthwhile to try a few brands before giving up. The first brand of whole wheat pasta I tried was awful (Barilla, I think) and I didn't try it again for years. Then later I tried Ronzoni and thought it was much better. Now I can hardly eat white pasta; it's too soft and squishy for me.
  • asciident
    asciident Posts: 166 Member
    I still eat pasta and rice, but like the others I have cut back my portions. I cut back gradually.

    Some friends have taken to substituting zucchini or spaghetti squash cut into "noodles" instead of having pasta. They like it, and I'm thinking of trying it too. I just never seem to remember to buy zucchini when I want pasta bolognese that week!

    I've also switched to brown rice for the fiber. Haven't managed to find a whole wheat pasta I like.
  • ItsCasey
    ItsCasey Posts: 4,021 Member
    I eat pasta a few times a week. If you actually measure out one serving of it (2 oz/56 g uncooked or about 4 oz cooked), you'll find that it's a fair amount of food. There's no reason to avoid it if you're willing to weigh out the portions ahead of time and only cook that much.
  • otillie03103
    otillie03103 Posts: 107 Member
    I still eat gluten free pasta occasionally. I eat brown rice and quinoa a lot, but measured and logged as appropriate. I eat one serving size which is very small.
  • tedrickp
    tedrickp Posts: 1,229 Member
    This stuff is the BEST for pasta lovers looking to cut carbs or calories.

    https://www.fibergourmet.com/

    I can't find it locally so I order it from Amazon. No gray color or gritty texture like whole wheat pasta, it tastes just like regular white pasta, but has half the calories.

    Will vouch for this as well. Great stuff.

    Originally - I was pretty sad to see how much a serving of pasta was weighed out :grumble:
  • Eleonora91
    Eleonora91 Posts: 688 Member
    I'm Italian, so I have pasta very often... I wouldn't even conceive my life without pasta. I usually have it a few times a week, at lunch only. 80 gr if it's fiber pasta (has less calories), 60-70 gr if it's another kind of pasta. If I'm having pasta or rice I'm not having any other kind of carb during the same meal, such as no bread, obviously. I can have sugars from fruit anyway. I usually have a couple of slices of bread for dinner anyway if I want to. I usually put some tomato sauce flavoured with onion and 1/2 tbsp olive oil, and 1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese. Example: today I had a dish of pasta for lunch; 70 gr Fiber pasta (198 kcals) + 100 ml tomato sauce (35 kcals) + 1/2 tbsp olive oil (59 kcals) + 1 tbsp parmesan cheese, 10 gr (39 kcals) = 330 kcals.
  • BarbellApprentice
    BarbellApprentice Posts: 486 Member
    Congrats on making a decision to get healthier and on seeing results. I would just offer that, while something is working now, it may not "work" long term if it is something difficult to adhere to. Cutting out foods you love is a recipe(pun intended) for a breakdown or binge down the road for most people.

    Yes, I eat pasta. In fact, I eat every food now that I ate before getting in shape. I just have to hit my calorie and macro goals. Beyond that, nothing is off the table (punday monday).
  • Ignaura
    Ignaura Posts: 203 Member
    I had pasta a few days ago after months without having any. I had 3/4 cup (measured before cooking) and it was filling enough. Added some veggies and chicken. it was a great meal.

    And rice... well,, I eat rice everyday, usually one cup
  • Pedalpush
    Pedalpush Posts: 246 Member
    Weigh it. I started doing that and it's shocking just how little 2oz of pasta is. But if that's what I need to do to get rid of this three year old baby fat, then I'll do it. I think it's way better than cutting it out completely.
  • ValerieMartini2Olives
    ValerieMartini2Olives Posts: 3,024 Member
    I still eat pasta, but since it is calorie dense, I won't eat it often. For 200 calories in one serving of pasta, I could be eating a lot of other things.
  • jkwolly
    jkwolly Posts: 3,049 Member
    I eat pasta as a treat, since when I have it in the house I just want to eat a whole package of it.


    I eat rice almost every other day! Perfect for my carb intake and I find it keeps me full for awhile!
  • ashenriver
    ashenriver Posts: 498 Member
    There is guideline about filling your plate for better portions.

    1/4 protein
    1/4 grain (pasta)
    and
    1/2 vegetables

    I love pasta and I eat it at least once a week. I just try to add more vegetables now. Ill chop up extra veggies and add it to the sauce or I do sautéed pasta with lots of added veggies.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I eat pasta a few times a week. If you actually measure out one serving of it (2 oz/56 g uncooked or about 4 oz cooked), you'll find that it's a fair amount of food. There's no reason to avoid it if you're willing to weigh out the portions ahead of time and only cook that much.

    I was going to say pretty much the exact same thing. I used to make my ragu bolognese and just cook a Lb of pasta and throw it all together...now I make my sauce and just reserve it and only cook as much pasta as I'm going to eat for my serving...for me that's usually around 4 oz dry so 2 servings per the package. I do the same with rice and other grains...I just cook what I'm going to eat.

    Sometimes I just have a little pasta as a side with a marinara sauce, some grilled chicken, and a big side of veggies. I generally stick to the 2 oz serving size.
  • Poofy_Goodness
    Poofy_Goodness Posts: 229 Member
    I eat pasta a few times a week. If you actually measure out one serving of it (2 oz/56 g uncooked or about 4 oz cooked), you'll find that it's a fair amount of food. There's no reason to avoid it if you're willing to weigh out the portions ahead of time and only cook that much.

    This.

    When I first measured out one serving of pasta it was much smaller than what I have served myself in the past. At first, I just made room in my day for 2 servings of pasta at dinner since that was closer to my normal amount. Now I have found that eating one serving of pasta is satisfying if I add protein and extra veggies to the dish (say, penne, chicken, broccoli, bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, and tomato sauce). There is no need to cut it out completely unless you really want to.

    I go through phases of abstaining from grains because I experience a benefit in terms of increased satiety. That's my person choice, but not a thing anyone needs to do.
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    I eat pasta often, rice from time to time, and bread most days. Like many others, I used to have excessively large portions of pasta without really thinking about it (topped with excessive amounts of cheese). Calorie counting allows me to get the appropriate portion size for my needs. I usually have anywhere between 50g and 75g of pasta now, depending on what I'm having with it. I'm more likely to have a smaller amount now and bulk it out with vegetables.
  • aliencheesecake
    aliencheesecake Posts: 569 Member
    Hi all,

    I've been dieting since January 1st and have had some success. Where we struggle a bit at home is that we've adjusted our eating habits quite considerably to avoid too many carbs (breads, pastas, rice, etc). We still have carbs but haven't had a pasta meal in quite a while. I was just wondering if anyone here still ate pastas? I was kind of wondering if I had smaller portions that I used to if i'd be ok? I don't really want to deviate from what I am doing now as its been working, but we also have many more meal ideas that involve the use of pasta/rice/etc.

    Thanks all!

    I like to get multigrain rices and pastas that have fiber/veggies added into the pasta itself to make my carbs do "double duty." Try Ronzoni Garden Delight pastas!
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I eat pasta a few times a week. If you actually measure out one serving of it (2 oz/56 g uncooked or about 4 oz cooked), you'll find that it's a fair amount of food. There's no reason to avoid it if you're willing to weigh out the portions ahead of time and only cook that much.

    No way. It's a tiny amount of food. Seriously.. it's very sad.

    I've started using spaghetti squash instead.
  • rhoucheille
    rhoucheille Posts: 61
    I still eat rice everyday. I used to eat 1c of rice for lunch then 1/2 c for dinner. But I think my appetite got used to this lifestyle change that I can't even finished a cup of rice. So usually I just eat 1/2 c of rice for dinner and when I'm home. And I still eat pasta once in a while. But I hear a lot of good recommendations using butternut squash as an alternative.
  • cici1028
    cici1028 Posts: 799 Member
    Learn the magic of the spaghetti squash. :)

    http://homecooking.about.com/od/vegetablerecipes/ss/spagsquashsbs.htm

    It is delicious. :)
  • AHack3
    AHack3 Posts: 173 Member
    I still eat pasta and rice, but I eat 1/2 cup cooked for a serving. I eat whole wheat pasta and brown or wild rice.
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,300 Member
    At least one meal a week is either pasta or rice based for me. I only eat one portion now (instead of 3 or 4 portions each time) and bulk it up with vegetables or protein to "make up" for the lower amount of food.
  • heidisprouse
    heidisprouse Posts: 3 Member
    For our family of four, we used to easily eat one 16 oz package of pasta with a pound of meat and a jar of ragu. Now, before serving, I set aside two dishes full for the kids to take for school lunch the next day and serve the rest with a salad. Now, I also try to leave the meat out or add in more vegetables with the sauce. That has helped us a lot!

Categories