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    Giving up Carbs for Lent

    Posts: 23 Member
    edited February 15 in Food and Nutrition
    I've decided to give up carbs for the next 7 weeks or so- maybe longer if I feel up to it! I'm Italian, so I eat a whole lot of bread, pasta and pizza, so this will be a challenge for me. I've been planning like crazy for this and have most of my dinners planned for the next few weeks. I'm having trouble with lunch ideas though.

    Any good recipe ideas or advice? Also, I'd love some support and would love to support anyone who needs it- so definitely feel free to add me as a friend!

    I will add- since there have been many comments about this- that I will still eat fruits and veggies and maybe a thing or two that has under 2g in a serving. So I'm not totally cutting them out! I do appreciate everyone's concern though :)

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    Replies

    • Posts: 982 Member
      All carbs? That would be very difficult because there are carbs in most foods outside of meat. Give up just bread/pasta/pizza? Easy! :)
    • Posts: 366 Member
      May I suggest just giving up processed carbs? Just because a lot of veggies are carbie, but they are still good for you! And quinoa is a fantastic replacement for rice, but its still a carbe, just not processed.

      If you wanna look at my food diary you can see what I eat, I do low carb and I pay no attention to carb levels in fruits/veggies. You'll notice I'm a vegetarian, but its super easy to add meat to basically any of my recipes
    • Posts: 1,653 Member
      I'm not really sure where to start with this.... BUT. Your body needs carbs. Now, I'm not saying that you cannot function without them, but going from what sounds like a carb heavy diet (albeit whole grain/wheat) it's not a great idea to stop cold turkey like that, especially if you're on a consistent workout regimen. Hopefully you've done your research on this type of thing, and you know how to balance your protein and fats to make up for this....

      And you realize that fruits, veggies, dairy/whey protein powder (most), condiments, nuts/peanut butter all have carbs? I may be wrong (since it's not my personal religion) but I thought that lent was to be something that you can give up completely? Not just pick & choose (Don't have pasta, but overload on veggies....)
    • Posts: 4,440 Member
      Why would you do that? Cutting out an entire food group is not good for your body, and I'm sure even God would understand that.
    • Posts: 61,406 Member
      so you've figured out a way to make dinner with zero carbs but can't figure out how to make a lunch size portion?
    • Posts: 1,720 Member
      Are you giving up all carbs? Even fruits and vegetables? Do you work out? Sounds awful to me, especially going from all to nothing. Be prepared to feel awful too. Can't you just give up bread or something???
    • Posts: 319 Member
      So you're just eating meat?
    • Posts: 4,440 Member
      I'm not really sure where to start with this.... BUT. Your body needs carbs. Now, I'm not saying that you cannot function without them, but going from what sounds like a carb heavy diet (albeit whole grain/wheat) it's not a great idea to stop cold turkey like that, especially if you're on a consistent workout regimen. Hopefully you've done your research on this type of thing, and you know how to balance your protein and fats to make up for this....

      And you realize that fruits, veggies, dairy/whey protein powder (most), condiments, nuts/peanut butter all have carbs? I may be wrong (since it's not my personal religion) but I thought that lent was to be something that you can give up completely? Not just pick & choose (Don't have pasta, but overload on veggies....)

      You actually don't have to give up anything. The idea behind it is to do something that brings you closer to God, whether it's giving up a vice or doing something extra (like good deeds). Then if you're Catholic, there are other stipulations about no meat on Ash Wednesdays and Fridays, and fasting.
    • Posts: 57 Member
      Might want to try to go low carb. Remember when you are looking at carbs you want to look at net carbs... this is the difference between the carbs and the fiber. ex: 10 carbs - 6 fiber = 4 net carbs. Also when you go low carb make sure you up your fat intake, because when you go low carb your body can go into keto which is where your body burns fat as fuel instead of the carbs. It is a super bad idea to go both low carb and low fat. Good Luck!
    • Posts: 1,706 Member
      I've decided to give up carbs for the next 7 weeks or so- maybe longer if I feel up to it! I'm Italian, so I eat a whole lot of bread, pasta and pizza, so this will be a challenge for me. I've been planning like crazy for this and have most of my dinners planned for the next few weeks. I'm having trouble with lunch ideas though.

      Any good recipe ideas or advice? Also, I'd love some support and would love to support anyone who needs it- so definitely feel free to add me as a friend!

      You might not have thought this through all the way. I can understand limiting processed/simple carbs like bakery goods, bread and pasta. But I cannot recommend giving up carbs in general, because you would deprive yourself of a lot of the nutrients ( including those from complex carbs ) you find in vegetables, fruit, legumes, pulses, dairy, nuts, seeds and other food stuff. You could always give up pasta, or pasta and bread and still eat all the other carbs, because most of them are necessary for good health.
    • Posts: 92 Member
      I have been on a lower carb/high protein "thing" for a few days... am only staying on it for a week as my trainer (and I) prefer a much more balanced lifestyle...

      but it's haaaaard....

      I did learn that dry cottage cheese curds have 2x the protein, and if you put them in greek yogurt you can even choke them down ;)
    • Posts: 34,971 Member
      This sounds like a bad idea. I'm not sure if you've really thought this through.
    • Posts: 8,399 Member
      Wait, so you're giving up carbs for Lent... but you're not supposed to eat meat on Fridays...

      Damn girl, are you doing it Jesus in the desert style?
    • Posts: 672 Member
      Unless you only eat only meat, poultry and seafood, you can't give up on all carbs. There are carbs in fruits,vegetables and dairy. I do not eat grains in any form. Read "Grain Brain" for a real eye opener. I feel so much better without them and I also don't eat processed foods.

      The body has no requirement for any carbs but if you don't eat enough fat and protein you will die. That's why I turned to low carb/moderate protein. I feel so much better, have lost my belly fat, and have a ton of energy.
    • Posts: 4,440 Member
      Wait, so you're giving up carbs for Lent... but you're not supposed to eat meat on Fridays...

      Damn girl, are you doing it Jesus in the desert style?

      Hadn't thought of that yet. I guess there's...butter. At least you can fill your fat macro on Fridays.
    • Posts: 23 Member
      I will still continue to eat the "good carbs" that are in most fruits and veggies! So I guess there will still be a little carb intake.
    • Posts: 34,971 Member
      Wait, so you're giving up carbs for Lent... but you're not supposed to eat meat on Fridays...

      Damn girl, are you doing it Jesus in the desert style?

      But didn't Jesus eat bread and drink wine. Aren't those carbs?
    • Posts: 4,323 Member
      h332BFE0C

      lol @ "good carbs".
    • Posts: 29
      I suggest keeping wholegrain unprocessed carbohydrated in your diet - just keep it under 100g a day if you really want to keep the carbs lower. You will still lose weight and your body won't go into shock and put weight back on when you start eating carbs again...

      Don't be scared of carbs, your body needs good carbs, protein and healthy fats for weightloss to work efficiently and last.
    • Posts: 16,947 Member
      Good luck with that. :noway:
    • Posts: 911 Member
      I will still continue to eat the "good carbs" that are in most fruits and veggies! So I guess there will still be a little carb intake.

      For breakfast you could do eggs/bacon/ham/spinach/mushrooms/tomatoes/cheese...basically whatever you want in an omelette. Actually....if you're not wanting to eat carbs except from fruit or veggies then you'll have to cut out cheese too since it does have small amount of carbs. But if you're meaning just cutting out grains...then cheese is a great snack and a great way to increase your calories.

      Some of my go to meals are:
      -taco salad (no chips added...lettuce, beef (taco seasoning typically has some carbs as well), sour cream, cheese, tomatoes, olives, and hot sauce
      -chicken fajitas with no tortilla
      -bacon wrapped chicken
      -burger no bun with whatever toppings (mushrooms and swiss cheese, bacon, egg, plain, etc)
      -roast
    • Posts: 3,161 Member
      so you've figured out a way to make dinner with zero carbs but can't figure out how to make a lunch size portion?


      :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: I was thinking the same thing. I just take leftovers............todays lunch was last night's supper..........pulled pork.

      OP, just make enough supper to have for next days lunch..........
    • Posts: 3,161 Member
      I suggest keeping wholegrain unprocessed carbohydrated in your diet - just keep it under 100g a day if you really want to keep the carbs lower. You will still lose weight and your body won't go into shock and put weight back on when you start eating carbs again...

      Don't be scared of carbs, your body needs good carbs, protein and healthy fats for weightloss to work efficiently and last.

      There is NO need for carbs in the human diet..............

      Fat and protein are the most important macro-nutrients to consume.
    • Posts: 570 Member
      I will still continue to eat the "good carbs" that are in most fruits and veggies! So I guess there will still be a little carb intake.

      Yeah you could just give up the bread, pizza and pasta in itself and look for alternative sources. You may discover some pretty great foods!

      I've given up processed sugar so it's going to make me a more experimental eater. :smile:
    • Posts: 8,399 Member
      show previous quotes

      There is NO need for carbs in the human diet..............

      Fat and protein are the most important macro-nutrients to consume.

      ImS9eFC.gif
    • Posts: 162 Member
      I am doing, "No to all sugar products." for the next 40 days to see if I can make it a HABIT.

      There has got to be a way to say no to those products and live with fresh fruits as desserts or between meal snacks.

      :bigsmile:
    • Posts: 29
      show previous quotes

      There is NO need for carbs in the human diet..............

      Fat and protein are the most important macro-nutrients to consume.

      I believe the body needs good Low GI carbohydrated, the nutrients from the foods that supply it are also important or 'needed'.
      But each to their own. It's just my personal opinion and a suggestion that worked for me.
    • Posts: 1,653 Member
      show previous quotes

      ImS9eFC.gif

      :drinker: :drinker: :drinker:



      Wait, there are carbs in beer..... :sad:
    • Posts: 998 Member
      damn this time of the year is relentless
    • Posts: 4,440 Member
      I am doing, "No to all sugar products." for the next 40 days to see if I can make it a HABIT.

      There has got to be a way to say no to those products and live with fresh fruits as desserts or between meal snacks.

      :bigsmile:

      It sounds unnecessary.
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