How to cut out a lot of carbs.. Need advice.
NoelleRondini
Posts: 10 Member
My favorite thing to eat is bread and pasta. I would like to cut it out and find some other alternatives. I found that cutting out bread and pasta I saw more results.... But idk where to start. I'm having a hard time this time around.
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Replies
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While cutting out pasta and bread isn't necessary for weight loss if you stay within your calorie goal, if you feel like it is something that is helpful to you, you could try using a spiralizer to make vegetable "noodles" (zucchini is a popular choice), and you could use things like lettuce leaves or kale for sandwiches.
I have to be honest, though; if bread and pasta are your favourite things to eat, I think you'd be better off just planning around them and allowing yourself moderate portions. I think a plan that involves avoiding your favourites will be miserable and probably unsustainable in the long term. Try just staying under your calorie goal first; you might be pleasantly surprised to find you can fit in bread and pasta, just maybe in smaller portions than before, or not quite as often.0 -
I switched from having a sandwich at lunch every day to having a salad with protein in it most days. I still have sandwiches occasionally. That's one way to decrease the amount of bread. Eating something besides bread for breakfast also (if that's when you eat bread). Also do you have both bread and pasta for dinner in one meal? If so, try having one or the other and adding in more veggies or protein. Perhaps just reduce the portion size of your pasta, or have it four nights a week instead of seven, etc. etc. many ways to reduce but not eliminate the amount you eat. If it what you love, you won't be happy not eating them at all.0
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Former pizza addict here (bread and pasta were also loved). I had to go cold turkey. Cut out all grains and junk carbs. You need to do it long enough so that it becomes a habit. After 1-2 months, you'll be on autopilot. You'll find the cravings go away.
Any attempt at "moderation" or an occasional "cheat" will doom you to failure.
Key to success: eat low-carb food you already love. Eggs, meats, veggies, nuts, cheese, even DARK chocolate.
Results: you will probably lose weight effortlessly. Without hunger. But you may find all sort of side-benefits you didn't even expect. You won't know till you try.
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Former pizza addict here (bread and pasta were also loved). I had to go cold turkey. Cut out all grains and junk carbs. You need to do it long enough so that it becomes a habit. After 1-2 months, you'll be on autopilot. You'll find the cravings go away.
Any attempt at "moderation" or an occasional "cheat" will doom you to failure.
Key to success: eat low-carb food you already love. Eggs, meats, veggies, nuts, cheese, even DARK chocolate.
Results: you will probably lose weight effortlessly. Without hunger. But you may find all sort of side-benefits you didn't even expect. You won't know till you try.
This may be true for you, but "doom you to failure" is a bit hyperbolic, especially given that so many of the very successful MFP members lost their weight while eating their favourite foods in moderation.0 -
MakePeasNotWar wrote: »Former pizza addict here (bread and pasta were also loved). I had to go cold turkey. Cut out all grains and junk carbs. You need to do it long enough so that it becomes a habit. After 1-2 months, you'll be on autopilot. You'll find the cravings go away.
Any attempt at "moderation" or an occasional "cheat" will doom you to failure.
Key to success: eat low-carb food you already love. Eggs, meats, veggies, nuts, cheese, even DARK chocolate.
Results: you will probably lose weight effortlessly. Without hunger. But you may find all sort of side-benefits you didn't even expect. You won't know till you try.
This may be true for you, but "doom you to failure" is a bit hyperbolic, especially given that so many of the very successful MFP members lost their weight while eating their favourite foods in moderation.
^^this.
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I've also been wanting to reduce my carbohydrates. Tho; what I've been experimenting with recently is eating strictly fruits & vegetables. I must admit I've lost a few pounds but more importantly I feel healthier.0
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OK, some people can eat these things in moderation. Probably even most people. But for others, the signals for satiety are pretty weak when it comes to this type of food. I was one of those. Pizza was just too damn good. Caloric content didn't matter -- I'd scarf down most of a large pizza.
If you're like me, you'll know it, and only cold turkey worked for me. If you're "normal" and can easily eat carbs in moderation, don't assume everybody else can too. If you're overweight, you're probably like me. If you have high triglycerides, you're probably like me.0 -
The thing is, if you want to cut out the carbs, but love pasta and bread(which I do too
) then you have to make sure to do it in moderation. I say that because if you cut out the carbs and then have a day of just a bit of "over-carbing" you're going to feel awfully bloated and exhausted and just plain sucky. You could cut out the carbs almost completely if you want. But unless you're fine with cutting out pasta and bread out of your diet almost completely for the long term, you should do it in moderation.
Adjust your diet, get healthy, and conclude with being able to eat what you want from time to time but still be healthy!
If you want to do it in moderation: I limit myself to 50g - 70g of carbs a day.0 -
Japanese shirataki noodles
Spaghetti Squash with Marinara
Japchae (Korean Stir-Fried Sweet Potato Noodles)
Portabello Mushroom Pizzas
Mac-and-Cheese-Style Cauliflower
Search the internet for "low carb alternative to pasta" lots of information. Personally, I'm not on low carb diet. So I have not tried these, but seeing them on the net they looked good. I think I'm going to try the mushroom pizza and the Mac-and-Cheese-Style Cauliflower0 -
Sweet Potato and Wholegrain rice, nothing else :P Haha I live of these. I have 3sets of carbs a day, oatibix for breakfast, then sweet potato for lunch and rice for dinner vice versa.0
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I have to cut out a lot of bread, pasta, flour and all gluten as i have ibs it effects me pretty badly as much as i do love them. So far ive developed a love for cauli n broccoli i can make rice dishes if i process it up, put it with cheese sauce when my kids have mac n cheese and you can even make pizza bases with it!. Haven't tried that as yet but it looks really good! My favourite is roasting it gives the cauli a nice nutty flavour.
Good luck!!
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Maybe learn portion control and moderation?when I first started I felt like i couldn't practice portion control either but in time, i finally got it down.0
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Thank you everyone! Your replies were great! I've cut back on a lot of let's call it "bored eating" when I'm home by myself I would just nip pick at anything in the house multiple times a day, (chips, cookies, ect.) when we order pizza, I can eat half a large, I don't even know where it goes cause I'm only 5'1 @ 186lbs. (Most of my weight I gained during pregnancy) haha, but I guess I will just have to try to cut it out cold turkey. 0
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NoelleRondini wrote: »Thank you everyone! Your replies were great! I've cut back on a lot of let's call it "bored eating" when I'm home by myself I would just nip pick at anything in the house multiple times a day, (chips, cookies, ect.) when we order pizza, I can eat half a large, I don't even know where it goes cause I'm only 5'1 @ 186lbs. (Most of my weight I gained during pregnancy) haha, but I guess I will just have to try to cut it out cold turkey.
OR.... You could try accurately logging every single thing that you eat, seeing how it all adds up, and find ways to fit the foods you enjoy into your day. Eat 2 pieces of pizza with a salad, rather than half a large. Pre logging food before you eat it helps many people plan their days and avoid the mindless snacking that you describe.
Are you currently weighing and logging all your food? If not, you may want to try that for a period before going the extreme restriction route.
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Before it gets too hot in here, you might want to check out this article:
https://psychologytoday.com/blog/the-happiness-project/201210/are-you-abstainer-or-moderator
YMMV, of course, but I've found it to be a very helpful concept.0 -
Former pizza addict here (bread and pasta were also loved). I had to go cold turkey. Cut out all grains and junk carbs. You need to do it long enough so that it becomes a habit. After 1-2 months, you'll be on autopilot. You'll find the cravings go away.
Any attempt at "moderation" or an occasional "cheat" will doom you to failure.
Key to success: eat low-carb food you already love. Eggs, meats, veggies, nuts, cheese, even DARK chocolate.
Results: you will probably lose weight effortlessly. Without hunger. But you may find all sort of side-benefits you didn't even expect. You won't know till you try.
Wah?0 -
charlotte2001mfp wrote: »Before it gets too hot in here, you might want to check out this article:
https://psychologytoday.com/blog/the-happiness-project/201210/are-you-abstainer-or-moderator
YMMV, of course, but I've found it to be a very helpful concept.
That's a great article.0 -
NoelleRondini wrote: »My favorite thing to eat is bread and pasta. I would like to cut it out and find some other alternatives. I found that cutting out bread and pasta I saw more results.... But idk where to start. I'm having a hard time this time around.
It depends on what the problem is.
Is it that you are so used to eating bread and pasta that you can't imagine what to eat if not that? If so, I'd say think of your meals as involving protein, veggies, and some kind of additional food (fruit, dairy, starchy carbs including bread and pasta) and design them based on the amount of carbs you want. If for some reason I want to cut the calories of my meal, I often substitute a second or third non-starchy vegetable for the starchier portion of the meal. But the trick here is that you don't want calories too low, so if you cut carbs make sure you add to the other parts of the meal--largely the protein and fat portions.
Or, is it that you miss these foods if you don't eat them? If so, I'd work on including them in smaller portions or less frequently (having a sandwich for lunch sometimes, not always; having pasta for dinner occasionally and keeping the pasta serving in check).0 -
OK, some people can eat these things in moderation. Probably even most people. But for others, the signals for satiety are pretty weak when it comes to this type of food. I was one of those. Pizza was just too damn good. Caloric content didn't matter -- I'd scarf down most of a large pizza.
If you're like me, you'll know it, and only cold turkey worked for me. If you're "normal" and can easily eat carbs in moderation, don't assume everybody else can too. If you're overweight, you're probably like me. If you have high triglycerides, you're probably like me.
I think it's a huge leap to say that most overweight people are like you. I vehemently disagree. You asked people not to assume and then that is exactly what you did.
I am glad you found what works for you, but I think it is not the norm. Most people can do moderation and be very successful. In fact it is often the key to healthy sustainable weight loss.
For me, I don't do as well with moderation and with cheat meals. So I make different choices, but I don't assume what works personally for me is what others should do. I also realize that for most moderation is a great and healthy choice.
+1
For me, "cheat meals" aren't a problem and the kind of food isn't an issue (even though I was obese at one point). What helps me moderate my intake overall is controlling eating times. I have poor satiety signals--for any food, not just carbs--and yet usually tend to feel hungry due to emotional reasons, not physical ones, so hunger itself isn't really an issue. Thus, I find I overeat if I let myself snack throughout the day. I eat well and within my calories happily (most of the time) if I limit food to mealtime only (which could include a dessert also).
And like you said, I don't assume what works for me works for anyone else--some people find snacking helpful.0 -
Low carb wraps for sandwiches instead of bread (these aren't horrible for a low carb pizza crust or pizza wrap)
Some things are also good on lettuce wraps
Thinly sliced bread, when you do have bread
Spaghetti squash or spiralized vegetables can be good vehicles for pasta sauce, when you don't have room for pasta
I use Fiber Gourmet pasta, which has 1/2 the calories of regular and is pretty low in net carbs, because it's ultra high fiber0 -
I think what would probably work best for me, after reading everyone's responses, I'm going to try eating bread and pasta in moderation, and I will go from there.
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NoelleRondini wrote: »Thank you everyone! Your replies were great! I've cut back on a lot of let's call it "bored eating" when I'm home by myself I would just nip pick at anything in the house multiple times a day, (chips, cookies, ect.) when we order pizza, I can eat half a large, I don't even know where it goes cause I'm only 5'1 @ 186lbs. (Most of my weight I gained during pregnancy) haha, but I guess I will just have to try to cut it out cold turkey.
OR.... You could try accurately logging every single thing that you eat, seeing how it all adds up, and find ways to fit the foods you enjoy into your day. Eat 2 pieces of pizza with a salad, rather than half a large. Pre logging food before you eat it helps many people plan their days and avoid the mindless snacking that you describe.
Are you currently weighing and logging all your food? If not, you may want to try that for a period before going the extreme restriction route.
Yes. Recently I have started to think about pre logging in my meals/snacks so I don't go over my calorie limit or tempted.0 -
I'd say take note of trigger foods or carbs you just don't get full on (pizza for me) I will not have that unless again blue moon. But I found on a low to no carb diet my performance in the gym dropped horribly and I felt tired all the time. I eat brown rice whole wheat pasta etc around the time I work out and after and I'm killing it in the gym! Carbs=energy0
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OK, some people can eat these things in moderation. Probably even most people. But for others, the signals for satiety are pretty weak when it comes to this type of food. I was one of those. Pizza was just too damn good. Caloric content didn't matter -- I'd scarf down most of a large pizza.
If you're like me, you'll know it, and only cold turkey worked for me. If you're "normal" and can easily eat carbs in moderation, don't assume everybody else can too. If you're overweight, you're probably like me. If you have high triglycerides, you're probably like me.
Uh what?
I started out overweight and a pre-diabetic. Lost the weight (around 60lbs), normalized my glucose number in the process, and I've been successfully maintaining now for over two years. Current triglycerides number are a 49 btw. I lost the weight while still eating all the foods I enjoyed, including carb heavy foods like pasta. To assume most people who are overweight need to cut out foods that they enjoy, in order to lose weight is silly.
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To clarify my "cold turkey" statement, this is what I said:You need to do it long enough so that it becomes a habit. After 1-2 months, you'll be on autopilot. You'll find the cravings go away.
I.e., cold turkey until you are weaned off of carbs. Not for life.
I also eat carbs occasionally, but the "carb intolerance" doesn't get cured. For me, it's still a good idea to stay low carb, and I don't feel a bit deprived.0 -
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OK, some people can eat these things in moderation. Probably even most people. But for others, the signals for satiety are pretty weak when it comes to this type of food. I was one of those. Pizza was just too damn good. Caloric content didn't matter -- I'd scarf down most of a large pizza.
If you're like me, you'll know it, and only cold turkey worked for me. If you're "normal" and can easily eat carbs in moderation, don't assume everybody else can too. If you're overweight, you're probably like me. If you have high triglycerides, you're probably like me.
Nope, I was obese and nothing like you.
And I'm thankful for that.0 -
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OK, some people can eat these things in moderation. Probably even most people. But for others, the signals for satiety are pretty weak when it comes to this type of food. I was one of those. Pizza was just too damn good. Caloric content didn't matter -- I'd scarf down most of a large pizza.
If you're like me, you'll know it, and only cold turkey worked for me. If you're "normal" and can easily eat carbs in moderation, don't assume everybody else can too. If you're overweight, you're probably like me. If you have high triglycerides, you're probably like me.
Nope, I was obese and nothing like you.
And I'm thankful for that.
Which eliminates your theory that if someone was obese with high triglycerides they were like you.
High TG is a byproduct of carbs acting on the liver. Obesity has many causes, but the data suggest that most are insulin resistant. Losing weight and exercise both improve insulin sensitivity, no matter how you do it. But if you were ever insulin resistant, you are predisposed for it.
You don't need to be low carb if you keep your calories in check, but high carb + excess calories gets the underlying pathology started.
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