I ❤️ carbs

I love carbs too but I find that if I eat something with protein first, the "carb craving" goes away.

Be sure you're eating complex carbs, and it shouldn't be a problem.
Look up "The Starch Solution".

mrsmpoirier wrote: »

need healthy alternatives. Always feel hungry. RE-starting this weightloss journey. Again

@mrsmpoirier welcome to MFP.

I loved carbs too but they did not love me back so I ditched them a year ago. After two hellish weeks the hunger/cravings started to fade. A year later at age 64 my health is better than it was at 44.

Best of success. Actually only cutting carbs from grain sources may do the trick.

As you can tell, there is generally a lot of support for carbs on this board. I guess the bigger question is what does your total diet look like? I tend to eat a lot of carbs, but my bigger concentration is protein (building block for muscle).

To answer the direct question, there are plenty of good sources of fats and proteins: nuts, eggs, cheese, greek yogurt, meats (chicken, steak, bison, turkey, etc...), and fish (especially those high in omega 3s).

One thing to keep in mind, total diet composition is what matters.

YOu can eat wholegrain bread, pasta, and basmati rice and also even short grain rice though basmati is better - so long as you like others above have said, your portion is modest and you eat more vegies and fruit.

Also all the legumes are great.

The thing about legumes and vegies and fruit is that they are high in soluble fibre which is really really good for you.

Minimise refined carbs like white bread, all sweets, and other processed foods whihc usually have added sugar anyway.

To avoid getting hungry here's what i have done and recommend for everyone:

Eat the right amount of protein for your weight
Eat the recommended amount of fruit and vegetables or more daily.
Eat your meals fairly close together during the day and if you have to go for more than 4 hours between meals, have a snack that will give you enough cals to get you to your next meal.
Avoid eating after dinner and going to be bed just slightly hungry if its late or not hungry at all if its earlier, is best so you can lose overnight without feeling hungry at all.
If you cut your calories severely you will surely feel hungry so this is why i recommend aiming to lose only about one pound a week when you are moderately overweight and 2 pounds if you are very overweight. When you are in your healthy weight range, you can afford to lose even more slowly but do whatever is comfortable and allows you to avoid hunger.

People cannot sustain being hungry for too long without caving so avoid it. But some foods are more helpful than others here as i've described above.

I have to be okay with the idea that I can eat anything, as long as I fit it into my calories.

Today was an insane day. I ate a dry brown bread roll (a choice - l like them), two guavas and a cup of coffee for breakfast. I ate an entire 160g Cadbury's chocolate and a cup of coffee for lunch (call it hormones). I am having a bowl of cauliflower and broccoli for dinner and riding my bike for 20 minutes so that it is a big one (not many calories and I like it). Day comes in almost exactly 1200.

That would horrify most people, but I stay in calories, eating like that ocassionally, when I really need it. As long as I know that I can, most of the time I eat normally, which for me is relatively high protein (a trend, NOT a rule).

Losing weight nicely and I find my attitude sustainable.

What do you think derailed you last time? Do what works for you.

I don't consider carbs unhealthy, and for me many carbs -- like fruit, vegetables, legumes, and even potatoes and sweet potatoes -- tend to be filling. What don't fill me up are sugary baked goods and, quite often, bread and rice, so I tend to substitute other foods for those (also, for me, they usually aren't worth the calories).

People tend to find different ways of eating to be satiating, so I recommend experimenting and noting your reactions. Some things that commonly help:

(1) getting enough protein (I increased to about 1 gram per lb of lean body mass as my minimum, as I tend to find that satisfying)

(2) eating lots of low calorie foods like vegetables (especially for those of us who are volume eaters)

(3) eating more fiber (I haven't found this makes much difference for me, but it helps others)

(4) increasing fat (this doesn't help me, but many report that it helps them)

(5) Trying different ways of dividing up calories/meals (I do much better on three regular-sized meals and few snacks, but others find different things to work, so experiment)

To cut calories initially I found it helpful to decrease the starch portion of my meal (the potato, bread, rice, corn, etc.) and increase vegetables and often the amount of lean protein I had. I'd also sometimes replace the starch component with more non-starchy veg or maybe some fruit. (But others find this to result in less satisfying meals, so again see what works for you.)

Carbs are good. Its all about learning to moderate your intake and stay within your calorie goals, whether losing or at maintenance. Eliminating a necessary nutrient isn't the way to do that.