Cutting carbs!

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20motivation14
20motivation14 Posts: 3
in Food and Nutrition
So since I've been tracking my food intake I have noticed I eat a ton of carbs and didn't realize it. Can anyone give me some advice on how to cut them out of my diet. For example instead of a bowl of cereal for breakfast what is a good replacement that doesn't have a lot of carbs. Should I turn to all lean meats and veggies? Thanks!:smile:

Replies

  • reenpayne
    reenpayne Posts: 21
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    Yep, eat more lean meats (baked, broiled, NO fried) and plenty of veggies. Carbs are good but to many can stunt your weight loss. Instead of cereal for breakfast maybe have sausage and eggs. I hope this help!!! I just did a low carb diet and I have lost 3 pounds in 5 days.
  • Ashalahn_LMT
    Ashalahn_LMT Posts: 342 Member
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    Yes. Lean meats and lots of veggies.
    Chicken
    Turkey
    Tuna
    Eggs
    Greek Yogurt
    Lean Red meats.

    I usually go in that order.
  • GaveUp
    GaveUp Posts: 308
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    Go into setting and set your goals to low carb and work on staying under. I've been doing it for a couple of weeks and have lost 6 pounds. I love it I feel less bloated. Don't have many cravings. If you would like you can add me and check out my diary.

    A link to help you set your goals

    http://www.freedieting.com/tools/nutrient_calculator.htm

    Lori
  • sdickerson
    sdickerson Posts: 8
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    My favorite low carb breakfast, with less than 5 carbs: Make an omelette: sautee onion in low cal butter, add 1 egg and 2 egg yolks, then some light shredded cheese and sliced grape tomatoes. Trader Joe's has a really good light shredded 3 cheese blend that's really good, and I change to goat cheese once in a while for a change.
  • soshotout
    soshotout Posts: 115
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    I've been considering this too. No matter what I do, staying at or just above 1200 calories, exercising every day, measuring & logging everything that goes into my mouth, I have only lost 2 pounds in over 6 weeks. This is very discouraging. I know I have reactive hypoglycemia, so I've been reading The South Beach Diet. I've used Atkins before and lost a ton of weight, but when I went off it and started eating carbs again, I gained all my weight back. However, I really need to track my sodium intake as well, since too much of that makes me feel horrible.

    The way I see it, lean meats & vegetables are the way to go.
  • kkuhly
    kkuhly Posts: 80 Member
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    I do low carb in my diet! It does take a little fanagling trying to figure out good replacements for long term, but in the end it is worth it. For breakfast I usually do eggs/egg whites and sausage links OR turkey bacon with a cup of coffee. For lunch I will have left overs from the night before or a salad with tuna or turkey along with cheese, avacado, and other veggies. For dinner I use a company called e-mealz.com. I signed up for there family low carb menu option. they provided me with a different dinner option for every night of the week. It is $5 a month to receive the menu/shopping list and it is worth every penny. Let me know if you are interested in checking it out and I can send you a link. Then if you want to sign up I can get a discount for the referral. I hope this helps!!! Good luck!
  • ambie35
    ambie35 Posts: 853 Member
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    brave souls. Carbs are my comfort food. I have considered cutting them in the past but I decided it wasn't something I could do forever and I didnt want to have a big loss and then gain it all back when I reintroduced them.
    On that note I'd like to bump as I would be interested in a few simple ways to cut out everyday carb addup.
  • Drewso
    Drewso Posts: 16
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    Yogurt, cottage cheese, turkey franks, veggies, nuts, flax, etc...... Carbs dont make people fat. Extra calories (energy) make people fat. They can come from fats and protein as well. You most likely burn off those calories in the morning for breakfast. I wouldnt go low carb in the mornings. I go low carb before bed since I wont be needing the carbs for energy. Hope I helped
  • campi_mama
    campi_mama Posts: 350 Member
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    I generally try to keep my carbs under 100g a day. Often I eat eggs or egg whites for breakfast. My go-to breakfast is coffee, a banana and an oz of almonds. Cottage cheese is also an easy choice. There are some lower crab wraps out there that work really well for lunches too. Hope that helps!
  • smkey
    smkey Posts: 121 Member
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    Cut out regular breads, tortillas, and the like. Go for whole grain. They're better for you and pack more protein and less carbs. The less processed foods you eat, the less carbs you eat.
  • absie107
    absie107 Posts: 290
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    i'm trying to keep mine at or below 100g as well... eggs are the best ever. Use them well. try your best to just eat whole foods and you pretty much can't go wrong..
  • ninaws
    ninaws Posts: 42 Member
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    For breakfast, I have 2 egg whites, 1 regular egg scrambled in 1 tbsp of Smart Balance 50/50 butter and a half-serving of fruit, usually berries because they are lower in sugar. I eat a lot of fruit and they have carbs which is why I stick to half-portions (so I can enjoy fruit throughout the day) . So if you don't eat a whole lot of fruit like me, feel free to have a whole serving at breakfast!
  • crobinson53
    crobinson53 Posts: 164
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    An easy low carb breakfast is 2 boiled eggs or egg whites with salsa with a piece of turkey sausage. I like Kashi Go Lean cereal too.
  • Pandorian
    Pandorian Posts: 2,055 MFP Moderator
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    I've been considering this too. No matter what I do, staying at or just above 1200 calories, exercising every day, measuring & logging everything that goes into my mouth, I have only lost 2 pounds in over 6 weeks. This is very discouraging. I know I have reactive hypoglycemia, so I've been reading The South Beach Diet. I've used Atkins before and lost a ton of weight, but when I went off it and started eating carbs again, I gained all my weight back. However, I really need to track my sodium intake as well, since too much of that makes me feel horrible.

    The way I see it, lean meats & vegetables are the way to go.

    Looking back over your diary you haven't recently been eating your exercise calories, I didn't go back more than a week, but if you've been eating only your 1200 calories for that 6 weeks try eating your exercise calories (half of them if your numbers are from MFP or the machine itself rather than a heart rate monitor. Need to feed to succeed!


    As to the OP make sure you're having a real breakfast, just a coffee and toast isn't very filling / good start to the day when you've already been fasting since your last meal in the evening to when you wake up! Check your cereals I make my own raisin bran using bran flakes or all bran so I can avoid the sugary frosting of the "actual" cereal by that name, cuts my carbs down. Use whole milk rather than skim to get some healthier fats in too.
  • carterdjohnson
    carterdjohnson Posts: 9
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    I agree with Drewso:
    Yogurt, cottage cheese,
    (I don't do these, ick -->)
    turkey franks,
    (but I love the rest -->)
    veggies, nuts, flax, etc...... Carbs dont make people fat. Extra calories (energy) make people fat. They can come from fats and protein as well. You most likely burn off those calories in the morning for breakfast. I wouldnt go low carb in the mornings. I go low carb before bed since I wont be needing the carbs for energy.

    As far as breakfast cereals and the like, look for those that have little or no sugar. Kashi and Arrowhead Mills have some good examples. Also, whole grains (whole wheat, flax, etc) rather than refined grains (such as rice and corn). Some people don't like these as they find them bland, but I've found you actually get used to them. Also, you can add blueberries or other fruit to your cereal to improve the taste.

    Try eating more vegetables, fresh or lightly steamed. Don't forget to season them with a tiny pinch of salt and then add a bit of olive oil to break the acidity of some of them. Again, add fruit, or nuts too, to your salads for variety.

    Remember, it's about relearning and changing your lifestyle rather than dieting, so there is a bit of a learning curve. If you were to move to another strange, far away country, you'd have to change your diet then too. Perhaps, in the beginning it would be a difficult adjustment learning to eat the local food, but it only takes time to find what you like best. We are creatures of habit, but we can learn to enjoy just about anything!!!
  • soshotout
    soshotout Posts: 115
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    I've been considering this too. No matter what I do, staying at or just above 1200 calories, exercising every day, measuring & logging everything that goes into my mouth, I have only lost 2 pounds in over 6 weeks. This is very discouraging. I know I have reactive hypoglycemia, so I've been reading The South Beach Diet. I've used Atkins before and lost a ton of weight, but when I went off it and started eating carbs again, I gained all my weight back. However, I really need to track my sodium intake as well, since too much of that makes me feel horrible.

    The way I see it, lean meats & vegetables are the way to go.

    Looking back over your diary you haven't recently been eating your exercise calories, I didn't go back more than a week, but if you've been eating only your 1200 calories for that 6 weeks try eating your exercise calories (half of them if your numbers are from MFP or the machine itself rather than a heart rate monitor. Need to feed to succeed!


    As to the OP make sure you're having a real breakfast, just a coffee and toast isn't very filling / good start to the day when you've already been fasting since your last meal in the evening to when you wake up! Check your cereals I make my own raisin bran using bran flakes or all bran so I can avoid the sugary frosting of the "actual" cereal by that name, cuts my carbs down. Use whole milk rather than skim to get some healthier fats in too.


    Thanks for the info. I will start eating back 1/2 my exercise calories. Plus, I am also evaluating my carbs, fats and proteins as well. Appreciate you taking the time to look at my diary!
  • mom23nuts
    mom23nuts Posts: 636 Member
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    first I love your haircut I am searching for something new for me.

    2nd

    go protein

    whole wheat toast and cottage cheese
    scrambled eggs and spinach and cheese and a wedge of melon
    a protein shake with pumpkin pie spie and a blob of low fat ricotta and almond milk

    feel free to add me and look at my diary

    50% of your dinner should be leafy low carb greens and veg
    25% protein
    25% other a small treat or a starch with brown rice, whole grain pasta, whatever
  • TK421NotAtPost
    TK421NotAtPost Posts: 512 Member
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    Mom23, I like your macronutrient breakdown! It's a nice moderate carb formula...

    I also like the way you mentioned a protein shake. Personally, I find it difficult to fill my protein needs without adding a shake here and there...not only because of the time constraints, but also because it's emotionally difficult to ingest that much lean meat in a day.

    To the OP, I would consider using a shake to help up your daily protein.

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