anyone else eating mostly carbs?
rocknlotsofrolls
Posts: 418 Member
I'm struggling, I mean really struggling with cravings. Do any of you just eat mainly simple carbs, like for example, a big bowl of frosted flakes with whole or 2% milk for dinner, or fried chicken with real mashed potatoes and gravy and a biscuit and a glass of sweet tea? I would rather have a smaller portion of good food like this, than to eat a bunch of stuff that I just don't like. I'm just being as real as I can be here. If the calories in versus calories out thing is what it takes to lose weight, well why not? I'm including a multi-vitamin and exercise too. Also, I realize that I would be eating very little due to the high calorie content, but if I maybe waited til dinner, I could make it work. What you say? Go easy on me now! I'm 5'3 and I am currently 193lbs.
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Personally, I love carbs. I do find however, that if I am heavy on them early in the day, that I will want to feed constantly. I think you might want to look into intermittent fasting.0
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I eat a high (mostly complex) carb diet and I've lost 40lbs. Bran muffins, pasta, sweet potatoes, I eat them all. As long as it is within your calorie allowance, eat what you want.0
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If I overdo it on carbs, I am much hungrier and find it very difficult to stay on track. I eat some protein at almost every meal and snack.
If I only ate simple carbs, I would not be able to succeed at this. Too little quantity of food for the calories I'm allowed.
All you can do is try it out and see if it works for you. If you succeed, I will be insanely jealous!!0 -
I am a carboholic but have been switching to whole grains where possible. As you note, it's cico so make it work for you!0
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thanks guys. Just needed reassurance and support. Love you all.0
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I too like carbs. But found out I stay full with proteins and am more likely to minimize carb intake to more of a balanced diet of both. Peanut butter, yogurt, chicken breast cutlets and protein shakes are a good start, at a calorie deficit of course.
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If that's how you want to brooch it I say go for it! You're right; it's calories in vs calories burned so if you feel quality over quantity would give you a better chance at long term sustainability, then that's what you should do.
I love carbs like crazy but try to scatter them about; I'm more a quantity kind of gal myself
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If I overdo it on carbs, I am much hungrier and find it very difficult to stay on track. I eat some protein at almost every meal and snack.
If I only ate simple carbs, I would not be able to succeed at this. Too little quantity of food for the calories I'm allowed.
All you can do is try it out and see if it works for you.
This ^ is my experience as well.
40% carbs, 30% fat, 30% protein works well to keep me full in between meals. 40% carbs is not low carb, but it is much less than I used to eat, and I no longer get the munchies or boredom eat.
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I started out wanting to do a low carb plan. I lasted about a week. LOL! I love them in all shapes and forms, but I do notice that they never keep me full for very long. I eat them but have found that keeping them moderate and in balance with adequate protein and fiber is best...for me.
Definitely do what you feel will work best. If you find it isn't working well you can always tweak things a bit. Intermittent fasting does sound like a possibility for what you're talking about.....0 -
I also love carbs but I am hungrier if my macro balance is off. 40% carbs is about right for me. I need to get plenty of protein and fats, as well. At one point I was not getting enough fat and found that my appetite was affected by that, as well.0
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I love carbs
There is no reason to cut your carb intake unless medically advised to. If weight loss is your goal, focus on those calories and fit what you enjoy into your allowance. You're doing fine!0 -
Most of my carbs come from fruits and veggies, but I do eat whole-grain bread, too.
I eat a VERY high-carb diet and have lost a lot of weight doing it.0 -
High carbs here
mixture of veggies fruits and popcorn etc
Lost weight just fine
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What you describe sounds more like a high-fat diet than a high-carb diet to me (full-fat or 2% milk, fried chicken, gravy, biscuits, possibly even mashed potatoes, depending on how you prepare them, are all going to have a higher percentage of calories from fat than from carbs).
But I take your real point to be that you would rather eat smaller amounts of calorie-dense foods you enjoy than larger amounts of less calorie-dense foods that you don't like. Give it a try; that works for some people, and you might be one of them. You might look for threads on intermittent fasting (IF) (basically, cramming all your calories into just a few hours, rather than eating meals all day long); lots of people (not me) swear by it, and it might be an approach that would help you eat the foods you want within your daily calorie goal.0 -
rocknlotsofrolls wrote: »I'm struggling, I mean really struggling with cravings. Do any of you just eat mainly simple carbs, like for example, a big bowl of frosted flakes with whole or 2% milk for dinner, or fried chicken with real mashed potatoes and gravy and a biscuit and a glass of sweet tea? I would rather have a smaller portion of good food like this, than to eat a bunch of stuff that I just don't like. I'm just being as real as I can be here. If the calories in versus calories out thing is what it takes to lose weight, well why not? I'm including a multi-vitamin and exercise too. Also, I realize that I would be eating very little due to the high calorie content, but if I maybe waited til dinner, I could make it work. What you say? Go easy on me now! I'm 5'3 and I am currently 193lbs.
I lost weight and maintain eating roughly 50% of my diet in carbs. In maintenance around 250-300g per day
But my diet is generally healthy, focusing on nutritious foods prepared well with an eye on protein intake
This is in direct contrast to the foods you are talking about up there as a basis for a diet - the nutritional benefits are low, the preparation style high in fats
so the answer is yes a higher carb diet can be a nutritionally sound and easy way to achieve weight goals - but no the food you're talking about would rely on too small portion sizes for me to be satisfied
it is just about calories for weight loss
but for health it's about calories and nutrition0 -
I have had days where all I eat is the type of food you describe. It can be done, but I find that I struggle to manage my hunger when I do it for too many days in a row, leading to calorie creep (I eat a little bit more than I should).
I still have the things I love, but lower carbs and higher protein helps to keep me full. Delicious foods help me to keep my sanity, so I am never going to do away with them completely.0 -
What works for me is to eat my delicious faves when the opportunity arises, but devote most of my own efforts toward very simple nutrient rich food choices that keep me satisfied for longer amounts of time. So I will occasionally eat fried chicken (mmmmm) but if I'm preparing chicken it's going to be dry spiced and just seared or grilled. I never feel deprived, but I no longer go out of my way to cook, bake or fry a big calorie bomb.0
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When I was in my 20's I lost a lot of weight (and kept it off for decades) eating a high carb diet. But the carbs I ate were of the fairly healthy variety -- lots of whole grains and baked potatoes and things like that. I was incredibly, overwhelmingly hungry. The only way I managed to tolerate it was sheer willpower and stubbornness.
This time around, after having gained some weight due to hypothyroidism, I've lost it on a lower carb diet. It's much easier to control my hunger. But other things have changed in the intervening years -- I developed IBS (which responds very well to the lower carb diet) and, well, I'm a lot older (almost 53). So age and health issues could certainly play a part in why a lower carb diet seems to make it so much easier to lose weight now than a higher carb diet did decades ago.
All that to say -- Do what works for you. If you can eat what you like and keep your calories and appetite under control, then go for it.0 -
Sit down and set some goals. What are your goals besides losing x number of pounds? Do you want to be fit, are you trying to get off of certain meds you're on right now, how are you visualizing your lifestyle in 5-10-15 years? You want to eat this way but are you looking at your long term health, is it sustainable and if it is how are you going to sustain it?
Setting goals that is long term is what will determine the longevity of your weight loss. Yes, you can lose weight on most fad diets out there but can you sustain it for the long term. Set your goals and what you can't live without. Once you have the long term goals in place, implement the changes that would get you there.0 -
I eat carbs in EverY meal! And no , I'm not talking about just veggies and fruits. I eat daily: oatmeal, RICE! , bread, crackers etc. Its all about quantity and finding what works for u.
Cause yes combining those food with protein , like scramble eggs with toast, big tuna salad with crackers , rice with veggies and chicken will keep ME full longer, but for me cutting carbs or just eating them in veggies or fruit are a no no, gimme gimme more.
Dont be afraid to experiment, go for it and see how it goes , even when is all about CICO it takes time to adjust our diet and find what works for each.
Good luck ! 0 -
get some mama noodles. 240 cals...stick some veg in if you want, great filling meal..0
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I just Google it, they seem yummy but 1260 mg of sodium per serving its something to consider when us ladies retain so much water already. But Glad too see it works for u!0 -
Anything that is effective and you can stick to, will work.0
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If you're losing weight and happy, then ok.
I will say that Intermittent Fasting may be useful for you. Try this group... http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/49-intermittent-fasting0 -
About 2400 of my 4350 calories are from carbs. Sometimes a little less if there's something really good and protein- or fat-heavy on the menu.0
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If you are still really hungry and craving more food, try switching out some of the simple carbs for complex carbs that are higher in fiber (eat your potatoes with the skin, get some higher fiber cereal like bran flakes, eat whole grain bread, eat fruit and veggies, etc). I find that getting more fiber curbs the hunger.0
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I am bulking right now, so I get about 50% of my diet from carbs..however, when cutting that is closer to about 30 to 35%.
as long as you eat in a calorie deficit then you will lose weight, no matter what % of your calories come from carbs. However, I would make sure that you are hitting fat and protein minimums.0 -
Sit down and set some goals. What are your goals besides losing x number of pounds? Do you want to be fit, are you trying to get off of certain meds you're on right now, how are you visualizing your lifestyle in 5-10-15 years? You want to eat this way but are you looking at your long term health, is it sustainable and if it is how are you going to sustain it?
Setting goals that is long term is what will determine the longevity of your weight loss. Yes, you can lose weight on most fad diets out there but can you sustain it for the long term. Set your goals and what you can't live without. Once you have the long term goals in place, implement the changes that would get you there.
you can eat carbs and hit long term health goals.0 -
I eat mostly carbs, but not necessarily the kind you mentioned in your first post.
I definitely advocate for eating A LOT of carbs!!
I never feel bloated either, except maybe after alcohol... 0
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